Uber Hockey Wand v2 and Uber Hockey Wang

So then, the moment some of you have all been waiting for, the review of the Uber Hockey Wang (and wand).

Just to give you a little background, a person not a million miles away from here was given a couple of sticks (Wang and Wand v2) to test ride for a couple of weeks. Unfortunately for that person they (the sticks) are 37.5" long and as that person had no desire to impale themselves at every v-drag asked if I would step in. For note I prefer the longer tool as it means I have to bend over less.

A quick glance at the uber hocky website http://www.uberhockey.co.uk/ will tell you that both sticks cost £90 plus £6.70 p&p

Both sticks have a reinforcement composition of 90% carbon fibre, 5% Kevlar and 5% Glassfibre. Both came fitted with a chamois overgrip which is a nice touch. The only problem being I found the grip underneath rather thick so had to remove the chamois on both sticks. However I am extremely finicky in this sense and I think for most people the grips will be just fine.

I should note at this point that I have to return the sticks and I won't be recieving any discount for any testing carried out or this review. The sticks have been lightly tested in the warm up before a couple of games and used for the totality of two training sessions. For comparison I usually use a grays GX8000 turbo torque medium weight 37.5" stick.

I've put a few pics into the sticks section of the gallery and make no apologies for the poor quality photography, those of you with keen eyes may notice the cat prints on the sheet. She doesn't apologise either. Ever


So then The Wand V2.

[img width=800 height=599]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_56_49.jpg[/img]

This is the more subtle of the two sticks and on paper ticks all of the right boxes for me.

mid bow check
37.5 check
medium weight check
no gimicky dent in the face of the stick to improve skills I don't have check
Uber claim a 25mm mid bow which is fineby me but not measured.

At first pick up there is something slightly odd with the balance of the stick. I can't quite put my finger on it, the balance point is fairly central which is fine, its stiff as a board which of course is what everybody wants (even if it isn't what they need) so thats not it either.

Unfortunately this odd feeling carries through when playing with the stick. Although not directly related the feeling when striking the ball as 'twangy', the stick has allegedly been designed to have a thinner profile to help stick skills (how does this help?) so this may be the cause, however, the ball speed is acceptable, I just can't quite get to like the way it feels. In fact the only thing I can think it might be is that one of the core chambers has been compromised in the moulding process and has filled with matrix (the rest of the plastic in the stick that isn't reinforcement) making it the stick try to turn over when it comes into contact with the ball. I'm certainly not advocating cutting the stick in half to find out which is probably the only way to find out.

I never slap hit so won't bother to tell you what its like for that, however the stick is perfectly usable when pushing, flicking and chucking an aerial forty yards over peoples heads (the extend of my aerial ability if I don't want to end up putting it right over my shoulder!), trapping the ball and if you are so concerned (which an alarming number of people seem to be) looking good when you play with it. The paint isn't the toughest but not the worst, some manufacturers seem to think that something with the robusticity (if thats a word which I don't think it is) of cheese is perfectly reasonable. However as I come from the age of wooden sticks with Vinyl sticker coverings I don't really worry about it.

Another thing to mention is that Uber will sell you a 36.5, 37.5 or 38.5 inch stick. Nice to get the choice, it should be noted that when sticks are manufactured they are all only one length and then cut down to size accordingly. The wand I tested was 38"!

time for another photo

[img width=800 height=599]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_57_14.jpg[/img]

So then to summarise, its a stick that I wanted to like but just couldn't. With time I may well have gotten used to it but thats the way it goes. If you want a mid bow stick with a high carbon content then you may want to think about it.

so you can get an idea of the bow here is another couple of pics

[img width=800 height=599]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_57_51.jpg[/img]

[img width=800 height=497]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_58_14.jpg[/img]


The Wang

[img width=800 height=599]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_54_50.jpg[/img]

This stick is bright, did I say bright? The pictures don't do it justice, think fireworks just past the stroke of midnight on new years day. Your team mates will be able to pick you out through thick fog on a super foggy day. Its is pink and has a mildly smutty name. Love it.

So this stick was 37.5" also in a medium weight. I'll post the actual weights of the sticks when I get the chance to weigh them. This will involve my better half being out so she doesn't think that I am deranged/sad/worth divorcing.

Having previously stated in numerous posts that I can't get on with low bow sticks in some ways this is no exception (it is a 25mm low bow according to Uber). I've been playing for a while and have no intention of changing what has so far been a fairly effective hitting technique in order to use a stick which will aid my flicking a skill I don't use that often and don't feel I need to spend time working on.

However, it must be said, what I wasn't expecting but found in abundance was feel for the ball. An absoultely fantastic surprise. Possibly the best of any composite stick I have ever used. Dribbling and trapping were a joy, little dinks over other peoples sticks a cinch; on the downside having a low bow, every time I went for a slightly snatched pass or hitting off the forefoot I ran the risk of taking someone's knees out. To qualify though, I can't say that if I got another wang it would have the same feel

[img width=800 height=539]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_56_24.jpg[/img]

So to summarise, if you are in the market for a low bow stick then I would thoroughly recommend a wang, its high spec stick with a relatively low price tag (when compared to contemporary sticks)

a pic comparing bows

[img width=800 height=599]http://www.fieldhockeyforum.com/gallery/1479_10_02_10_5_59_16.jpg[/img]

Finally distance purchase laws allow you to purchase an item and then return it without giving a reason. The item has to be in good working order though. This means that you could order an Uber stick, protect the face and have a knock around (without marking it) and if you don't like it send it back. The only cost to your would be the return postage. Chances are you would be hanging on to it though.


