The Brine Clutch has been a popular ‘high-end’ head model choice for the last few years, presumably because lacrosse players liked the extremely narrow throat opening that stayed narrow very far up the head, Canadian/box style.  By that we mean the head looks a bit like the ball can only enter or leave the pocket from the very top of the head. All that has been somewhat minimized in the 2010 Brine Clutch X because the throat is no longer pinched down to 2.5” as the original Clutch was.

In the final analysis, the Brine Clutch X is, however, simply the Clutch retooled to meet the new NCAA specifications that call for a wider three-inch throat opening.  It is indeed Legal for both NCAA and NFHS play.  It does somehow retain some of that same sort of tight looking face that the more pinched Clutch has. 

The Clutch X remains a combination of all Brine's head building technology. It's offset includes a curve, like the Brine Answer, and it has the front profile of a Brine Pulse.  It even has some echoes of the Matrix in its rear sidewall design. This head does seem to be a little more flexible than the original Clutch.  At just over 128 grams the Brine Clutch X is one of the lightest out there, and that fact alone should help to keep this one of the top choices for the player who wants lightness in an offense friendly head model.

The shape of the bottom of the sidewall and the shape of the stringing holes on the Clutch X help to push the pocket to the inside and to shape a little narrower pocket for extra ball control. There are 18 holes at the bottom of each sidewall for extensive stringing options, and the holes are quite large.  The holes continue all the way up to where they are almost inside the scoop.  This helps the ability to keep a tight and or lifted top part of the pocket for good release on passes and shots.  These heads string up pretty well and more easily than some as well.

The Clutch X has a fairly flat scoop.  The blade width on the scoop is small at about 7/8”, whereas most heads measure closer to one full inch across the flat part of the blade.  That would all seem to be mostly a scooping preference thing, although it does follow that the blade might flatten out on the ground a little more quickly with there being less of it, making it a little more scoop-the-ball friendly. 

We recommend the Clutch X to midfielders and attackmen.  It is a high performance head.  We tend to think it is too light and too flexible to put on a long pole.