Bauer Vapor XXX

[Chadd 916]

open for review

[Bruin88 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX

FLEX: Pro flex 102

CURVE: p102 Jokinen

USER: 5’9’’, 185 lbs, center

BLADE- Its a fairly stiff blade, it felt great right away when I took snap/slap shots, but wrist shots took a little while to get used to (The first two ice times it felt a little weird), but when I did get used to it, it felt great .The response and accuracy was very nice. 9/10

SHAFT/FLEX- The shaft feels very nice in my hands, it has a bit of a concave but it feels a lot better in my hands then an xn10 like concave. The shaft is great, its nice and stiff and very sturdy; many people who have picked my stick up say it feels sturdy and strong. I like how when you shoot you can really feel the response on this stick with snap/slap shots; it feels like every shots a cannon coming off your stick. 9/10

STICKHANDLING/RECEIVING PASSES- this is one of the highlights of this stick, it feels amazing. Passes are very accurate and controlling the speed and height of passes is very easy. Stick handling is great as well; even with the hard blade my hands still feel quite soft. Receiving passes is great too, I was very surprised. I’ve actually stopped hard low wrist shots with this and turned the puck over. Even backhand passes are very accurate, I like to flick backhand passes sometimes and most sticks ive used the puck just flips and lands on its side but not on this stick. 10/10

SHOOTING- This is another highlight of the stick. Slap shots feel noticeably harder and so do wrist shots. As well as speed of shots the accuracy is great too, especially for wrist shots, however wrist shots do take some getting used to (about two ice times for me) 9/10

WEIGHT/BALANCE- Many people have picked my stick up and the first thing they say is “wow it’s so lightâ€. Even though it’s a quite a bit heavier then stealth statistically, it feels a lot lighter because of the great balance. This stick is neither blade nor handle heavy which is good; usually my sticks are blade heavy because I put a very small knob on the end of my stick. 9/10

DURABILITY- I’ve used this stick 11 ice times, 6 of which were games and one of the practices was a scrimmage. I play center and I tend to cross check quite a bit off face-offs and im surprised the stick hasn’t snapped yet. The only problems are the paint chipping and the glue on the plug came off and my stick was rattling and I thought I cracked the inside of the shaft but it was just glue, I suggest you take the glue off right away and just put a small strip of tape on the top to keep it from coming out, it’ll lighten the stick and keep it from rattling in the middle of a game as well (Mine rattled in the middle of the game and I was scared to touch the puck because I thought it was cracked) 8/10

INTANGIBLES- I have to stress the good feel of this stick because it does feel very good. Another great thing is pass accuracy and overall control of giving and receiving passes. The grip feels nice and has held up fine so far it doesn’t even lose grip while wet like the Easton grips.

CONCLUSION- I think I’m going to keep buying vapor XXX’s for a very long time, this is my favorite stick ive ever had and I don’t think this is going to break or crack or anything too soon, it’s very sturdy. This is a great stick if you don’t mind the paint chipping, I personally don’t care because I didn’t buy this stick to look good. Overall ill give this stick a 9/10 because of the glue problem.

[twistoffate19 0]

Vapor XXX

Right Hand

P91- Kovalchuk

87 Flex

I'm 6'2'' 198lbs (shooting forward)

Blade - To me, I couldn't tell the difference between the XX and XXX blades for feel. This one (the XXX) felt a little bit softer, but not the point where it feels bad. I liked it. Really easy to recieve passes, give passes, and feels crisp on shots. Also didn't open up at all on me. 8.5/10

Shaft - This was my first time using an under 100 flex shaft. This to me didnt feel much whippier than my 100 flex Si-Core and 102 Flex XX. There was a noticeable difference in the "snap" effect in my shots. Definately more velocity on wrist shots and snappers. No diff. in slap shots. Stick'Um is perfect. Kind of a "smooth" grip that allows easy hand slippage. Shaft feels strong too. 9/10

Shooting - Like mentioned above I noticed a difference in my wristers and snappers, I think mainly due to the extra whip. They just rocketed right at my target. Perfect accuracy. You can tell when its your fault the shot wasnt on target. Slap shots were no difference though. 9/10

Overall - Although it broke on me on day 33 (stupid 30 day warrenties), it was the 2nd best stick I've ever owned (next to my Vapor XX Stick'Um). If you have the money, yes I'd recommend it, but instead, I'd say to get the Vapor XX Stick'Um. I've had mine for 40 days, and its been a tank.

