Sizing, care & straight answers.
Two lengths. Pick by position.
- FOR
- Attack, middies, SSDMs
- WITH A HEAD
- About 40″ overall — inside the men's 40–42″ short-crosse range
- WEIGHT
- 190–285 g depending on species
- FOR
- Close defense, LSMs
- WITH A HEAD
- About 70″ overall — inside the men's 52–72″ long-crosse range
- WEIGHT
- 380–570 g depending on species
Want something in between? Shafts can be cut down; a team order can ask for custom lengths. Youth players: start with the 30″ and cut to fit.
Wood is easy to live with.
Everyday
Wipe it dry after rain or a wet field. Don't leave it in a hot car or against a heater. Tape the grip however you like — the oven-cured finish takes tape and lets it go cleanly.
Inspect it
Run your hand down the shaft now and then. Grain-checked hardwood fails progressively, so cracks show before they matter. A deep crack means it's time to retire the shaft to the wall.
Scuffs and dings
The conversion-varnish finish is much harder than oil or lacquer, so most checks leave nothing. For a deep ding, a dab of clear finish seals the wood again.
Off-season
Store it inside, flat or hung, away from the furnace. Wood likes the same room you do.
Long poles, long boxes.
Everything ships from Idaho in a narrow box sized to the shaft, capped and padded at both ends. 30″ shafts ship ground; 60″ poles ship in an oversize box at a flat long-pole rate shown at checkout. Tracking comes by email the day it ships, along with your shaft's serial number.
Team orders of 12+ ship 2–3 shafts per box and are quoted with shipping included.
The 30-day check guarantee.
Play with it for 30 days. If you don't feel the difference, send it back for a full refund. We cover return shipping.
Engraved shafts are covered too. Damage from misuse — cutting, burning, using it as a pry bar — isn't.
Straight answers.
Is a wood shaft legal?
Yes. NCAA Rule 1-18 names wood first — “wood, laminated wood or synthetic material” — and high school rules use the same language. The Canadian Lacrosse Association has approved wooden shafts for box. Pro rulebooks don't prohibit wood.
Isn't it heavy?
Yes — a hickory 30″ runs about 250–285 g, roughly twice a premium carbon shaft. For defense and two-way middies the mass is the point. Want lighter wood? Walnut is about 24% lighter than hickory. See the full comparison.
Will it break?
Any shaft can break. Grain-checked hardwood fails progressively — you'll see a crack coming — rather than snapping without warning. We publish our own break tests, including the losses.
Which wood should I choose?
Want authority? Hickory. Want a glass-smooth release? Maple. Classic wood at a fair price? Red oak. Dense and distinctive? White oak. The head-turner? Walnut. Try the wood finder.
Will my head fit?
Our octagon is the standard 7/8″ × 1-1/16″ profile, so standard men's heads fit with a normal screw. Some players add a strip of tape inside the throat for a snug fit.
How does engraving work?
Up to 18 characters, engraved into the wood — names, numbers, team marks, dates. It adds $10 and a little time to your order. Team orders get an engraving proof before anything is stamped.
Who makes your shafts?
We do the selecting, specifying, inspecting and stamping. Our shafts are milled and finished by a Pacific Northwest partner that specializes in high-end hardwood finishing. We keep the details close.
Do you make complete sticks or apparel?
Shafts first. Complete sticks and the shop tee are coming — get on the list to hear first.
One price, everywhere.
First Grain's minimum advertised price equals our retail price for every product, at every authorized retailer. It protects the shops that stock us and keeps the price you see here the price you see everywhere. Retailers can request the full policy with the wholesale sheet.
Still have a question?
Email hello@firstgrainlacrosse.com — a real person answers.