Colt 2 Stick Review

Colt Hockey began their rise to fame through a Kickstarter campaign in the fall of 2013. The goal was to engineer a better hockey stick, and that’s exactly what they’ve done. By coating a composite hockey stick in a lightweight nanometal, the Colt stick became one of the most durable on the market.

A year later, Colt Hockey released two new sticks – the Colt 2 and the Colt 2 Raw. The Colt 2 was an updated version of the original, while the Colt 2 Raw maintained a strictly composite blade in an effort to provide a better feel. We were fortunate enough to receive both models from Colt Hockey for our review. Read on for our Colt 2 stick review, or check out our Colt 2 Raw stick review here.

Specs: Colt 2,

Design and Construction:

The Colt 2 stick is all about the technology. Colt partnered with Integran Technologies, a leader in aerospace innovation, to help solve the durability problem faced by all composite sticks. By applying Integran’s Nanovate Nickel Cobalt solution to a carbon fiber hockey stick, the Colt was created. The result was a stick that would be well protected against the beating sticks take from face-offs, corner battles, slapshots, and everything else that occurs throughout a typical game.

The Colt 2 is definitely an upgrade over the original when it comes to design. While the first version had a very basic white and black design to go along with the NiCo coating, the Colt 2 features a much more crisp black design with white and orange accents. The Colt logo changed as well as the company focuses more on branding.

Colt’s second stick is a true one-piece constructed composite. The flex profile varies based on the position of your lower hand, meaning that on slap shots the stick will flex one way, and on snap or wrist shots, it will flex differently. The bottom portion of the Colt 2 is where the NiCo coating is applied, and on this version, that includes the blade of the stick. The top portion comes with reinforced composite walls  to increase durability there as well.

Feel:

The first thing you might notice about the Colt 2 when compared to a traditional composite stick is the additional weight. While the NiCo coating which is applied to the stick is lightweight, it’s still adding some weight to the stick and it is noticeable. According to the Colt website, the Colt 2 weighs in 490 grams. Not overwhelmingly heavy by any means, but not as light as today’s top end sticks either.

Given the extra weight, Colt has done a fine job with the Colt 2 in terms of balance. The stick feels solid in your hands, and is well pretty well balanced. Again, I don’t think it quite matches up to the top end sticks on the market right now, but it’s still good.

My biggest complaint, in terms of feel, was the feel of the puck when stick handling or catching passes. In fact, I had a bit of trouble catching passes with the Colt 2. The puck seemed to bounce off the blade more than it typically would with a traditional composite. This definitely caused some frustration for me at times and the NiCo coating on the blade definitely disrupts the great feel you typically get with composite sticks. This is actually the reason why they unveiled the Colt 2 Raw, to provide consumers with a coated stick using a normal composite blade for improved feel. If you’re picking up one of the Colt 2’s though, be aware that feel may not be up to par with premier level sticks from brands such as CCM, Bauer or Easton.

Shooting and Accuracy:

Shooting with the Colt 2 stick is, again, not exactly what you would expect from a composite stick. There are differences, but that is to be expected. To me, the stick felt a bit stiffer due to the NiCo coating. Because of that, I might drop down to a flex lower than I normally use if I were to buy one.

Otherwise, shots did come off of the stick nicely. The Colt 2 seemed to have some decent pop on slapshots, but again, I’m not sure that it compares to the top end sticks on the market today. As far as wrist shots, I was happy with the release and the way the puck came off of my blade.

In terms of accuracy, I don’t believe the NiCo coating on the Colt 2 had any negative effects. Shots still seemed to go where I wanted them to for the most part, and I was pleased with that.

Durability:

Durability is, of course, where the Colt 2 stick really shines. It’s what this stick is all about. After spending a generous amount of time with the Colt 2, I was happy to see that there had been very little damage done to the lower portion. The NiCo coating on the Colt 2 had done exactly what it was designed to do and protected the stick from normal wear and tear during games.

Besides my own positive experiences with this stick’s durability, I also know a couple other people using the Colt 2 stick. They rave about the durability as well. Playing a couple nights a week, the Colt 2 should last longer than your traditional composite stick. This is obviously a huge upside to the Colt 2.

Overall Impressions: 

My overall impressions on the Colt 2 stick are somewhat mixed. The stick is without a doubt a beast when it comes to durability. But in order to get that great durability, you have to sacrifice some aspects of top end performance. The Colt 2 definitley isn’t cheap either, costing about $270. So where do you draw the line?

I think that if you’re a beer league player who skates a couple nights each week for fun, and you’re not looking to constantly spend money on new sticks, the Colt 2 could be right for you. It’s a large purchase to make, but may save you money in the long run because of the increased durability. Others might go through 2 or 3 sticks in the same amount of time that you have one Colt 2.

On the flip side, if you’re a player (beer league or otherwise) who wants to get the best performance out on the ice, you may want to stick with a traditional composite stick from one of the large manufacturers. You’ll end up with a stick that has better feel for the puck, better shooting capabilities, and better all around performance. The downside is that you might end up with a stick that only lasts you a short time. That same stick could last you a year though, you really never know.

If you’re interested in checking out the Colt 2 stick for yourself, you can purchase one from ColtHockey.com.  The Colt 2 is on sale now for $270, and comes with an industry leading 60-day warranty.

Have you used the Colt 2 stick? Leave a comment below with your personal review and experiences with the Colt 2 and let us know what you liked and didn’t like about it!