Easton Stealth S19 Options

[JR Boucicaut]

Easton Stealth S19
Flex: 85
Curve: Zetterberg Non-grip

Height: 6'
Weight: 240
Postition: RW/C

Time-frame of use: Since June 2009

Aesthetics: Easton has always done a very good job in this department. However, I cannot comment on the actual S19 graphics as I was given a mule (S17 graphics as I received the stick before the S19 graphics were released.)
N/A

Weight and Balance: Weight is very good on this stick - it is lighter than the two sticks that I had been reviewing in the same timeframe (Warrior Dolomite HD/Bauer Supreme ONE95) however a tad bit heavier than the Ballistik 52 Caliber that I had been using as well. However, being a tad heavier than the last stick is not a knock at all, as I am not necessarily a fan of ultra-light sticks. Balance is very good on the S19 - did not bother me one bit.
9.5/10

Blade: Easton has tweaked their blade from the S17 (which seemed to be a major complaint amongst S17 users. Most complained of blade softness after a few uses. Adding multiple ribs and multiple grades of foam to the S19 blade has seemed to help in the past three months in which I have used the stick.
10/10

Shaft/Flex: Coming from using rounded handles for 7 years, there are few sticks out there that make me happy. This isn't one of them, but that's okay. Obviously my personal preference isn't everyone's, but for review purposes, I dealt with it. (I won't be knocking any points from the overall review for this.)
Another of the complaints coming from the S17 was the flex rating. Most users felt that it was flexier than advertised - which is a direct result of the shaft geometry. Easton rectified this by using their pro stock flex profile, and that was the first thing I noticed - it played to the flex. Unfortunately there's still a bit of extra lag receiving hard passes or cranking one-timers, but it is better than in the past. However, I haven't experienced the wet noodle effect, and that is key.
9/10

Stickhandling and Passing: Adding dual-density foams (top part is structural/bottom part is solid) has helped with the pinginess of Stealths past. I was not experiencing any issues whatsoever stickhandling or passing BLADE-WISE and spare one small chip that happened at the beginning of the review, it has been an easy blade to adapt to.
9.5/10

Shooting: It shoots hard, it shoots true. By far the best aspect of the stick.
10/10

Durability: Since June, I haven't had any structural damage to the stick, spare surface scratches to the elliptical taper and below my hands from slashes.
9.75/10

Conclusion: The Stealth S19 is a marked improvement from the first iteration of their Elliptical Taper concept. I believe those who used the S17 should be pretty satisfied with the S19 because their concerns have been addressed. Thanks goes out to Mike Mountain and Mark Hughes of Easton Hockey for providing me with information as well as the stick. It is always appreciated.

9.62/10