Oxdog´s lightest blade…exceptional touch, balance, and control - Oxdog.net
The launch of Oxdog’s Highlight blade was preceded by a marketing campaign of a size that at least in Finland, I do not recall seeing before. The blade was displayed both in Espoo and Tampere in the fan shops throughout the F-Liiga finals series, and basically every game that was shown on tv included video advertisements of Highlight with the mandatory “world’s lightest blade” slapped all over them. Me being an insufferable floorball gear nerd, I naturally got my hands on Highlight as soon as I could.
I was initially worried about Highlight’s structure especially towards the heel of the blade as it has significantly less material compared to other Oxdog blades. In game though, the feeling ended up being great all-around, and the build quality has been great on all 3 of my copies. Even with slapshots, Highlight does not feel flimsy or bend out of control. The factory hook is also one of the better ones out there. I usually hook my blades myself, but after some testing, I can comfortably say that this is one of the best blades out of the box that you can get today. Highlight is also available in a bunch of interesting colourways, which is a pleasant surprise after Gate’s somewhat restrictive colour options.
Highlight’s greatest strengths are exactly what you need to excel in the modern game. Drag shots feel absolutely brilliant and the overall touch is good enough to rival Razor. Multiple teammates of mine have also praised the playmaking capabilities of Highlight. Making accurate passes feels effortless and the light weight allows you to work in tight spaces and hectic situations without ever losing the sense of control. It’s somewhat difficult to review blades like Highlight as there are no clear downsides to point out. Shooting one-timers is a bit more effortless with Gate and Optilight in my opinion as I feel the shot power gets transferred better to the ball with those. This is a very minor thing though, and should not deter you from trying out Highlight.
Oxdog has done it once again. Highlight took the lightweight structure blueprint from Unilite and Air/One, and gave it the premium feeling Oxdog is known for. I have used Highlight for the majority of this season, and I can comfortably say that this is the number one Oxdog blade available. The touch is comparable to Razor in smoothness, while still having shooting qualities that rival the likes of Avox and Gate. So far I have not found any real downsides to this blade. Maybe in some really niche situations you might want to stick with Optilight, but Highlight is now my number one recommendation regardless of position and playstyle. Oxdog has once again shown why some people consider it to be the greatest floorball brand and insert another product into the pantheon of great floorball blades.