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Higher-end stick comparison

K

KRATOCT

New Member
Joined
Sep 2, 2020
Messages
13
Looking to upgrade my sticks to something lighter this year. I have the 30” hawk helium’s right now and overall a well built stick for the money but they are heavy and at this point too tall (most of all because they catch branches when crouching). I want the two-sided steps so you can stand with both feet at the same height. Looking to get something shorter but not too short. I’m only 5’ 10” so my step isn’t anything impressive. I use a 3 step aider from the ground but still see myself wanting 3-4 sticks most days.
Two models that seem to always pop up are the beast sticks and the Tethrd one sticks. I know there are plenty more out there but I’m looking to be in this price range and keep things as light and compact as possible which is the reason for the upgrade. More than welcome to mention other brands and experiences. I’ll compare the difference in cost and see if it’s worth upgrading and selling the helium’s or just cutting them down once I narrow it down to a new set of sticks.
Just looking to do a product comparison. I don’t care to hear your opinions on companies and what they do or don’t do for the industry. I support all companies that I can agree with where ever I can and that may be a decision factor later before I purchase, but for now let just talk product quality and pros and cons. Thanks
 
If you're looking to go lighter and snag free just switch to one-sticking/rappelling. More compact, lighter, easier overall. IMO. Take it or leave it. Just trying to help you find direction.
 
I’ve gone through a few sticks up to this point. Among some others I have had the full length and short Hawk sticks. I liked the full lengths pretty well. Was really disappointed in the quality of the short ones.

I do think the Beast sticks are hard to beat. There are some that stack a little smaller, but to me the pros of these sticks outweigh the cons like that. The materials and craftsmanship are excellent IMO. They are solid and light weight. The angled step makes you feel more secure at height with your footing. They’re solid with almost no flex in my experience. They bite the tree really well and the angle that’s on the teeth make setting the sticks really easy.

There are some other great ones out there too. EWO ultralights also come to mind. But IMO you won’t go wrong with the Beasts. They are supposed to come out with the thread lock deal next month I think that will allow you to fasten the sticks together when packing in and out, so you don’t need to use straps. I think that’s gonna really complete the system and make it really nice. Anyway that’s my 2 cents.


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Here are a few others to consider, EWO ultralight sticks with several lengths to choose from, Novix is coming out with a doublestep version of their mini sticks soon, catalyst outdoors is supposed to be releasing a new version of their carbon pro stick as well.
 
KRATOCT said:
Just looking to do a product comparison. I don’t care to hear your opinions on companies and what they do or don’t do for the industry. I support all companies that I can agree with where ever I can and that may be a decision factor later before I purchase, but for now let just talk product quality and pros and cons. Thanks
Click to expand...

Are you looking for input from others are are YOU looking to do a product comparison as stated above?

If you are looking for input from others, here is mine, I have limited experience with the One sticks, but given unresolved issues surrounding the new technology and designs, I would hesitate to be buy them right now. If you are looking for light and compact, there are sticks available at comparable weight and employ more tried and true construction methods. Catalyst has some sticks coming that will be under a pound. EWO, Beast and Shikar FX are all great choices and pack well. Trophyline/Novix is rumored to be coming out with double step sticks soon. I have yet to not like one of their products. Good news is there is time to decide before season.

Anyways, good luck with your search.
 
The high end sticks that I have experience with:

EWO: PROS - furthest distance from the tree of any stick on the market, high quality components, relatively lightweight, highly customizable, CONS - probably the worst stacking sticks on the market being doublestep and stagger stacked, some steps had some wiggle since there is only one bolt holding step stick on.

Shikar regular: PROS - one of the most packable sticks on the market, high quality, durable finish, grip the tree well, relatively light weight, highly customizable, CONS - most fiddle factor of any stick, doesn’t matter how tight you get the thumb screw the standoff will turn when setting and loosen giving some wobble to the step, the sticks grip the tree a little to well and will stick into the tree possibly bending a standoff. Highly suggest chamfering the teeth.

Shikar FXD: PROS - excellent inline stacking, good packability, high quality, highly customizable, grip the tree very well, lightweight, CONS - Flex the most of any stick on the market, same issue sticking in the tree as the regular Shikars

LWCG compacts/full length: PROS - beefy stick with 5/16” hardware, new models have way better finish and quality than the older ones which were pretty ugly with waterjet marks and off center holes. The new one are best in the business in finish quality, rotating standoffs will grab any tree with 4 points of contact, packability is excellent, CONS - sharp edges will dice up your straps, heavier than most high end sticks buy a few ounces, moving parts bound to loosen up, the new steel buttons are big and bulky highly suggest upgrading to the micro buttons on the doubles

LWCG doubles: PROS - one solid peice of aluminum, no moving parts, wide steps with a nice angle to them, lightweight, stack very well and low profile, CONS - button/attachment point is far to high and will make these kickout easily with daisy chains, standoffs do not grip hard bark fat trees well, flexy

