Kit Recommendation

Right boys, I realise that Lacrosse is not the cheapest of options to get into, but if and when you do, this is a handy list of what we at Warwick have tried, tested and possible new options out on the market in terms of Lax equipment:

1.The stick
2.Shaft Action
3.Gloves
4.Helmet
5.Shoulder Pads
6.Arm Pads
7.Dealers

Firstly, your main information database on the worldwide perspective of Lax gear can be found on www.laxshopper.com. It is a brilliant resource for finding out what shafts and sticks are actually worth the money, with cool sections on arm pads, shoulder pads, helmets and gloves. Your second main information point is www.lax.com, who are a lot cheaper than any UK based dealer and so if you can get a bunch of you together to cover tax and shipping costs can grab yourselves a bargain. This has a full extensive range of all the equipment: much more so than anything you’ll be able to find in the UK.

1. THE STICK

Right, on to the equipment. Your first port of call is a stick. This is the most fundamental and important part of Men’s Lacrosse (obviously) and so you should put a lot of thought into your position, playing style, money availability and personal level before purchasing a stick. The club sticks you will have undoubtedly tested in the past are generally speaking not that great. We play with the Brine Ripper, which costs about £20-25. The Warrior Warpath is available at the same price from www.uklacrosse.com (the most reliable and generally cheapest UK dealer), and these have a very wide head making catching easy, a ready strung head and a shaft that will probably break within about 3 games.

For those of you with a slightly bigger budget, you will be probably want to look at a few sticks we know. I use a Brine Answer, a brilliant attacking head due to the fact it’s very pinched (narrow), very light, and only costs $40. Downside is it will probably pinch to the state of disrepair after about a year of playing. Nevertheless, I and other members of our club love it. The Warrior sticks you should consider are really only the Evolution (Evo Pro) and the Razor. Both cost $80, but the Razor is more durable, making it better for Face-Offs and it is generally considered to be better for ground balls. The Evo is much more an attacking head as I believe it is slightly more pinched. Club consensus says go for the Razor. There is one last stick that allows maximum custom stringing, the Gait Torque, which costs $70. If you’re into your stringing, this is the one for you. If, however, you are looking to play defence, you probably want to go for a Warrior Revo Pro ($75) for its stiffness and lack of malleability. This is one you want to go for if you are a bit more experienced, for the beginner it has been recommended you go for the Warrior Savage 2 ($30) for its wide head (good for clears) and good scoop. If you want to hurt someone though, go for the Revo.

2. SHAFT ACTION

Onto shafts. For attack, there are a variety of shafts available. The Warrior Krypto Pro series (ranging from $70 for the Kryptolite to $130 for the Krypto Pro Diamond) is generally the favourite on www.laxshopper.com, and it is a bloody good shaft. For D poles the Kryptolite is a solid bet as well, being light and strong. The Brine Ignite Optra ($100) is also a solid bet for middies and middie attackers. The Maverick Wonderboy also feels pretty nice but looks like a pile of gash with some stupid camo design. If they change that they’re cheap ($75), light and have a decent grip. There is a new shaft out called the STX Vanadium grip which has a soft rubber grip which looks quite cool, as well as the STX TiScandium grip ($60 and $90 respectively). Lastly for attackers I own the Eurolax Dagger, which only set me back $80, but now is only available from European stockists. www.prolaxshop.com do them for about 55 euros + shipping. For D men the Eurolax Longsword is a very light and strong option, costing a little more. Basically, all of these are a pretty good shout for shafts, best idea is to have a go at training with one of ours and see what you like.

3. GLOVES

After you get a stick sorted you definitely want to get some gloves. With gloves if you go for cheap then you will hurt when you get checked. Simple as that. The Hypnos are pretty sound, and at $60 you can’t really go wrong for the protection they give you. Remember to get them in Warwick colours (Blue)! Various people own the Superfreaks and the Rockstars by Warrior ($145 and $110 respectively), which are generally loved. These are the tried and tested, but ones that are worth looking at are the Maverick Legacy which at $65 aren’t bad. Also the STX I-pro GL at $110 are worth a look. Generally people seem to stay away from Brine in the club, and you know you can be safe with the Warrior.

4. HELMET

Now you are looking at a helmet. There is only one helmet to get, the Cascade CPX at $190. The C Pro is also acceptable at $160, but we all use CPX’s so join the crowd. We have decals to put on these helmets with numbers corresponding to your kit and a Warwick W. Pimp. We (well, the Kit Sec) generally does an order once or twice a year, and you have no idea how much difference having your own helmet makes. Get it for birthday, Christmas, payday, student loan day, whatever. These are so worth it it is unbelievable. Turning up to training and not having to bundle for the best helmets make your life so much easier.

5. SHOULDER PADS

Now, shoulder pads. Most of us use Warrior Hitman shoulder pads which cost about $60-80 and are very solid. The STX Choppers are pretty good at $60. The Maverick Dynasty are owned by our own Tom Tit, and he seems to enjoy them. They’re light and fairly reasonable at $75. People also seem to be raving about the Brine Rhinoskin, and, if you’re a tonk bredder, these look pretty frigging awesome at $80. Check them out on www.lax.com. Again, something to chat to us about at training, and also just see which ones look the coolest. It’s not about looking like a gammer. Let’s be honest. Oh and if you’re a D Pole people generally don’t wear shoulders, as they tend not to get hacked to shit so much.

6. ARM PADS

Lastly arm pads. These are the last thing that should be bought but if you’re a bit scared of taking one to the arm these make a huge amount of difference to your dodging confidence and generally running with the ball. D Poles at Warwick tend to go for the Warrior Shogun defence pads which only cover the bare essential elbow. Very cheap too at $28 and give you that extra bit of manoeuvrability that is so essential when wielding a 6ft pole. For middie/ attackers, I have the STX Gladiators. Don’t buy them, they’re awful. The Warrior MPEG are pretty solid with good manoeuvrability for a reasonable $50. The Brine Supercrosse and Exodus get very good ratings on www.laxshopper.com, but are very pricey at $80 and $100 respectively. The Maverick Dynasty also look pretty cool with wicked protection at $65. Once again, check out ours at training if you’re unsure.

7. DEALERS

Lastly, there are a variety of dealers you can use. Like I said, getting people together and doing a www.lax.com order is generally the cheapest option, especially if you can dodge taxes by sending it to someone’s relative in America and getting them to send it through as a gift (thereby dodging VAT). Otherwise, www.uklacrosse.com is reliable and reasonably priced, but only stocks Warrior stuff. www.peaksports.co.uk is overpriced. www.stifflersports.co.uk has now shut down. www.prolaxshop.com seems fairly reasonable. www.zenithsports.com has a good UK range but is run by an old man and I know someone still waiting for some mesh he ordered over a year ago! So if you order from him make sure you chase up lots!

CONCLUDE

That is about the lot! Starter kits are available, and sometimes worth having a look at and will be up on all the sites above. If you are deciding to put yourself between the pipes then it’s best to talk to either of our keepers Tank or Jase about kit since I frankly have very limited knowledge.

Right, that seems to be about it! If you have any further questions, come find any of us at training that seem to be sporting some sort of flashy gear and we’ll let you try them on for yourselves. Happy spending!! Bo x