Easton Pro 10 vs Bauer Nexus 8000/9000 opinions - shoulders and pants

[Jrmy_1 1]

Been looking for shoulders and pants.  Been reading on the Pro 10 and Nexus 8000 line.  I'm not able to see these in person so asking the group.  Using for d\c beer league play but also mild contact pond hockey, I'm 6', 230 lbs and will fall a lot too.  I get hot so looking for good ventilation but don't want to skimp on protection.

Do the Easton's padding provide sufficient protection?  How do they compare to the Bauer?  I like the perforations in the Easton padding, seems like more ventilation, but is the padding thick enough in the shoulders? How bout the pants?  The Bauer's have a plastic molded shoulder cap but the Easton's are smaller and are dual layer foam with not plastic cap.  The Easton's have a plastic spine insert but the Bauer's don't.

How bout the Nexus 9000 vs the 8000? 

I can get the Easton's and 8000 for about the same price but the 9000s for about $30 more.  What would you recommend for ample padding where needed but sufficient mobility and ventilation?

 

J

[tpedersen3118 58]

Both lines are more of a traditional fit and bulk in my opinion.  You are not a small guy, I would look at the Vapor, Supreme, or Tacks line. More fitting with out the extra bulk and ample protection. I wear the Vapor X100 and they are perfect. If you can find them on sale OR the new X900, I think you will be good to go.

as far as pants, I wear the nexus 800 and they are great, - more traditional fit and wht I have been accustomed to. I would think the 8k or 9k would be the same.

[nicker87 47]

I've used both the Easton Pro 15 and Bauer Nexus 1000(previous model) pants, the Eastons were hands down more protective. I know these arnt the exact models your are looking at but will have a pretty similar build. 

The Eastons were absolute tanks! Thick durable shell, thick padding everywhere, but with that it added some weight but were still pretty light. They also have the adjustable length options for 1 or 2 inches which is nice, I'm 6'3" 230 and was wearing a medium that was pretty much maxed out so I'd definitely suggest a large for you. 

I liked the Bauers but was looking for a little more padding in some spots like where the tailbone and hip pads are. They were definitely the lighter of the two and offered great mobility. I had them in a size large and found them to be a tad big in the waist, Bauer listed them as 34-38 if I recall. The outter shell of the Nexus didn't seem as durable as the Eastons, I felt like I could get a lifetime from the Eastons and maybe 5 years from the Bauer( I play non contact, but 3 times a week). 

 

 

[Ps12 11]

I bought the Easton pro 10 and I don't feel very protected in them. I haven't worn them on the ice and just don't feel comfortable about their protective qualities with them compared to my other choices  I will try them out when it's warmer in the summer for open hockey  but even then I've usually gone with the Easton hsx  

 

I currently use Easton eq50 shoulders which are extremely protective.  The pro 10s have good chest and back protection around the heart and spine areas but everywhere else on the chest and back feels lacking. 

I bought them because they have the rib wrap.  Plus pints for rib protection. It's adjustable but feels a bit bulky and found that I might get my arms sorta hindered by them when stick handling.  Maybe not a big deal on the ice but felt conscious about it just wearing it. 

So if I had a choice between the pro 10 and the Bauer 8000 I would go with the Bauer.  Their cap design looks similar to the eq50. Not the same but very similar.  Right now I keep using the eq50s and have had no complaints about the protection  I like the shoulder cap design and their rib wrap and have taken hits there that I feel a different shoulder pad would have left me with more serious injuries  

 

[Jrmy_1 1]

Thanks for all the quick responses!  Great feedback.

[Jrmy_1 1]

Weird how some reviews says the pro 10 shoulders seem very protective and others not so much.  How's the padding thickness?  Also, how is ventilation compared to other pads nexus, etc?

[Ps12 11]

8 hours ago, Jrmy_1 said:

Weird how some reviews says the pro 10 shoulders seem very protective and others not so much.  How's the padding thickness?  Also, how is ventilation compared to other pads nexus, etc?

I thought the pro10 would be extremely protective. I bought into the idea that this is extremely protective. The padding where the hd foam is used is protective but the padding is very thin where that isn't used. If you look at side by side photos of the hsx vs the pro10 you will see that the hsx seems to cover a larger area.  With that said the thin padding in the pro10 where the hdfoam is not used is perforated. I feel this is a very light and airy pad. Perfect for summertime use but based on my playing style, I don't feel comfortable wearing it for league games. 

I can't comment on comparisons of ventilation between this and the nexus.  

 

 

[Jrmy_1 1]

Yeah, that's what I thought by looking at pics too, thanks for replying!  Greatly appreciated.  I'll drop the pro 10 from the list.