PRODUCT DETAILS

A 85% carbon lay-up Mercian hockey stick with Kevlar laminates & fibreglass micro-skeleton. Available in Pro and HEX bends. An 85% carbon lay-up with Kevlar laminates creates a stiff high-performance stick. The Pro Bend is a less aggressive bend, 23.5 mm with a higher balance point, perfect for general skill execution, hitting and slapping. The HEX bend is a hexagonal handle giving unique positioning feel for the palm of the hand & fingertips. The handle flattens into the shaft giving enhanced stiffness because of the clear spine & also an identifiable backhand area. QCS technology replicates the power delivered with conventional braiding but can be modified to enhance protection at specific stress points. All the Evo. sticks incorporate a textured resin face for ball control & 2 vibration control technologies - piezo-electric fibres & an m-gel internal collar. Additional feature is the extra cushioned grip created with a 0.75mm PU foam layer beneath standard super-soft M-Tek grip

HEX Bend The new innovative HEX bend is a hybrid model combining a lacrosse style handle and a conventional hockey shaft. The 6-sided grip means a player can feel the sticks position in the hand without looking and the shape specifically helps locate the extended finger associated with flicking along the spine of the stick. As the hexagonal handle shape merges into the hockey shaft it creates a flattened spine that increases the sticks stiffness. The edges then are also flattened to give a specific backhand hitting zone with a surface designed to aid both power and control on the reverse side. The shaft then also has the ultimate bend with its maximal curve to further enhance flicking and overhead skills.

Pro Bend The Pro Bend incorporates a near maximum 23.5mm bow positioned just below the mid-point of the shaft. The shaft has then been shaped to give a thinner profile under the right hand and a balance point that favours the head end of the stick. This gives a combination of great stick turn-over due to the shape but enhanced hitting power because of the balance point and sweet spot.

HIGH-FRICTION FINISH The Evolution line sticks feature a silicon based resin coating on the face of the sticks. Increased friction on the head of a stick, as seen on many of the leading brands products, enhances ball control and skill execution. On the Evolution models we have created that friction surface using silicon rather than silica. These tiny (black) rubber particles give a texture to the surface and because they have the characteristics of rubber they can squash (compress) and at a microscopic level provide a degree of 'damping' and assist with stopping and ball control.

PIEZO-ELECTRIC FIBRES Piezo-electric fibres are included in the Evo.0.1 - Evo.0.5 and are used to 'harvest' the vibrations created in these super-stiff sticks and turn them into heat. The result of this is efficient vibration dampening. The materials themselves have been known about since 1880; The Piezo-electric effect is the ability of certain materials to generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress. When piezo-electric material is placed under mechanical stress, a shifting of the positive and negative charge centres in the material takes place, which then results in an external electrical field. As a vibration damping material, the vibrations created from striking a ball create the 'stress' within the Piezo fibres and create an electrical charge (dispersed as heat).

NANO-CARBON TECHNOLOGY Think small and strong. All Mercian composite sticks are made using a complex process of bonding materials together; the smaller the gaps between the materials in these bonds, the stronger the stick will be. Nano-Carbon Technology involves adding microscopic carbon straws to the bonding resins for the purpose of filling these tiny gaps which are otherwise filled only by resin. These hollow carbon straws within the resin provide multi-directional strength between the materials. The result being a stronger and more resistant bond which increases the overall strength of the stick. Nano-Carbon Technology is used in all sticks with a carbon content.

RESINS Prior to hand-crafting and then 'baking' under heat and pressure, the raw materials are impregnated using complex resins. Standard commercial resins will form adequate bonds between the layers but for true high-quality performance multiple resins are blended to ensure the chemical properties of all the materials are considered and accounted for in the manufacturing process

COLD SATIN LACQUER An alternative lacquer finish applied to the top sticks in the range. Standard matt and gloss lacquers have a similar level of friction and a create a specific temperature 'feel' underneath the right hand when it is below the grip. The CSL is applied to the area directly below the grip on certain sticks to reduce friction and enhance dribbling.

M-GEL A silicon rubber gel is applied to the inside of the sticks in the designated 'M-Gel' area and it acts as a barrier to vibration, creating a slightly softer feel to all the sticks and enhancing the touch the player experiences.

CARBON FIBRE Anywhere where high performance is required Carbon Fibre's superior strength to weight ratio offers significant advantages, and sporting goods are no exception. It is used to replace or reduce metal, wood and steel con- tent in a wide variety of sports applications. Carbon strands are made up of multiple filaments. 1K means 1000 filaments per strand. The greater the number of fibres the heavier the material. 1K Carbon is found in the electronics industry and used in military grade equipment. 3K and 6K are found in different types of sporting goods. 12K is usually considered too heavy for use in hockey sticks, further specifications exist but are increasingly heavy and not used in sports goods. Mercian uses Carbon from UK and European plants as well as the highly regarded Toray Carbon from Japan, the importation of such materials into Pakistan rather than using local materials increases the manufacturing cost but this is more than outweighed by the increase in the quality of the finished product. SUMMARY: Stiffness, durability, power, and very high strength to weight ratio allowing for a high performance light-weight hockey stick.

ARAMID / KEVLAR Other materials such as aramid (Kevlar is a trademark of DuPont) can replace glass fibre and Carbon and enhance performance characteristics within a composite stick. It has superb impact absorption and durability so is perfect for using on high impact points such as stick edges and faces. SUMMARY: Light weight and has excellent anti abrasion and impact properties and is used on the heal of the hockey stick to prevent quick wear down from use. Aramid fibres in the shaft also enhance vibration dampening and enhance edge protection for backhand skill execution.