Bauer Vapor X

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

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[jbyun04 7]

Product - Bauer Vapor X Gloves

Fit - These are tighter fitting than the Vapor XXX's as they aren't as wide which is fine by me. As I mentioned in the XXX review, I'm down with any type of fit as long as it doesn't have an annoying thumb getting in the way of the index finger. There was a slight discomfort in the glove when I got them however, in the index finger theres some sort of liner to make your finger feel more comfortable. That somehow got twisted around and would never stay in it's place so that was a little negative point for me. 9/10

Weight - Since it has no poly inserts of plastic inserts it's pretty light. It's basically all foam, shell and the palm that make up the weight but like I said, its light. 10/10

Mobility - When you try this on in the store it feels really nice. After the first few games, when you try it on it's rock hard. Don't worry though, thats just the pigskin palm. As you progress through your game the sweat will soften it up and it'll be soft and smooth again, only until your done that is. Same thing as XV, XX and XXX. It features 3 piece index and 2 piece fingers but not flexlock thumb. 8.5/10

Protection - Ouch, my thumb! I took a few falls in some of my games and some of them were just tiny falls but somehow my thumb started to ache. I've had numerous thumb problems with these gloves but the remainder of the hand stayed fine. 7.5/10

Durability - Since I used the Black/Black model you never really noticed any wear and tear on the glove. I didn't have any rips or scuffs on the glove. The only part that did wear out was the palm but even still, the palm wore out very slowly. 9/10

Intangibles - Well, these were my 2nd pair of gloves since starting hockey. The only reason I got these was because I badly needed an upgrade over my Hespeler GX200s. The $89.99 CDN price tag is a good price for the glove but there are other SMU products that are basically the same glove with better features for the same price. After losing one glove at the rink after a Stick & Puck session, truth be told I didn't miss it too much. Don't get me wrong though, it's a good glove and I'd freely recommend it to anyone whos looking for a decent glove with a durable palm.

Conclusion - I didn't regret losing them and I didn't regret buying them.

Final Score - 8.8/10