Warrior Covert DT1LT 100 Flex Pavelski W12 Grip

Stick History: Sherwood 9950 Wood Coffey, Bauer Supreme (Sport Chek SMU) Kane, Sherwood T70 Stastny, Winwell GX8, Easton RS Parise, Warrior AK27 , Warrior DT1LT Pavelski, Warrior DT1ST Grandlund

Usage: 2 Months

About me: I played hockey my life as a goalie and about 4 years ago I decided I wanted more ice time and that I wanted to skate out as a player. I had no idea what kind of stick I liked as well as what curve I liked and what flex, this was all new to me and my shot was terrible to begin with as expected. Since then I have obviously gotten better and stronger but I am still figuring out what curve/length/flex that I prefer.

Review Details: I plan on updating this review like the MSH Long Term Reviews and will update it after using it to give a better understanding on how it is wearing down or if my opinion changes on it. I will edit pictures into this post next time I have the tape off of it.

Preface: This stick was an impulse purchase because of the Amazon fire sale. Before this stick the only high end stick I ever used was an Easton RS. Since I don’t have much experience with sticks and what I prefer I wanted to try a stiffer stick (since my Easton is a little whippy for my licking now) and a different curves to try and see how they affected how I play. The only curves available in 100 flex was the Pavelski or Yakupov and since I play defense I figured I’d skip on the Yakupov curve. I also don’t prefer grip sticks but this was all that was available. This stick is also a few inches taller than any stick I had before it, and about an inch taller than my DT1ST.

Grip: Like I said I don’t usually like gripped sticks but this was the only option available. I bought this stick sight unseen and honestly had no idea what to expect, previously I bought a Warrior AK27 specifically because of how amazing the velvet grip feels and I was hoping this DT1LT would be the same. I must honestly say I was disappointed when I opened the box and silicon like diamond grip. I do like how the grip doesn’t go all along the stick and only in specific areas, but holding it initially I was disappointed as I prefer the velvet grip or more of a matte grip.

Using the stick I have mixed feelings with the grip. I use 3 different pairs of gloves and using each ranges from horrible and awkward to uncomfortable to perfectly fine. My Sherwood Nexon N8 gloves’ index finger binding gets caught on the grip and folds under the index finger and forms an uncomfortable extra layer between my finger and the stick (I acknowledge this is as much as a design flaw in the gloves as it is an issue with the grip but I am just stating my experiences). My Reebok Sty2 with digital palms feel too sticky and uncomfortable where I can feel the raised ridges of the grip. Moving my hand up and down the stick just feels unnatural and I have yet to get used to the feel. Finally my MF2 gloves feel fantastic with this stick and the palm material is thick enough that I can’t feel the ridges at all. The grip in this case grips enough to help with gripping the stick while not being too sticky and making moving your hand a clumsy affair.

Aesthetics: This stick is pretty understated being mostly black with silver accents. I love the exposed carbon fibre on the lower portion of the stick and blade and wish it extended all the way up the shaft. With that said I find myself looking over this stick again and again, I really like the understated look to it and the silver and white accents work well while the lower silver shape with the stick model on it gives these sticks a distinctive look similar (but not as noticeable) to the original Easton RS.

Blade/Curve: Since I bought this stick blind I had no idea what I was getting into curve wise and when receiving the stick and comparing it to my Parise P6 curve I instantly noticed a bigger curve than what I am used to. Once I got the stick on ice I instantly noticed that the curve allowed me to raise the puck much easier. Instantly I felt my shots going higher and I was extremely happy when I started rimming the puck around the glass from behind my own net (this was doable but more of a challenge with my RS). The blade on the DT1LT is considerably stiffer and more solid feeling than on my Easton RS, shots feel like they come off harder and passes are more noticeable. I can feel the puck better when it is on the blade and find receiving passes easier with this stick compared to my RS and this stiffer blade is now my preference.

