Thoughts on the new Bauer Vapor 2X Pro protective?

[VegasHockey 1280]

Just wanted to see what people thought of the new for 2020 Bauer Vapor 2X Pro protective? I have my own opinions but am more interested in hearing what others think. 

[althoma1 574]

I haven't seen it in person or tried anything on, but one thing I noticed was the bottom of the shin guards no longer have the free flex portion. To me that seems like a downgrade and the cynic in me thinks it was removed to shave costs. The top strap looks nice, but the lower strap looks like plain elastic. At the top price point it would be nice to have neoprene type straps all around. 

The elbows look to be a three piece construction, which is good, but the 2X pros are listed at $179 CDN. So over $200 after tax for elbow pads. They look like they would be mobile and the top and middle steps look comfortable, but that's steep.

They moved from a three piece flex thumb to a two piece flex thumb on the 2X Pros. Without trying them on I don't know if that drastically changes the thumb mobility. 

Edited July 20, 2020 by althoma1

[Sniper9 529]

From an esthetics side of things they are totally 🤢. At least with the gloves you can get different colours and those are fine. I can't stand the red and neon yellow scheme. 

Also... 239 cdn price point for their 2x pro gloves... Jeez. 

[nutters 218]

While I don't know if the materials and protective features have improved, everything looks like cheaper looking down grades from the 1X Lite line.  The two worst are the pants that no longer have the laces, but a oversized stretch zone and the gloves with the cheap looking rubber letters. I have no idea why Bauer wants to use those especially seeing it get crapped on when the 2S Pro line debuted. 

[Miller55 333]

2 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

From an esthetics side of things they are totally 🤢. At least with the gloves you can get different colours and those are fine. I can't stand the red and neon yellow scheme. 

Also... 239 cdn price point for their 2x pro gloves... Jeez. 

Agree. At that price it's custom eagles for me. I read a few things about the fit on the 2x pro gloves but if anyone has a pair I'd like to hear first hand (no pun intended). 

[Sniper9 529]

12 minutes ago, Miller55 said:

Agree. At that price it's custom eagles for me. I read a few things about the fit on the 2x pro gloves but if anyone has a pair I'd like to hear first hand (no pun intended). 

How much do custom eagles... Or even warriors go for

[CaptainCharisma 25]

Looks like the hyperlite foam was the same used on the Easton Stealth protective line.

Elliptical taper on flylite, the MDP on the nexus protective, and now hyperlite foam.  Fingers crossed for a Mako type skate in the future.

Edited July 20, 2020 by CaptainCharisma

[Miller55 333]

5 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

How much do custom eagles... Or even warriors go for

The cheapest are like 180 Canadian I think. Depends how custom basically. You used to be able to do more even, but since the Vaughan buyout the options are more limited. You can still probably drop a few hundred bucks if you go all out. Not sure how much warriors are these days. I like leather palms and they don't offer palm options anymore to my knowledge. It's really just custom colors with warrior now.

[OldCY 94]

I'm kind of glad they don't have the free flex on the bottom. I always thought it was kind of a gimmick unless you wore your shins long over the skate tongue. Also like that there is a thick calf strap as opposed to the thin one they used to have below it. Just my below market value two cents. 

[mojo122 535]

Shins - Don't like the fact that they ditched the flex cap.  2X Pro seems cheap compared to the 1X Lite.  Calf strap is nice if you have skinny legs

Pants - like the belt system.  

Elbows - very comfortable, top strap is a big improvement.  But what's up with how pointed they are and stick out.

Shoulders - caps sit better on the shoulder.  Wish they kept Curv for the sternum in the 2X Pro instead of the plastic.

Gloves - lighter, seem to fit a bit smaller.  Not crazy about the new palm and the foams on top of the fingers seem spongey.  Bauer for years was proud of the 3 flex thumb, so I don't know why the change in the 2X Pro.  Mobility seems fine with the 2-piece.  Not crazy about the cuff (prefer the 1X Lite Pro cuff).

*The extreme lightness may give the false impression of the line being cheap.  Won't know for sure until we see how it wears over time.

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, mojo122 said:

Shins - Don't like the fact that they ditched the flex cap.  2X Pro seems cheap compared to the 1X Lite.  Calf strap is nice if you have skinny legs

Pants - like the belt system.  

Elbows - very comfortable, top strap is a big improvement.  But what's up with how pointed they are and stick out.

Shoulders - caps sit better on the shoulder.  Wish they kept Curv for the sternum in the 2X Pro instead of the plastic.