Please let me know if you have any qvestions.

Thanks for the effort John, much appreciated. Was surprised after the Wand review that you loved the feel of the Wang. Wouldn't have guessed that between them they would garner such different views.

On a side note, when you say the paint isn't the best, were they perfect before you started? The Wang looks pretty beat up for a limited amount of use is all.

Thanks again, much appreciated.

I have a recently purchased a Wang and been lucky enought to be offered sponsorship. Its a hard life , and i can say i share your feelings. It truly is a great low bow stick. I could belive it was only £90. I have had mine for serval months now, and the paint is in great condition.
Its nice to see a company breaking the mould (sorry about the pun). All the other stick companys think they are car companys at the mo. calling there sticks GTI SXI and all that shizzle. where as all we want are fun practical solutions at a decent price.

My firend purhcased the wand at the same time as me. And i am happy to announce that they will be getting married next spring. He loves it that much.

no, somebody else has had a good thrashing with the wang. The photos were taken a couple of weeks ago which is why the wand looks so pristine.

I think that most of the paint chips come from playing on a sand based astro where the sand gets between the stick and the ball, as I said, its not the least durable paint I've ever experienced.

Two good reports on the same page! Mine (well my demon spawns) is apparently in the mail so with any luck I'll get a hands on trial in about 5 days. :yes:

Finally got the Wang in the mail today. Postal service sucked more than a really sucky thing. Bought some other stuff which arrived within the 5 days but the stick seemed to go the sight-seeing route via Santa's house. Still, it arrived in good condition, looking SEEEEEXY, the chamois grip felt weird at first but after a little muck around inside I actually started to like it. Bit different to what I usually use which is the Grays Touch (Pink & ohhh so squishy!) with or without a covering of strapping tape. I'm actually really keen to get this out tomorrow night at training but as it's for my young fella I've been banned & told so very firmly. Bloody April better hurry...

In a different Uber thread I inadvertently brown tongued Uber/Lee without knowing he posted here. Here I go again with full knowledge. After the customer service I recieved from him during this process, that is getting the FIRST Uber stick imported in to Aus, I really do have to repeat that if every company acted the way he/they do the consumers of this world would be in a better place. Outside of hand delivering this thing he did all he could to keep me happy. He was prompt to get info across & make the whole thing as easy as possible even when I'd decided it had been knocked off along the way. If anyone is thinking about trying them out I honestly would reccomend them whole-heartedly... And thats without receiving any free merch, not even a sticker!

I'll add more once I've been allowed to use the stick.

How is this bow for drag flicking compared with the grays jumbows?
Thanks for the GREAT review by the way, realy helpful

Hi Stroomi,

I moved from a Grays GX6000 (I think it was a jumbow) to a Wang and find it just the same to drag flick.

It's not as severe as the xxtreme adidas and there is a more bendy Grays also but I can't remember what that ones called (maybe the Megabow).

Trying to be informative rather than biased as I run uber hockey

Thanks for that, I was homing that someone would say they are the same as the jumbows because I find that they are the best drag flicking stick that you stand a resanabe chance of keeping the ball on the ground when hitting
thanks again, realy helpful

nice review john. I think i'm going to invest in a wang, you just can't argue with that price, for what i'm gathering is a quality stick.

really nice review John!!! :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes: :yes:

You are welcome, for future reference I recommend not drinking half a bottle of Isle of Jura before starting to type up a review as the amount of sub-editing required is ridiculous!

Great review!

Just wondering how is this bow compared with the Malik Sand and the Sachin Red Poison? I find it difficult to keep the ball on the ground with the Sachin but I'm cool with the Malik.

Cheers!

when you hit with the wang does the ball stay on the ground or does fly over the crossbar like a tt10

It stays on the ground for the majority of the time, I would say 8or 9 times out of 10, the bow isn't as extreme as the tt10 or the other addidas with the 24mm xxtreme bow

Hitting the ball correctly will mean it does what you want it to do whether that be run along the ground or rise. The stick is an inanimate object until YOU move it. Low bows wont automatically lift the ball in ANY situation unless thats how you strike it. While I agree it is easier to lift with one there are easy & obvious measures that you can take to stop it. I play with 2 guys that use TT10s & they can play a whole game without the ball being raised if they choose, simply due to technique.

There really is no magic to Low/Late bowed sticks, having used them for a bit now I'm now of the opinion they were created by useless hacks like myself to help cheat & keep up with the more talented guys! lol

I just read a similar thread that said much the same things I just typed. Meh, sorry for the crossover for those that read everything on here. Seems there's only a few topics to type about at the moment. :baffled:

I'm hoping that the Wang is a "hard" bend. Thinking about definitely getting one. Having said that I do like the DC style sticks. They just don't quite offer themselves to my complete game...

hard bend?

offer themselves?