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Gear Review: Surgeon SC-TI Shaft by STX Lacrosse

[rwp-review id=”1″]

Company: STX Lacrosse / Product: Surgeon Sc-Ti ShaftPrice: $139.99

Mikey B returns from his polar fortress of solitude to lay down many wisdoms about the Surgeon Sc-Ti shaft by STX, the lightweight brother to the STX Stallion SC-TI Shaft we reviewed last week.  Gather ’round, children, and listen for awhile.

Appearance… +10.0

I had the choice between reviewing a red and royal blue STX Surgeon Sci-Ti; I chose blue because that’s how I roll.  In honesty, neither color is my personal cup of tea so I was all set to drop an average appearance score.  That’s decision would have been a product of sheer laziness and I knew it.  So I went the extra click and hopped online to check out the other colors available.  As it turns out, the STX is offering some really nice looking options for the Surgeon Sc-Ti.  In light of the black and platinum options and the clean branding, I’m happy to give this handle a 2.0 for appearance.

surgeon2

Grip… +10.0

There was once a time when all lacrosse shafts were clean and smooth as an android’s bottom.

"My butt is very smooth indeed."
“My butt is very smooth indeed.”

But those days seem to be gone.  This is my third review in a row of a shaft featuring a manufacturer-implemented textured grip.  The Maverik Boost was grip on steroids.  The Brine F55 Friction was a bit more conservative and more to my liking.  The Surgeon Sc-Ti by STX is similar to the Brine F55 Friction: more Joel McHale than Grizzly Adams if you catch my meaning.

If my beard were a shaft, it would be very grippy indeed.
If my beard were a shaft, it would be beary grippy indeed.

For me, this is perfect.  The grip is mild but noticeable.  You know it’s there and you can use it to your advantage, but it won’t interfere with how your gloves slide up and down the handle.  Importantly to me, it doesn’t make the use of some hockey tape superfluous.

Where this stick differs most notably from the Brine F55 Friction in terms of grip is that the sandpaper-like texture covers the entirety of the Surgeon Sc-Ti whereas Brine installed a “candy-cane” texture pattern on the top half of the F55.  We’ll call that “six versus one-half dozen.”

In the same way that manner of which one tapes his stick is a matter of personal preference, so too is how much innate texture one prefers.  I think the Surgeon Sc-Ti strikes a nice balance here and I have no reservations giving it a 2.0 for grip.

Weight… +10.0 // Durability… +7.5

When it comes to sticks, I view Weight and Durability as entirely interrelated.  It has thus become my policy to discuss both at once.

The Surgeon Sc-Ti weighs in an an impressively svelte 5.3 ounces.  STX designed the handle with a thinner wall to achieve ultralight weight strength.  You couldn’t ask for a lighter wand, and if you did you wouldn’t gain any benefit from it.

With only a month of action under my belt, I haven’t  used the Surgeon long enough to gain a thorough understanding about its durability.  My test  handle shows no signs of bending or cracking but it has developed a number of surface scrapes and dings.  What concerns me most, however are a slight few nearly imperceptible but nevertheless identifiable dents up towards the top as a result of hard stick checks.  My suspicion is that there must be some consequence to reducing the thickness of the wall, and the yield may be a few more dents.  Or, it’s entirely possible that I just got walloped a few times and that any stick on earth would have a dent or two — hard to say.  Either way, I wouldn’t describe it as much of a concern given the proven strength of the Sc-Ti material.

Value… +2.5

It’s fair to say that I tend to dock points when a product is sold at a price which I happen to think is exhorbitant.  It’s probably also fair to say that my definition of “exhorbitant” may be a little unreasonable.  But here’s the deal: lacrosse is not a cheap sport to get into in the first place and the price points on some of these shafts is a bit ridiculous.  The Surgeon Sc-Ti scans in at $139.99.  That’s definitely on the high end of the market for a 30″ handle (the highest on Lacrosse.com being the UnderArmour SC1X which is for some reason $179.99!).  We want parents to be pro-lacrosse; not anti.  When little Timmy starts asking for equipment which starts knocking on the door of $200, a lot of parents are going to start remembering how cheap it is to play soccer.  That’s not what we want.

Ultimately what it comes down to is that I’ve never spent $139.99 on a handle and I’m just not convinced that there’s a real good reason to do so.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a great stick but I can’t say that it’s a great value in light of that price.

Overall… 7.8/10

The STX Surgeon Sc-Ti is a great piece of equipment.  The grip is tuned to suit the minimalist.  Its both lightweight and strong.  It even looks nice.   There’s really no downside… except the price.  So what’s to be done?  Head down to your local lacrosse shop and pick one up.  If it’s the stick for you, then start mowing lawns and saving your allowance.