Stick Handling: As I mentioned before this stick is taller than any stick I used and because of that I had a bit of a learning curve when it came to handling the puck. At first I would find the puck sliding off the blade and would end up just losing the pick often. Since using this stick and getting accustomed to the length I have no issues handling the puck. I am not a fantastic puck handler to begin with but this stick never gives me problems and the longer reach makes it much easier to protect the puck from opponents. The only thing that has become more difficult with this stick is taking passes in really tight to the feet. Because of the extra length it is harder to get the blade on the ice and I am trying to learn how to slide my top hand down (like Tobias Enstrom does) to get better at passes in my feet. While I am comfortable stick handling with this stick I still find myself liking my Easton RS more in this regards but that is probably mostly due to the length of the stick rather than the make up of the stick.

Shooting: When I first got this stick on the ice all of my shots were pretty terrible and shooting felt really awkward. This was because I wasn’t used to the kick point on the stick and was holding my hands lower than I should have because I was used to using my Easton RS. Once I got used to the kick point I was absolutely amazed at how hard and quick my shots were. I am not the most skilled player my shots are not consistently good. That said when I get a hold of them I have never shot as hard or as accurate. The curve and the flex allow me to shoot higher and faster with a quicker release which really helps when dealing with traffic in front of the net when I am taking a quick shot from the point. My slap shot was also an issue early on (and still is when I accidentally slide my bottom hand too far down) but once I got used to the kick point my slap shot is immensely more powerful than before (still have to work on accuracy but that isn’t the stick it is my lack of talent) and when taking shots it doesn’t feel like it is fragile like my Easton RS does.

Passing: Like shooting I had to adjust how I passed the puck with this stick compared to what I was used to. The new curve and kick point made me make adjustments on how I pass. I tend to make hard shot like passes and I was having problems keeping them on the ice and straight (they would have a bit of a curve to them because of the bigger curve). After a few times on the ice I adjusted and can now make hard passes on the ice and saucer passes. I do find it more difficult to be as accurate with the DT1LT compared to my Easton RS but I believe that is because of the curve. Saucer passes are more difficult as well and backhands are extremely difficult for me to lift off the ice. I feel this curve is too aggressive for me and I like my Easton Parise P6 curve and DT1ST Granlund W05 curve more for accurate passing.

Durability: Since I haven’t used this stick for too long this category is not extremely useful yet. That said the toe has held up better than my Easton RS did. There are some paint chips from slashes or pucks but the stick is in fantastic shape still.

Feel: When I originally picked up this stick I felt that it was heavier than what I was used to. After playing with it I don’t notice the weight at all but it definitely feels heavier than my Easton RS. With the Warrior DT1LT I can always feel the blade weight while the Easton RS felt like it was missing a blade. That said I don’t have many issues with the weight besides a slight decrease in mobility and agility compared to the Easton RS and even then this stick feels fantastically balanced. This stick feels extremely solid and when I take hard shots or block hard passes it never feels like it has a chance of breaking. One thing I noticed was that even though this stick is rated at a higher flex than my Easton RS it actually feels like it is more flexible than the Easton did when new. This DT1LT 100 flex feels much whippier than other 100 flex sticks I have (for example Warrior AK27).

Other: The Warrior DT1LT has a tapered shaft and my Easton RS and DT1ST both do as well. I can definitely feel a difference between the sticks that have it vs the sticks that don’t. But since my only sticks with a taper are top of the line vs cheaper alternatives I don’t feel I can make a good comparison or really comment on this feature any more.

Closing: This is currently my go to stick even though I prefer the curve on my DT1ST and Easton RS. The long reach really helps defensively (and is actually the best fitting stick I have since I am on the taller side) and I really like my shot ability. While I am not a huge fan of the grip I can live with it. If I were to custom order a stick it would be a Warrior DT1LT 100 Flex velvet grip Grandlund W05. For the $50 I paid this stick is an absolute steal and if I needed a new stick I will absolutely look towards purchasing another even at a higher closer to retail price and would absolutely recommend trying out this stick.