Carbon shafts seem to be the thing that companies are seeing success with but others are too afraid to dive into. Under Armour, although, is not afraid to dive into. They’ve just released their first carbon shaft and it is something to behold.
First off, this shaft is beautiful. It is elegantly designed with a sleek and deadly look that is unmatched. It has subtle carbon patterns and a ghosted in ‘UNDER ARMOUR’ that make it really sweet. The shaft is solid, it felt good in my hands right away.
After playing in a few cold games with it I’ve noticed that there isn’t any chipping of the graphics and more importantly, my hands do not get cold when using this shaft. Everyone knows that metal shafts can be very annoying to use when you’re playing in early spring (more like winter) lacrosse. It’s freezing and these gloves aren’t made to keep our fingers warm. With the Under Armour shaft doesn’t get cold like normal metal shafts do and it made playing in the cold a little more enjoyable.
Another cool thing about the shaft is that it the top has a wood insert so that screws are screwed in firmly. This won’t prevent any head wobble, but it is a nice addition if you have a different sized screw. Lastly, the butt end is pretty neat. It’s a rubber butt end but it can be pulled up the shaft like the Maverik ABE. I think this one is better than the ABE because it’s way easier to move around the shaft.
I got the rigid version from Under Armour (thank you, guys) which means it won’t bend too much when shooting and passing. There wasn’t an adjustment period from going from a metal shaft to this composite one, completely seamless, actually.
I think it was a great move for Under Armour to move in this direction for their shafts. You’re going to see this shaft in the hands of your favorite college and NLL players this winter and spring.