Product Review: The Stallion Omega

STX's Flagship Men's Lacrosse Head is...

Let’s start this out with a fun fact: I started my lacrosse writing career penning product reviews for a small website called “LaxNation”. I eventually transitioned to writing more traditional articles because it turns out that companies really hate when you criticize any aspect of their product even after you effusively praise the same product for most of the review. Yes, lacrosse manufacturers ALL of your products are perfect and no one dislikes ANYTHING about them. You haven’t lived until you have gotten an email from a company that says “Due to your damaging remarks in _______ product review we have decided to revoke our support of your website.” I guess I’m just lucky I didn’t get sued, but by now you’d have to beat the [dirtbag] company that bought my student loans in 2009 for that honor, anyway. 

(This is probably a bad time to ask for a sponsor, but you can sponsor me yourself by becoming a paid subscriber!)

Wow, that was cynical. Anyway, the point is that product reviews are a tricky thing. I never got to write them at Inside Lacrosse for obvious reasons, but if you’ve read anything I’ve ever written before you know one certainty - I have a lot of opinions. Too many opinions. The problem with modern lacrosse product reviews is that everyone has to hold back because they are scared of the repercussions of anything except the softest and most gentle critiques. 

Until now.  

For context: I am a masters level player now, but I know equipment - I was the Gear and Lifestyle Editor for Inside Lacrosse for five years - and what’s more, I know what I like. I am an experienced stringer, but my stringing skills are by no means “elite”. I like my pockets in the middle for control purposes with a tendency to creep higher for shooting. This is a nice way of saying that I’m not a great player, but by no metric do I “suck”, either. Ask around.  

My analysis is going to be skewed towards certain heads and not others. I generally only play with a head and a pocket that I like because life is short. Why bother playing with trash? Seems stupid. That doesn’t mean I’ll love everything, though - there is always room for improvement, and today’s head is a perfect example of that in one VERY specific category. 

Disclaimer: I acquired this head without cost from contacts in the lacrosse industry. However, no one is paying me to write this review nor will anyone get to read this review before it is presented to you. So, with that out of the way, let’s get into the [latest] flagship head from STX - the Stallion Omega.

Recommended Position for Optimal Use: First off, forget positions. This is a way for companies to categorize you. If you’re reading this, you know what you like and if you got this far you’re probably on your phone in the bathroom. This head functions best with a true mid-high pocket. Can you put other pockets into the Stallion Omega? Of course. But in order to get the most out of your stick, you will - generally - want the deepest spot of your pocket to be aligned with the deepest drop of the lower rail of the sidewall. With the Stallion Omega, that point is just past the halfway point of the head when held horizontally, creating an ideal nesting for the ball in that region. In the PLL, Sergio Salcido used this head and the pocket he used looked like it had 8 shooting strings in it and a low bag - but appearances can be deceiving. His stick clearly utilized the catch point of the highest offset, and his shorter release, to generate tons of power. All hail the #ShortKing of Florida. 

Face Shape: This category has become less important in the last ten years simply because the new head regulations from 2010 have severely limited the margins of design. But a recent design trend of having a super wide face shape and then dialing in the pocket to hone the ball retention actually works well here. There is a point on every head where the flare goes up and out (if you’re looking from the throat up) towards the scoop. That point is also where you can start to secure your channel (or you can put it lower/higher - it just works with the design of the head) and on the Stallion Omega, that point is perfect for where I like my pocket. So, I have no complaints with the face shape whatsoever. Two for two.

Scoop: Perhaps the most underrated aspect of any head unless you’re a fancy attackman that falls over to draw fouls instead of actually trying to pick the ball up. We see you, bud. We know who you are, come give me a hug when the diseases are gone. That being said, I am a fan of scoops that aren’t pointed or sharp. Thankfully, the Stallion Omega has a subtle rounding at the lip and a slightly curved scoop shape. There is a bit of bite in the very center of the scoop - as is common with modern STX heads - with cutouts to save weight on either side. I wish the lip here was more like the Stallion 700, which has a rounded teardrop shape, but it’s very close. Not the best scoop ever, but far from the worst. 

Stringability: Think of this as a difficulty setting. Could an average stringer (not “person” - “stringer”; there is a difference) sit down with adequate materials and get a functioning pocket in this head? Honestly, this as not easy to tie up. I consider myself extremely lucky to have found a pattern that works with the mesh that I chose. The holes are well spaced, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was going to pull the mesh down too tight/far and get a little baby channel. Stupid little baby channel, you’re the worst baby ever. Thankfully that didn’t happen, but I think that was only because I chose to do knots instead of single interlocks (Si’s) or Knotted Single Interlocks (KSi’s). 

My pattern is: Tie on the Third hole down, 0, knot, knot, knot, knot, ksi, ksi, ksi, 0, 1, 0, ji, tie. 

(Oh, you don’t read patterns? Welp, guess I’m writing that up next?) 

The mesh that I used is Stringer’s Shack G3. I had no idea it would last this long or perform this well, but it has and it does. I use all kinds of mesh from ECD to String King to Throne and they’re all great in different ways. But bang for your buck, SS G3 is pretty unbeatable. Smaller diamonds and less stretch, but once you lock the pocket in it stays until it gets ripped out. 

Design Aesthetic: This is a purely cosmetic element and doesn’t necessarily relate to performance, but this category is here to roast companies that garishly put their name or logo all over the head. That looks so dumb, stop doing that. It hasn’t been effective since the STX Turbo. That being said, my gold standard for a truly sexy design belongs to the Under Armour Command Low, and before that, it was the Gait Torque. This is not a coincidence as both heads were designed by Paul Gait. What can I say? That man owns the key to the safe with the blueprint to my heart. I find the design language of the Stallion Omega to be above average. Nothing too flashy, no extra struts in the sidewall, and no unnecessary logos. It also sports very tasteful texture swapping and pattern mapping. It would almost be minimalist were it not for those aforementioned scoop cutouts.  

Stiffness: The Stallion Omega is one of the stiffest heads I have ever used. That includes all angles, from the scoop to the throat and across the axis to a hardy pinch test. STX even promoted it at LaxCon by having people try to squeeze both sidewalls together with one hand. They eventually changed the “contest” to just include kids instead of adults because basic bros got a little too aggro, but if you’ve ever been to LaxCon, you should have expected that. One time the entire coaching staff of a DI team fell on top of me as I crossed the hotel lobby. Not a drop of alcohol hit the ground. True story. 

One of the other problems with today’s [cheaper] heads is that the head becomes more and more flexible as you go towards the scoop. It’s the first thing that wears out and makes the head worthless. Variable stiffness is fine, but if the head itself is structurally compromised by having way too much material and mass in the throat and an itty bitty amount of material near the scoop. It just turns into a noodle in a month…and it happens a lot more than it should. (Am I right parents that bought the beginner's heads?) That didn’t happen at all with this head. Stiffness is the hallmark of consistency, and consistency is key in the lacrosse head game. 

Value: This is where this head fails and fails pretty hard. As you can see, I really enjoyed my experience with the Stallion Omega. However, 120 dollars is an insane price for a lacrosse head. This thing has five bucks worth of actual material in it. Yes, the molds and research and development cost so much blah blah blah - it doesn’t matter. 120 dollars is a questionable price point for lacrosse in 2019, but it is an inexcusable price point in 2020. However, if you can acquire this head on the secondary market for a lower price, I would highly recommend it if your sensibilities align with mine. 

Final Verdict: The STX Stallion Omega is a great choice for players that are looking for a head that has a generous face shape, an industry-leading stiffness, and an above-average scoop. If you prefer a mid to mid-high pocket location and don’t mind tinkering with your pocket to get the perfect channel, then you will really enjoy the Stallion Omega. It checks every box...except for the price.