Lacrosse Reviews | Sport Consumer | Best Source for Gear & Advice

Lacrosse is a sport that has been around for ages, but only sees significant popularity in collegiate and youth sports. That isn’t to say the sport does not have its fans. The sport has seen a growth in popularity over the years, but it seems to be going the way of soccer – slow growth, but growth none-the-less. The interesting thing, though, is unlike many sports, there are plenty of individuals playing the sport as a hobby, both young and older. And if you are like me, you take your lacrosse seriously. The sport can be rough and I’ve had my fair share of injuries, but I keep going back, even if it is just to toss the ball around with neighbors. Top Lacrosse Sticks Comparison Chart PictureNamePositionPriceWhere to Buy? 1. Warrior Mako Jr. Youth Lacrosse StickAttack (Youth)$$Check Price on Amazon 2. STX Lacrosse Women’s CRUX 300 Complete Stick Graphite Head Attack (Women's)$$$Check Price on Amazon 3. WARRIOR Evo WARP Next Complete Attack Lacrosse Stick Attack/Midfield (Youth 14 and under)$$$Check Price on Amazon 4. Adidas Performance EQT Tracer T1D Lacrosse Stick Attack/ Midfield$$$Check Price on Amazon 5. STX Lacrosse Stallion 200 U Complete Attack/Midfield Stick Attack/ Midfield$$Check Price on Amazon 6. Maverik Lacrosse Female’s Heist Complete Stick Midfield/ Defense (Women's)$$$$Check Price on Amazon 7. Brine Clutch Shaft Defense Lacrosse Stick Defender$$$Check Price on Amazon 8. STX Lacrosse Stallion 50 Youth Lacrosse Complete Stick Attack/ Faceoff (Youth)$Check Price on Amazon 9. STX Lacrosse Women’s Fortress 300 Complete Stick Defense (Women's)$$Check Price on Amazon 10. STX FiddleSTX Two Pack Mini Super PowerYouth Play Sticks$Check Price on Amazon Equipment is key in lacrosse and nothing is as important as the stick. The issue, though, is that there are adult and youth sticks alike. So, throughout this review I will not base my choice on adult or youth sized sticks, I’ll simply pick the best of the best and give a good mixture. That way if you are wanting to play with your kids you won’t need to search through multiple articles to find the right sticks for you. Another note about the reviews here. We will not quote prices, but we will take an average price point from our research into consideration. Our reviews incorporate value highly. So, what is value? A good stick for around $50 versus a great stick for around $500 is likely going to go to the $50 stick. Unless there is gold in the handle, the difference is likely not enough to pay the extra, and we will make sure to mention that in particular as we go through the reviews. One last thing, sticks with and without heads will be reviewed throughout this article as will men’s and women’s, but they won’t be placed in a particular order due to that in many cases. At times, it comes down to what you get for what you pay. If a stick is of extreme quality, it may end up higher even if you have to buy the head separate, simply because it gives you value and options, which we think is an important factor in determining what we would suggest. Don’t hesitate to do a quick skim of the pros and cons section of each review before you start reading. There is a lot of information to cover and we will try to break it down into bite sized bits for you to get an idea of which ones you want to read more about. The order that we place the sticks will be based on a general audience (by our best estimation) and not our personal preferences. Doing this ensures that we are fair in our opinions. Each individual has a particular style or feel that they like and if we only wrote to what we preferred, you would not get a fair review of all the sticks on offer. So, enough preamble, on to the reviews. Note: You may need to string the heads yourself for some of these sticks. Best Lacrosse Stick Reviews Warrior Mako Jr. Youth Lacrosse Stick (Youth) The kids come out on top with the first stick in the review. This is primarily due to the value of this stick. While this is made for smaller players, it doesn’t skimp on technology. It actually uses a patented offset technology that creates a lowered pocket. That lowered pocket generates more power and control which can be key for smaller players to stay competitive. In addition, the head fits regulation sized balls which allow players to get the stick at 4 years old or 40 years old and play together. In fact, Warrior is proud of the fact that this stick is nothing more than a downsized version of a real lacrosse stick, and we concur! While the butt to head length of 37.5” is going to be too short for larger players, parents can make due with it if they want to buy a couple and practice with their kids. The “con” list is going to be tough to fill out for this stick for sure. Pros Great for kids, usable by adults. Respects its audience by using important technology to allow younger players to play hard. Is built to use a full-sized ball even though it is a Jr. stick. Downsized version of a real lacrosse stick Cons From our research, it can be in short supply depending on when you are trying to buy. STX Lacrosse Crux 300 Girls Complete Stick (Attack) The second stick on our list is a great stick at an amazing price. It has the deepest legal pocket and uses a unique, overlapping center string system to allow the two center runners to flex out which provides a better hug for the ball. This is a women’s