MainLax28
06-08-2006, 07:14 PM
Brine Rocket Review
Alright, so while on my break from the lacrosse forums for being banned. I decided to review this head that Brine put out this year as their new beginner’s stick. I picked one up strung and pretty much brand new from ekeown for $15.00 in March, and decided to make it a dye contest stick which explains the dye job. It was fairly sloppy and bled through the reinforcement tabs I used for the circles, but I was kind of going for an explosive look hence the name ‘Skittles Explosion”. Anyway I put an R-Basic/ Corner pocket variation in it which is one of the best all around pockets in my experiences with it. Awesome hold and the perfect release for me, it will definitely be my pocket from now on. To let everyone know this was used on a pole for an 11 game high school season, about 20 tourney games and over 35 practices. Now back to the review of the head.
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/638/rocketface9zb.th.jpg (http://img56.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketface9zb.jpg)
Pinch: 7 / 10
It had a pretty decent pinch for a beginner’s stick. There was a noticeable difference in the pinch from other entry level sticks out there. The head is not flared like the razers, blades, matrixes and other flared heads which was pretty good for me since I am not a real big fan of flared heads. It was about 2 ¾ inches wide for a good 3 inches at the bottom of the face, and then it slowly widens out to 6 ½ at the widest part. It may have been a little wider when I first got it, but it has not warped in any irregular patterns or so far that you could actually notice. This is perfect for any pole who loves to run the ball since it is narrow where the ball sits, and widens out to intercept passes. A characteristic of most good defensive minded heads. On the whole, the pinch was great for what I was using it for, but if I were using it for middy or attack, it would definitely get pinched more drastically. I would compare it to the pinch of a Cyber except the pinch at the throat carries up a little further.
Stiffness: 5 / 10
The stiffness is definitely this head’s worst characteristic. For the first month I had it, it was fine. Never flexed on poke checks, and only bent slightly on slap checks. Ground balls were never a problem, and in the first 2 high school games I used it in, it was a GB vacuum. After the hot weather rolled in and it got some more use, it turned into rubber. Every check would cause the head to flex and bend in some way. Ground balls were a hit or miss, you either went and had it stay straight the whole time, or it would bend off to the side, and then you’d have to kick the ball up and give it another go. It would always flex back every time, which was pretty good, but not exactly what a pole wants, even if it does go back to normal. It would probably be a really good face off head, but not the best defensive head out there as far as stiffness goes. I would compare it to the stiffness of a Finalizer actually since I had the same problems with both heads on my pole.
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1575/rocketside9vw.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketside9vw.jpg)
Scoop: 9 / 10
The head’s best aspect is definitely the scoop. Aside from the occasional bend from the flexing, this head was the best ground ball head I have ever used. It has a sharp scoop which actually works really well. When I first got the head, and was inspecting it I was think that it would suck for ground balls since the scoop would dig into the dirt. Not the case at all. The sharp lip cuts right under the ball, and any grass under the head just gets pushed the other way. Plus it is fairly wide, so you have more head to ground area to scoop with. It is almost straight like the scoop of an E3, but this has a gradual curve throughout which allows the head to bend against the ground which pops the ball into the stick. The perfect mix. By far the best scoop on any head I have used.
Durability: 8 / 10
So far it has held up great. No cracks or breaks anywhere, and I really beat the hell out of this stick. Not much else to say. It didn’t warp any noticeable amount, and it flexes back to its original position every time. I only gave it an 8 since I have not had it for a year, and the last d head I had was a Turbo which as you know is very old and that finally broke this year. It will probably last just as long since it flexes whenever it would be pushed to breaking.
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8747/im0004910yf.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0004910yf.jpg)
Weight: 8 / 10
For being a cheap, beginner’s head, this head it really light. I would say it is easily around 5 oz. Maybe less which is great for such a cheap head. You do sacrifice some stiffness when you reduce the weight, and usually some durability too, but that doesn’t seem to affect this head in any way.
