Members of the Lacrosse Community:
My name is Ryan Harrington and I was a senior captain at Hampden-Sydney. I was recently put in charge of the lacrosse operations at True Temper, a company that I strongly believe will change the way you think about lacrosse shafts. I'd like to take this opportunity to quickly introduce both myself and True Temper Lacrosse; its identity, technologies and values. Please take some time to read this open letter and give us some feedback--your opinions and views will not go unnoticed.
You may not have heard of True Temper before, but we've certainly heard of you. We've been manufacturing lacrosse shafts for several companies for many years now, and we recently made the decision to give the lacrosse market our undivided attention. We currently have a 92% market share of the golf shaft market, and our technical expertise, materials engineering knowledge and manufacturing abilities are second to none. We want to bring all of those competitive advantages to lacrosse, and ultimately, right to your hands.
We've been watching product development and advertising in lacrosse from a distance for a while, and it seems that a lot of products promise many things but don't necessarily deliver. I made the decision to spend our advertising dollars reaching out to you, the players, instead of big-time photo shoots and expensive endorsements. In fact, we’ve never had to pay anyone to use our products, yet look at how often our products are used in the PGA and NHL. There’s a reason for all of this: we don't serve up any gimmicks, and we let our products do all of the talking.
You may have noticed some of our technology prototypes in the hands of the top college and pro teams this season (we can’t keep up with the re-order demands!), but our superior design and manufacturing process begins with all of you guys. We want to be a company that listens to its customers and delivers a home run time after time. As this season goes on, I will start introducing different aspects of True Temper Lacrosse right here on Lacrosse Playground, and by Memorial Day weekend, I hope that you will all have a good idea of who we are and what we stand for. Most of all, I'd like for everyone to understand the performance benefits of our technology and R&D. It's not all smoke and mirrors, folks...I promise you that.
We are a company built on our aerospace engineers, metallurgists, composites experts and design staff, but more importantly, we are a company built upon our customers. To that effect, I'd like to open up the table and give you guys a chance to give us some feedback:
- What are the current pains you experience with lacrosse shafts?
- Do they shatter, bend or break prematurely?
- Are they too expensive for the duration of their lifecycle?
- What kinds of things would you like to see in shaft technology?
- Which shafts out there do you like and why?
I look forward to speaking with and hearing from as many of you as possible. This is a brand that I love, and one that the lacrosse world needs. Please leave your feedback in the comments section.
Sincerely,
Ryan Harrington #9
True Temper Lacrosse
for more information on True Temper, check out their website
68 comments
i personally like the krypto pro Diamond. the main problem i find is its a little heavy but the grip the stick has is unparalleled. if their was a way to make a shaft as sturdy and as nice of a grip that the krypto pro Diamond has with the weight of a Gait DB803 that would be perfect
At a minimum I would expect 12 months.
I had a Harrow Box shaft that I used on and of for both field and box that went for almost 6 years. I had a very pricey STX Scandium that lasted 6 games (Not value for money). I still have a dead straight original Brine F15 that is easily 10+years old that makes an appearance occasionally.
I play close D and use a Scorpion Tyrant, OG Brine F55 and Talon Beast. My favorite aspects of the Tyrant and the F55 are that they are pretty light, don’t bend or dent. (I’ve had the Tyrant for 2 years and I play year round and i’ve had the F55 for one year). My favorite thing about the shafts is that the metal is unpolished and uncoated so it gives a really smooth feeling. I don’t like the grip on most new shafts and prefer to just tape my shafts. As for my Talon, I don’t mind the weight because it really packs a punch. I wouldn’t want to be on the other end of that thing.
So to summarize, shafts that are smooth un-coated metal and that pack a punch.
Keep up the good work!
Great idea with the screw plug. I have wedged other materials in the end before to give the screw more bite.
I deal with the women’s market and I can tell you that the True Temper designed Flex handle and the best of all time STX Afterburner are two of the best handles going or that have been out there for women’s lacrosse. The Afterburner was a composite core that was then wrapped with what appeared to be sheet carbon so you could see the weave in the top layer. And the Afterburner had a great texture. I think the largest problem with composites is that the screw hole becomes elongated when it has been checked quite a bit as the screw begins to work like a file when the impact occurs. I would suggest filling in the top 1" of the handle with either a composite resin or wood blugto make sure the screw has a valid place to attach to when the head is mounted.