attacking stick in every sense of the word and provides a great deal of precise control. The only problem some may have is the aggressive nature of the stick. The scoop angle is pretty extreme, which can be a positive, but if you have been playing with a more vanilla stick you are likely going to need to adjust to this head. Still, for the price and the quality, it is worth any amount of time you need to put in. All in all, this is one of the best sticks out there with a comfortable alloy shaft and some pretty amazing design choices for attackers in the head. Pros Great netting. The pocket can’t get any deeper, legally. Incredible precision and control. Cons Scoop angle may take some getting used to. Often back-ordered from our research, so you may have a longer wait to receive the item. WARRIOR Evo WARP Next Complete Attack Lacrosse Stick (Attack/Midfield) The Warrior Evo Warp Next attack stick is a complete stick made specifically for players 14 years old and under. It does have some nice features like an all-white pocket, tighter face shape, and pocket that's meant to force younger players to refine and develop their skills instead of relying on a huge basket to catch anything in the air! The great part is that the WARP pocket needs no adjustments or "break-in" period. It comes game ready. It also happens to be weather-resistant and very consistent in it's performance (unlike many hand-strung pockets). The stick is optimized by Warrior for what they claim is the "optimal amount of whip, hold, and playability for an entry-level to intermediate level player". This stick supposedly (no I have not tried it personally - yet!) eliminates any random "factors" that may change the consistency of play, like effects from weather and from the inconsistency of hand stringing. It features a Krytonite shaft. Overall, the Warrior offers quality and affordability with one of the best grips on the shaft available for a young player. It may not be a high-end stick, but it would be hard to tell just by picking it up. This is easily one of the best beginner sticks. Pros High-end feel at a fair price. Optimized for U14 players Looks sharp, with or without tape. Cons Durability in high impact leagues may come into question. The netting is fine, but the head may not be to everyone’s liking and may be too restrictive in its design. Some buyers reported problems with the fusing or the way the netting is connected to the head. Adidas Performance EQT Tracer T1D Lacrosse Stick (Attack/Midfield) It is rare to see an athletic equipment review without an Adidas accessory included. The same goes here. The EQT Tracer T1D is easily one of the most solid and light sticks on the market for attackers. It isn’t just the size-to-weight ratio that makes the stick such an ideal choice, it is the strength of the aerospace-grade alloy that it is made of that makes it ideal. The shaft looks sharp as well. With a speed laser graphic and embossed logo on the endcap, it looks like a high-quality stick. It appears that any head will fit without a problem as well. The biggest issue we have is the wide swings in prices that we have found in our research. If you can get it at the lower end of the price spectrum, this is a great value, but if you don’t see that price, this would get a quick drop on the list. For midfielders, the 60” version of the stick carries the same strength and durability that you need. If you are looking for a heavier defensive stick though, this isn’t going to do the job and depending on the head you use, you may feel as if you are off balance. With a little toying around, though, you will likely find the right combination that does just what you need. Pros Amazing attacking stick. Durable and extremely light. Slick design makes it look like a top of the line stick. Cons Prices vary too much. Maybe too light to be comfortable for a midfielder. STX Lacrosse Stallion 200 U Complete Attack/Midfield Stick with Shaft & Head (Attack/Midfield) The Stallion 200 is easily one of the best attack/midfield sticks on the market. This is basically the more affordable version of the Elite Stallion U 500 head. As an entry level stick with the shaft and head included, you likely won’t find a better value on this list. It conforms to all NCAA and NFHS rules and is designed to help players develop properly. The biggest complaint with the stick is the length. While it is perfect for newer players, which it is targeting, it isn’t going to be long enough for more advanced and older players. If you prefer to keep your main stick in good condition and just want a practice stick, you won’t find a better choice. It will likely be outgrown pretty quickly, so expect to purchase it for younger players or newer players that are playing a softer and slower game. If you try to use this in a college game, it is going to be a significant disadvantage. The other complaint is that the stick seems to be having an identity crisis. While it is a great stick for starting players, it appears to be a stick for more advanced NCAA players. In an NCAA game, it is going to get wrecked. While it is built with development in mind, it is in a strange place of being a starter stick that is acting like a professional stick, which may throw off some purchasers. Pros Great value for beginners and young players. Durable enough for practice. Cons Not ideal for real games, outside of beginner games. Might be short for