Easton Stealth RS Hockey Stick Review
The Easton Stealth RS stick is the latest and greatest stick from Easton hockey. Easton has a long history of pushing the envelope on hockey stick performance, and has continued that tradition with the Easton RS stick. The RS stick has evolved from the foundation of the former S17 stick and S19 stick. Moving from the S17 to S19, Easton wanted to improve durability and increase the “pop” on shot release, so they stiffened the elliptical profile and re-engineered the blade. Moving from the S19 to RS, Easton wanted to really fine tune the flex profile and perfect the overall stick feel.
Prior to designing the RS stick, Easton wanted to re-visit what their overall goals were for the new stick. What it really came down to was, “making the most out of your opportunities.” In a typical hockey game your team might get around 30 shots, and each player may only get a couple of opportunities to get a good look at the net. As a result, Easton really wanted to make a stick that players can trust that has high-end performance and a predictable feel. When your opportunity comes in the game the RS can help you capitalize on it. When Easton fine-tuned the flex profile, they were able to make it smoother and more consistent, while increasing the “pop” to the shot release.
Easton has also introduced some new materials in the Stealth RS stick that has decreased the overall weight while not sacrificing durability at all. The Easton RS stick features slightly different shaft dimensions than the S19 stick. According to Easton a large majority of their NHL pro players were all using the same shaft dimensions, so they decided to take that as a sign and apply those shaft dimensions to the retail version of the RS stick. The new shaft dimensions have straight sidewalls, and rounded corners. In comparing the RS shaft dimensions to the S19 it is a slight difference but seems like the RS is just a little bit narrower.
The RS stick has an extremely light feel. It may not be the lightest stick on the market but it certainly is in that category. As far as the shot release goes it felt amazing. Has a really snappy feel, and felt like the puck was just jumping off the blade. The RS stick excels most on wrist shots and snap shots, but don’t let this shy you away from taking clappers from the point or one-timers in the slot.
The Easton Stealth RS hockey sticks are available at IceWarehouse.com.
I have this stick and love it. Puck feeling is out of this world!
ReplyDeleteHall curve, with 100 flex is a minimum; 85 flex on an Easton has wayyyyy too much whip....