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At just over 136 grams the Warrior Evo Pro X6 is one of the lightest as well as being one of the most compact head models on the 2010 market. The Evo Pro X6 has the wider NCAA compliant 3" throat width coupled with the narrower NCAA minimum allowable 6" face opening at the top of the head. It is a slick looking head, complete with an X6 logo built in.
The Evo Pro X6 is similar to the old Evolutions, but overall the design has changed quite a bit over the years, and especially so in this year that includes multiple evolutions of the Warrior Evolution name. This one is NOT legal for all levels of play. It is Legal for NCAA but not for NFHS (high school) play.
The offset sidewall line is not exactly the same as other Evos, but close, and it maintains pretty much the maximum offset allowed. Warrior designers took a little bit of weight from the throat area with a slit in the plastic that is visible from the side view of the head.
Near the most open section at the upper part of the head the sidewall is flared in at the bottom for ball retention capabilities, but it is one of the least flared models of the heads that sport this patented Warrior feature. The Blade has much more of this 'flare' in its design. The walls on the Evo Pro X6 are actually fairly straight up and down.
As mentioned, the head is very tight up top, which makes it attractive to the pinched head aficionados. The back of the scoop has the minimum required 6" measurement, but it steps 'in' quickly and the actual opening for catching the ball is just a tad more than 5.5" at its widest point. This would seem to be about as much head pinch as possible under the new and soon to be current NCAA specs. The shape of this head is one that promotes accuracy because the width of the opening is so consistent from the throat all the way up to just below the scoop.
The plastic composition of the Evo Pro X6 is fairly flexible, but the throat does have some reinforcement qualities for added durability. For example, the shaft goes far inside the throat of the head, a full ½" farther in than the STX Professor does. This should help it hold up to checks from long poles.
The scoop is more rounded than the older Evos, reflecting that squeeze at the top of the head. This also means that the scoop has to be pushed into the ground a little harder or farther to flatten out the top or blade part of the head for good scooping action. The blade on the Evo Pro X6 is contoured the same as the older models as far as the plastic molded form of it looks.
The Warrior Evolution has always had an efficient design for ball scooping that players seem to like. The holes in the scoop are not exactly the same as its Evo predecessors. The 4 leather holes are a little bigger and a little closer to the inside edge of the scoop. There are 15 holes on the bottom of each sidewall for lots of stringing options, but we are finding it a little bit difficult to get a consistent low pocket with mesh in the Evo Pro X6, however many holes we use. The older school Evos only had 10 sidewall stringing holes. As with most Warrior heads, the step back at the bottom of the sidewall protects the strings and keeps the side strings out of the way of the ball to help with wear. The very polished looking plastic finish of the Evo Pro X6 allows it to take color dyes well.
With the X6 heads in general, the ones that are as narrow as possible at the top of the head, there are a couple of important points to keep in mind. For one thing there is less open area for catching the ball, and on top of that if the player does not catch the ball exactly in the center there is a tendency for the stick head to sort of try to spin. Also, we have found that with the uniformity of the head opening width on the head, it becomes harder to get the MESH pocket to form a really good sweet spot low in the head. Low is where most feeder type players want their pockets because that lower spot makes for more consistency and a quicker release. The higher the pocket the longer the time before the ball starts to roll, the longer the ball stays in the stick. So, for the most part the 'whip' factor comes into play more as the pocket forms higher in the head.
With this uniformity of shape in the Evo Pro X6 and others like it, another affect is that the depth of the pocket up and down the head tends to want to be more uniform than when it is put in a more triangular sort of head shape, making it difficult to get the mesh pocket built into one spot. The stringer needs to make alterations in order to 'distract' this propensity for pocket uniformity in the X6's. In other words, if you want the pocket in a particular place on this head, you will need to do some work to make it so.
In general the Evolution series has always been advertised as a choice for the advanced player because it is always pushing the limits on head specifications and legalities. This one is no different in that regard.
Shooters looking for hard accurate shots will like this head. It is a high performance head. Sometimes with high performance comes a higher degree of maintenance as well. We recommend the Evo Pro X6 to the high level offensive minded player, the shooter. We recommend them most highly for attackmen. We don't think it is a great choice for beginners.
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