PRODUCT REVIEWED: CCM FT4 PRO
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS: Retail version
SIDE: Left
FLEX: Intermediate 65 (Cut at 58.5")
PATTERN: P28
OPTIONS: Grip
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE STICK:
What makes this stick different from its competitors is the flex profile. The Jetspeed line offers a hybrid flex with 2 distincts flex zones. This means that it can act like a mid or a low kick depending on your bottom hand positioning. This type of flex profile can be extremely useful during a game.
The shaft is built with CCM's "R" technologie which consists of rounded corners with slight concave walls.
Like all the new high-end sticks coming out right now, it is incredibly lightweight. The weight is well distributed throughout the stick so it does feel very well balanced.
VISUAL ASPECTS OF THE STICK:
From my perspective, this is one of the prettiest hockey sticks on the market. The black and red graphics are splendid! Taking a closer look, the stick construction is clean. There’s no bumps, small air holes on the blade or anything like that. The shaft and blade junction are perfect. This is the type of finish I’m expecting from a high-end stick like this one.
OVERALL PLAYABILITY:
STICK HANDLING:
The blade feels very stiff and so does the shaft. I wasn't feeling the puck as much as I would have liked. But the stick being so light, it's pretty easy to stickhandle and the overall stiffness is more than welcome when the time comes to win puck battles.
PASSING:
Once used to the overall stiffness of the stick, the passing category was all good. The stiffer blade and shaft made it easy to be accurate. One touch passes were fast and direct. Hard passes were easy to distribute but a little harder to absorb. Again, it was all a matter of adapting to the stick.
SHOOTING:
In my opinion, this is the best part about the FT4 Pro stick. The hybrid flex is good for slap shots, one-timers, wristers and backhands. The player just needs to figure out the best bottom hand position for the different types of shot. The blade will not open on big shots because of the overall stiffness of the shaft and blade which makes it extremely easy to hit the target on every shot. But like mentioned earlier, the stick was stiffer than expected so more effort was needed for shooting.
CONCLUSION:
If you are looking for elite performance and design, the FT4 PRO is a good choice. Once used to the stiffer shaft and blade, the stick can be highly performant in all the categories for every type of player. At a certain point, it's a matter of personal preference. Next time I will have the chance to play with this stick, I will take a softer flex though. I will be able to get more out of it.
