Bauer Vapor APX2 Skate

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

I FINALLY got to skate in these for the first time - after all of these months, with the move and new position with Total Hockey, free time was at a premium.

Lacing them up in the room, they felt pretty good, as they did after I baked them. However, the true test was going to be on the ice.

They are stiff. Really stiff. Which is okay, as I am liking a stiff boot nowadays. Heel was pretty locked in and I had a little pressure there, and a little on the right midfoot, but for all intents and purposes, it was a successful first skate.

The holder, on the other hand, is going to take a while for me to get used to. Not that it's bad, but that it's different - and I made a mistake with the radius I did on them. I normally skate Supremes and those skates come with a 288mm holder and I had success with an 11' on it, however, this is 296 and they feel too long - and so my turning radius felt a bit shaky - as in the skate wants to turn quickly, but there's still blade on the ice so it was a bit counterproductive. I'm going to keep it on for another couple of skates and if it doesn't improve I may drop down to 9'.

One thing that I took away from this was after I was done. Now, people who have skated with me know that after I take my skates off, I'm usually near tears - my feet swell under the outer mid-foot and I can barely walk for about 5 minutes. This has been the only skate I have worn in which this didn't happen, and that's really exciting for me. I was shocked, to be completely honest.

No hotspots, no painful pressure at all. It's going to be a work in progress, but this is a completely different feeling from previous skates I've worn.

Any questions, direct to the Initial Thoughts thread I have going in the Ice Equipment forum.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

After my first skate with them, I knew I had to correct the profile, so I took it back to the shop and put a 9' on them.

Skated in them at SummerJam but I think that the LS EDGE/LS3 combination is just a bit too tall for me. Luckily, I brought the Fusion runners I also profiled with me...

I tried doing it in the locker room, but without a tool, it's tough as hell to get that steel out. Luckily Rob at Bauer had one.

After that, skate felt great. I think I need to tinker with the tongues a little bit, but all in all, it's been a very good experience. Boots are very stiff, but I'm okay with that.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

I haven't updated this in a while, but I've been skating in them regularly since August.

Things are good and they really feel good on my feet, but to be completely honest, I feel as if something is missing. And what that is, is what I feel in a Supreme skate.

My next go around is going to be with my Supremes, and after that, I should be able to wrap up this review.

[JR Boucicaut 3802]

Been on the Supremes since then and my thoughts are indeed that - I feel as if I can do much more on them because of the increased range of motion. However, comfort-wise, the APX2 beats it as I fall on the tight side on Supreme.