Miken Zero Limit Hockey Stick Review

A couple months ago, we first told you about the Miken Zero Limit hockey stick. It’s part of the 2012 line of gear coming out from Miken hockey and will hit the market for purchase Saturday. I had the opportunity to use the stick for the past couple months while playing in my summer inline hockey season. Check out my review on how the Zero Limit performed for me.

Specs: Miken Zero Limit, 90 flex, Grip finish, BP40 blade pattern.

Modifications: 1/2″ cut off the top of the stick.

Design and Construction: I love the aesthetic look of the stick. The stick is black, with orange and grey graphics. Most of the stick is black and grey with the orange name graphic. I like the look of it because it doesn’t provide visual noise. I’ve never used a stick with a sticky type of grip before and this was a nice change of pace from what I am used to playing with. The stickiness provides extra grip for those players who tend to sweat through their gloves. I did not get to use this stick on the ice so I cannot tell you how it performs when wet. The only drawback to the sticky grip is that it started peeling off in various areas as soon as the first usage. The greatest amount of wear is seen where I kept my bottom hand. There was also a good amount of wear on the edges where each side of the shaft met each other.

Highlighted when we previewed the stick earlier, the Z1000 Carbon fiber is the highest grade material used in sports equipment. The strength and modulus exceeds any other stick on the market. This eliminates the unneeded resin and weight to achieve superior balance. Their premium Zipfoam form injected blades reduces weight to create greater feel and increased responsiveness. It’s been tested and proven to deliver improved velocity on all shots. The shaft has the traditional rectangle shape for feel and control the player is used to with other sticks.

Weight and Balance: With a weight of 435 grams, it’s one of the lightest sticks I’ve used. And with a stick this light, you sometimes worry about the durability of the shaft. But Miken designed it this way with the technology used. With the blade, it is one of the lightest on the market. This is because the balance point is at the 29.5″ mark while most sticks are between 28 and 29 inches. With the higher balance point the blade will feel lighter in your hands resulting in a faster release and harder shots.

Handling/Feel: The stick feels very good in my hands. I think it was because of the tacky grip on the shaft. I’ve never felt a more gripper stick and I enjoyed that it not eat away at the palms of my gloves as I initially feared. On my shots I did not feel much vibration, however I did sense vibration when receiving passes. The harder passes I was receiving was causing issues with controlling the puck and moving up the rink. When it came to giving passes I struggled to have the proper touch when it came to giving passes in smaller windows or when I needed to thread the puck through traffic. Shooting the puck through traffic wasn’t much of an issue as it was giving passes.

Shooting and Accuracy: This is the feature of the Zero Limit I love. After I cut my stick down, I was able to create more torque on my slapshots, which led to harder, faster and lower shots. I had no problems with shooting the puck where I aim. I know of some players I play with who use the wrong curve, which results in extreme misses to the left or shooting the puck three feet over the net whenever they shoot. Finding the proper curve and stick flex is something I’ve come to zero in on in recent years while reviewing sticks and after using this stick I’ve found the proper curve for the kind of shots I take as a defensive defenseman who tends to get slapshot happy.

Durability: Durability was one of the issues we’ve previously experienced with Miken sticks in the past. Miken has made several improvements with the Zero Limit. While I received a couple paint chips and dings early on, my durability concerns were relieved as the stick has lasted without much deterioration. If you get this stick and receive a couple dings and paint chips near the blade of the stick, don’t fret because the construction of the blade has made it possible for the stick to maintain it’s flex and shot power and not break down like other sticks have had.

I previously highlighted it under design, but there was a significant amount of peeling and wear of the grip material midway down the shaft. In the area where my right (bottom) hand would be placed, there’s a good amount of wear and peeling of the substance used for the grip. Of all the sticks I’ve reviewed in the past, this one ranks among the best as I’m still able and have a desire to play with it.

Overall Impressions: Overall, this is a very good stick. One of the things I liked best about this stick was the ability to boom snapshots and slapshots from my position on defense. I also recognized what curve works best for me because of this stick. I previously used a Kane/Iginla/Savard curve and this curve is more along the lines of a Zetterberg. If a friend asked for a recommendation, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Zero Limit stick over others on the marker. After making improvements over previous models in the past, Miken is on their way to making a better stick. The stick will be available for purchase beginning Saturday, Sept. 15. For more information visit Miken’s website.