Salming TF1 Stick – Lean, Mean and Bright Neon Green
Written: Jan 09 '05 (Updated Jan 27 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light, rips rubber like mad, nice graphics
Cons: Only 2 patterns available, grip takes some adjustment
The Bottom Line: On par with the best on the market, this stick rocks
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Salming TF1 One Piece Stick |
More Freebies?
Yes, admittedly, I received yet more stuff from the kind people at Salming, despite not particularly liking the G1 stick that I reviewed previously. Salming is a huge brand in Europe and pretty big in Canada where people still remember Borje Salming, the first legendary European player to make a mark on the NHL. Here in the states 9 out of 10 dentist surveyed had no idea who Borje Salming is. The tenth dentist was sadly not available for comments.
My experience thus far with Salming’s gear has been overall positive. Even though I didn’t like the G1 stick too much, I loved the skates and gloves (I’ve been using them all the time since getting them in fact). The distributor who is kindly supplying me with gear, suggested that I try out the new sticks, the TF1, which has different curves and a slightly different design.
First impressions
I met with the Salming distributor at a local Chipotle restaurant where he promptly covered the table with gloves and brought in a dozen hockey sticks. All of the gear was still wrapped in the factory plastic. More than one person walking into the joint wore a look of confusion. With the hockey gloves on and a stick in hand I felt like crosschecking a few of them just for fun. However, moderation got the better of me and I just scowled at them like they were Wings fans instead.
Uh, yeah, back to the actual hardware (Fine I never really mentioned the hardware, so getting back to it is an impossibility, but if you quit criticizing my syntax for a moment we can get to the meat of this). So let’s see, the stick and my fist impression, right. The previously reviewed G1 is orange and it’s a pretty nice looking stick. The TF1 is a little different.
First off, it’s bright green. That’s right folks, bright, neon, darn-near-glow-in-the-dark green. This is one of the few garish colors that haven’t been taken by other stick makers who like to make a statement by making sure that their lumber stands out in the hands of their sponsored pros. The bold lettering on the TF1 matches that of the G1, but with the bold outline, it jumps out at you. Essentially the logo makes the stick look like it’s moving 200 mph even when it’s sitting on the floor. Cosmetically this is a great looking stick even if you don’t think neon green is all that cool. For the record I don't.
Feel
The texture of a stick is pretty important as well. The TF1 is a grip stick and has a very similar coating to that of Easton’s newer Synergy grip one-piece sticks. The finish is silky smooth, yet very grippy. Nice.
The weight of the TF1 is impressive as well. This stick feels as light as anything that I’ve ever picked up. Balance is impressive as well. It doesn’t feel like the blade is too heavy or too light.
Flexing the stick on the Chipotle floor, it felt a little stiff. I wasn’t entirely sure that I would like it. The manager wasn’t too sure that I should be trying out hockey sticks in his store either. I noticed him eyeing me dubiously. I wasn’t sure what his issue was since I hadn’t high sticked more than two or three of his customers. Heck only one of them was bleeding and I did apologize to him.
The Curve
The main thing that I really didn’t like with the Salming G1 was the rather bland curves that Salming had available. The TF1 offers two completely different curves, both of which I found a little more appealing.
The two curves available on the TF1 are both heel curves with a nice amount of loft. One is very close to Easton’s Drury curve, the other, which I chose, is similar to Easton’s Lidstrom but with a round toe.
While I did like the two curves better than the ones found on the G1, I do find it a little odd that Salming offers a total of four different curves on their one-piece sticks, but those on each of the models are similar. The G1 has a couple of mid-curve blades with very little loft, and the TF1 has a pair of heel curves with a nice twist. Why not offer all the options on both sticks?
On the Ice
After the not so exciting results that I had with the G1, I approached the TF1 with a little more trepidation. I mean, it is a green stick, come on! How good can a green stick be, right?
Anyway, I got on the ice and took my first cut at the puck. A quick flick of my wrist, and DING! The puck rattled off of the underside of the crossbar and into the net. Hmm, right where I was actually aiming . . . that was a rarity indeed. I grabbed another puck rippled the mesh at the top of the net. Of my first five shots, four of them found their mark with surprising accuracy. The last one missed the net just a couple inches high.
The power from the wrist shot was impressive as well. Pucks left the stick with impressive velocity. Well, I was impressed anyway, but I know how badly I normally shoot. Snapshots and wristers flew quite nicely for me. The flex on this stick was perfect.
The TF1 has the same effective light weight of the G1 that makes poke checking a breeze. I also had a lot of fun making lob passes, just dinking the puck right over my opponent’s heads.
Puckhandling was above average as well. The TF-1 is light and well balanced, not blade heavy like some of its competitors have been. With puckhandling as a problem area for many one-piece sticks, the TF-1 is certainly above average in this department. The combination of just enough feel, light weight and balance make stick handling a breeze.
Once in a great while I do still get the yips when taking a pass. The hard shell of any composite blade makes this a little tougher than it would be with a wood blade. Hard passes will bounce a little more than you would find with a traditional blade. But once you get the hang of catching them, it isn't a problem. I will chalk that one up to me, not the stick.
The only negative that I had on the first time out was that letting go of the stick with my lower hand for sweep checking and the sort was tricky. The grip texture of the stick made it want to stay right in my hand. A couple times I came close to hitting people in the face instead of making that sweep check I was looking for. While I don’t mind hitting people in the face with a stick in a restaurant, it is kinda rude to do on the ice. I did get used to the feel of the grip after a couple of hours on the ice.
A note
While the TF1 is still a Kevlar stick, the construction is quite a bit different than that of the G1 and probably a big part of the reason that it flexes better. The G1 is similar in design to CCM’s Vector. While the G1 has an irregular thickness and inconsistent interior, the TF1 sports precision molding. This isn’t a braided composite stick, but appears to be hand laid. You could cut the TF1 into a hundred cross sections and each one would be the same. Now why you would do that I have no idea, but it does demonstrate a much higher level of quality in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
This is an outstanding piece of gear. I’ve actually retired my Z-Bubble to back up duty. It might be green, but I still think the TF1 is amazing. The bright green apparently makes it easy to spot me on the ice, so people have stopped running into me so much.
The TF1 has a very competitive price with a MSRP of $127.90 which makes it an exceptional value as well. A typical one-piece stick with a grip coating will run more than $160.
Some of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Hockey Stick Buying Guide
CCM Vector Stick
Bauer Vapor XX Stick
Easton Z-Bubble
Recommended:
Yes
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puckmugger
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