RBZ Stage 2 Review

Stick: CCM RBZ Stage 2
Curve: Nugent-Hopkins
Flex: 85 flex
Kick Point: Custom Kick-Point
Grip or Non Grip: Grip

First Impressions:
I always wanted an RBZ ever since they came out. I love the colors and I loved the idea of the Freak Channels in the blade. I found one on sale at my local hockey shop so I finally got to test it out. It feels like a very solid stick and you can tell there’s something special with this stick. The RBZ Stage 2 has a custom kick point and a hard blade with “freak channels” As CCM calls them. Designed to lower the CoR (coefficient of restitution) allowing you to get a quicker, harder shot.

Review:
This stick is absolutely amazing! It is by far the best stick I have ever used. This stick added at least 5 or 10 mph to my slap shot. Here’s a quick story of the first time I used it:

“I tape it up as usual and do my warm up laps around the rink. I stick handle a bit, I could feel how much pop this stick actually has. I drop a puck at the point, look over at the goalie and wind up and take a slap-shot. The puck absolutely rockets towards the goalie. I have a decent slapshot but this was much harder than normal. The goalie made the save and proceeds to skates right at me and says, “I’ve played with you for a while now, where the hell did you learn to shoot like that?!” I just shrugged and looked down at the stick. “It’s a new stick”.

This stick can make a decent shooter into a howitzer. I cannot say enough good about this stick. Every shot; wrist shots, snapshots, slap shots are perfect every time and you get that little extra power from the blade. This can also be a disadvantage if you are newer in the game or haven’t had enough experience with an RBZ. You have to relearn how to stick handle and catch passes or the puck will rocket away. You need to have quick or very soft hands in order to control the puck. But once you have that down, this stick only get better. I prefer a ping-y feeling blade and you definitely feel every touch of the puck. That could be a pro or a con depending on who you ask. For one timers or quick release this stick is your bread and butter. It uses a custom kick point which gives you the perfect flex regardless of your bottom hand position. So when ever you want to release your shot/pass etc it goes at full speed every time. It isn’t the lightest stick on the market but I didn’t really mind. Its 440 grams which is still fairly light. Even when I bring down lighter sticks I still reach for my RBZ because of how good of a shot I have with it. I heard that it didn’t have the best durability especially in the blade and lower shaft due to paint cracking. I have been using this stick for about a year now and there has been some paint chipping but it has held up just as well as any other stick I have used.

Conclusion:
This stick is absolutely amazing. Like I said earlier, it can take a good shooter and make them even better. Once you get to know the stick you can use every ounce of power it has to offer. Really great design, great shaft and in my opinion a decent puck feel. If you are looking for a stick to stick handle with this is not it. You really need lightning fast hands to control the puck, it is meant for shooters. If you like one timers, slapshot or hard passes this is your go to stick. I would rate this a perfect score but I have to give it an 8 out of 10 just because the blade has much too much pop that it can be annoying until you get used to it. Even though this is my favorite stick I have ever used.