Mission M-1 Stick: Better than the Easton Synergy?
Written: Mar 31 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
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Pros: Great balance, strength and lightweight, good feel for a one-piece
Cons: The heel of the blade is thin, bad tempers will break it
The Bottom Line: The feel of a Si-Core for the cost of a Synergy. This one is a winner.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Mission M1 Senior ProComposite Hockey Stick |
Mission has often been a step ahead of their competitors in many aspects of the hockey market, sometimes too far ahead for their own marketing to keep up. This was the case with their Ether Shafts - nearly identical to Easton’s new Synthesis and Louisville’s R-2 - but two years before their time. The M-1 is nearly the same case. Mission made a product that is as good as the Synergy Si-Core and kept it a secret.
The Synergy was the first of the one piece, composite sticks and still has a commanding market share in the multi-million dollar niche of well over 50%. Thus, Easton’s Synergy serves as a benchmark for every other stick on the market. Mission’s M-1 is a commendable attempt to take away some of that share from the giant. The M-1 is a good stick. It is very light, has good balance, is fairly strong and comes in a good selection of curves. Most importantly, the foam core of the blade gives it a similar feel to Easton’s big gun, the Synergy Si-Core.
How does the M-1 Stack up to the Synergy?
Most people are still not willing to drop $150 on a stick unless it says Easton on it. This is a rather silly notion. The M-1 is every bit as good a stick as the Easton, although in some ways it is better and in others perhaps not quite as good. At 460 grams the M-1 is almost identical in weight to the Synergy (450 grams). I doubt even the most hardcore player will feel a difference of 10 grams. Even with that 10-gram weight difference in favor of the Synergy, my impression is that the M-1 has a little bit better overall balance.
One complaint about the Synergy has been a lack of feel in puck handling. This is the result of the slightly heavier blade on a stiff and very light shaft. The M-1 actually exceeds the Synergy here as well. By utilizing a foam injected core on the M-1 blade, much of the weight has been eliminated, offering not only better balance but an increase in the feel. It still isn’t quite as good as a wood stick, but a definite improvement over the Synergy and at least as good as the Si-Core - Easton’s popular variant of the Synergy which uses a silicon-injected blade to improve feel.
Now with all that science aside, I found the M-1 to be among the best for feel in a one piece. It never seemed like I was fighting to keep hard passes from bouncing off, and it was balanced enough that I knew where the puck was. Any stick that helps me keep my head up is a good thing. The flex in the shaft felt nearly identical to Easton's 100 stiff shaft. When I did managed to get good torque on the shaft (my flaw not the stick's) it released nicely and was as on target as any lumber that I have ever used. There is no doubt that in the hands of a real shooter, this thing will fling some serious biscuit.
The durability of the M-1 is probably a little higher in the shaft. The shaft uses a layered Kevlar construction, rather than the woven design in a Synergy (and most composites for that matter). This allows the M-1 to take greater impacts than the Synergy without folding up. However, the blade will not take the same sort of punishment that a Synergy can. It is a bit thin on the heel and players with a temper – you know the guys who feel like they have to smash their stick on the ice all the time – will find that they break the M-1 pretty quickly. In normal use, the blade will last almost as long as the Synergy.
The warranty on both sticks is nearly identical. Both makers offer 30-day replacements for almost any breakage. I have actually never heard of either company failing to replace a stick that was broken within 30-days. The catch with both brands is that you have to mail your stick to them and wait for a return. It takes a couple weeks. Also, there is not warranty on the replacement sticks.
One of the reasons that Easton has been so popular is the curves that they offer. With only six patterns, it seems like someone would be left out, but they are all well designed and very comfortable for most players. Mission has done a very nice job with their patterns as well. Nike and Louisville have some very strange curves that players tend to look at with a snicker and set back down quickly. While Mission is a little behind in the number of varieties with only three, they are all pretty nice curves.
The One Piece Advantage
There are probably a lot of people out there who still don’t understand the point of a one piece stick. Certainly the price tag is a bit frightening since you could get 5 very good wood sticks for the same price as a single one piece. So why spend the extra?
The simplest answers are performance and durability. One-piece sticks will add velocity to your shot. Don’t get me wrong, if your shot is like mine (not that great) the difference will be negligible and not justify the cost. But if you have a rocket, it will make a noticeable difference (that’s the goalie in me remembering some nasty bruises). Further, you can expect this stick to continue to perform for a much longer time than wood. Even with my less than stellar shot, I have noticed that a wooden stick loses its kick after only a few weeks. The one piece keeps that springiness that allows you to launch the puck harder for months and months.
The lightweight of the one piece stick is unrivaled in any other type of stick, with the noted exception of some of the newest lightweight two-piece sticks. This makes for quick stick maneuvering in traffic.
The Bottom Line
The M-1 is pretty comparable to the Synergy, and among its many competitors ranks in the top three or four one piece sticks on the market. Most of us cannot afford to try out four or five sticks at this kind of price, but if you can get your hands on a friend’s M-1, I highly recommend that you try it before buying another Synergy.
My feeling is that the feel and balance of this stick makes it superior to the Synergy, more in the same class as the Si-Core. The $25 higher price of the Si-Core makes the M-1 a clear winner over Synergy. There is one caveat: if you’re the guy with the temper you will be better off getting the Synergy or the Si-Core.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
Also See: Hockey Stick Buying Guide
Recommended:
Yes
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