a midfielder depending on preference. Finds itself in a strange place of looking like a professional stick but is used primarily for practice and youth. Maverik Lacrosse Female's Heist Complete Stick (Midfield/Defense) This is a great option for female defenders or midfielders, especially those just getting started. The angle of the scoop makes pickups easier and the moderate face shape is helpful as newer players perfect their intercepting skills. The net has specific grip points to help hold the ball in the sweet spot which keeps with the “developmental” aspect of the stick. With the 7000 series aluminum alloy shaft, expect the strength that you will want while playing mid to back. While this is not strictly a developmental stick, it would be nice if the shaft has specific grip spots to help with understanding proper holding techniques. In addition, the head is great for learning, but a skill cap is going to be reached pretty quickly. It could be argued that it makes more sense to get a more advanced head and struggle than go with something that makes it easy but requires adjustment as you start to play with something that requires a higher level of technique. Still, this is a solid pick for younger players (high school ideally) and will provide plenty of use. It is a durable stick, but it seems that a few things were missed. While tape could be used to help with grip placement, it would be nice if it was included and the net tries to help a little too much for our taste. Pros Great stick for newer to midrange skilled players. Offers plenty of ways to make the game a bit easier to play through its design. Net is perfect for helping players get the feel for the sweet spot. Cons May be too easy to hit the skill cap for this particular setup. Missed a few notes if it wanted to be a developmental stick. Offers a bit too much “developmental” design choices, which can hurt player growth if not watched carefully. Brine Clutch Shaft Defense Lacrosse Stick (Defense) For those players who are interested in taking their game up a notch or two, this shaft may be for you. Why? Well, you're now entering the world of customizations where you are pairing a shaft with a head to fit your preferences better than a complete stick. We've included this stick because of that, and because it's the lightest Brine series available. It's constructed with SL2 Alloy which is a super light performance alloy. It's been contoured with ultimate comfort in mind and for a natural feel around the edges. Its 60" shaft makes it a formidable beast to play with but a challenge to transport in a small vehicle (though it's done all the time by spanning the front and back seats). It's not retractable but it's "oh-so-durable" Pros Extremely light. Excellent profile shape and contour. Offers more “bend” to the stick to add a little extra power. Cons We don't see a lot of negative feedback about this stick and since we haven't used this particular stick in actual field-testing for our site, we can't fill in the "Cons" area very well. STX Lacrosse Stallion 50 Youth Lacrosse Complete Stick (Youth Complete) The STX Stallion 50™ lacrosse complete stick is made for a younger player who is just starting to become familiar with lacrosse. It's an entry-level stick that is not suitable for college or even high school players. The handle circumference is 7/8" so it's smaller than a standard shaft, and the handle is also shorter. The idea is that it's more comfortable and offers better mobility for kids as they learn the sport. It's inspired by the elite Stallion 550 head, and the head is molded with softer material to provide a forgiving response to a younger player. The mesh is a soft-mesh stringing. STX suggests this stick is best for the attack, midfield and face-off positions, while the scoop shape is a classic design. It has a mid-high pocket and the shaft is a glossy grip. Overall it's one of the best options we can give you for an entry-level stick and at its current price point (less than 25% of the price of an average stick), we'd say it's hard to pass up if you have a young lacrosse enthusiast in your house! Pros One of the lowest-priced entry-level youth sticks on the market. Great grip control for face-offs. Cons Lacks all the features you'd need in a competitive stick including shaft length and finish, the durability of mesh and even the head plastic composition. STX Lacrosse Women's Fortress 300 Complete Stick with Head (Defense) STX seems to hit our list often here, but for good reason. One of the top manufacturers of lacrosse sticks and heads is obviously going to show up frequently on a top 10 list. The Fortress 300 is a complete stick for women defenders. It has a stiff design with an overlapping center string and runway pocket. It also includes a new string lock tech, which should help protect from bagging. From our research, the stick holds up well at all levels of play and the head is great for both pockets. The stick is also easy to handle and only takes a few minutes to adjust to. You should have no problem using the stick throughout an entire season, if not more. The head, on the other hand, seems to have a few issues. After just a few weeks, the netting can start to fray and in some cases completely break. Make sure that you care for it correctly and burn the ends as if this were the only head you would ever have. Take care of it and it will hopefully last the full