A high-level faceoff head designed for dominance at both the X and on the offensive side of the field.
- Position: Faceoff
- Level: Intermediate to advanced
- Legality: All levels of play
- Colors: White, black, natural
- Cost Range: $$
- Year Released: 2019
I may receive a commission if you make a purchase through a link on this page at no cost to you. This helps me keep this site free & I appreciate your support!
When I was deciding on which faceoff head to buy a few months ago, I ended up going with the ECD Weapon X. I can’t be happier with my decision.
Though it is marketed as a faceoff head, it performs well all over the field.
It has all of the great features of a typical offensive head including a tight face shape, full offset, amazing scoop, and a number of sidewall holes so you can customize your pocket how you see fit.
From a faceoff perspective, the Weapon X holds its shape extremely well and you can flex it in a variety of ways, making it a great option for all styles of facing off. It has asymmetric sidewalls that allow it to flex easily without losing strength and durability.
This ECD Weapon X review dives into everything you need to know about this elite head to decide if it’s the right choice for you.
Key Details of the ECD Weapon X
eCD Weapon X | |
|---|---|
Brand | |
Position | Faceoff |
Weight | 5.6 oz |
Ideal pocket | Mid |
Flex type | Mix of oblique and face flex |
Warp resistance | Great |
Offensive performance | Great |
Throat type | Short throat with plug |
Shape
The Weapon X has a fairly tight face shape and full offset.
The bottom half of the head is just about as pinched as it can legally be, hovering just over the 3-inch requirement. From there, it has a pretty sharp flare out until you get closer to the scoop where it measures in at around 6.5 inches.
The narrow face shape and full offset are other things that make this a great head for playing offense. The narrow face shape makes it easy to string a consistent pocket with good hold that will suit you well when carrying the ball, dodging, and shooting.
If you are used to playing with offset heads, then the Weapon X should feel natural to you. Many other faceoff heads don’t have an offset or have a small offset that may feel funky if you are used to offset heads.
Scoop
Perhaps my favorite part of the ECD Weapon X is the scoop. It sucks up ground balls from a variety of angles with ease.
It is slightly rounded and has an angle of around 45 degrees, making it easy to pick up ground balls without having to get the butt end of your stick close to the ground.
I’ve found that I have no trouble scooping balls even if my head is somewhat perpendicular to the ground or if the ball isn’t completely centered on the scoop.
Throat
Like a lot of other faceoff-specific heads, the Weapon X has a throat plug to increase durability and reduce head wobble. The plug should fit into all standard shafts besides solid carbon fiber shafts.
The throat is also shorter than the standard throat, helping you get your top hand closer to the ball. This gives you more power and control and is a big advantage over players who use standard-length throats.
Stringing Holes
The ECD Weapon X has plenty of stringing holes, allowing you to customize your pocket to how you like it. In total, there are 6 top string holes, 15 sidewall holes per side, and 4 bottom string holes.
Most of the sidewall holes are oval-shaped and pretty large. The top 3 sidewall holes on each side are more rectangular, allowing you to wrap the string around them a few times if you want.
Flexibility, Flex Type, & Warp Resistance
What makes the ECD Weapon X one of the best faceoff heads available today is its versatility in the ways it flexes and its unmatched warp resistance; two things that usually work against each other. A lot of this can be attributed to the asymmetrical sidewall design that allows it to flex where needed while maintaining rigidity and strength.
Out of the box, it is actually pretty stiff compared to some other heads like the Brine Dictator. Once you start facing off with it, though, it breaks in nicely and gets more flexible.
Once you break the head in, it will flex in almost any way you need it to. It does a great job at collapsing down on the ball, letting you pinch the ball in the back of the stick so you can push it forward or exit behind easily. Unlike most heads which either primarily face flex of oblique flex (see image below), the Weapon X can do both.
A lot of faceoff heads that are great at collapsing down on the ball have one major issue: durability. Often these heads get warped very easily, making them hard to use on offense. A great example of this is the Nike CEO. While it is arguably the best head for faceoffs ever made, it quickly gets warped so bad that it’s useless for the rest of field play.
The Weapon X has amazing warp resistance. After every faceoff, it snaps back into place. After using mine for 3 months (as of the time of first writing this), there is barely any warping.
