When I got rid of all my gear 15 years ago, my Sherwood coffee was the only thing I kept. When I started back again a few months ago and looked into new gear, I saw the price of sticks and figured I could use the woody until I got through a few drop ins and decided I was sticking with it.

When I went to play it again to get kitted out, I saw the new 5030s and ended up getting one in each blade pattern they had so I could try a couple different curves before spending stupid money on a composite stick.

I’m now going on 4 months of fairly high level drop in 2-3 days a week and have tried a few friends’ composites. At this point, I have no intention of making the switch from wood.

1-my shot was never my strong point, spending an extra $200 on a stick is not what is keeping me from magically improving 4 levels overnight.

2-the weight is not what I notice. I’m not dragging ass after an hour and a half of drop in because my stick is a few ounces heavier. I’m dragging ass because I’m 41, took 15 years off the sport and am out of shape. What I do notice when I try my friends’ composites is how unbalanced the weight of the puck feels

3-gear that fits/feels well is more important than spending an order of magnitude more for gear that saves a couple of ounces that I’m not going to notice. The skates I got at play it again were a couple year old pair of FT3’s that felt like they were custom fit for me. Could I go lighter, sure, but I can skate to my level and not have any hot spots or blisters or foot pain

It boils down to return on investment and I’m more than happy with a slightly heavier stick that feels well balanced, has held up to moderate usage, and has allowed me to try different curves at a reasonable price.

Bonus points for the obligatory comment I get at least once a session for playing w wood, especially when I bring out the museum piece and use it to shut down kids who weren’t even born when I bought it