Tribe7 Lax teased us with images of their new Beast7 head, designed and used by Greg “Beast” Gurenlian, on social media, but when I first saw a prototype in person, I knew it was for real.
The Beast7 Head was designed by GregBeast32 himself, to help Middies and Attackmen become Phenomenal, right out of the box. It’s got competitive advantages from throat to scoop.
This is Tribe7’s most mainstream head, from the stringing options to the scoop. Does it still crush it on face-offs? With a name like the Beast7, it better!
Appearance – 8/10
The Beast7 has a nice keyhole shape to it, and I noticed that right away. The rounded sidewalls and large openings are different from other Tribe7 heads, and the sidewall seems thicker. The scoop looks nice and round, and all of the holes look well-formed and easily string-able.
The short throat does stand out as a little weird, especially given how wide it is. It doesn’t look flimsy, that’s for sure, but it’s shorter than anything else out there, and extremes always catch your eye.
Overall, it LOOKS like a pretty normal offset lacrosse head, and it looks easy to string. I like the large openings on the sidewalls and the rounded features of the plastic contour.
Stringing – 7.5/10
I would give the older Tribe7 heads a 4/10 for stringing, simply because they limit what you can do so severely. It’s possible to string a good pocket in them for sure, but certain types of pockets are much more difficult. Not so with the Beast7!
You could put leathers in this head, but it would be a tight fit. And the sidewall and scoop (and throat) holes still aren’t huge. Thicker string will really have to be coaxed through the holes. But the holes are big enough to handle most pockets, and there are definitely a lot of them!
The sidewall has 13 holes total, and they are well spaced ovals that run from the top of the sidewall all the way to the bottom. No low or high hole exclusion here.
The 7 holes across the scoop are also well spaced and can accommodate most styles of top string, as long as the string is relatively thin. There are 5 more oval holes at the bottom of the throat, and you could convince leathers to go through them if you really tried, and used pliers.
Stiffness – 8.5/10
I like the Beast7 for use as a field player. It doesn’t flex too much when shooting or catching, and it feels solid playing wall ball. And the bottom of the throat, and scoop, are both quite stiff. But the cool thing about it is that it actually sort of folds in the middle when you put the right kind of pressure on it, and it forms an extreme hourglass shape. If you’re thinking this makes it perfect for face-offs, you’d be right.
The “fold” is part of the head’s design, and it actually works. It’s cool to see the head just fold over, and then pop back to shape. Clearly face-offs are still valued by the Tribe7 folks. So while the head does flex for face-offs, it also seems up to the task of being a gamer, at least in terms of stiffness. For many face-off sticks preferred by face-off guys this is not the case, so that makes the Beast7 somewhat unique.
Durability – 7.5/10
I have beat my Beast7 up quite a bit already, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. The plastic is holding its shape well, and the stick still pops back to form after I fold it over for a face off, or because I’m leaning on it. So far, it’s been very durable, and is still stiff enough to handle plenty of use.
The one drawback I have discovered, is actually the short throat. Sometimes, the front of the shaft can get loose, and the head tilts back on the shaft, even with a screw tightly in place in the back. I can quickly snap the head back down on the shaft, and it doesn’t happen all the time, but it can be an issue.
Putting another screw in the front of the head to secure it might help with this, but be sure not to drill through the plastic of the head, as that can make it illegal for play at most levels.
Value – 9.5/10
I’m sorry, but even with the short throat issue, this head is a STEAL at $45 unstrung. FORTY-FIVE DOLLARS! Are you kidding me?
It’s easy to string, tough enough for any position to use, has a great offset, and looks different and cool. This stick is an absolute steal for that price.
For a beginner or intermediate player, this stick is a truly awesome option. For high school players or above, it’s well worth a look, especially if you take face-offs. I could use it in men’s league, and if I ever step on the field again, I just might.
Overall – 8/10
The Beast7 head is Tribe7’s most versatile, modern, and easy to string head yet. It has many of the face off attributes that earlier Tribe7 heads offer, but it is also a more versatile stick, that any player could use.
The short throat is a slight drawback, but for the price, this head is great deal, and a very solid product. Well done to Tribe7 on this new head. It’s a keeper.
Pick one up for yourself if the Beast7 seems right for you! Regardless, follow the Tribe7 gang on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with everything these mad geniuses are up to!
