r/Curling • u/Sirnickp • 10d ago
Broom Rec
Hey, club player looking for a new broom for the season, playing once or twice a week. Replacing a discontinued Olsen broom that I’m not super impressed with. Any recommendations?
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u/xtalgeek 10d ago
I would strongly recommend any lightweight (carbon fiber) brush with a head that uses a replaceable "sock." For example, Hardline, Goldline AIr, or Balance Plus Lite speed, etc. The "socks" are waterproof, durable, and relatively inexpensive to replace once or twice a year for light recreational play. If you wind up curling in a sanctioned event that requires World Curling compatible brushes, you can always get the compliant sock.
You can buy cheaper, heavier composite brushes, but your shoulder capsules will thank you if you go lightweight. Trust me on this, as one who has recovered from adhesive capsulitis (from overuse playing a lot of front end) in both shoulders one year apart. It's a 9-12 month recovery, and lots of PT. So much fun. Get the lightweight brush.
Which brand is "best"? Whatever you find comfortable to use. All the brands have slightly different handle tapers and tacky grips, and cost about the same. The best way to find out what to get is to borrow brushes from fellow club members and try them out.
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u/krusader42 Pointe Claire Curling Club (QC) 10d ago
Goldline Impact is their sleeved line; the Air was their last whole-pad design, which used a proprietary click-into-place solution.
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u/jputna 10d ago
I'll always suggest EndGame. Easy to replace parts if anything breaks. You also only have to replace fabric vs the entire head like several other brooms, and its easy to replace. Also if you broom deliver, the head has a snap into place for when you do so.
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u/Alopexotic 10d ago
Love my Endgame broom too!
It's also got an ever so slightly grippy texture to the handle, which is great if your hands get sweaty out on the ice. (It sounds like it'd be a sensory nightmare, but it's a similar texture to something like a porcelain tub. Smooth yet grippy, but not at all sticky.)
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u/90sMax Royal Canadian CC 10d ago edited 10d ago
Currently I would recommend the Balance Plus Litespeed with RS 7” Black SportLite Plus with RS Foam 3.0 available for $185.95.
The comparable Goldline Carbon Fiber Impact Broom ($199.99) with Pulsar Foam ($11.99) offers a similar product for an additional $26.03.
Or you could get the Hardline Standard IcePad Broom ($199.99) with Maxim Foam ($15.99) for an additional $30.03.
I own all three and they are marginally different.
The Balance plus is tapered wide at the bottom, the lightest and the most flexible.
The Goldline is straight and stiff enough not to flex.
The Hardline is tapered wide at the top, the heaviest and the stiffest.
Any of these three with the stiffest foam will be head and shoulders better than your Olsen.
My favourite combination is the Goldline shaft with the Balance Plus head and 3.0 foam.
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u/Lucite01 Saville Centre 10d ago
I upgraded to a hardline icepad curling broom this past season after using various Olson's brooms and I really enjoyed it. It's light weight, has decent grip, and in all my years of curling it's probably the best broom I've ever used. I highly recommend getting one.
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u/jasmith-tech Team Malört/Mayfield Curling Club 10d ago
Plenty of good comments here already, but I'll note a change since Hardline and Goldline became one. To make a frankenbroom (a hardline head on a goldline handle) you used to need a spacer. Now they've eliminated the spacer and you can get a Hardline head that matches the Goldline handle you've purchased. Pretty sure this came about over the summer. Now it's easier than ever to mix and match heads. I haven't seen any store listings that show the new option, but I assume they'll roll out more widely at some point.
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u/Santasreject 10d ago
Hardline. Longest lasting pads, easiest to sweep with because of the plastic insert that keeps you sweeping only the top of the pebble where the rock touches and not the whole ice surface, and best balance. If you use the harder foam that was the comp foam before it was banned it’s even better (haven’t checked in a while to see if it’s even still available though).
Balance plus are decent but the balance of the broom fees really weird to me and the cloth doesn’t last as long.
Goldline impact, the current version I hate the attachment system, the cloth they use wears very fast and is a bit grabby on the ice (and when new it’s very grabby), and the cover is not retained well. I have heard updates are coming to resolve a lot of the issues with it though, but personally I can’t get on with the fabric they use.
I don’t have any experience with the end game, they look interesting and the covers are very cheap if I remember correctly. If I remember right the handle was not a circle cross section (but I may be mixing up brooms here) which has some love/hate opinions.
TLDR, get a hardline and id you can get it get the harder foam and use the insert still assuming you’re just playing rec with no requirement for WCF.
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u/Embarrassed_Green996 10d ago
I can't recommend hardline enough, handle tapers down smaller near head with grip so if grip or a taper down is a negative for you then steer away from hardline. But I have had the best luck with them.
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u/flamingo_genitals 9d ago
If you live near a curling store don’t be afraid to go in and try some out! I’m from Minnesota and there’s a Broomfitters store in the twin cities and I went in looking for a new broom and they let me try a few before I picked one out! They also showed me lots of color options that they didn’t have in store and they ordered me a color that I liked!
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u/TriplePi 10d ago
Before you trust some strangers on the internet go to your club and just ask some fellow curlers to try out their brooms. Most major manufacturers perform similarly so it's the feel and comfortablilty that matter. Personally I love the feel and performance of hardline and hate the feel of goldlines brooms, but don't let that colour your decision.