Nike/Bauer Vapor XXX Lite

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

Open

[Megamandan 0]

Intro: 6' 2" 195Lbs. Midget/Adult hockey.

Stick: Nike/Bauer Vapor XXX Lite Left handed P92 102 flex

Blade: This part of the XXX lite was a supprise to me. The blade is very very stiff. The puck seems to rocket off the blade and the passes are greeted with the blade by a "softer" feel. Almost like a "si-core" but with better response in shooting. I can recieve passes with ease and it's perfect. I have 1 gripe about it though. After 6 games I can tweak the blade a tad and hear a crunch sound. I think the foam is breaking down a bit inside. -8.5/10

Shaft/Flex: It took me about a game to get used to the flex of the stick. Coming directly from an Adrenaline the shaft seemed whippier than a 102 flex. I use stiff and 100 flexes normally. After I got used to playing with it, the feel as the puck comes off the blade on any shot feels like you got all of it. Perfect smooth release, it's a great feeling and the puck just flies off the stick. -9.5/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: Stickhandling is a slight default in this stick IMO. I can feel the puck, but not nearly as well as I could with other OPS'. Nothing EXTREME, but it could be better. Recieving passes, this is the best stick I've ever played with that I can catch passes with. It's like the stick has automatic soft hands. -9/10

Shooting: After getting used to the flex, AWESOME! This thing shoots cannons. You can feel the load and the very smooth follow through the stick gives you. It's given me perfect saucer shots and passes every time. I love the smooth feel of the shot with this stick. -10/10

Weight and balance: When I first picked up the stick I thought it was a tad blade heavy. I messed around with it and after putting my tape knob at the end it was nice and even. The balance was nice, nothing to complain about. -9/10

Durability: I've played 10 games and 7 practices with the stick and so far so good. I've seen and heard a lot of people complain about the durability. For me it's hlding up fine. It's got a skate cut just abouve the blade and the XXX stickers are peeling but I don't care about that. -9/10

Intangebles: The grip on the stick is nice. I usually don't buy grip sticks but it's a softer not so tacky grip. It's nice and soft and I don't mind it. It does peel, but not to a huge extent. 8/10 (PP)

Conclusion: Overall I am VERY pleased with the stick. The shots are nice and the passes are perfect. If you can cough up the $195 I'd go for it, you won't be dissapointed. -OVERALL 9/10

[top 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX-lite

Flex: Regular 87

Curve: Lindros

User: 6'3" 190lbs

Position: left-right wing and sometimes center

Blade: Once i started shooting with the blade it had a very nice feel, very stiff, but i didnt not give out a dead or very loud slap sound when i shot. This blade has incredible feel, i was able to dangle, and the response and acuracy was also at its top shape. 9.5/10

Shaft/Flex: I had my stick for over 3 months now, and it hasnt gotten more flexible then what i first bought it, it is very reponsive, and gives the puck a nice whip when you shoot, the only factor i had to get used to was the weight, in my hands the stick felt very light coming from a Si-Core grip, but a few skates and i was good to go. I really like how the shaft feels in your hand i like the concave shape to it, and it feels pretty sturdy, even thow they had quite a few durabilty problems. 9/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: This is one the best things for this stick, the puck handling and everything else that comes with it. The passes were very sturdy and accurate. I found that the stick felt very hollow, even when cradeling the puck. 8.5/10

Shooting: Wow incredicble, this stick a nice low kickpoint which makes shooting much easier for the player, i found that my snappers and wristers were pretty acurate and hard contrary to my slapshots, they felt weak at first but once i got used to the stick i couldnt ask for anything better. 9/10

Weight/Balance: This is probably the most balanced stick i have ever played with, it is like it was made for me. and as for weight, i like it now, i thought the stealth was way to light, and that some normal OPS were to heavy and this one stands right in the middle, its perfect. 10/10

Durability: For me, i havent had any problems with it, no air line cracks, no signs of anything wrong with it, i cant ask for anything better. I have used the stick for over 3 months now, i have lost track of how many times i was on the ice but forsure 3-4 times a week, and 2 times out of those were shooting practices 10/10

Intagibles: I dont have to worry about this stick, the feel and everything is just perfect, hope to see new improvements to come in the futur

Conclusion: I am gonna keep buying these sticks, there very good even thow there really pricey sticks, but they are worth the extra bucks, i thought i was very sturdy and that i had a very nice shot, i was able to stick handle like you wouldnt beleive, so thats all i need to fall in love with a stick.

