In any Internet discussion, Google Images is the go-to option. Sometimes the only proof you need is a picture. I went looking for an image of a Brine Lightning, but what I found might be the last great archeological treasure retail offering of vintage lacrosse heads. Wait… what?

Bonus vintage ballstops and a t-shirt with my 10-head order? Oh, yeah.

The Sports Outfit in Syracuse, NY sounds like something straight out of this 1980s laxer’s dreams. Surely this can’t be right… they have 1980s and 1990s lax heads in stock? On the Web? What year is this? Superlight IIs, Sams, Hi-walls, Turbos, Shotguns, Lightnings… Am I dreaming? Nope. A call to manager Mike Lavranchuk found that The Sports Outfit still has new, vintage heads for $20 each – they typically break them out at old-man lacrosse tournaments. Feeling old-school? Stop buying that hubbed-out junk on eBay and check these guys out.

Too Many Superlight IIs? No way! My first stick was a red Superlight II.

I bellied up to the bar and ordered five Brine Superlight IIs (first stick/favorite head), two Brine Superlight 2+2s (I faced off with one of these my junior year in HS), two Brine Shotguns (I played LSM on man-down with one of these on a “short” hickory pole, total length at 62″; I got my first Coach’s RP Special pocket in another one of these), and an STX Sam. Now I can break out an old stick without the fear of breaking the aforementioned vintage stick.

Did STX modify the Sam at the end of its life? Did I miss something?

Maybe someone can shed some light on the Sam situation. Did I miss something before STX phased out this head? Both are the same shape and share identical sidewall and topstring hole placement, but my vintage model with its original factory pocket has a long neck to accept a round shaft, while the new Sam has a short neck for an octagonal pole. The placement of the leather holes is different, too – the vintage model has them on the side of the head, while the new model has them in a row of four holes under the head.

Do you want this head strung with a trad? Stay tuned!

My first stick was a red Brine Superlight II. My dad attempted to restring it, and then I had “next” on it. I probably restrung it 4-5 times, looking to the Brine traditional pocket kit instructions like they contained the secret of life. Because you know what? Maybe they do. So with that in mind, I will be using a red Superlight II for the upcoming SSL tutorial, Stringing 462: The Traditional Pocket. Do you see that spool of LAS-colored parachute cord? Paracord as crosslace. I’d seen it done and recently tried it in a few sticks, it has a unique feel even for a traditional. Stick around and see how it turns out, because we’ll be giving the finished product away when I’m done with it.