Bauer Supreme One80 TGC Spec Pads

[planegoalie 0]

Hi all,

This is my first time doing a review. I was only able to find one other review on here so I figure that I will though my 2cents out here. I will keep adding posts as I use them and report the status.

Product: Bauer One80 TCG (The Goalie Crease) Spec. 36'+1 $699 CDN

A little Background :

I got back into playing after 8 years hockey free. Having only a pair of old standup DR pads I needed new pads to get in the game. Thanks to the guys at TGC I got an awesome deal on a pair of RBK Xpulse Pro Specs 35+1. At this piont i just wanted back on the ice, and had not played a butterfly style at all.

Fast Fwd 7 months and I am playing hockey like i never thought I would. Call me a junkie or what you may, I am just loving every minute of being back in the net. The more and more I play, the more "butterfly style" I would get. I now consider me a butterfly goalie. Learning slides, pushes, and the butterfly itself has been a hoot. With all this butterfly talk I started to realize that my pads might be hindering me a little. What got me back in the game was fine then, but... I was noticing some issues.

1. My pads were a little small on me and i could never seal up the Five hole. Even when my knees were squezzed together there was simply not enough pad at the thigh rise. I needed at least 2 more inches on these pads.

2. Sliding was pretty hard. I can Slide in them, but the pad (due to its design) always wants to crumple fwd as its soft, transfering the engery downward, instead of being stiff and rigid.

3. They are SOFT. I want a harder pad and these are the totaly opposite. If you like a true Hybrid pad thats soft buy these off me. Also they shrunk a bit.

The comparison.

Why Bauer One80's?

I cant afford $1500 for a set of 100's or any top Pro gear right now. Also, i know that in 3 years I'll want something else. The higher end import stuff made by the large companies are very good for the $$. I narrowed down my search to either the Reebok Revoke 9000s, Reebok Premire 9K's, and the Bauer One 80's.

After trying on all different pads, the Bauers felt way better on my leg than anything else. There was nothing I didn't like. I couldn't belive it. I also think (IMHO) they are better made than the Reeboks since RBK has 4 products and Bauer has 3. More can go into 3 than 4.

What I Wanted in new Pads.

Flat Front, Easy to slide in, Hard, and to seal up my five hole.

Close Up Look:

Here is a difference between the 100 and the 80. The blue weave is stitched with two seperate peices of Jenpro, but the solid blue part is a graphic thats been screened on and accented with stitching. Not bad.

Outboard Side

Notice that all Flex point arrows (blue) are blue. That is the "soft" often as Bauer calls it. In RBK lingo it would be thier Turco or Double break. The Bauer pads have internal breaks. Most PRO's you with these pads have no breaks. I am not Lundqvist. They bend just like any pad but you dont see this. I love this design.

There are 5 straps with 6 locations. You can adjust it however you like. I preffer keeping the top art loose. The Logo on the side is stitched.

The leg channel is pretty deep. I like this a lot. I found the RBK's a little to loose. The calf wing is there, but no where near as cumbersome as my old pads. I love this toe tie. I think its a neat idea. It's just around the same length as how i'd normally knot the laces. This way i dont need to tie knots. Its very flexible and rotates fine.

The knee lock on the TGC spec is stitched in. This is a big plus for me and a selling feature. It gets rid of alot of velcro for stuff to get caught on. It also fits my perfectly. I am 6ft tall and its spot on.

I am a Thigh wrap guy. My pants have no knee prtection and i hate every knee pad i have ever used. Bauer really thought about this wrap. The main part can be molded right around your leg and is attached with a velco wrap, that loops back through itself, making a nice tight and neat fit. There is also a little velcro stap that keeps the knee corners inplace. After skating with it for 1hr, it was fine. It can all be removed by un lacing the wrap fom the middle of the pad.

My only pet peeve is that the lace points are only in the middle. A Brians thigh wrap (awesome) woul not be able to be fully laced in. Still, due to the closer of my five hole, very few shots will hit my knees, unlike my RBK's.

First Conclusion:

I went to a free skate and figured out the straping and skated in them for 1hr. I am so happy with them. They close up perfetly, slide great, and are rock hard. I'll have my first game in them tomorrow and try to take some more pics. I will definately follow up this review.

I didnt want to downgrade at first, as my old pads are Canadian made pro stuff. That said I am more than happy with the quality of these pads. Lets see how they hold up to 3-5 games a week.

Hope it helps.