Gloves - lighter, seem to fit a bit smaller.  Not crazy about the new palm and the foams on top of the fingers seem spongey.  Bauer for years was proud of the 3 flex thumb, so I don't know why the change in the 2X Pro.  Mobility seems fine with the 2-piece.  Not crazy about the cuff (prefer the 1X Lite Pro cuff).

*The extreme lightness may give the false impression of the line being cheap.  Won't know for sure until we see how it wears over time.

I agree with this as well. I will add:

Shins: I find the knee is too mobile and has a little too much float. I think they should have kept the CURV facing instead of changing over to plastic. Protection seems to be less than previous generations. 

Elbows: Like the three-piece design and how mobile they are. Wish they made them a little deeper so the elbow would sit nicer in the cap.

Shoulders: Like everything on them except the removal of CURV. 

Gloves: Seems like they decided to go for lightweight and mobility, removing too many features I appreciate. No poron anymore. Finger gussets are no longer nash and instead are a cheaper mesh material. Palm seems like a cheaper material. The elimination of the three-piece thumb was silly. Bauer has had the best thumb design on the market and they took a step in the wrong direction.

Pants: I think the removal of laces was fine. I only wear girdles so I cant really comment on the pants. 

Summary: Everything seems to be focused on weight and mobility for the Vapor line now, but protection seems way less than previous generations. Quality has not been impressive either. We had two pairs of elbows already returned by two different players where the upper arm cuff completely separated from the elbow cap. The stitching literally came undone like it was never sewn together. Both pairs of elbow pads failed in the same exact area. I appreciate Bauer making the Vapor line fit better, all of the items seem to fit better than the previous generation but I think they may have sacrificed quality and protection in order to get those results. 

Edited July 21, 2020 by SkateWorksPNW

[justinpryor 5]

Picked up the gloves, shoulders and elbows this past week and love them more than anything i have had before. I have all the bauer lineages, 1x, 2spro, nexus and this takes it. massive improvement on all of them in terms of lightness and comfort. It is perfect for rec. feels like you are not wearing anything. Protection is not what I would recommend for high end contact but we are mostly just rec players. I plan on the pants and shins next payday since it will complete the ensemble. well done on Bauers part. 

 

 

[VegasHockey 1280]

15 hours ago, justinpryor said:

Picked up the gloves, shoulders and elbows this past week and love them more than anything i have had before. I have all the bauer lineages, 1x, 2spro, nexus and this takes it. massive improvement on all of them in terms of lightness and comfort. It is perfect for rec. feels like you are not wearing anything. Protection is not what I would recommend for high end contact but we are mostly just rec players. I plan on the pants and shins next payday since it will complete the ensemble. well done on Bauers part. 

 

 

I would hate to get in the way of someone who really knows how to shoot with those pants or shins. This was my leg after taking a shot from Shane Doan in mens league and he hit me square in the front of the shinguard where there is the most protection and I was wearing a brand new pair of Supreme 2S Pro shins which have quite a bit of protection. I feel like if I was wearing the Vapor 2X Pro shins I would have had something break. 

[Giltis 116]

Ouch man, I'm pretty jealous that you got to be on the ice with Doan, not to mention bring home a souvenir.

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 hours ago, Giltis said:

Ouch man, I'm pretty jealous that you got to be on the ice with Doan, not to mention bring home a souvenir.

This was one souvenir I could live without. That shot resulted in a bone bruise which took forever to heal and once it did I was left with a weird bump in the bone. Crazy!

[Miller55 333]

Why is Shane Doan blasting bombs in men's league? Even if it's A level, that's just uncalled for. 

That's bruise is nasty too, major bummer. That's pretty frightening, through a top of the line guard, to get something like that. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

21 minutes ago, Miller55 said:

Why is Shane Doan blasting bombs in men's league? Even if it's A level, that's just uncalled for. 

That's bruise is nasty too, major bummer. That's pretty frightening, through a top of the line guard, to get something like that. 

Many of the guys I skate with are "retired" pros. I laugh when I say that because some of them are not even 30 years old yet so it blows my mind. One thing I noticed skating with those guys is they only know how to shoot one way, HARD. Even when they aren't trying, their shots come off hard, whereas I have to put in the effort to shoot hard it is just naturally ingrained into them through years of repetition. I am sure it helps them being professional athletes they are also considerably stronger than I am. 

