In the past I‘ve gotten second hand sticks that were already taped on the blade with athletic tape, but now that I‘m doing it myself I was wondering what the real differences between Athletic and Friction tape on the blade is? Please answer from personal experience and not just posting a link.
I drive a 2003 Rubicon around DFW Texas. I average around 15 mpg . But on average I drive less than 50 miles a week. if you lift your Jeep and install larger tires your mileage will drop.
Jeep unlimited rubicon hands down. Nissan titans are good trucks but look like everything else on the road. Not to mention jeeps impressive offroad performance the onroad ride with the unlimited model is more refined (love it or hate it). You also get the fun of taking the top down in the summer and driving out to the beach or up on the lake (or through it)
Do NOT use Friction tape. Period. It's typically plastic or some synthetic approximation. It is not nearly sticky enough to stay on your blade, so it will slip off. The material will result in the puck bouncing off the stick (cloth tape has more 'grip'), plus, you'll never be able to shoot well with it. Athletic Tape is typically a cotton/polyester blend with a high tackiness glue base. HOCKEY tape tends to be an all-cotton woven cloth with a mid-tackiness glue base. Athletic (usually) is thin and made for tensile strength. This is because it is meant for supporting joints and wrapping body parts. The high-tackiness is meant to keep the tape on the body under extreme conditions and duress. In other words, it's meant to STAY ON YOUR BODY. Using Athletic tape wouldn't be great for hockey because the strip would be thin, it wouldn't resist the water well, and the high-tack glue would be a pain to get off the stick, making re-taping a pain. Hockey tape, however, is made for hockey. Surprise! The cloth is thicker and all cotton; so it absorbs water, dries quickly, and doesn't lose it's tackiness on your stick. It can be removed easily as long as you don't leave the tape on for long periods of time, or in hot, dry places (where the tape can dry out). Proper hockey tape affords a bit of cushion, but more importantly, grip for the puck. Look at a puck; the sides are a waffle pattern. Now, aside from a basic tape job, what you do after that is up to you. Gretzky used to put baby powder on his tape blade to 'soften' it. Don't ask me, he's the Great One. Lots of players use stick wax or candle wax on their stick blades. This repels water a bit more, and keeps the tape softer. Also, in the College, Junior, professional hockey, the pucks are kept frozen to 28 degrees. Because the rubber is LITERALLY frozen, the wax helps with grip. Again, hockey puck tops and bottoms are smooth; the sides are not.
I drive a 2003 Rubicon around DFW Texas. I average around 15 mpg . But on average I drive less than 50 miles a week. if you lift your Jeep and install larger tires your mileage will drop.
Jeep unlimited rubicon hands down. Nissan titans are good trucks but look like everything else on the road. Not to mention jeeps impressive offroad performance the onroad ride with the unlimited model is more refined (love it or hate it). You also get the fun of taking the top down in the summer and driving out to the beach or up on the lake (or through it)
Do NOT use Friction tape. Period. It's typically plastic or some synthetic approximation. It is not nearly sticky enough to stay on your blade, so it will slip off. The material will result in the puck bouncing off the stick (cloth tape has more 'grip'), plus, you'll never be able to shoot well with it. Athletic Tape is typically a cotton/polyester blend with a high tackiness glue base. HOCKEY tape tends to be an all-cotton woven cloth with a mid-tackiness glue base. Athletic (usually) is thin and made for tensile strength. This is because it is meant for supporting joints and wrapping body parts. The high-tackiness is meant to keep the tape on the body under extreme conditions and duress. In other words, it's meant to STAY ON YOUR BODY. Using Athletic tape wouldn't be great for hockey because the strip would be thin, it wouldn't resist the water well, and the high-tack glue would be a pain to get off the stick, making re-taping a pain. Hockey tape, however, is made for hockey. Surprise! The cloth is thicker and all cotton; so it absorbs water, dries quickly, and doesn't lose it's tackiness on your stick. It can be removed easily as long as you don't leave the tape on for long periods of time, or in hot, dry places (where the tape can dry out). Proper hockey tape affords a bit of cushion, but more importantly, grip for the puck. Look at a puck; the sides are a waffle pattern. Now, aside from a basic tape job, what you do after that is up to you. Gretzky used to put baby powder on his tape blade to 'soften' it. Don't ask me, he's the Great One. Lots of players use stick wax or candle wax on their stick blades. This repels water a bit more, and keeps the tape softer. Also, in the College, Junior, professional hockey, the pucks are kept frozen to 28 degrees. Because the rubber is LITERALLY frozen, the wax helps with grip. Again, hockey puck tops and bottoms are smooth; the sides are not.
