Bauer Vapor ADV

[GoalForFun 176]

About Me

 

Height: 5’10”

 

Weight: 150 lbs

 

Shoots: Left

I've been playing hockey since I was 7 with roller and started ice when I was 11. I've played as high as midget AAA but was a career AA player at best, along with high school varsity hockey in New Jersey. I've used many sticks throughout my time on the ice. To give you an idea of what I have to compare the ADV to, I've used:

• Nike Bauer Vapor XXX Lite
• TPS Response R8
• RBK 7K SicKick
• Easton Synergy SL
• Easton Stealth CNT
• CCM pro stock with XX-stiff blade
• TRUE A6.0 SBP (pro stock)
• Bauer APX2

I went out and bought the ADV on release day and since then have used it for about 12 on-ice hours total so I think that's enough hours to write a decent preliminary review.

Blade/Receiving Passes - 5/10

I. Do. Not. Like. This. Blade. At. All.  I get very little puck-feel feedback which makes heads-up stickhandling that much more difficult.  What this blade does have going for it is that it is unbelievably light and it is pretty lively and crisp, but it's pretty easy to receive a pass so this stick gets points for that.

Shaft/Flex – 7/10

I really like the lightness of shaft. I also appreciate the lighter Griptac than found on many other Bauer sticks.  I vastly prefer clear finish sticks to grip and this was a nice middle ground that still let me move my lower hand on the shaft with relative ease.  I used to be a fan of the Vapor shaft dimensions but recently I've been finding myself preferring the '17 Nexus shaft shape instead.  I'll discuss the "flex" of the shaft more in the shooting section.

Stickhandling – 6/10

In terms of stickhandling, no stick is going to make me have moves that are better than your average toddler.  And coupled with the lackluster blade feel, stickhandling with this stick as far as the feel aspect was pretty difficult.  However, the lightness of the shaft and blade made motions much quicker and easier.  But I felt that my A6.0 ABP, CCM pro stock, and Vapor APX2 sticks had much better blade feel and feedback.

Shooting – 7/10

Coupled with the lightness and low kick of this stick, getting off shots has never been easier or faster.  If I so much as just think about shooting, the puck is already going where I want it to.  However, going back to the blade feel woes, the stick does not want to tell you when you've rocketed a shot off or when you've chipped a flubber.  All shot types feel the same with this stick which is bad because you won't be able to alter your shot selection or motion based on feel of the puck on your blade and how the stick recoils.  Feedback is a very crucial part of how a stick plays to me so to not have that feedback is a minus.

Weight and Balance – 10/10

This is the lightest stick I've ever used. Period. And since the blade is so light the balance point is moved up in the shaft which feels good. My normal stick is a A6.0 SBP which is by no means a block of wood and the ADV makes it feel like a midrange stick rather than a top of the line twig.  So this stick scores points for that aspect.

Durability – "10/10"

I've gotten a couple of stick-play chops but no one has given me a good two-hander (yet) and the stick has held up nice.  I even jammed the stick into the skates of a guy (on accident) and the blade barely has a gash in it.  So on that front this stick's durability for me would be rated at a 10/10.

Intangibles

At first, I wasn't a big fan of the graphics but lately they've grown on me.  The price: I do not think this stick was worth the $350 price tag.

Conclusion – 6.75/10

I feel like overall, Bauer could have developed this stick more.  As an exercise in low weight and fast release, this stick delivers 110%.  However, those gains are at the sacrifice of feel which is one of the biggest selling points of Bauer's stick lines, particularly the Vapor and Nexus.  I feel Bauer could have done more engineering with the blade to make it as light as it is now but still retaining the feel and feedback that the Vapor line (particularly the APX2) is known for.  To summarize this stick in 1 short statement: It's almost as if the stick is still a prototype, like all of the other gear to have come out of the OD1N program: not quite ready for the real thing, but a great exercise in seeing what sort of limits can be broken.

Edited March 20, 2018 by GoalForFun