Overall: 9/10

[jbyun04 7]

Bauer Vapor XXX Lite

P92 Naslund

77 Med Flex

Blade- WhenI used this stick I noticed the blade was super thin, had amazing feel and was stiff enough for my liking. I also like how the blade doesn't chip as easy as I expected it to. 9.5/10

Shaft and Flex- I'm a big fan of the wheelbarrow handle but this stick needs no wheelbarrow AT ALL. The double concave feels perfect in my hands and with the lite stick'um, it feels awesome. The flex doesn't feel overly whippy but it still feels whippy enough for whip fans out there as the flex is perfect right in the middle. Not too flexy and not too stiff. 10/10

Feel (Passing and Stickhandling) -Beautiful is the word I would use to describe it. The thin blade makes it easier for me to stickhandle. Feel on this stick is phenominal, it's hard to describe it in words. 9/10

Shots - When you first use this stick it takes some adjusting. The blade feels a little dead in your hands the first game or two but once you get used to it, it's great. My slap shots and wrist shots have definately become noticeably faster and harder. 9/10

Weight - Unlike any other super light stick out there like XN10 or Stealth which weighs 395g, this weighs 420g. Now I know there are people out there who are thinking, 'oh no, thats too heavy.' It's not heavy at all. Personally, the Stealth feels way too light for me. The 420g this stick weighs is perfect in a sense that it has perfect balance. It's not heavy in the shaft and it's definately not heavy in the blade. 10/10

Durability - I've had this stick since the end of December and I have to tell you, I thought it was going to break somewhere between the end of January to the mid of February. The stick proved me wrong and has lasted me till now and it's taken it's fair share of beatings. The stick has blocked shots, has been slashed and has even had players and goalies land on it. At this rate I wonder if the blade will wear out to the point I can't use it anymore before it actually breaks. I don't know if I got lucky or if I am one of the lucky few that got a more reliable one of the XXX Lites because there have been quite a few cases where people on this board have broken one in a matter of weeks or even days. It's a risk you take when you buy the stick, but then again thats the risk you take with the other OPS out on the market too with the exception of some. 9/10

Intangibles - So far this stick has excelled in all of it's departments and I don't have any complaints except for it costing so much to buy. The grip is still there and the decals remain in fair condition.

Conclusion - Stick looks great, feels great, shoots great and is just plain great. Sure it gets marks easy but thats because its white. I will probably get suckered in to shelling out the big bucks to get another or I may give other sticks a shot. It's been great for me and hopefully will continue to be. 9.4/10

Addition: If anyone cares, my XXX Lite is still alive since December and it's not even the NikeBauer one. Also, NikeBauer one snapped easier for me than the Bauer one did. On my 3rd XXX Lite but this one is an iD version.

Update: On the iD version it looks like they put an extra kind of laminate on the blade because there's something peeling on my blade. I guess it explains why the NikeBauer logo on the blade doesn't peel off like on the retail ones. (Maybe an assumption, the last NBH XXX Lite that I had, the logo peeled off awfully easy but I don't know if they did anything to it recently or if it's just a thing for the iD sticks)

Update 2: I guess the durability gets worse for me.

1st one lasted me 1 year and then some, 2nd one lasted me 8 months, 3rd one (iD) lasted me about 5 months and my Kyle Turris Pro Stock lasted me 2 games.

Edited June 5, 2008 by jbyun04

[Scurvy 3]

2006 Nike Bauer Vapor XXX Lite

Int. (70-72 flex after cutting)

P92 Naslund

Other sticks used: Easton Ultra Lite, CCM Vector 100, TPS Response Plus, Easton Synergy SL, CNT Stealth Grip, Warrior Dolomite, Nike Bauer One90, Easton Synergy SE

Initial impressions:

On the ice, I have to admit that the stick'um takes a little getting used to. However, after 5 minutes of warm-up with it, it was very easy to use and is a very nice feature. The lite stick'um allows for hand movement without your hand being completely glued in place. This helps especially in making precise adjustments in stick handling and shooting.