Who is the ECD Weapon X Best Suited for?
If you take faceoffs, then the ECD Weapon X is a great choice—regardless of whether you are a FOGO or stay on the field for offense.
Its warp resistance and the way it crushes down on the ball make it competitive with all of faceoff heads in terms of pure facing off. Its great scoop, tight face shape, and full offset make it more than competent on the offensive side of the field.
I would say that if you need a faceoff head for a game that you’re playing in tomorrow, the Weapon X may not be the best option right out of the box since it takes a bit to break in. Ideally, you’d have some time to take practice draws to break it in and get used to the feel of it.
Pros & Cons of the ECD Weapon X
Here are the some of the best parts and biggest drawbacks of the ECD Weapon X to consider if you are trying to decide whether to buy one or not.
Pros
- Great for offense. As mentioned a few times, the Weapon X is a great for offense thanks to its full offset and tight face shape.
- Great warp resistance. Compared to most other faceoff-specific heads, the Weapon X holds its shape much better and always snaps back into place.
- Flex in multiple ways. Once you break it in, the Weapon X will flex on the ball in almost any way. It "grabs" the ball really well making it great for pinch and pops.
- Throat designed for faceoffs. The shortened throat allows you to get your glove closer to the head and the throat plug adds strength and keeps your head from rattling.
- Many stringing holes. There are plenty of (nicely sized) stringing holes so you can customize your pocket to your preferences.
- Amazing scoop. The scoop's angle and shape make it easy to pick up ground balls at a variety of angles without having to get super low to the ground.
Cons
- Heavier than some alternatives. Weighing in at 5.6 oz, the Weapon X is considerably heavier than some alternatives such as the String King Mark 2F that weighs only 4.37 oz.
- Takes time to break in. As mentioned earlier, this isn't a head you'll want to immediately start taking game faceoffs with right when you get it since it takes some time to break in.
My ECD Weapon X
Here are some pics of my personal Weapon X.
Keep in mind that I’ve used this for around 3 months at this point. I haven’t taken a ton of faceoffs with it, but have definitely done 100+. This can help you get a better idea of how little it warps.
I’ll try to update this page over time so you can see how the warping changes over time.
That looks like a sick pocket. Would you mind sharing the pattern and mesh on that?
Hey Renze!
Sure thing. I’m using ECD Hero 3.0 semi-soft mesh (https://amzn.to/35xCcvj).
The string pattern is: tie off (top string), tie off (sidewall),k,0,k,0,k,0,k,0,0,k,2i,1i,1
The second reply in this thread uses the same naming as me: https://forums.insidelacrosse.com/threads/understanding-sidewall-patterns.120342/
I would say this stick has about 7/10 whip and 9/10 hold. Smooth, consistent release that’s good for outside shooting.
If you need any more info let me know!
Dave, thanks for the review. Would you recommend a composite or alloy shaft for a high school FOSO (2-way middie) to use with the Weapon X? Maybe an ECD Carbon 2?
Hi Ross, I would stick with a metal shaft or hollow composite shaft so you can make sure the throat plug fits. You can see some of my favorite faceoff shafts here: https://laxdrip.com/shafts/best-faceoff-shafts/ just avoid the StringKing faceoff-specific shafts since those have the extra grip at the top that may be weird when you’re playing the field.
Just purchased this head for my Youth player!
Lacrosse is still all new to me personally, is there a specific shaft you’d recommend?
For youth players, the shaft doesn’t matter too much as they won’t be taking a lot of hard checks. Pretty much any metal shaft should work well with the Weapon X. You can see some beginner/cheaper shaft options here: https://laxdrip.com/shafts/cheap-lacrosse-shafts/#cheap-attack-shafts
Hi I’m just wondering what shaft would go best for the weapon X. I have been running the weapon X for a few years now using the stringking metal 3 pro with it. Is there something better than the metal 3 pro?
The Metal 3 Pro is one of my favorite shafts and is a great option. I have a slight preference to the STX Sc-Ti shafts but there aren’t any major differences. You can see my favorite attack shafts here: https://laxdrip.com/shafts/best-lacrosse-shafts-attack-middie/ and favorite faceoff shafts (which has some overlap with the attack shafts) here: https://laxdrip.com/shafts/best-faceoff-shafts/