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Gear Review: Vapor Shaft by Nike Lacrosse

[rwp-review id=”1″]

CompanyNike / Product: Vapor Shaft / Price: $84.99

People love Nike stuff! The Swoosh logo has a serious draw in our larger sporting culture, and to think that this brand isn’t aiming to make a serious dent in lacrosse shows a complete lack of understanding. When Nike goes in, they go in big, and aim to dominate. Their cleats and uniforms can be seen on lacrosse fields near and far, and their gloves, pads, heads, and shafts are showing up more and more.

Where does Nike’s Vapor Lacrosse Shaft fit in to their lacrosse investment? Find out below!

Appearance: +7.5

The shaft looks good, and comes in a couple of different color combinations. It’s nothing too flashy, but the Nike logo is featured front and center, and this certainly helps catch the consumers’ eyes. You’ll check out a Nike product. I know you will, you know you will, Nike knows you will. Smart move to spruce up an otherwise relatively simple design.

nike_vapor

Grip: +6.0

If you like a smooth shaft, the Vapor is for you. I like a lot more grip, so I had to tape the shaft up pretty heavily. The leather on metal is good, but the graphics look like they are screened on, and don’t help with holding the stick much at all. In fact, they might make the grip worse. The good thing here is that the shaft is super light, so you can add lots of tape without worry. The graphics are not so sweet that you don’t want to cover them. It’s not a huge problem, but the grip on the shaft is definitely not the best.

Slower, but smarter? I hope the latter is true.
Just tape it up.

Weight: +10.0

As I said above, the shaft is light enough that you can add tape to it without making it the least bit heavy. When I picked it up for the first time, the stick was so light I thought it would break right away. I’ll tell you more on how I was wrong on that front in the durability section. Overall, the Vapor shaft might be the most aptly named piece of equipment in the game. It feels like nothing in your hands, feel stiff and tough when it’s used, and really lets you whip your arms around on shots. It’s light, if I could give it a 2.5 here, I just might!

Durability: +7.5

I was worried this shaft would break, but it has not, and I have abused it pretty nicely. It’s been slashed out of my hands, given out some solid checks itself, and even seen some box lacrosse. It hasn’t bent or broken at all, but it does have a couple of dings and dents in it now, and someday, these will cause it to snap or crack. I think this shaft will last for most people though, and high school players should be able to get through a full season with it, assuming they aren’t crosschecking people like crazy. I don’t think it will last nearly as long at the college level or in a box league, but it’s pretty durable when you consider how the lightness factor.

nike_SHAFT

Value: +10.0

At just under $85, the Vapor Shaft is very competitively priced. It gets top marks in value, as it it is light and pretty durable, and costs $30 less than comparable shafts from competitors. At first glance and pick up, I wasn’t so sure that the Vapor Shaft was going to be a great product. Evidently, first impressions are often wrong, because the Vapor shaft is an overall winner.

Overall: 8.0/10

This is a good product, which has solid branding, and enjoys a competitive price point. I’d give it a go! If you’re looking for a light weight, strong shaft, with some cultural caché, the Vapor shaft has it all. The grip isn’t great, but tape fixes that problem easily. It’s stronger than it looks, and it looks good. That’s a great place to start, especially for Youth and High School players.