Blade:

With 3 carbon fiber layers in the blade, puck feel is supposed to be improved. After using the stick, I can conclude that the puck feel is incredible. The feel is very smooth and I didn't encounter any vibration when stick handling. While being a very stiff and thin blade, the XXX Lite's blade seems to have a dampening system. 10/10

Stick handling / Receiving Passes:

Stick handling with this stick is a breeze. Since puck handling is a staple of my game, I'm very pleased with the XXX Lite's feel and puck handling ability over that of my Response Plus. The feel also helps greatly when receiving passes. With the balance of a stiff blade and dampening system, the stick almost catches passes for you and makes stick handling that much easier. 9.5/10

Passing / Shooting:

Nike Bauer advertised the Lite as being a TRUE one-piece stick and having the lowest kick point of any stick. In theory, this should result in an amazing release and velocity. Being a finesse player, I was curious to see how my wrist and snap shots would be affected. When put to the test, the XXX Lite truly amazes. I was able to feel the quick, smooth release of the stick and my wrist and snap shots were noticeably harder and more accurate. With this stick, I can pick corners more easily and shoot low and hard shots. In terms of passing, passes are very accurate, hard, and saucer passing is easy. This may be mental, but the stick has helped my passing. After shooting and passing with this stick, it is obvious that it's far superior than my TPS. However, this stick will not turn you into a superstar. If you are unable to shoot, you will not be able to utilize this stick to its full potential. 10/10

Weight:

By any standards, this stick is light. It isn't as light as a Stealth but it isn't a brick either. It has a nice balance to it so it doesn't feel blade heavy like other lightweight composites (Synergy SL, price point sticks etc.). 10/10

Durability:

I've had this stick since the middle of November and it is still going strong. In that time, I was on the ice about 4-5 times a week. Aside from the paint chipping, a small part of the toe has chipped. However, this does not affect the stick's overall performance. I'll update this section as time progresses. 9/10

**Update**

May 14, 2007

The durability has far surpassed my expectations. My XXX Lite is alive and well (fingers crossed) after roughly 6 and a half months of games and practices. Over this time span, a lot of the paint has chipped off and the toe chipping has gotten bigger. However, the stick still has the same grip and blade stiffness. After experimenting with some different sticks, the XXX Lite is my personal favourite. When it eventually breaks, I may begin stockpiling them as they have been discontinued in anticipation of the XXXX.

March 19, 2008

I sold the stick quite a long time ago. It was still in one piece and very usable as the blade was still relatively stiff.

Conclusion

All in all, the XXX Lite has lived up to my expectations and backs up the hype. It is an extremely high-performance stick that can be used at all levels up to the NHL. However, if you buy this stick, be careful with it to prolong its durability. At a whopping price of $200, it is obvious to take care of the stick. If you are looking for arguably the highest performing stick on the market, buy it. However, be wary of its price and unknown durability. 9.5/10 (PP)

Edited March 20, 2008 by Scurvy

[BK 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX Lite.

Flex: 87

Curve: p106

User: 5'11" 275lb

Position: Defense

Blade: Nice blade. I wish it was a little thinner but I guess you have to sacrifice some things for good feel. I haven't experienced any cracking and it only has a few chips in the heel from my sloppy slapshot. 8/10

Shaft/Flex: This is the weird part. Its a little stiffer than my whip RLxn10, but it has a completely different feel in the flex. It feels nice on my wrister loadups but has a little more resistance in my slapshots. It feels more "solid" than any other stick I have used. Its hard to explain but its like different baseball bats. When you use a cheap bat, you feel it in your hands when you make contact. I get that feeling on this shaft when I take slapshots. The vibrations go up and it translates to better "feel" on contact, but I wish it had a little less "shock". On slapshots it's not very forgiving unless I put a little more weight into the shaft (probably due to the flex being a little stiffer than what I'm used to). Other than that, the puck feel travels nicely up the shaft. 7.5/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: I love receiving passes on this stick. The puck almost absorbs into the blade. Passing is nice too but that is more of the blade pattern. Stickhandling is above par but nothing to rave about. 8.5/10

Shooting: As I have mentioned above, this stick has a lot of feedback that goes to your hands. It shoots nicely, but I have to focus on my shots a little more instead of just taking the shot like with my other sticks. I am not going to rate this part because I feel the problem is in my choice of flex and is not the stick's fault.

