Grip — Hockey
Guard-Tex builds custom knobs, shapes handle profiles, and adds grip zones — then removes completely clean from composite, wood, or fiberglass. The base layer that never leaves a trace.
Ask any hockey player to describe their stick and they'll tell you about the knob — how big, what shape, where the taper starts, how thick the shaft grip runs down the handle. It's as personal as a glove break or a skate bake. The problem isn't building the knob. It's what happens when you retape.
Standard hockey tape adhesive fuses to composite shafts. Pull it off and you get sticky black residue, damaged graphics, and a gummy surface that resists new tape. Friction tape is worse — that adhesive is nearly permanent on composite. Players end up layering new tape over old buildup, adding weight and changing the profile they spent weeks dialing in.
The knob should be engineered, not accumulated. You need a structural material that builds the shape you want, holds it through game-speed stick handling, and removes with zero trace when it's time for a fresh build.
Cohesive Technology
Guard-Tex bonds to itself — not to your shaft. Build a knob with 10 layers of Guard-Tex, play a full season on it, then unwrap it in seconds. The composite underneath is factory-clean. No adhesive residue, no gummy buildup, no damage to the shaft's finish.
The Knob. This is where most players start. Guard-Tex wraps at the butt end to build a knob — from a minimal lip that keeps the stick in your glove to a full mushroom top for faceoff specialists. Eight to twelve wraps creates a standard knob. The material compresses slightly under grip pressure, giving a cushioned feel that rigid tape knobs can't match. When you want to rebuild, unwrap and start fresh. No residue. Same shaft as day one.
The Shaft Grip. Below the knob, most players want 6–10 inches of grip surface. Guard-Tex down the shaft creates a tacky, cushioned grip zone that works through gloves — wet or dry. You can vary the thickness along the shaft: thicker at the top where your top hand anchors, tapering to nothing where your bottom hand slides. That taper is nearly impossible with standard hockey tape but natural with Guard-Tex layering.
The Full Handle Profile. Advanced players build an entire handle profile — knob, shaft grip, and finger grooves — using Guard-Tex as the base layer under hockey tape. The Guard-Tex provides the structure and cushion. The hockey tape provides the surface texture. When it's time to retape, you peel off the hockey tape and the Guard-Tex base stays intact. Retaping takes seconds instead of the 20-minute strip-and-rebuild ritual.
"I built my knob with Guard-Tex three months ago and just retaped the hockey tape over it for the fourth time. The base layer hasn't moved. My knob is exactly the same shape as opening night."— Marcus T., beer league center, Minneapolis
| Guard-Tex | Hockey Tape | Friction Tape | Grip Tape | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knob structure | ✓ Cushioned, stable | Rigid, layers slip | ✓ Rigid | ✗ Too thin |
| Zero shaft residue | ✓ | ✗ Adhesive residue | ✗ Severe residue | Minimal |
| Custom taper profiles | ✓ Layer by layer | Difficult | Difficult | ✗ |
| Survives game speed | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | Varies |
| Grip through wet gloves | ✓ Gauze texture | Degrades when wet | ✓ | ✓ |
| Works under hockey tape | ✓ Ideal base layer | N/A | Yes but sticky | ✗ |
| Retape without rebuilding | ✓ Base layer stays | ✗ Full rebuild | ✗ Full rebuild | ✗ |
Ten minutes in the locker room. One roll. No scissors — Guard-Tex tears by hand.
Remove all existing tape from the butt end and shaft. If there's adhesive residue from previous tape jobs, wipe with rubbing alcohol — especially on composite sticks where buildup changes the grip profile. You want a clean surface to build on.
Start at the very top of the butt end. Wrap Guard-Tex in tight, overlapping passes — each wrap covering about half the previous one. Eight wraps for a minimal knob, twelve or more for a full mushroom. The material compresses slightly under grip pressure, so build a touch bigger than your target size.
Continue down the shaft 6–10 inches below the knob, reducing layers as you go to create a natural taper. Your top hand needs the most grip — 4–5 layers. Where your bottom hand slides, keep it at 1–2 layers or leave it bare. This variable-thickness build is what makes Guard-Tex fundamentally different from uniform tape wraps.
You have two options. Wrap hockey tape over the Guard-Tex base for a traditional surface feel — the Guard-Tex provides the structure, the hockey tape provides the finish. Or leave the Guard-Tex exposed as your grip surface — many players prefer its tacky gauze texture directly, especially in wet conditions.
Player Favorite
One roll builds 4–5 complete stick handles. Disappears under hockey tape or works as your grip surface directly. The same tape trusted by machinists and surgeons since 1935.
Shop Now"I break two sticks a month in juniors. Used to spend twenty minutes rebuilding my knob every time. Now I build the Guard-Tex base, tape over it, and when the stick breaks I transfer the build in five minutes. Game changer."— Tyler K., junior hockey, Ontario
"The grip through wet gloves is what got me. By the third period my tape used to be a soaked mess. The Guard-Tex just stays tacky. Doesn't matter how much I sweat."— Alex P., beer league defenseman, Boston
"My composite sticks are $300 each. I'm not ruining the shaft with friction tape residue anymore. Guard-Tex gives me the same knob build with zero damage."— Nate R., rec league, Chicago
"Showed it to my whole team. Half of them switched within a week. The clean removal on composite is what sells it — you peel it off and the shaft looks brand new."— Jordan L., men's league captain, Denver
Hockey players who discover Guard-Tex for their sticks tend to find the same material solves problems all over their equipment bag. It wraps lacrosse stick handles with the same zero-residue base layer approach. It builds custom baseball bat grip profiles under batting tape. Off the ice, it wraps tool handles in the garage, adds handlebar padding to bikes, and protects blistered hands from rowing ergometers during dry-land training.
One roll. One material. From the locker room to the garage and back.
Yes — it's the ideal base layer. Build your knob and shaft grip with Guard-Tex, then wrap hockey tape over top for a traditional surface feel. When it's time to retape, peel off only the hockey tape. The Guard-Tex base stays intact. Fresh surface, same build, 30 seconds.
Yes. Guard-Tex bonds to itself through cohesive technology — sweat and glove friction don't break the bond. Players report using the same base layer build for weeks of daily practice and games before replacing.
No. Zero adhesive means zero residue. Unwrap it from a $300 composite shaft and the surface looks factory-new. No sticky film, no gummy buildup, no damage to graphics or clear coats.
The 1-inch width builds knobs and shaft grips fastest with good coverage per wrap. The 3/4-inch works for detail work and finger groove areas. Most players keep both in their bag.
Yes. Some players use Guard-Tex directly as their grip surface — the gauze texture provides excellent traction through gloves, wet or dry. Others prefer it as a base layer under traditional hockey tape. Both approaches work — it's personal preference.
Friction tape has aggressive adhesive that leaves black residue on shafts and is nearly impossible to remove cleanly from composite. Guard-Tex builds knobs with the same structural integrity but removes in seconds with zero residue. Your shaft stays factory-clean.
Wraps anything. Sticks to nothing. American made since 1935.
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