Catalyst GWB: PROS - beefy stick, billet aluminum body and steps, very tight inline stacking, CONS - one of the worst in toe room especially on thinner trees, weigh a good amount more than advertised, button that comes on is very small and I found it to be a pain in the ass, forced to use 7/64” daisy chains for attachment

Catalyst Carbon Pro: PROS - Lightest stick on the market at 14.5oz, performed very well on trees, flexed less than most high end sticks, CONS - step distance from the tree, standoffs would turn but they were not designed to, constantly fighting loose bolts, the standoff from unintentionally turning would wear the carbon which had me questioning the durable of the stick

Beast stick regular: PROS - bite the tree very well, relatively light, high quality, very tight tolerances, CONS - 22” step distance a little far come late season, distance from tree a little tight, flexed quite a bit, bulky to pack in, batches were plagued with extrusion issues which caused components to bend/break, chamfering helped significantly

Beast stick mini: best performing stick on the tree, 18” step distance is about perfect IMO, lightweight grips every tree like none other, CONS - first run had some standoff issues since bringing manufacturing to the US the quality has improved and I have not heard of anymore extrusion issues.

Tethrd ONE: lightweight, dynalock tab is a nice change from the versa button, stacking pins are a nice feature, CONS - the stacking pins breaking, replacing them is a pain with all the epoxy used, step design is not very well thought out, the point on the outer edge is very uncomfortable and could use some more room from the tree, step to stick tube attachment is an engineering design failure, glue does NOT hold
 
I think it’s coming down to the EWO’s and the Beasts, only due to price. Otherwise it’s hands down giving the EWO’s a try. But for about $48 more a stick just to gain a couple inches of foot room? Very hard to justify.
 
KRATOCT said:
I think it’s coming down to the EWO’s and the Beasts, only due to price. Otherwise it’s hands down giving the EWO’s a try. But for about $48 more a stick just to gain a couple inches of foot room? Very hard to justify.
Click to expand...

Another thing I’ll add is the beast stick steps I feel grip to your boot much better than EWO steps in my experience. Not that you won’t get a decent grip on the EWO steps but the beast dang near feel like they’re grabbing onto the cleats of your boot regardless if your boots are wet or dry. To me that’s also a big deal especially when high up in the tree.


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The biggest issue with beast sticks is the distance from the tree. My size 13-14 boots it’s less than ideal.

The biggest issue I had with the EWO is the inline stacking makes them a pain to pack and a few steps had slop. I hate that feeling.

I find the LWCG compact sticks to feel the best under foot. I have also been messing around with their doublestep sticks again also. They are growing on me a bit but you definitely need to use the cam straps or a truckers hitch or they don’t bite good. I also found running from the button under the ears seems to give the sticks a bit more bite than over the top or from the ears also.
 
enkriss said:
The high end sticks that I have experience with:

EWO: PROS - furthest distance from the tree of any stick on the market, high quality components, relatively lightweight, highly customizable, CONS - probably the worst stacking sticks on the market being doublestep and stagger stacked, some steps had some wiggle since there is only one bolt holding step stick on.

Shikar regular: PROS - one of the most packable sticks on the market, high quality, durable finish, grip the tree well, relatively light weight, highly customizable, CONS - most fiddle factor of any stick, doesn’t matter how tight you get the thumb screw the standoff will turn when setting and loosen giving some wobble to the step, the sticks grip the tree a little to well and will stick into the tree possibly bending a standoff. Highly suggest chamfering the teeth.

Shikar FXD: PROS - excellent inline stacking, good packability, high quality, highly customizable, grip the tree very well, lightweight, CONS - Flex the most of any stick on the market, same issue sticking in the tree as the regular Shikars

LWCG compacts/full length: PROS - beefy stick with 5/16” hardware, new models have way better finish and quality than the older ones which were pretty ugly with waterjet marks and off center holes. The new one are best in the business in finish quality, rotating standoffs will grab any tree with 4 points of contact, packability is excellent, CONS - sharp edges will dice up your straps, heavier than most high end sticks buy a few ounces, moving parts bound to loosen up, the new steel buttons are big and bulky highly suggest upgrading to the micro buttons on the doubles

LWCG doubles: PROS - one solid peice of aluminum, no moving parts, wide steps with a nice angle to them, lightweight, stack very well and low profile, CONS - button/attachment point is far to high and will make these kickout easily with daisy chains, standoffs do not grip hard bark fat trees well, flexy

Catalyst GWB: PROS - beefy stick, billet aluminum body and steps, very tight inline stacking, CONS - one of the worst in toe room especially on thinner trees, weigh a good amount more than advertised, button that comes on is very small and I found it to be a pain in the ass, forced to use 7/64” daisy chains for attachment

Catalyst Carbon Pro: PROS - Lightest stick on the market at 14.5oz, performed very well on trees, flexed less than most high end sticks, CONS - step distance from the tree, standoffs would turn but they were not designed to, constantly fighting loose bolts, the standoff from unintentionally turning would wear the carbon which had me questioning the durable of the stick

Beast stick regular: PROS - bite the tree very well, relatively light, high quality, very tight tolerances, CONS - 22” step distance a little far come late season, distance from tree a little tight, flexed quite a bit, bulky to pack in, batches were plagued with extrusion issues which caused components to bend/break, chamfering helped significantly

Beast stick mini: best performing stick on the tree, 18” step distance is about perfect IMO, lightweight grips every tree like none other, CONS - first run had some standoff issues since bringing manufacturing to the US the quality has improved and I have not heard of anymore extrusion issues.