Overall Rating of Vapor XXX - 9/10

[cougarscaptain87 11]

Vapor XXX

Right hand

102 flex

hossa curve

6'2'' 165 lbs hard shooting forward.

Blade- ive used a ton of OPS and i love this blade. the vapor XX seems to have better feel and control but after a few minutes with the XXX i fell in love. the XXX is the harderst shooting stick i have and i tihnk the blade is the main factor. 9.5/10

Shaft- the 102 flex is a very stiff shaft and thats what i like. on the flex chart it says it is comprable to the 100 easton shaft but i tihnk its closer to 110, maybe 107? the shaft has a really long taper which also helps on the shooting aspect. out of the 7 i own, i have broken 2 in the shaft. 9/10

Shooting- this is where the XXX pulls away from all the competors. As stated before i have used honestly just about every stick out there. the XXX shoots harder then any of the other OPS out there. the long taper combined with the stiff shft and blade makes my shots just fire off the blade accuratly too. 10/10

Durability- overall these sticks have held up very well. i go through a ton of sticks and so far 3 of these have broken. regardless it was in one week of try outs, im not going to hold it against the sticks. tryouts are very rough on sticks and they were all older and have been used and hacked many times. 8/10

Overall- i believe the Bauer Vapor XXX is one of the best sticks on the market right now, if your looking for a new stick with great shots and durability i would go with the XXX.

Overall Score 9.5/10

[cossie 0]

Vapor XXX RH reg (87) flex Hossa

6' 170 lb power forward

usage about 5-7 times a week

After getting sick and tired of breaking through all the Easton si-cores, i decided to switch to the XXX, and it was probably the best decision i've ever made. i was surprised with its all-around value.. durable, great with the puck, etc. This stick really has the whole package. You can take it into the corners to do the dirty work but when you need it to take one timers from the point or to dangle someone its always there for you.

Blade- The feel on this blade is unbelievable, definitely the best of any OPS i've ever had. Hands down 10/10

Shaft- 87 flex shows great strength and I think it's the best (102 being too stiff) Not a whole lot of whip but it's just the way i like it. Very strong yet still flexible enough for all types of shots and all types of players. 9/10

Shooting- The vapor XXX dominates any other stick I have used, easily. being a winger, and spending most of my time around the net, i prefer snap shots/wristers. This stick provides for a great wrist shot. It shows great versatility, and i can use this stick on the point as well, taking one timers on the powerplay.. great for all types of shots 10/10

Durability- I own four of the vapor XXXs and I used one from june through november before it broke, and it was on the blade from taking so many shots. I play pretty much every day and I'm surprised the stick lasted so long. Since then that is the only one of the four that has broke, outstanding durability. 9.5/10

Overall- Personally this is the best one peice I've ever used, and i think it's one of the best on the market, probably only rivaled by the XXX lite.

Overall Score 9.5/10

[dieselbro 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX

77 Mid Flex

P92 Naslund Curve

I'm about 140lbs, 5'9"

Right Wing/Left Wing

Prologue - Broke my adrenaline, and was looking for a suitable replacement. Got a vapor xxx, my first one broke after 35 days, I talked to my LHS and they were able to get me another one free of charge, this review will be on the seconds warranty replacement. Keep in mind that the first one which broke I only used for couple of drop in sessions, and it was clearly a manufacturing defect

Blade - Very solid, and a good size, not to thick and not to thin. I really feel comfortable stickhandling with it.

Passing - Once again great, recieving passes is a breeze, I almost didnt have to cushion passes. Making passes, I needed a couple ice times to get used to however now its just bang on

Shooting - Best part of the stick, myself being a shooting forward not really someone who looks to dangle their way to the net for a chance, I love this stick. Instantly the first shot I took I felt the stick flex, and it did not feel like it was gonna break. Picking corners was no problem. I would have to say my slap shots benefitted the most with this stick, wrist shots were not noticeably better then they were with my adrenaline, snap shots are probably a little better, the sticks kick seemed to help me.

Weight/balance - weighing in at 430grams I was kinda worried but holding it in my hands, I felt compelled to write a letter to NBH saying that they had marked down the wrong weight. Balance is also a high point of this stick

Durability - manufacturing defects aside this stick is a tank, I've been using it for about 5 months and they are only a few paint chips at the bottom. Plus some of the stick um around the corners is peeling. The blade is in perfect condition no cracks, only one skate cut along the face of the blade.

great stick I would highly recommend it.