Aesthetic: 7 / 10
Not really a big factor in a head, but this is not your best looking head. The overall design is nice, and this head has some really nice curves. The throat has a rocket type emblem on it which was pretty cool looking in my opinion. The sidewall design is cool looking from a distance, but once you realize that it is a Brine logo, the aesthetic value begins to drop. Sure it is a good advertising scheme, but do you really need your company’s logo on the sidewall? No. It doesn’t really bother me, but I would rather just have some other curves on the head that accomplish the same thing structurally.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7686/sideedges4yb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sideedges4yb.jpg)
Stringing: 7 / 10
Has alright stringing capabilities. 10 holes on the sides and six on the top like most brine heads. The holes are all wide, and there was no difficulty in fitting the string or leathers through them. Not the worst stringing head I have seen, but not the greatest one either.
Overall: 8 / 10
Not bad at all for any head and for one this cheap, you can’t beat it. This is surely a great head for any level player to use, and should be considered to be in line with the AV8 and Icon as the top entry level sticks out there. Sure there are better heads out there, but they are all over 50.00, and some around 100.00. This is a great stick, and I would definitely buy another one even with the stiffness issues. An extra bonus I found with this head that makes up for a lot of its faults is its sharpness. Yes, sharpness. The top rails on the sidewall are a direct point the whole way up. Perfect for beating attack men with. It alone it is reason I ever looked into the stick, and after being checked with it myself it does feel a lot worse than a regular rounded edged head. You could probably cut someone with them if you wanted to. Even after a full season, it is still sharp, which is a great little hidden feature about this head. You should definitely look into picking up one of these sticks. (I put the pics at the bottom too so you don't have to scroll up and down.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7212/rockete37qb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockete37qb.jpg)
Here is a link to an unstrung head at a very reasonable price:
http://www.sportsoutfit.com/products/3/526?cat=1
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/638/rocketface9zb.th.jpg (http://img56.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketface9zb.jpg)
face view
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1575/rocketside9vw.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketside9vw.jpg)
side view
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8747/im0004910yf.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0004910yf.jpg)
partial scoop view
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7686/sideedges4yb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sideedges4yb.jpg)
partial sharpness on side
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7212/rockete37qb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockete37qb.jpg)
side by side with an e3
Alright, so while on my break from the lacrosse forums for being banned. I decided to review this head that Brine put out this year as their new beginner’s stick. I picked one up strung and pretty much brand new from ekeown for $15.00 in March, and decided to make it a dye contest stick which explains the dye job. It was fairly sloppy and bled through the reinforcement tabs I used for the circles, but I was kind of going for an explosive look hence the name ‘Skittles Explosion”. Anyway I put an R-Basic/ Corner pocket variation in it which is one of the best all around pockets in my experiences with it. Awesome hold and the perfect release for me, it will definitely be my pocket from now on. To let everyone know this was used on a pole for an 11 game high school season, about 20 tourney games and over 35 practices. Now back to the review of the head.
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/638/rocketface9zb.th.jpg (http://img56.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketface9zb.jpg)
Pinch: 7 / 10
It had a pretty decent pinch for a beginner’s stick. There was a noticeable difference in the pinch from other entry level sticks out there. The head is not flared like the razers, blades, matrixes and other flared heads which was pretty good for me since I am not a real big fan of flared heads. It was about 2 ¾ inches wide for a good 3 inches at the bottom of the face, and then it slowly widens out to 6 ½ at the widest part. It may have been a little wider when I first got it, but it has not warped in any irregular patterns or so far that you could actually notice. This is perfect for any pole who loves to run the ball since it is narrow where the ball sits, and widens out to intercept passes. A characteristic of most good defensive minded heads. On the whole, the pinch was great for what I was using it for, but if I were using it for middy or attack, it would definitely get pinched more drastically. I would compare it to the pinch of a Cyber except the pinch at the throat carries up a little further.
Stiffness: 5 / 10
The stiffness is definitely this head’s worst characteristic. For the first month I had it, it was fine. Never flexed on poke checks, and only bent slightly on slap checks. Ground balls were never a problem, and in the first 2 high school games I used it in, it was a GB vacuum. After the hot weather rolled in and it got some more use, it turned into rubber. Every check would cause the head to flex and bend in some way. Ground balls were a hit or miss, you either went and had it stay straight the whole time, or it would bend off to the side, and then you’d have to kick the ball up and give it another go. It would always flex back every time, which was pretty good, but not exactly what a pole wants, even if it does go back to normal. It would probably be a really good face off head, but not the best defensive head out there as far as stiffness goes. I would compare it to the stiffness of a Finalizer actually since I had the same problems with both heads on my pole.
