Should you even buy stick wax? I mean does it even make a difference if I wax my hockey stick or not?
Hockey stick wax works great at keeping ice build-up off of your stick which gives you a better grip on the puck. This extra grip translates to being able to stickhandle with more control and shoot the puck with more power and accuracy. Stick wax will also extend the life of your stick tape and protect the blade of your hockey stick.
It’s my opinion that hockey stick wax works great. We will skate hard into all things stick wax and answer any question that you can think of. After this article, you will know what the best hockey wax on the market is, when to apply wax and how to apply it.
Pros and Cons Of Using Wax On Your Hockey Stick
Using wax on your hockey stick has a lot of benefits.
Pros of using hockey stick wax:
- Extended life of your hockey tape
- Reduced build-up of snow on your blade
- Extra grip on the puck
- More accuracy when shooting the puck
- More power when shooting the puck
When you apply hockey wax to the blade of your stick you are coating the blade and the tape of your stick in a layer of grippy protection. As the ice begins to break down from all of you players skating hard on it, there will be a lot of snow sitting on the surface of the ice.
This shaved ice from all of your hard stops and turns can build up on your stick and start to melt.
The melting ice will cause your tape to get soggy and break down. This is how your stick tape is easily damaged by the puck, other players’ sticks, and even their skates. However, if you have waxed your stick the wax will not allow snow to build up on your stick and melt.
Not only does hockey wax extend the life of your tape but it increases grip. Keeping your tape from getting soggy also increases the grip strength of your tape. Soggy tape is not as grippy as dry, rough tape.
The wax itself is also a tad bit sticky which really increases your ability to stick handle the puck and shoot the puck with more power and accuracy.
If you have never used wax before I think that you are going to really notice a difference later in the game. As the ice begins to get torn up you will be used to playing with wet tape on your blade. But with the wax you will notice you have much more control over the puck.
While this is the major advantage of using hockey stick wax, this, at first, can also be a slight disadvantage until you get used to it. You might grip the puck much more than you are used to causing some of your shots to go in unexpected places or passes to go rogue.
In my opinion, it is well worth the learning curve to use stick wax. The benefits far outway the disadvantages.
When Should I Wax My Hockey Stick?
The best time to apply wax to your hockey stick is after applying a fresh tape job. You can even apply wax to your hockey stick right before going on the ice even if you did not just recently tape your hockey stick.
If you feel like some of the wax has somehow left your stick you can certainly do a touch-up wax job on your stick.
There isn’t a bad time to apply stick wax to your blade but the most ideal time to apply wax is right after you have just laid down a fresh layer of hockey stick tape.
How Do I Apply Wax To My Hockey Stick?
Applying wax is fairly easy. It’s actually harder to mess it up than it is to get it right. Don‘t be afraid to apply your stick wax liberally. Like a lot a lot.
Some players only do a thin layer on the front and the back but I have noticed the best results when I really lay the wax on thick. I have not noticed any negative side effects from completely coating the blade of my hockey stick in wax.
After you have applied a fresh layer of hockey tape to your blade take your wax bar and really rub it all over your blade. Start with the open face, and the back side, but don’t forget the bottom and even the top of your blade.
The top of your blade is probably the least important side, but definitely do not forget the bottom of your blade.
Again, stick wax protects your blade from ice build-up and stops your tape from getting soggy and the bottom of your stick blade is the most exposed to the ice and its conditions.
After applying a nice layer of wax many players will take a hockey puck and scratch it all over the blade. This not only pushed the fresh tape job onto the blade but it also smears the wax around and gets it into the cracks of your tape job.
Other players even take a hair dryer or a heat gun and melt their wax a bit to make a crack-free coating. I think this is a bit overkill, but if you want to make sure that your blade is sealed in with a nice protective layer, then go ahead and follow your heart. It can’t hurt anything, but if you are using a heat gun make sure you use a really low setting.
If you apply too much heat it can start to break down the materials that your stick is made of.
How Long Does Hockey Wax Last?
Hockey wax will last as long as the tape on your stick does. You may have to do a few wax touch-ups here and there between games due to slashes and regular wear and tear of the game but you should not expect your wax to melt off after one game.
If you retape and apply wax to your hockey stick every 3-4 games you can expect the average container of hockey wax to last you about 20 games or so
This time frame will obviously vary depending on how much wax you use and the size of your container but this is the time frame that I have noticed with the standard Howies stick wax that I have used most often.
What Is Hockey Stick Wax Made Of?
Hockey stick wax is not the same as all candle wax.
Many candles are made of paraffin and soy waxes. These waxes are not designed to handle the temperatures of an ice rink. If you decide to just try and use an old birthday candle to wax your hockey stick you will probably notice that your wax has chipped away by the end of the game.
That being said paraffin and soy waxes come in different hardness levels and blends so some of them might work.
Most brands that make hockey wax seem to have their own unique bled. Some of the brands are more transparent than others with the ingredients they use. I put together a table below that breaks down common brands and what they use to make their stick wax.
| Brand | Ingredients |
| Howies | Soft Microcrystalline and “other” waxes |
| Pure Filth | Soy, Coconut, and Beeswax |
| YEW | 100% Beeswax |
| Mr. Zogs Sex Wax | Paraffin Blend |
| A&R Wax-On | 100% Petroleum Wax |
| Proformance Wax | “Proprietary Formulas” |
What Is The Best Hockey Stick Wax?
In my opinion, the Proformance hockey stick wax is the best on the market. This wax is applied in a two-stage process. The wax has a base layer that is designed to repel water and keep your hockey stick clear of ice.
The next layer that you apply is your control layer which adds tackiness and gives you added control to the puck.
They are very tight-lipped about what their waxes are made of but they have worked better than any other wax I have used.
The one downside to this stick wax is the price and that it is only sold in Canada even though its made in the USA. You can expect to spend around $40 CAD for this wax which is an insane price when you compare them to all the rest of the brands on the market.
If you aren’t looking to spend a ton of money on wax you can always stick with a true classic. Howies. It’s a reputable brand and it’s been around forever for a reason.
Should Goalies Wax Their Hockey Sticks?
Goalies should wax their hockey sticks just like any other player on the ice. Goalies will benefit from extra puck control and they will definitely want to extend the life of their tape.
We know you goalies are a different type of person but that doesn’t mean you should skip the stick wax. You can enjoy all the same benefits as the rest of us on the Ice
Should I Use Hockey Stick Wax?
Yes you should wax your hockey stick. The benefits of waxing your hockey stick are to extend the life of your hockey tape but wax will also keep ice build-up off of your blade and add extra grip to the blade of your stick which in turn gives you better control of the puck.
I can not think of any negatives to using hockey stick wax besides the extra cost, which really ends up paying for itself because your tape jobs will last longer. So I actually can think of zero cons to using stick wax.
Always apply wax to fresh tape jobs and apply it liberally. Don’t be afraid to coat the heck out of your blade.
