Warrior Covert QR1 Stick Review

Warrior Hockey unveiled the latest from their Covert line of sticks earlier this summer as they introduced the Covert QR1 stick. Providing an incredibly light weight design, and super low kick point, Warrior was certainly looking to impress and build market share with this stick. Fortunately, the folks over at Warrior Hockey included us in their demo program and we were sent a QR1 stick to review. Our thoughts from using the QR1 are compiled below.

Specs: Warrior Covert QR1, 100 flex, Henrique curve

Design and Construction:

Warrior went with a bold color scheme on the QR1, including orange and powder blue accents which really pop against the primarily black stick. The design is really sharp, and it’s quite unique as well compared to most of what we see on the market today.

Straight from Warrior’s catalog, we’re able to see what went into developing this new stick:

Warrior worked with a leading University to study how hockey sticks store and release energy. This proprietary test enables Warrior engineers to measure the time a stick launches a puck, enabling our engineers to fine-tune the new Covert for the quickest release in hockey. Release time is called the Moment of Release and is measured in milliseconds.

As you can tell, the stick was constructed to offer a lightning quick release, besting themselves and competitors in release time.

The QR1 was also built with reinforced corners in order to offer 2x higher impact strength without adding any additional weight to the stick. They also used precisely wrapped laser cut carbon layers in order to cut excess weight. Finally, Warrior has used Mitsubishi USA permanently wrapped fibers to maximize strength. This fiber size offers more strength per square inch.

 

Feel:

At 410 grams, Warrior has produced a stick that is extremely competitive when it comes to weight. Being a true one-piece design also helps this stick to maintain a solid feel in your hands before even stepping on to the ice. It feels well balanced, and ready to perform. However, it’s stock length does seem to be shorter than other manufacturers.  One has to wonder if this is how they save some additional weight and improve the overall balance.

When it came to the sticks feel on the ice, I was not impressed with the response and feedback from the puck while stick handling. There are other top end sticks on the market which offer a much better feel, and I was genuinely disappointed in the QR1 here.

Shooting and Accuracy:

The Warrior Covert QR1 provides two things that most forwards should really like, an ultra low kick point and a quick release. When you’re skating up the wing and looking to fire a quick shot before the goalie can even react, both of these elements are going to be crucial. From using the QR1, these two things proved to be my favorite parts about the stick.

However, despite the quick release, I really wasn’t overly impressed with the shots I was getting. In terms of shot speed and accuracy, there didn’t seem to be too much to brag about. While the puck seemed to pop off the stick in a quick manner, it didn’t really carry with as much velocity as I expected. This seemed to be the case with both wrist shots as well as slap shots.

In terms of accuracy, the QR1 delivered as expected. My shots may not have had velocity like I’ve experienced with other brands, but the way I could pick my corners was certainly nice. On several occasions I was able to hit my mark within a few inches while shooting. Passes were also nice and crisp and seemed to hit the target more often than not.

Durability:

Warrior made some nice upgrades to their Covert line for the QR1 in order to make the stick one of the lightest on the market. Fortunately for Warrior fans, these upgrades don’t seem to have been made at the expense of durability. In fact, the precision loop carbon makes the stick stronger and lighter. Additionally, the etched 7 carbon fibers have a similar affect by increasing strength while improving the overall weight.

From my usage, the biggest sign of wear that I can see are the chips in the paint from some hacks, slashes or other stick work during games. Even these marks, however, are fairly minimal. They primarily exist on the bottom half of the stick where there is a matte finish. There are some other marks throughout, however, it really is quite minimal. I would give the QR1 pretty solid marks on durability from my experience.

Overall Impressions: 

Warrior spent a lot of time on R&D for the Covert QR1 in hopes to improve the release time. This R&D, along with their University partnership, resulted in a nice and quick release. I love that they are pushing the bar forward with these types of development, but from a realistic perspective, a 6 millisecond improvement over the Covert DT1 and a 5 millisecond improvement over the Covert DT1LT is not something that you are really going to be able to notice while playing. That’s not to take away from what they did though, if you like a quick release, this stick will do just that.

If I could make a couple of improvements though, I would first start with puck feel. I need more response from a stick and the Warrior Covert QR1 just wasn’t getting it done for me in that department. Stickhandling with it was a bit more clumsy than what I am used to with other top end sticks. The second improvement I would make is with the overall pop on shots. I needed more from the stick in this department, and I was a bit disappointed that the shots I was taking weren’t popping and creating the velocity I would have liked.

At the end of the day, the performance I received from the Warrior Covert QR1 wasn’t at the level that I would want out of a stick. Sure there were positives from the QR1, but with a couple of tweaks this would be an even better stick. However, if you’re a Warrior fan and have liked their sticks in the past, this does warrant a look.

Interested in purchasing the Warrior Covert QR1? Head over to Ice and Inline Warehouse where you can grab one today for only $259.99!

Have you used the Warrior Covert QR1? Leave a comment below with your personal review and experiences with the Covert QR1!

4 Comments

  1. 100 flex is too high for a low kick stick especially with that curve!! you’re never going to get the quick response you want with a high end curve with that flex unless you weigh a good 240 (of muscle). Even at the pro level, if a player is using any mid-to-toe curve you’ll see them use much lower flexes to allow the flex needed for the stick to whip quickly (Phil Kessel is a good example: he uses a 65 flex and has one of the quickest releases in the league)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *