The way I’ve made my butt ends for years was by basically making a huge knob that would stop my index finder and my thumb as the rest of my bottom hand wrapped around it. I liked it because I felt like I could bring my top hand further down the shaft to have a greater shot speed but continue to have just as much control. I’ll spare you the physics. I’ve gone through roll after roll of tape each season making this kind of butt end but finally, I believe I found the solution in LAXe Handle.
LAXe handle is a rubber butt end stylized off of the end of an axe handle, hence the name. It’s meant to give your bottom hand a more secure and comfortable grip when taking a shot or picking up a ground ball. The LAXe Handle does this very well, and in fact, gives you a better feel on your stick and a better understanding of which way your head is facing. Everyone has been caught at least once accidentally catching the ball on the wrong side of the head.
With ground balls, I noticed it was easier to bring my bottom hand lower to the ground, making groundballs easier. I also had a firmer grip on my stick which helped a lot. The only drawback to the LAXe Handle is that, when I was doing normal cradling in my hand, it kind of got in the way. Not to a crazy extent where I might mess up in a cradle but enough that I had to adjust to it. The adjustment didn’t take long at all though so it was nearly negligible.
All in all, the LAXe Handle is a quality product and a very useful thing to add on to your stick if you want a more natural feel in your hands.