Weight/Balance: This is what makes the xxx lite such a nice stick. After I clipped of about 1/2" and put my tape on, it was perfectly balanced. It doesn't feel its weight (feels a little heavier) but that is a GOOD thing. The weight that is there makes the stick feel substantial, but not "heavy". The stick is lightweight but because of the awesome balance, it doesn't feel too light either. 10/10

Durability: I have only had it for about 3 months with 1-2 ice times a week. So far its held up with exceptions to a few chips in the heel, but thats expected. 10/10

Intagibles: I am very fond of the grip. I had to candystripe some of my other sticks to get that light grip feel. The stickers are pretty much toast. I wish they would have painted the stick instead of using stickers. My grip isn't peeling off yet like some of the other reviews have said. 8/10

Conclusion: So far, this stick has been great. I had high expectations when I bought it and it has met all but a few.

Overall: 8.5/10

Update March 26.

Almost a year later and I finally break it on a slapshot. It snapped on the "P" in vapor. Seems to be a common place to break from what I have read.

Edited March 26, 2008 by BK

[604bullet 0]

Intro: 5' 5" 115 Lbs. Roller hockey

Stick: Nike/Bauer Vapor XXX Lite Righ handed P92 77 flex (cut short about 2 inches)

Other sticks used: CCM Vector 8.0 & Warrior Dolomite

Blade: The blade is very stiff and thin. I have a feel for the puck alot with this stick. With the think foam streamline core, the puck just rockets off the face. no vibration at all when shooting. 10/10

Shaft/Flex: Since i'm a short player, i had to cut the stick down about 2 inches so it would fit me properly. I didn't want to go witht he intermediate 67 flex stick because the shaft size is a bit smaller and it just didn't feel right in my hands with the gloves on. I find the stick to be very snappy, which I like, especially when taking wrist shots and snap shots. I really noticed that my wrist shots got harder and were more acurate. 9.5/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: Again, stick handling is very simple, thanks to the feel of the puck on the blade. Even though the puck for roller hockey is lighter, I'm still able to feel the puck as i stick handle. receiving passes was excellent, not a whole lot of vibration in the stick which I really really like. If you're a player with soft hand, this is the stick for you. 10/10

Shooting: The best stick for shooting I have ever used, wrist shots just rocket toward the net. As said earlier, I noticed my shots being harder/faster and were more accurate that any stick I have ever used. Very snappy stick, excellent for wrist shots. If you're the type of player with a quick release, this stick is perfect. 10/10

Weight and balance: When I first picked up the stick I was shocked to notice how light this really was. The balance was nice, nothing to complain about. 9/10

Durability: I've gone a full season and half with this stick until a scrimmage about a month ago. My teammate had slashed my stick as I was playing along the boards, he hit the stick where the shaft and blade meet and it cracked and is starting to snap off. It was a pretty bad slash so I guess he just hit it in the wrong spot. I don't see this happening if it was just normal play. The finish on the stick tends to chip off with stick on stick play, I don't mind. But the stick is just so beautiful IMO. 9/10

Intangebles: The grip on the stick is nice, not too tacky. As stated above it does peel, but it's not my biggest concern. 8/10

Conclusion: Overall I am extremely pleased with the stick. The shots are nice hard toward the net and the passes are crisp and are to the target. Stick is obviously a bit pricey ($280 CAD, but I got mine for $159 USD), but you get what you pay for. OVERALL RATING 9/10

[big_bt 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX Lite

P91 - Pro Stock Lucic

102 - Flex

Blade - A very nice and stiff blade. I loved the feel I had with this blade. Nice and responsive I didn't loose the feel for the puck while stick handling at all. Very nice blade.

9.5/10

Shaft and Flex - I really like the Nike Bauer feel for sticks. Compared to some of the other Easton sticks that I have used this one fits nicely into my hands. The stick'um is definitely one of my favorite grips out there. The flex was stiff but I am a big guy and put a lot of mustard into my shots. This stick has a super low kick point thus making it really responsive when you shoot. Been using it for a while not and the flex is still consistent no noodling.

10/10

Stick Handling / Passing - I have to admit this was my favorite stick to stick handle with. I could feel the puck the whole time when I had the puck and made some sick saucers with this thing. Receiving passes is pretty much on the user, if you have bricks for hands expect the puck to bounce off the blade. But cradle it a bit and you're good.

9.5/10

Shots - I was rocketing slappers like no tomorrow with this stick. Snappers are super super quick but that could just be me. But I was bombing the goalie with slaps with ease, it seemed to just fly off the blade. Unreal.

