VOODOO Voyage: 002 BTB: The Stick Low Down (Stick Layups)

The Science Behind the Spell

Let's take a dive into stick layups and break down what a stick layup actually is, the role of resin in manufacturing hockey sticks and why things aren’t always as they may be advertised… (This may go into some detail so make sure you are sitting comfortably🤓)

What is a Layup:

The lay up is how the stick is built layer by layer, and the process of putting the materials together to build the stick. Sticks usually include a mix of materials like Carbon Fibre, Fibreglass and Kevlar. Each of these has a purpose: fibreglass can add flexibility and durability, while Kevlar helps with vibration dampening and impact resistance.

For a quick overview on Carbon. Carbon fibre is a lightweight, strong material with excellent tensile strength and torsional stiffness, offering a superior strength to weight ratio, strong resistance to bending and deformation, high durability under repeated stress, and the ability to be engineered for both directional and torsional strength depending on fibre orientation.

Carbon fibre on its own isn’t usable, you can’t make a stick out of just loose carbon sheets. It must be combined with resin to form a composite. That resin isn’t just a filler; it’s a critical part of the structure, binding everything together and playing a huge role in strength, durability, and feel. 


So more carbon equals a better stick? 

No it will result in a stiffer stick but you can not judge a sticks performance on how much carbon is quoted to be in the stick. To explain why lets look closer at Carbon Percentages. This has become a favourite buzzword when it comes to hockey sticks, and is a phrase that is thrown around a lot when talking about hockey sticks but is it actually a good metric to try and use to judge performance? 

Measuring a stick purely by “Carbon Percentages” sounds scientific, but it’s actually a pretty misleading metric.

As mentioned above Carbon fibre on its own isn’t usable, you can’t make a stick out of just loose carbon sheets. It must be combined with resin to form a composite. 

So here’s the part marketing leaves out. Those “carbon %” numbers often don’t properly account for the resin weight. In a composite, a significant portion of the stick is resin,  30–50% of the material by weight. So when a brand claims something like “95% carbon,” it’s usually referring to the dry weight fibre portion of the laminate, not the finished stick you’re actually using.

In reality, once you include the resin (and other materials in the lay-up), the actual percentage of carbon in the final product is a fraction of what is advertised.

On top of that, the best sticks also include materials like fibreglass and Kevlar in the lay up to fine-tune performance. The lay up (how the stick is built layer by layer) usually includes a mix of materials like fibreglass and Kevlar. Each of these has a purpose: fibreglass can add flexibility and durability, while Kevlar helps with vibration dampening and impact resistance. So the idea that a stick is almost entirely carbon isn’t just misleading it ignores how to maximise the benefits of the composites construction.

The real skill isn’t cramming in as much carbon as possible, it's how all these materials are combined. The orientation of the fibres, the balance between carbon, resin, and other materials, and the overall lay up design are what determine how a stick performs.

A stick with “more carbon” can easily feel harsh, brittle, or poorly balanced if the construction isn’t right. Meanwhile, a well designed composite with a smarter mix of materials can feel better, last longer, and perform more consistently.

The bottom line: carbon percentage is a simplified marketing number. It doesn’t reflect the full material makeup, and it definitely doesn’t tell you how well the stick is engineered or is going to play.


The role of resin.

The resin is very important as it acts as the matrix that binds and supports the reinforcing fibres (usually carbon fibre, glass fibre, or aramid/Kevlar). The fibres provide most of the strength and stiffness, while the resin holds everything together and allows the structure to behave as a single engineered material.

- Binding the Fibres Together:
The resin surrounds and locks the fibres into position, maintaining their alignment and spacing. Without the resin, the fibres would simply separate and could not carry loads effectively as a structural component.

- Transferring Loads Between Fibres:
Loads are not carried evenly by every fibre individually. The resin transfers stresses between adjacent fibres so the composite acts as one integrated structure. This is especially important where loads change direction or concentrate around a certain point.

- Providing Shape and Structural Stability:
During manufacturing, the resin cures (hardens) into a rigid solid, giving the component its final structural form.

- Environmental Protection:
The resin protects the fibres from moisture, chemicals, UV exposure, and physical abrasion. Carbon fibres themselves are very strong, but without a protective matrix they are vulnerable to handling damage and environmental degradation.

- Contributing Toughness and Fatigue Resistance:
While fibres provide stiffness and tensile strength, the resin helps absorb impact energy and resist crack propagation. High grade epoxy resins are specially formulated to improve fatigue life and damage tolerance.

Our Lay Ups 

Now if we gave away the secret of our lay ups that would be bad for business so we will explain what you really need to know. Every VOODOO stick is built on a foundation of elite performance technology from the layup to our carbon weave laminates, resin systems, and Kevlar reinforcement. It’s not just about stacking materials it’s about how each component is engineered to work together for maximum feel, power, and responsiveness.

We don't play the numbers game with carbon percentages because as you now know it’s not how much carbon you use, but the quality, placement, and integration that defines performance. That’s why we focus on the full layup construction - every layer, fibre, and finish is chosen to deliver the VOODOO feel: alive, connected, and built for bold play.

Not every player needs the stiffest or most expensive stick. The best stick for you is the one that amplifies your strengths and fits how you play. That’s why we offer a range that caters to different styles, levels, and feel preferences, so you can find the perfect match for your game. Whether you’re just starting out or playing at the top level, there’s a VOODOO stick built to match your game.