Tethrd ONE: lightweight, dynalock tab is a nice change from the versa button, stacking pins are a nice feature, CONS - the stacking pins breaking, replacing them is a pain with all the epoxy used, step design is not very well thought out, the point on the outer edge is very uncomfortable and could use some more room from the tree, step to stick tube attachment is an engineering design failure, glue does NOT hold
Click to expand...

That’s some detailed and expensive? research, haha! But thank you!

I have the OOAL 17” FXDs and don’t feel much flex at all with them, so you’re statement on those surprises me. Were you using a longer FXD stick?


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TexaninSconny said:
That’s some detailed and expensive? research, haha! But thank you!

I have the OOAL 17” FXDs and don’t feel much flex at all with them, so you’re statement on those surprises me. Were you using a longer FXD stick?


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Click to expand...

20”
 
I used just about all of them like enkriss, I loved the beasts and the minis will be my backups this year. One sticks is what I'm settled on. Half my standoffs the glue is broke( these are the replacements btw). The stick has a ton of cons, but once you get used to the weight, there's no going back. I strapped them to my pack and walked around for 6 miles the other day setting out cams to see the weight difference and snag factor and it was staggering. I'm really hoping the standoffs breaking was just a first batch issue tho I'm not holding my breath. My originals and replacements were from the august 2020 batch.
 
I am like others here, a tree yeti. I am 6’5, 230-250 lbs, athletic build. Size 14W normal shoe. So imagine a muck boot or a hunting boot in that size for comparison.

I have had the original Shikar sticks and liked them a lot. The fiddle factor can become a mental battle sometimes. Which is why he made the fixed version. Both versions are excellent. Stealth strip them

I have the beast sticks purchased from another forum member here and like them also. They are also a phenomenal set of sticks and stack well. Stealth strip them and you will be happy forever.

I also have the timber ninja carbon fiber sticks. They are ultra light, stack well and make zero noise. The noise sounds like antlers if they make contact with one another and they never get cold. There is flex in them. This is why I state my height and weight. I have zero issues with the little bit of flex that is there and the pros outweigh any perceived cons. I do remember noticing the smaller standoff versus the shikar and beast but after about five trips up and down it wasn’t an issue. The weight, noise and stacking capabilities outweigh the minor standoff difference.

The weight, stand-off and packability issues versus total price for each stick can also be broken down to price per stick X pound per stick. Or standoff vs standoff or several other variables. But in the end, like a bow, they all work very well.

I default to my timber ninja sticks and the beast sticks are a strong second. I trust my life to both with zero hesitation. I would loan either set to a friend in need without hesitation. I sold my Shikars here just to get away from the knobs and having to fiddle with that. Again, nothing was wrong with the sticks, I just did not want the adjustable version anymore but would use the fixed version any day.

I hope this helps.
 
enkriss said:
The biggest issue with beast sticks is the distance from the tree. My size 13-14 boots it’s less than ideal.

The biggest issue I had with the EWO is the inline stacking makes them a pain to pack and a few steps had slop. I hate that feeling.

I find the LWCG compact sticks to feel the best under foot. I have also been messing around with their doublestep sticks again also. They are growing on me a bit but you definitely need to use the cam straps or a truckers hitch or they don’t bite good. I also found running from the button under the ears seems to give the sticks a bit more bite than over the top or from the ears also.
Click to expand...
How long ago did you get the EWO sticks and how much were they ? Everywhere I read, $115 a stick seems to be the magic number, although I go to price then out and I’m at about $140 a stick. That’s nothing fancy either. I don’t want raw aluminum but anodized is fine over the camo. Just curious. I’d like to give them a try but a difference of about $185 for a set of four is huge!
 
KRATOCT said:
How long ago did you get the EWO sticks and how much were they ? Everywhere I read, $115 a stick seems to be the magic number, although I go to price then out and I’m at about $140 a stick. That’s nothing fancy either. I don’t want raw aluminum but anodized is fine over the camo. Just curious. I’d like to give them a try but a difference of about $185 for a set of four is huge!
Click to expand...

They were $115 ea when I got them. I took a big hit when selling them. I certainly would not pay $140 ea for them. I would go with beast sticks personally. The inline stacking is huge for me.

I still want to try the timber ninjas but my brain wont let me get past $42 to ship 1 stick.
 
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