Bauer Supreme TotalONE

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Foot spec - Wide forefoot, wide heel, small arch

Last skate worn - Nike/Bauer Supreme ONE95

Size - 10.5D

I have tested Supreme skates for Bauer since 2004 - from 8090 to ONE90 to ONE95 and now TotalONE.

Length of review - since December 2009

Now to the details -

Fit -

The TotalONE's pattern is identical to the ONE95, however the eyelet orientation is a bit different up top as the eyelets are lowered.

Width was a bit different though - I have bumps on my ball of my foot because the ONE95 was a bit narrow in the toebox area and to this day (especially on the right skate) feels a bit too narrow. I'm not experiencing this on the TotalONE.

Initial try-on felt very good - something I hadn't experienced before - it felt like I didn't have to bake the skate. But of course, I followed the baking procedure - 200 degrees for 2.5 min, one skate at a time. (After the first skate and the troubles I had with it, trust me, I heard it..."You said that they felt so good, then you skated and ditched them after a shift?"

I swapped the stock insoles out for my custom Superfeet that were in my previous skates.

I had problems on the initial skate which is chronicled in my LTR - the solution was a rebake and natural break-in (about 8 skates) after that to get my heel settled - it had a tendency to slip out and jam my foot forward.

The liner in the skate is a bit different than previous Supreme skates - they have moved on to a cloth liner. It isn't the Gripliner of Vapors past - it is in fact, very comfortable

9.5/10 (marked down for initial heel slip)

Performance -

Must admit - this skate started out with high expectations coming from ONE95, as you would think that going up into another cycle would mean an improvement. As stated before, the ONE95 was no slouch - it had been the best-performing skate I had been in at that point. There was a bit of a problem - the skate felt sluggish and soft. It was uncanny - I would take a stride and during the initial skates it just did not feel like my ONE95s did out of the box - that "on-rails" feeling. Not to mention I was getting excruciating pain on the top of my foot from the onset. It was strange as I did not feel it while lacing up, nor walking to the ice. However, after the first stride, it hurt. BAD. (Now you would think I would have mentioned this in the fit part, but you'll understand why I didn't.) I emailed Chris Langevin at Bauer and explained to him what was going on. After going back and forth with him on the subject, I told him that I had an idea on what it could be.

Now, when I was shipped the skate, it only came with a Medium stiffness Reflex insert. I asked him to send me an X-Stiff insert, and we would re-evaluate the situation after that. That first skate - whatever I felt with the ONE95, was amplified. The combination between the tongue and the tendon guard improved my skating ability to the point that teammates were noticing. I felt stronger in my stride, and very strong in transitions and "power" situations (starts/crossovers.)

10/10 - (normally I would deduct for the problems I had, but since the finalized skate comes with 3 stiffness packages, it is merely a situation of finding your optimal stiffness)

Blade/Holder -

The skate comes with a LS2 holder and the new LS Fusion steel. For sharpeners, there isn't a learning curve with sharpening it - it feels the same as a regular LS2 runner on the wheel. As I have done since I've reviewed the 8090 (first Lightspeed experience) I went to a 3mm heel lift on the skate, something I've done with the 80/90 and ONE90. My only issue is that the skate came with a 288mm holder AGAIN. I don't know - I understood why it was on the ONE90 and ONE95 as it had the longer steel, but I would've preferred a 296.

9/10 (-2 wrong size, +1 LS Fusion)

Weight-

Best in class. The combination of a slightly lighter boot (from ONE95) and the reduced weight in steel, it is quite noticeable on ice.

10/10

Protection -

As with the ONE95, I referenced to the puck cannon video. I don't stand in front of shots. EV-ER.

9/10

Durability -

For my second non-Canadian-made skate (all of my previous Bauers were made in Canada except for 8090) my pair seems to be well-made. Stitching is spot-on, mount is spot-on, no loose threads or anything. Other than scuff marks and toecap abrasions, they are holding up very well.

10/10

Conclusion -

It is funny - around this time last go-around, I was forewarned - "If you like the ONE95, wait til you see what we have coming up around Vancouver 2010." That statement was made to me 2 years ago. Needless to say, they have improved on the concept.

I realize there is an 800 lb. gorilla in this thread. Understand that this is unchartered territory - never have we had a non-custom skate on the market at this price. It will be very interesting to see how it is received by the masses. However in this day and age, if you want performance, you will have to pay for it. It isn't an indication on the company's philosophy or anything like that - the technology is evolving. They have been making a standalone Supreme skate for the past 5 years (3 skate cycles). It is a serious skate with a story that you can feel.

Overall - 57.5/60 = 9.5/10

Shout-Outs -

Once again, must thank the guys in St-Jerome for supplying me with a pair. As with every manufacturer, I've always had an excellent rapport with them and our discussions and feedback I have provided to them has been warmly received.

Please address any questions you may have in my Initial Thoughts thread.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Totally forgot to mention this -

I had talked about LS Fusion on a sharpener's standpoint. I forgot to mention that I did profile the steel, and the process wasn't anything different than with regular steel; it didn't affect the bond between the aluminum and stainless steel. As with all steel, minimum heat is best when profiling.