Gear Review: M80 X Head by Warrior Lacrosse
With lacrosse season at full throttle, we wanted to make sure you’d have the scoop on all the newest equipment, so we teamed up with Lacrosse Panda, Warrior Lacrosse and Brine Lacrosse to bring you a great line-up of Gear Reviews over the next two months!
Product: M80 X Head
Company: Warrior Lacrosse
Price: $84.00
Today Ratzke checks in to put the Warrior M80 X to the test. We all know Warrior Lacrosse changed the great game we love when they introduced the offset head. With the M80 X, Warrior steps up to take lacrosse to the next level by bringing a deeper offset in a head that is ready to rip shots, shake defenders, and vacuum up gb’s.
With a narrow throat, deep offset, and (spoiler alert) double X sidewall design for unmatched stiffness and strength, the M80 X would be an ideal head for nearly every position on the field. The M80′s unique offset gives you a naturally deep pocket that stays legal but will have all of the opposing teams screaming “Check that stick!”
Appearance… +2
It’s no secret, lacrosse is as much about style and swagger as it is goals and ground balls. As the sport continues to grow, lacrosse companies continue to deliver products that let players of all ages and skill levels put a little personality into how they carry themselves on the field. From dyed heads to sparkling shafts, players are always looking for the head/shaft combo that is going to make their wand a little more magic than the next guy’s.
I like a stick that’s subtle but still says I’m here to play and I don’t plan on messing around. To me, no head better reflects that look and feel than the M80 X. The double X sidewall design looks mean. At the same time, the design frees up the sidewall from all of the added lines and plastic that most heads need to give the support players are looking for.
An added benefit to the clean lines and open sidewall is that this stick is perfect for some serious stick tricks. And that means you won’t be able to help looking good while playing with this thing.
Stringing… +1.5
Full disclosure, I may be judging the M80 X a bit too tough in the stringing category. Warrior seems to have introduced a number of new design features that make stringing a breeze. A great example of this are the top four wholes on the sidewalls. The wholes were clearly designed with shooters in mind, giving you extra room to fit both laces or nylons and sidewall string through.
I’m fairly picky when it comes to stringing and I love to have plenty of options. The M80 X has 14 holes down each sidewall which gives you quite a bit of freedom to shape a pocket the way you want it. That said, the deep offset and the placing of the sidewall holes seems to be a better fit for a low to mid pocket and I typically like to have a mid to high pocket. Again, maybe I’m being a bit too picky, but I think two more sidewall holes towards the top of the head would have given players the ability to take advantage of the pinch point created by the top X of the double X sidewall design, shaping a high pocket that would be pretty hard to beat.
Quick and painless!
Stiffness… +2
No need to reiterate how great the M80 X’s double sidewall looks (maybe it’s worth one more note), but the design isn’t just about looking great. Warrior’s new double X sidewall design gives the M80 X two very important advantages that help set this head apart from the competition.
The first advantage comes from the bottom X. The bottom X adds strength to the last 1/3 of the stick, typically where most heads lose some stiffness, negating wobble and leading to more consistent passing and shooting.
The second advantage comes from the top X which adds serious stiffness to the top 1/3 of the stick. The added stiffness from the top X takes the effort out of scooping ground balls and will leave an added sting from any check that you lay down with this bad boy.
