Easton Mako Hockey Stick Review

In April, the Easton Mako hockey stick was released to retail stores everywhere. Fortunately, our friends at Easton Hockey sent us an Easton Mako hockey stick to review. After a little over a month of using the Mako, we’ve collected our thoughts on the stick and assembled them here. Hopefully our experience with the stick can help you in making a decision on whether or not to pick one of these sticks up for yourself.

Specs: Easton Mako, Matte finish, Cammalleri curve, 100 flex

Modifications: None

Appearance and Design:

Easton has done it again with the Mako, creating a killer design that is impossible to not like. The white out stick blends in perfectly with ice in the background, although the jury is still out on whether or not it helps to fool the goalie. On an inline hockey surface, the sticks color makes no difference in terms of beating the goalie, but still looks flashy and incredible.

Easton continued with the current trend by offering a matte finish on the Mako, but added a new feature to the blade. Instead of a standard blade, the Mako offers a non-skid blade coating meant to help the puck stay on your blade in areas where tape is not applied, and also help tape to wrap tighter and stick better to your blade.

Balance:

While Easton had previously experimented with some interesting ideas, such as weights in the Synergy EQ50, they seem to have dropped the gimmicks on the Mako and focused on just producing a quality hockey stick. Much like the majority of their top end releases, the Mako feels great in your hands. It offers a great balance and doesn’t feel overly heavy in the blade or throughout the shaft.

Feel:

My first few skates with the new Mako were on ice, and to lay it all out there, I was really disappointed with the feel I was getting. I was not comfortable skating and handling the puck through the neutral zone simply because I thought the stick lacked a good feel. I found myself skating more with my head down, keeping an eye on the puck, and of course you want to keep your head up at all times.

When I switched over to roller for the summer, I experienced much of the same. The feel of the puck definitely didn’t seem to be there like it should be. Comparing head to head, I believe the Stealth RS from Easton provides a better feel for the puck on your blade, allowing for smoother stickhandling and skating with your head up.

Despite the less than stellar feel, my stickhandling has been pretty rock solid. I have been pulling off many flawless toe drags with the Mako, and have still managed to get my name on the scoresheet pretty consistently.

Shooting and Accuracy:

I have been an avid Easton stick fan for many years, starting out with the old Synergy SL and Stealth CNT, and moving along through the lines as they’ve been released. I’ve always been accurate with the 100 flex shaft and Cammalleri curve (formerly Zetterberg, Forsberg and Modano). With the Easton Mako, however, my accuracy seems to have flown out the window. My go to shot, high glove side, has been a flop for me since I started using this stick – all for reasons unknown to me at this point.

On the flip side, the Mako has produced some hard and fast shots. Comparing this to the Stealth RS, Reebok Ai9, and Fischer SX7 – the Mako is definitely coming away with hardest and fastest slapshot. Wrist and snap shots come off quick too, but definitely did not make the same impact on me as the slapshots.

Beyond just being fast, shooting with the Mako offers a quick release and feels great in your hands when shooting. Some sticks feel a little more sensitive when shooting slapshots, but so far the Mako seems strong.

At the end of the day, however, I would take a stick which is going to offer me both the quick release and accurate shot over the stick that can just shoot hard and fast. But at the same time, if you’re a defenseman just trying to hit the net from the point, you shouldn’t have any issues and will appreciate the fast shot. If you’re trying to snipe corners, that’s where you may see some problems.

Durability:

My biggest complaint about Easton sticks, since I first began using them, has been the durability. We all know that composite sticks are going to break, it’s only a matter of time, but Easton sticks always broke quicker it seemed. Beyond that, the break always happened near the heel of the blade. This was very common for me and happened on every Easton stick I have owned so far.

Through just about 10 games of skating with the Mako, I’m mostly pleased with the way its holding up. From day one, I took dozens of slapshots to not only test shooting, but get quick idea for how the stick will wear down. Immediately after I started using the stick in games, I noticed paint chips and black scuff marks all over the lower portion of the shaft and onto the blade. With a white stick, however, I think that’s to be expected. More paint came off when I took the tape off the knob to put on new tape. While it certainly makes the stick look less pretty, it has absolutely no impact on performance.

Despite the stick not cracking or breaking yet, I still can’t help but to think it’s not too far out. Had I been playing more ice hockey, and played more consistently, I think the Mako would definitely be nearing the end of its life. But regardless of my speculation, the stick is still structurally sound and has no cracks yet. It could last another year, or it may only last another week. It’s really hard to say with today’s composite sticks.

Overall Impressions:

While I am more than pleased with what the stick has to offer in terms of shot power, velocity, and design, I believe Easton still has their work cut out for them with their next stick line. I’m not one to sacrifice accuracy just to get a harder shot, and would love to see that area addressed in their next stick. For me to retain my accuracy, I would be better off sticking with the Stealth RS or moving to a stick from another brand.

It’s bold to say that you should pass on this stick though just because of my accuracy experiences. A different curve or flex may yield completely different results, but my history with Easton products has helped me to come to the conclusion that something is a bit off.

If you’re confident in your accuracy though, or are a defenseman just wanting to lay down some wicked clappers from the point, then the Mako might be perfect for you. It’s hard shot and super quick release make for quite a satisfying shooting experience.

If you have any additional questions about the Mako, follow me on twitter @matthwb and feel free to ask away.

Regardless of your position, if you’re buying the new Easton Mako, visit our friends at Pure Hockey. They’re currently offering the Mako for $229.99 – a bit cheaper than the latest releases from Bauer. If you decide to buy through Pure Hockey, drop in the coupon code HOCKEYWORLD to save 10% on select items from your order!