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1575/rocketside9vw.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketside9vw.jpg)
Scoop: 9 / 10
The head’s best aspect is definitely the scoop. Aside from the occasional bend from the flexing, this head was the best ground ball head I have ever used. It has a sharp scoop which actually works really well. When I first got the head, and was inspecting it I was think that it would suck for ground balls since the scoop would dig into the dirt. Not the case at all. The sharp lip cuts right under the ball, and any grass under the head just gets pushed the other way. Plus it is fairly wide, so you have more head to ground area to scoop with. It is almost straight like the scoop of an E3, but this has a gradual curve throughout which allows the head to bend against the ground which pops the ball into the stick. The perfect mix. By far the best scoop on any head I have used.
Durability: 8 / 10
So far it has held up great. No cracks or breaks anywhere, and I really beat the hell out of this stick. Not much else to say. It didn’t warp any noticeable amount, and it flexes back to its original position every time. I only gave it an 8 since I have not had it for a year, and the last d head I had was a Turbo which as you know is very old and that finally broke this year. It will probably last just as long since it flexes whenever it would be pushed to breaking.
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8747/im0004910yf.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0004910yf.jpg)
Weight: 8 / 10
For being a cheap, beginner’s head, this head it really light. I would say it is easily around 5 oz. Maybe less which is great for such a cheap head. You do sacrifice some stiffness when you reduce the weight, and usually some durability too, but that doesn’t seem to affect this head in any way.
Aesthetic: 7 / 10
Not really a big factor in a head, but this is not your best looking head. The overall design is nice, and this head has some really nice curves. The throat has a rocket type emblem on it which was pretty cool looking in my opinion. The sidewall design is cool looking from a distance, but once you realize that it is a Brine logo, the aesthetic value begins to drop. Sure it is a good advertising scheme, but do you really need your company’s logo on the sidewall? No. It doesn’t really bother me, but I would rather just have some other curves on the head that accomplish the same thing structurally.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7686/sideedges4yb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sideedges4yb.jpg)
Stringing: 7 / 10
Has alright stringing capabilities. 10 holes on the sides and six on the top like most brine heads. The holes are all wide, and there was no difficulty in fitting the string or leathers through them. Not the worst stringing head I have seen, but not the greatest one either.
Overall: 8 / 10
Not bad at all for any head and for one this cheap, you can’t beat it. This is surely a great head for any level player to use, and should be considered to be in line with the AV8 and Icon as the top entry level sticks out there. Sure there are better heads out there, but they are all over 50.00, and some around 100.00. This is a great stick, and I would definitely buy another one even with the stiffness issues. An extra bonus I found with this head that makes up for a lot of its faults is its sharpness. Yes, sharpness. The top rails on the sidewall are a direct point the whole way up. Perfect for beating attack men with. It alone it is reason I ever looked into the stick, and after being checked with it myself it does feel a lot worse than a regular rounded edged head. You could probably cut someone with them if you wanted to. Even after a full season, it is still sharp, which is a great little hidden feature about this head. You should definitely look into picking up one of these sticks. (I put the pics at the bottom too so you don't have to scroll up and down.
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7212/rockete37qb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockete37qb.jpg)
Here is a link to an unstrung head at a very reasonable price:
http://www.sportsoutfit.com/products/3/526?cat=1
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/638/rocketface9zb.th.jpg (http://img56.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketface9zb.jpg)
face view
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/1575/rocketside9vw.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rocketside9vw.jpg)
side view
http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/8747/im0004910yf.th.jpg (http://img97.imageshack.us/my.php?image=im0004910yf.jpg)
partial scoop view
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7686/sideedges4yb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=sideedges4yb.jpg)
partial sharpness on side
http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/7212/rockete37qb.th.jpg (http://img87.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rockete37qb.jpg)
side by side with an e3