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JR Boucicaut

Bauer RE-AKT 100 Helmet Initial Thoughts/Teardown

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It's been a while since I tore down a helmet; in 2012, every manufacturer had a new helmet, and the Bauer RE-AKT was one of the helmets that I reviewed. Two years have passed, and now the RE-AKT has a baby brother that's just a bit beefier in the RE-AKT 100.

r100.jpg

r100s.jpg

The front looks very similar to the RE-AKT, however, with a few updates. There is a vent on the front center of the front shell, as well as two additional vents on top.

reaktf.jpg

The vents on the top have all been moved towards the front, as you can see. There's also a good shot of the differences between the two in terms of the adjustment lever. On the RE-AKT, it was pulled upward. It's now the opposite on the 100; it's a more natural way to do a self-adjustment.

reaktf2.jpg

Another tweak to the helmet is the re-introduction of the Occipital Lock that debuted on the Bauer 9500; on the RE-AKT, it was a lever which moved up and down and pushed the pad closer to your head. Bauer has gone back to the double side levers. An added bonus on the aesthetic side is that it is now possible to put helmet stickers there now.

r100back.jpg

Here's the inner padding of the helmet. First off, the VTX foam has been updated with a grey cover of sorts; my RE-AKT turned a nice shade of purple after use, so this ought to remedy that situation.

Also notice that the Suspend-Tech liner has been updated - it is a two-part system now in the sense of instead of having a piece go over the center of your head like it did in the RE-AKT, it's separated in the middle.

r100pad.jpg

One part touches the top front of your head, and the second part holds the back, for better flexibility/movement. And it's all put on FlexOrb - the same process that is used on the performance baselayer to allow the poronXRD to stretch and move.

r100liner.jpg

Those two yellow "8"s back there? Those are Seven coils, placed in the rear of the helmet for additional linear protection; eg. a direct backwards drop onto the ice.

r100l2.jpg

Side impact protection has also been altered; instead of having a solid chunk of poronXRD as what was on the RE-AKT, you now get the same style block that's part of FlexOrb - which is segmented and allows to conform a bit better to the side of your head. There is still an underlying piece of standard poronXRD which is attached to the shell.

r100fl.jpg

This is how the inner padding looks completely out of the helmet shell.

r100f.jpg

And here's the bare shell, in all its stripped glory. Notice that the adjustments are two-way; so when the lever is disengaged and the helmet is opened, it widens as well as lengthens. The side straps collapse into each other as you bring the helmet in.

r100int.jpg

Do note that this helmet will fit a bit differently from the original RE-AKT. I was in a Medium completely opened in the RE-AKT, which is a 7-7 1/2. In the RE-AKT 100, I'm in a large 1/4 open. It's a deeper-fitting helmet as well.

I'd like to thank Carolyn Steele at Bauer Hockey, who is the Product Line Manager for helmets and facial for providing me the helmet.

I'll conduct a full review of the helmet in the coming weeks. If you have any questions, please ask in this thread.

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I was wondering if you could post a review now after having used the helmet for a while. Specifically the durability of the liner and the overall fit of the helmet width-wise, as it seemed to have some "spring loaded" feel for the pads on the temples when I held them in a store. My main concern would be this part of the helmet feeling looser over time and not being able to maintain that proper contoured fit. Would love to get these if they can fit my head comfortably both length wise and width wise and was concerned if you encountered any changes using them over time besides the normal breaking in of the inner padding. Thank you

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I can't speak to durability, but I can speak to protection. I just bought one of these for my bantam aged daughter, and it was almost prophetic. First game using it she took a nasty hit from behind and went head first into the boards from about 4 feet out. She lay there motionless for about 30 seconds, but got up on her own power. Missed 2-3 shifts and back on the ice. I feel quite confident that the helmet saved her from a concussion and saved her season.

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Any chance you have the update on this helmet? I'm really considering it because it fits my head very well but I'm cautious to spend so much. Any updated information would be helpful.

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Any chance you have the update on this helmet? I'm really considering it because it fits my head very well but I'm cautious to spend so much. Any updated information would be helpful.

in terms of durability, mine is a little over a year old and still looks mint on the inside. No complaints whatsoever about the helmet. I'm trying to sell my current white one right now to get a black one otherwise i would probably say this would stay on my dome for the rest of my foreseeable playing days aha

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I appreciate the response. Really considering it because it fit better than most helmets I've tried. The re-akt felt as though it didn't hold onto my head at all and could easily fall off. This though sat deep and had good points of connection all around. Not sure if the price is worth it though as this would be an exception for me. I'd rather spend the money on ice time to be honest.

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for me, i'd took the money out as a factor. I've also had the helmet for about a year now & it fits me great. it was the best fitting helmet for me & mine shows no signs of deterioration on the inside & the shell is holding up great. the most important factor for me is that it didnt feel like a rock on my head. The comfort level is A1, when i have it on, I don't feel like theres something on my head. odd

for me, i'd took the money out as a factor. I've also had the helmet for about a year now & it fits me great. it was the best fitting helmet for me & mine shows no signs of deterioration on the inside & the shell is holding up great. the most important factor for me is that it didnt feel like a rock on my head. The comfort level is A1, when i have it on, I don't feel like theres something on my head. odd

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I agree on fit. I tried on multiple helmets and this one fit me the best. Sort of hard to not take money out of the equation when you're spending the same amount on a helmet that you did for your skates. But this may just be an investment.

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