9.5/10

Weight - This was a pretty light stick, coming off an Easton ST which is heavier you can automatically feel the difference. The balance was pretty good didn't pay much attention to that. Not much to say here.

10/10

Durability - Ive heard of horror stories regarding durability. Being a d-man you kinda think these things through before purchasing it. You don't want a stick to break on you after blocking a shot on a 5 on 3 PK. But hey it was a prostock and I got it pretty cheap so I took the chance. Lucky for me it is still going strong. Been almost 2 months now and the paint of the XXX has come off and what not but other than that still immaculate and I play about 3 times a week. So far so good for me. But I have witnessed some brutal breakage of this stick, guys receiving passes on their back hands and the blade exploding. I even saw this breakage when this guy tried to make a hard pass and the shaft broke. Totally sketch.

9/10

Intangibles - Other than paint chipping on the XXX its fine. Grip + Flex still good.

Conclusion - Easily one of my favorite sticks right now. Looks sick, performs sick. Definitely recommend this twig to those who haven't gotten the chance to try it yet. Pick and it up and it'll surprise you. Only good things to come from this stick.

9.5/10

[Abbieshockey20 1]

Nike bauer vapor XXX lite

67 flex p92 Naslund

Position: Center

5'7 140 pounds

On the ice 3+ times a week

Blade: The blade is very thin and lively. It took some adjusting because of the livelyness, but aside from that, the blade feel is good. The blade is also very stiff, and it remained stiff for it's entire use. 9/10

Shaft/flex: I absolutely loved the feel of this shaft. It has a slight concave and is quite thin. I loved the grip coating too, it was sticky but not too sticky. The flex was great too, it was very whippy but I like it that way. Very smooth flex while shooting. 10/10

Stickhandling/receiving passes: As I mentioned above the blade is quite lively so receiving passes was a bit tricky to start, but I adjusted quite easily. Stickhandling was no problem, although the blade is lively, it has great feel to it. 9.5/10

Shooting: By far the best quality of this stick. Shots just fly off the blade. The stick is very whippy, but doesn't torque much at all. Shots were consistently hard and accurate. 10/10

Weight and balance: This stick is extremely light and balanced. Not blade heavy or top heavy at all. No complaints at all here. 10/10

Durability: In my opinion this is the only downfall of the stick. I broke two of these in less than 3 months. Both broke about 3-5" above the hosel, right in the middle of "vapor". The XXX lites I had were from the first run and I've heard that most of the durability issues have been resolved though. 6/10

Intangibles: Personally I like the look of the stick, minus the lime green X's. I would have prefered a different color, but it's not a big deal to me. Also, the grip peeled very easily but I didn't mind. I actually liked the grip better after most of it peeled off. 10/10

Conclusion: This is probably my favorite stick that I've ever used (either this or the dolomite). I loved everything about this stick, minus the durability issues. Keep in mind this stick was from the first run of XXX lites and I've heard that the durability issues have been resolved for the most part. 9/10

[trained_seal 0]

Bauer Vapor XXX lite

P106 Curve, 87 Flex

Blade: Puck feel is great, better than the One90 I bought to replace it, in my opinion. Blade was stiff, even after months of use, a while in the garage, and a few more months of use blade had only softened a little...10/10

Shaft/flex: I chopped about an inch a half/inch and three quarters off, so it was probably about a low 90s flex. Good range for me. Flex felt consistent. Shaft dimensions felt good, and Bauer/NBH has the best grip. I find most grip too much, but Stick'um has always suited me...10/10

Stickhandling/Passing: Stickhandling was good, passes came off with enough force, nothing outstanding, but solid nonetheless...9/10

Shooting: Excellent pop, shooting is definitely this stick's highlight. Important to me at least, all the shots feel comfortable, I don't feel I have to force anything, if anyone knows what that means...10/10

Weight and balance: Stick is very light, very evenly balanced, no complaints here...10/10

Durability: I'd say this is the only hang-up to this stick. I've had mixed results with this stick. I've used three of these, two broke after 3-6 months, yet this last has gone over a year. So mixed results here, but still a worry...7/10

Intangibles: Still one of the best looking sticks out there. Shame they stopped making them...10/10

Conclusion: I've used more of these sticks than any other stick, overall I've been very happy. Sharp looking stick with some solid performance to back it up. Only slight durability concerns, but Bauer hit the nail on the head, as they say...9/10