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Gear Review: Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse

With lacrosse season at full throttle, we wanted to make sure you’d have the scoop on all the newest equipment, so we teamed up with Lacrosse Panda, Warrior Lacrosse and Brine Lacrosse to bring you a great line-up of Gear Reviews over the next two months!

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Company: Warrior LacrosseProduct: Evolyte Head /Price: $79.00

In my previous post about the Warrior Evolution 2.0, I thoroughly expressed the ridiculous nature of my love for the Evolution line of heads from Warrior.  That being said, I did not think it was going to get much better in looking at the Warrior Evolyte.

When comparing the two heads, they look exactly the same from front to back and side to side. However, upon picking up both of the sticks there is one thing that really sticks out.

The Warrior Evolyte head literally feels like it is going to fly out of your hands. The Evolyte is hands down, THE LIGHTEST head that I have ever played with. The head utilizes Warrior’s patented gas-assist “NOZ” molding technique to create one of the lightest heads on the market (3.9 oz! and approximately 13% lighter).

It is so light that even when just cradling around and throwing fakes, you know exactly where the ball is in your pocket at all times. In addition, you can definitely feel the difference in shot speed when whipping this stick toward the net. I think I have found a new love.

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse
The perfect testing facility.

Immediately after my buddy and fellow Dawg, Al Garner, strung this one up, I had to get to the wall.  Luckily, only a couple of blocks away from my home is a hand ball court (also known as the most perfect lacrosse wall ever created).  This court is fully fenced in with a mammoth cinder block wall in the front. Perfect place and perfect day for some LAS research.

Appearance… +10.0

As with the Evolution 2.0, the Evolyte’s shape and design is flawless. Aggressive sidewalls with one of the most iconic symbols of the lacrosse world are both present here. There’s a beautiful shape to the head as it narrows to the throat.  There is some pin striping on the sidewalls that is aesthetically pleasing as well – very similar to the Evo 2.0 again.

The open sidewall also helps with making the stick LIGHT. And as I may have already mentioned, this stick is LIGHT.  Here is to hoping that Warrior Lacrosse will continue to make improvements on the Evolution while keeping the same shape, sidewall, and throat so that future generations can truly enjoy this timeless design.

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse
There’s that beauty of a sidewall. GTG laces and all!

Stringing… +7.5

The Evolyte’s stringability (my computer is trying to tell me this is a misspelling, but I’m leaving it – new word!) is perfect for the average lacrosse player.

Personally, I felt like I could get a perfect pocket for myself utilizing the adequately spaced sidewalls.  Nonetheless, the stringing enthusiasts will argue that you could not string up every pocket imaginable.  For those people who need a stringing hole every 1/4 inch, I suggest that you check out the Brine Clutch or Remix.

Again, this picture does not do the pocket justice.  Within a few minutes of throwing off the wall, the pocket was game ready.  The hold was absolutely ridiculous and you could feel the ball stop in your pocket, staying put while cradling.  The benefit of the Evolyte’s offset head technology is that you get better hold and more power on your shots due to the ability to have a lower pocket.

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse
That scoop was so EZ.

Stiffness… +8

The Evolyte is as stiff as I would have expected it to be.  For me, when I think of the Evolution line of heads, I tend to keep them more on the offensive side of the field.  When laying a hard poke or slap check on someone, I am thinking that the head is going to bend and make the check less effective.

You can bend the top of the head back and forth easily enough that I would seriously hesitate to use this for face-offs.  Due to limited ability on the defensive side of the field and for face-offs, the Evolyte loses a 2 points in this area.

Nonetheless, for the offensive-minded player, the head is as stiff as it needs to be.  The Warrior Evolyte finds a great balance with weight and stiffness, and I think Warrior’s EZ Scoop makes it much easier to pick up ground balls on the run.

As Josh Schane pointed out in the comments section of the Evolution 2.0 review, the EZ Scoop design is totally underrated.  I could not agree more! Stiffness barely matters because with the design of the top of the head, this stick is not going to stick in the ground and bend.

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse
There’s some flex to this one.

Durability… +7.5

As mentioned in the previous section, the Warrior Evolyte is definitely an offensive-minded stick.  If you are defensive player or face of middie, I would highly suggest going with the Warrior Revolution instead.

For all those offensive players out there, the Evolyte certainly appears to be up to the challenge for many seasons of playing lax. Fewer stick holes on the side wall, coupled with a reinforced Elliptical throat design add support and strength to the Evolyte.

The head is fairly sturdy, and while it does bend when forced, it should still last through a couple seasons at least (if taken care of! Note to self: Reno, NV = vicious freeze thaw cycle that is tortuous on stick heads). Once you purchase it, be a good laxer and post the Evolyte right next to your nightstand.

While I would love to ignore history due to my unashamed passion for the Evolution family of heads, I cannot.  As noted in my Evolution 2.0 review, the Evolution line does have a history of breaking for multiple players that I spoke to in too short of a time. Because of this, I cannot award the Evolyte with a perfect durability score.

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse
That is one Dark Woozle…

Value… +10.0

At a price point of $79.00, this head is very reasonable.  While it is slightly more expensive than the Evolution 2.0, you also get a head that is 13% lighter in weight, which makes all the difference.  Seventy-nine bucks for one of the most iconic heads in lacrosse is absolutely unreal – a deal that cannot be passed up if you ask me! Seriously, all you offensive-minded laxers out there need to hop on the proverbial Evolution Bandwagon ASAP!

Evolyte Head by Warrior Lacrosse

Overall… 8.2/10

Overall, the Evolyte head gets a rating of 8.2 out of 10. The Warrior Evolution 2.0 that I reviewed got a 9/10. But there’s a catch here… even with those final stats, I think I am more likely to purchase the Evolyte over the Evolution 2.0. Let me tell you why…

As I have already said numerous times throughout this review, the Evolyte is one of the best, if not the best heads, I have ever picked up in my life.  It is so light that you always know where the ball is and can throw massive fakes at will.  In addition, shot speed feels significantly faster when using the Evolyte.

Combine all that with a stringability that makes for an excellent channel and pocket, and I must say, Jeff Brunelle and the rest of the LAS crew might need to fly to Reno in order to rip this stick from my hands for the Facebook giveaway. I am not even close to kidding. One of the most iconic heads in the game made even better. Get Evolyte and get after it!

Do you own an Evolyte? Let us know what you think of it in the Comments Section below!  How well do they hold up?