Lizard Skins

What is it? 

Lizard Skins is a polymer hockey grip tape. an alternative to traditional hockey tape. Its designed to last longer than traditional tape while not tearing up your gloves like traditional tape would.

Application Process:
I spoke with a rep from Lizard Skins and he said although the tape is pre-packaged, it is still customizable. You are able to put your normal knob underneath the tape. I’ll admit, the application process was quite challenging. I use a 1/2 width tape about 15 rotations so it makes a sizable knob. The ends of Lizard Skins are pre-cut at an angle which made it a bit hard to cover my knob. The instructions say not to stretch the material, but that made the application that much more difficult. My knob kept lumping up under the Lizard Skins. After a few tries, I was able to get it nice and flat. Once you get past the knob, taping the rest is a breeze. According to the instructions, you should leave 1/4 inch overlap, which was easy to line up because you just cover up their logo.. It is about 1/4 inch on either side of the tape. I decided to leave it at its full length but you are able to cut it down if needed. It was about 7 1/2 inches in total length. Then once you’re done, you add a strip of electrical tape and their end sealer tape.

First Impressions
Once I got the tape on, it was surprisingly comfortable. It feels very similar to a tennis grip or a little more textured aluminum baseball bat tape. The tape is quite thick but pretty close to what I normally use. Because of the overlap as stated earlier, it gives it a nice finger grip. I stick-handled with it for a few minutes after applying and I could barely notice a difference from my usual tape feel.

Review:
I really loved this tape! It was so comfortable that I didn’t notice it at all. I think that is the highest compliment I could give it. It just felt so comfortable. In my normal tape job, I use three to four layers of foam wrap and two layers of grip tape. The Lizard Skins doesn’t have the same grip feel as grip tape but it has a little spongey-ness to it. It feels identical to how I like my tape and even though it’s a different grip style, it has the same amount of tackiness. If you follow the instructions exactly, the overlap gives you a little raised edge, which acts like the rope tape job. I’m a huge fan of this tape. It has such a nice feel to it. The last thing you want to be thinking about is how your grip feels and they nailed it. I have been using Lizard Skins for an entire season and my opinion has not changed. It is really high quality. After an entire season it still looks and feels like the first day I put it on.

Conclusion:

I can’t praise Lizard Skins enough. I’m seriously considering replacing all my grips with it. The only negative is that you still need some traditional tape/electrical tape if you want a knob of any kind and to seal the bottom piece. I would give Lizard Skins an overall score of 8/10. The tape itself is a perfect 10/10. It is super comfortable and unnoticeable. I took off one point for the fact that you still need to buy traditional tape/electrical tape in order to use Lizard Skins to its full potential. I took off another point for the application process. If you have a large knob like I do, it’s really hard to not have the top piece bunch up. The instructions say not to stretch the tape but there’s no other way to get it to lay flat over a large knob. If you can get over that, I urge everyone to try a pack of Lizard Skins. It is on the pricier side but I’ve used this tape for an entire season and it still looks brand new. I think it would easily last me multiple seasons. Lizard Skins will definitely outlive the stick, so it will actually save you money in the long run but never having to change your tape. Definitely check out Lizard Skins! Click here for a link to their website.