Wrap Around One and Wrap Around Ice

The Hockey Wrap Around is a training aid that lets you use your expensive ice hockey stick outside without chewing up the bottom of the blade.  Here's a video about it (enjoy some pretty good stickhandling too).



I have the model shown above, and it really works well.  It does add some weight (between two and three ounces) to the blade of the stick, which isn't a bad thing.  When you take it off before heading out onto the ice, your stick feels lighter and your hands feel faster.  It's like training with a weighted stick.

I really like mine, and it has done an excellent job of protecting my stick.  I may not have a huge financial investment in my hockey stick (see buying my first hockey stick here), but the cost of the Wrap Around is still well worth it to me.  There are videos on YouTube about making a sort of DIY version using aluminum soda cans, but for me, the hassle outweighs the cost savings.  This isn't something that's going to wear out in a week.

I suppose giving the bottom of your stick an extra layer or three of tape would work too, at least for a little while.  So while I think this is a good thing to have and an excellent value, there are certainly ways to do more or less the same thing for less money.

The people who created the Wrap Around have continually improved it (as seen in the above video), and their latest version is called the Wrap Around Ice.  Instead of metal, it's made of a durable plastic.  It weighs about half as much as the metal versions.



I haven't tried the Wrap Around Ice yet, because my original metal one still has plenty of life left in it, and I'm not one to rush right out to get the latest toys.

As usual, I'll put a link here to Amazon.  The price at the time I posted this is $31.00, with free shipping if you have Prime.  You can find it cheaper online at other websites, but you might have to add shipping to the cost.

If you like to practice or play outside, especially with the same stick you use on the ice, then I think the Wrap Around is a solid investment.

One last thing, if you're eyeing those stickhandling aids that were shown in the video, I'll be posting DIY versions of most of them in the near future.

Do you have the Wrap Around?  What do you think of it?  I'm especially interested to hear your experiences with the Wrap Around Ice.  Leave a comment, and thanks for reading.