What is hilarious was after he blasted me he said "Sooorrriieeee bud! Why did you get in the way of that!?" as I limped off the ice. The whole time I was thinking, dude, I wasn't getting in the way I was trying to get out of the way. lol

[justinpryor 5]

Based on what I see in NHL games no gear holds up to those shots. Guys go down all the time. 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2020 by justinpryor

[Miller55 333]

1 hour ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Many of the guys I skate with are "retired" pros. I laugh when I say that because some of them are not even 30 years old yet so it blows my mind. One thing I noticed skating with those guys is they only know how to shoot one way, HARD. Even when they aren't trying, their shots come off hard, whereas I have to put in the effort to shoot hard it is just naturally ingrained into them through years of repetition. I am sure it helps them being professional athletes they are also considerably stronger than I am. 

What is hilarious was after he blasted me he said "Sooorrriieeee bud! Why did you get in the way of that!?" as I limped off the ice. The whole time I was thinking, dude, I wasn't getting in the way I was trying to get out of the way. lol

I hear. Hate to laugh but that's pretty funny. 

[Jeff Rumson 1]

Yes correct , the 2x pro shin pads no longer have the flexible piece on the bottom . Therefore , my son and I have purchased 6 pairs of the 1x shin pads . We both only play pick up hockey , however I think the 1x shin pads are a great combination of lite , protective , slender shape . Because I wear my shin pads a little on the longer side and over the tongue , the flexible piece on the bottom of the pad works great . 

[justinpryor 5]

Just some game feedback on the vapor line. I now have the shins, pants, gloves, elbows, and shouldies. I am very impressed. 

Pros: extreme light weight, very comfortable, and nice fit. Pant belt system is actually very neat and holds well. By wearing all the pcs overall I feel like I am wearing nothing. add the 2xpro skates and flylite and you have zero weight anywhere. Makes you extremely fast, mobile and comfortable. The comfort edge stuff everywhere is a really nice feature. 

Cons; Pointy elbows, could be deeper and less point. Odd why its done this way. Protection is not high end contact safe. I would not use this if I was a high end player in contact, but i am not, But beer league all day. 

Overall: well done on Bauers part to meet what they were trying to accomplish. light mobile and comfortable. is it worth the $ over lower end gear, depends your situation. if money is no object its worth it. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

58 minutes ago, justinpryor said:

Just some game feedback on the vapor line. I now have the shins, pants, gloves, elbows, and shouldies. I am very impressed. 

Pros: extreme light weight, very comfortable, and nice fit. Pant belt system is actually very neat and holds well. By wearing all the pcs overall I feel like I am wearing nothing. add the 2xpro skates and flylite and you have zero weight anywhere. Makes you extremely fast, mobile and comfortable. The comfort edge stuff everywhere is a really nice feature. 

Cons; Pointy elbows, could be deeper and less point. Odd why its done this way. Protection is not high end contact safe. I would not use this if I was a high end player in contact, but i am not, But beer league all day. 

Overall: well done on Bauers part to meet what they were trying to accomplish. light mobile and comfortable. is it worth the $ over lower end gear, depends your situation. if money is no object its worth it. 

Did you find that sizing seems to be different than previous generations? For example, the shoulder pads and elbows seem to run smaller than previous generations. I think the shins and pants fit the same. 

[justinpryor 5]

shins have a smaller feel to them. more stream lined. But i maintained all the same sizing as I came from 2spro and 1xlite previous in these products. didnt change anything and havent noticed any differences in size. 

 

[Coldclay 53]

My kid's 1X Lite Shins lasted a whole season but recently I noticed the right knee cap shell cracked in half (my kid didn't even notice) and someone gave us a $100 gift card to Monkeysport so I bought him the 2X Pro Shins. The sizing is different and he's now a 14" instead of 13" (seems the same height to me) and the shape is indeed more streamlined/tapered. Weight is definitely lighter than 1X Lite. I was thinking Bauer was cutting corners by ditching the free flex bottom of the shins but my kid said it made no difference in feel. He is a 16AA Midget and it's obviously full contact, we shall see how the 2X Pro last...

[justinpryor 5]

2 hours ago, Coldclay said:

My kid's 1X Lite Shins lasted a whole season but recently I noticed the right knee cap shell cracked in half (my kid didn't even notice) and someone gave us a $100 gift card to Monkeysport so I bought him the 2X Pro Shins. The sizing is different and he's now a 14" instead of 13" (seems the same height to me) and the shape is indeed more streamlined/tapered. Weight is definitely lighter than 1X Lite. I was thinking Bauer was cutting corners by ditching the free flex bottom of the shins but my kid said it made no difference in feel. He is a 16AA Midget and it's obviously full contact, we shall see how the 2X Pro last...

I never noticed the flex thing at the bottom either. It has the rubber high friction zone there and i think that is a cool feature. Shins for me can screw up my feel and skating. one size difference or how they sit can catch my pants, rub my skate wierd whatever. I was impressed these fit so well and avoided all of that. I think he will like them.