When customers call or email us for advice buying a new women's lacrosse stick it can be a little overwhelming for them given all the options now available. With so many women's stick and pockets on the market we thought it would be worth trying to simplify things for you.
We are going to break it down in to 3 categories - Beginners sticks, Intermediate sticks and Advanced Sticks. Within those categories we will give you our top picks.
Best Beginners Girls Lacrosse Sticks
One thing I'd say when buying your first stick is buy right or buy twice. Consider upgrading to a lower end Intermediate stick, entry level sticks are pretty basic and although they do provide you a piece of equipment that will help you get in to the game of lacrosse there's definitely an argument for spending a little more and getting a stick that will last you a little longer.
If you are on a budget and just want to get a basic stick to get yourself or your daughter in to lacrosse then take a look at the following options.
By far our favorite stick in the beginner category has to be the Stringking Junior. It might not be the cheapest option by there's no doubt it's the smartest. Designed for development, the Complete Jr. girls' youth lacrosse stick is light, balanced, and correctly proportioned to make it perfect for younger or developing players. Without doubt the best option for youth players 11 and under.
Youth players under 9 who's parents just want to buy a cheap stick may want to consider the STX Lilly. It does the job, has a part mesh pocket and shorter handle which leans itself well to those younger players just starting out on their lacrosse journey. One thing to note is your daughter is likely to outgrow this stick very quickly.
Here in the UK and other parts or Europe many people actually pick up lacrosse at University. On a student budget most girls just want a cheap option, well here's STX has 2 solid options for you. The STX Crux 100 and the STX Exult 200, both these models are hot sellers at the start of the academic year.
STX market the Crux 100 as an entry level attack stick, it worth noting that it's suitable for any position on the field. One feature we think makes the Crux 100 a great entry level stick is that throat design, being a deeper area of the head itself means that players who have not yet mastered cradling find it a little easier to hold the ball.
With a flatter scoop the STX Exult 200 makes it nice and easy for beginners to scoop up those ground balls.
Best Intermediate Women's Lacrosse Sticks
There's some great sticks in this category, many of which will see a player through many years of lacrosse at school level without breaking the bank.
One of our best sellers here at Northern Soul has to be the STX Exult 400, with a full mesh pocket and designed after the Exult 600 stick, the Exult 400 is designed especially for midfielders. It is pretty stiff and has reinforced corner ledges that help grab onto the ball during draws. The Exult 400 allow also has a 7075 handle which is lightweight, strong and provides great grip.
Stringking come in strong with the Legend W which is available in 2 handle choices, the Metal 2 or the Composite. The Legend W lacrosse head and type 4 lacrosse mesh pocket work together to give you better hold, more control, and superior consistency. We really feel the Composite option provides excellent value for money.
Another great option is the STX Crux 400 with Crux Pro mesh, the stock option with a Runway pocket is a solid seller but we offer custom strung Crux 400 with Crux Pro mesh pockets which has been hugely popular. Inspired by the Crux 600, with signature Crux face shape it offers a tight pinch that transitions into a wide catching area. Pointed scoop for accurate shots, passes and features a minimum sidewall height allowing for the deepest legal pocket and increased ball retention. Recently STX has given the Crux 400 a major uplift by introducing a stock strung Crux 2.0 pocket, this gives this stick a major boost.
Advanced Level Sticks
There are so many amazing sticks on the market right now, especially for players outside North America as we have only been able to use a vast majority of the current line up since the rule change which basically canned the old (and very outdated) International specs.
Are the "new" sticks better? Absolutely! There's not a player out there that would disagree. Groundballs, ball retention, catching, throwing and shooting is just better in every aspect.
It's tough to pick the top sticks in this category as there are a ton of elite level sticks that really do stand out. Having said that, we absolutely love the sticks that Gait Lacrosse have brought to the table so far. The Gait Apex has very quickly become on of the hottest products in the women's game and we've been huge fans of Flex Mesh since we saw it unveiled at Laxcon in January 2020. Flex Mesh provides unmatched pocket shift for control in every part of the head while the Apex head really is an outstanding all rounder.
Another great elite level option which is proving popular with players at every position is the STX Exult Pro. Crafted for the all-around midfielder this is the lightest in the Exult line from STX and with it's prominent shoulders it provides extra leverage on the draw. DropRail™ technology minimizes sidewall design for superior ball retention and maximizes offset. The Speed Scoop for easy ground balls and top string protection. The Exult Pro head is also made from EnduraForm™ plastic is has proved to be extremally durable in STX men's heads.
There's no hiding the fact that top end sticks come at a high price. This is where Stringking come in strong offering high end products that perform extremally well at an elite level. There's very subtle differences between each model so it's well worth watching our YouTube video to see how they differ.
Another smart option here is the Epoch Purpose. I think it's fair to say that the Purpose had a huge impact in the women's game in the USA and now is slowly making it's make here in Europe.
If your an offensive player looking for an elite level stick the Gait Whip has to explored. From the moment this stick hit the market it's been incredibly popular for top level players. Finally a women’s head that not only allows you to have the largest front pocket, but also isn’t super wide and flimsy resulting in a deceptive attackers dream stick! The Curved Offset drops the ball into the front of the pocket faster than any other head on the market providing incredible feel and maximum power. The double sidewall technology creates a narrow channel at the widest part of the head allowing for optimal sweet spot control. The Gary Gait Smile scoop design will leave the competition behind on ground balls, and accuracy. The new stringing hole concept gives a large front pocket without the hook when releasing the ball.
One stick that's really starting to take off here in the UK is the ECD Infinity, a stick that we loved from the first moment it released. When the Infinity first came into stock here at Northern Soul it was slow to sell, a few key players within the England senior women's squad started using it and now the Infinity is seen on fields across Europe. One feature that stands out with the Infinity is that it has a real feeling of being a robust head as it's stiffer than most heads on the market and it's built quality leads itself well to players in every position.
Another top end option which, despite it's high price tag, has sold very well here at Northern Soul is the STX Crux Pro. Now if you combine the Crux Pro head and the Crux Pro handle you get an insanely light offensive weapon! There's plenty of players out there that want a light set up and this may well be the light set up out there.
Now there's a stick we want to mention that has gone under the radar that you really should take a good look at. The True Lynx really is a stick worthy of standing alongside the other lacrosse sticks we've mentioned above.
True's first women's head was the Prowess and to be frank, it sucked. The head itself was so soft that we used to compare it to a wet noodle. True have more than redeemed themselves with an excellent stick.
As ever, if you need some help from the crew here at Northern Soul then feel free to reach out.