season, but the stick ends up lower on the list because of the lack of consistency in net quality. The short of it, though, is that this is a great defender stick that should keep you going for a long while. You may need to replace the netting or head at some point, but that doesn’t take away from the quality of the stick itself. Pros Easy to adjust to, regardless of what you usually use. Very sturdy stick for defenders. Pocket protects very well. Great for all levels of play. Cons Netting quality is questionable. May be paying more for a stick and head when you would be better served if you could buy the stick alone. STX FiddleSTX Two Pack Mini Super Power with Plastic Handle and One Ball, 30-Inch (Youth) STX is on the list again for our final spot on the list. To be clear, these are sticks that are used to get people into the sport, but will never be used in any real play. These are mini sticks with a ball that have plastic heads and shafts. Have a few kids interested in the sport, these are a fantastic deal that will let them get the feel of passing and shooting. The pack includes two sticks that make the value the best on the list, the only reason it is at the number nine spot is that it won’t see play outside of backyard practice. For users of older FiddleSTX, you may also notice a reduction in quality. These are bargain sticks in every sense of the word. More of a kid’s toy than an actual piece of equipment. Still, they serve their purpose perfectly. The real issue here is they are not as durable as we would have hoped. As these are learning sticks that are going to get beat up and used incorrectly, we wanted something that could take a bit of a beating. These simply can’t handle much punishment. At a very low price point, that may not matter to you, but money is money and when you get down to it, you may have to replace these more than once before the kids are ready for something a bit more advanced. Still, if you are trying to get your kids into the sport, you won’t find a better introductory pack than these. As with any stick on this list, what you need will determine the value of the particular item, but these are probably the biggest surprise as the FiddleSTX has always been a great introduction to the sport, but in this case, the quality has reduced significantly. Pros Great for backyard introduction to the sport. Extremely well priced for two sticks and a ball. Perfect for younger kids that just need to understand the basics of how to hold and move the stick. Cons Quality is much lower than expected, though they still do the job. May not last long enough to be ready for a more advanced upgrade. More of a toy than an actual stick. Conclusion & Recommendations Our review tried to catch a bit of everything on one list. Men’s, women’s and kid’s sticks are all included, as well as training sticks with the FiddleSTX. We also tried to include a few options for each position, and while the attacking sticks are the most prevalent on the list, that is simply because they seem to be the most popular sticks out there, thus more are available. While the Mako Jr. is the number one stick on our list, drop it off the list if you aren’t looking for a youth stick. For women, you are likely going to find the best value with the STX Crux 300, but you may want to consider the 200 U Stallion as it offers attacking and midfield options. Ultimately, it comes down to your preference and while it may seem we came up short on defenders sticks, there are a number of sticks designed for midfield/defender roles that can fit the bill. If they aren’t perfect, use them as a starting point to see if a similar stick is offered at the right length for your position. That should get you a similar quality. For the younger players, the Mako Jr. and the FiddleSTX are both great options. For some introductory play for the sport, the FiddleSTX are second to none, even if the quality has not held up over the years. If you look at the Mako Jr., though, you are going to find a great entry level stick for youth leagues. The Evo and the Adidas are a tough call for men’s stick. I struggled a great bit with placement on the list as they both offer fantastic options. Try to order from a place that offers a return policy and order both. See which makes more sense for you and send the other back. The Epoch is obviously the best stick for goalies and I couldn’t find anything that would make me consider a change there. If it doesn’t fit your preferences, you may want to look for something that is similar, but the stick is so well made, it will likely just take a few different heads to find the right feel. Finally, the STX Scandium, is the ideal face-off stick and we couldn’t we couldn’t find a better choice. It is only at the number eight spot because of how specialized it is. Obviously, you will want to give it a shot and see how it feels in your position before choosing it for a primary stick, but from our research, it is priced affordably enough that you should be able to buy that stick as well as another if you are playing consistently. Just to be clear, the reviews are solely based on very specific factors; value, technology, and general appeal. You may have a particular brand of stick that is significantly better than anything on this list in your opinion, but the goal here is to make sure that something is offered that will appeal to professionals and new players alike.