Height - 6'2" Weight - 215 lbs 15 inch Level of play: Beer Leaguer. Played for one year in 7th grade (1988-1989), and 3 months when I was sophomore in college (1995-1996). So, I have not really had the experience with all of the different evolutions of gear, but I try on what I can out here when I have a chance to see what the other options are for gear. Location: Indonesia (and thus distance to nearest LHS that stocks my size, where I can try things on, is about 10,000 miles +. Special thanks to all the guys here who helped me sort out the details of proper sizes to buy, as most of my gear has been dialed in pretty nicely. As described in various posts of mine, I am overseas, far from an LHS, and thus I have to rely on reviews and sizing estimates to order my gear prior to having it shipped out here. And once I have it, shipping back creates an expense that is prohibitory. I ended up getting 2 pairs of gloves in this model due to my not being sure if I was going to be able to have my gear hauled. So, I saw this in a shop out here, tried them on and loved the fit, so decided I would just ensure that I at least would have gloves. I was fortunate to then have my friend haul the motherload, which included a pair of these inside. Fit - 10/10 Last time I played, there was no such thing as tapered or contoured fit. It was all "traditional fit," so to speak, but since this was the only option, no one even called it that. So, I wore some high cuff Coopers back in the day, rich in negative space at the hand, which I do not like. When I was researching gear and planning my purchases, it seemed that tapered fi would make the most sense- tight in the hands, but loose in the cuff for mobility. These gloves literally fit like a glove in the hand. I love how tight they- really perfect. I have standard hands I suppose we might say; not beefy hands but also not ET type fingers. So, for standard proportioned hands, these will give a nice anatomical wrap in the hand, without limiting mobility in the wrist. My friend says there is one particular angle where wrist mobility is hindered, a certain way of flexing where the cuff gets in the way, and I think I found this one angle, but for me, with my bender style, I cannot say that this one particular semi block gets in the way. For a real slick stickhandler/wrist roller though, maybe it might bother him/her. FWIW, I have tried on a pair of Warrior Franchises out here, and was not impressed with the fit in the hands. I could see how it had a more smooth wrist roll, but the difference is so subtle that I would not minus points from the Vapor APX. All personal preference of course, I just do not like traditional fit/ 4 roll for gloves. Protection: 1/10 I have taken 2 ice pucks off of these gloves- one off the backhand and one off the cuff. I felt neither. Both were just saucer passes that floated, but still, 50 mph ice pucks can hurt if one is not properly outfitted. So, in these mini tests, we have success. No one slashes me, or at least I never feel the slashes if they are. I suspect that there are better choices for those encountering high velocity slapshots (Pro Stock, maybe NXG); but for beer league with mostly fellow benders, these are rather ideal. LATE EDIT: I took an inline puck slapshot to the right thumb last night. I felt it pretty much immediately, even though I took the shot to the glove right where I thought I was fully covered. Here are pics of my thumb, 14 hours later, after ice, anti inflammatory, and some cream: Turns out the thumb block below the Bauer embroidered cuff logo, and the Bauer Vapor APX logo'ed block, is PE insert only, no foam, and so of course the puck found its way there to hit me. And it is a good thing, because if I took an ice puck there, thinking that I had protection and just being (unknowingly) brave, then I would been smashed pretty good, and not so optimistic about a rapid and speedy recovery as I am about this occurrence. It may seem extreme to drop the protection score to a 1, but in this case, I feel like a product is only as good as its weakest link. And if this block of protection cannot even protect me against an inline puck, then I hate to think what would have happened if an ice puck were to have hit me there. Weight - 9.3/10 According to IW, these weigh 297g in 14inch; CCM CL500 weigh in at 272g for same length. I think Easton has a high ender at 14 inch coming in high 260s/low 270s as well. So, not the lightest high end glove, but light regardless. Durability - 10/10 After about 8 ice sessions and 8 inline sessions, rotating 2 pairs, no signs of wear. Each pair of gloves looks good as new, and I sweat like a faucet, so this is significant. I suspect that these gloves will hold up well. I bought these with durability in mind; the black palm has some sort of super durable liner and features, and it is holding up. I have been using Tack Macs, which I also suspect are also helping, and I air dry immediately after each use. Just a random tip that I gathered somewhere, when air drying, hang upside down so that the gravity pulls the water out. Also, don't forget to pull the little flap out. Intangibles - 9/10 I knew that the puck feel would be compromised due to the super durable palm, but this is something that I just figured I would live with. No one counts on me to carry the puck from end to end anyway; if anyone did, then our team would be in trouble!! Personally, I would rather have a compromised puck feel, with gloves that will hold up for a couple of years, than great puck feel, with palms that sport holes. Maybe the puck feel is actually great, but I have dulled senses and it is me lacking puck feel. Most likely, a combination of both. So, a bit of a trade off with these gloves with performance maybe taking a bit of a hit. What sets the scales into the positive are the silver shavings in the palm. Maybe this is gimmicky and just satisfies my psyche, or maybe the silver shavings are actually warding off staph infection. Conclusion These are about as expensive as you can go for retail. For comfort, durability, and hygiene, I think these fit the bill. However, for performance, these may not be the most ideal option. So, if comfort, durability, and hygiene are a priority, with performance still of course being of importance, then these are a great choice. Otherwise, if performance is a higher priority, then the Pro version (or anything with a thinner palm) might be the better option. Overall score - 39.3/50