Replacement for the Bauer X:60 Skate

[bthompson1286 9]

Hey everyone,

I’m currently on my last pair of Bauer X:60s. I was able to get 4 pairs of these skates over the years because I loved the fit and feel.  I’ve tested out some carbon boot models, like the Bauer APX and the Bauer 1X. However, the fit in both of those didn’t quite match the X:60, even though they’re still from the Vapor line.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a skate that provides a similar fit to the X:60 but with a carbon boot? I’m also looking for high-end stiffness. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Edited February 25, 2025 by bthompson1286

[flip12 748]

It might help if you share more info about what didn't work for you in the fit change between the TechMesh and CURV builds. It also sounds like you haven't tried the new 3 Fit System. If I recall correctly, that started with the second season of the 2X.

Also, what size do you wear in X:60s and how long does a pair tend to last you?

[bthompson1286 9]

13 minutes ago, flip12 said:

It might help if you share more info about what didn't work for you in the fit change between the TechMesh and CURV builds. It also sounds like you haven't tried the new 3 Fit System. If I recall correctly, that started with the second season of the 2X.

Also, what size do you wear in X:60s and how long does a pair tend to last you?

I'm a size 9D.  

The APX and the 1X didn't feel as close to my foot as the x:60.  I may need to try again.  Also the sizing seemed different as well.  I'm a 9D in X:60 but the 9D in the APX felt bigger.

Edited February 25, 2025 by bthompson1286

[flip12 748]

14 hours ago, bthompson1286 said:

I'm a size 9D.  

The APX and the 1X didn't feel as close to my foot as the x:60.  I may need to try again.  Also the sizing seemed different as well.  I'm a 9D in X:60 but the 9D in the APX felt bigger.

I believe the big difference for a lot of people in the jump from TechMesh to CURV Vapors was the forefoot having more of a curved shape…I think they called it TrueLasted or something.

But damnit I wish you had said something about running dry months ago. Someone on Kleinanzeigen (German classifieds) sold three or four pairs of barely used if not new 9D TechMesh Vapors a few months ago. They had X7.0, X90, a couple other skins. I was eyeing them with envy because I’m a 9.5D!

In the new Fit System I’m a 9-Fit 1, because of the new toe cap. I’ve only tried them on though, haven’t gone for skate in any Vapors newer than X100 (APX2 gen.).

Edited February 26, 2025 by flip12
Fit System reference

[strosedefence34 180]

Alternatively you could delay going to a curve boot even longer by trying to source the Pro Stock Bauer V Cut skates 

https://www.sighockey.com/collections/player-skates/products/bauer-vapor-2x-pro-v-cut-hockey-skates-9-d-a-280-ls-fly-ti

[nisselrm 23]

Order a classic/custom graf?

 

after my disastrous experience with true it may be my next move.

[bthompson1286 9]

An update to this.  So I tried on new skates.  My X:60s fit the same as they always have.  The carbon boots from bauer seem to fit a half size down than my x:60s.  I'm concerned by this because of the holder size change.  When I try the same size in both skates, there is a sizing difference.  A 9 fit1 and a 9D has a length difference 

[bthompson1286 9]

2 hours ago, nisselrm said:

Order a classic/custom graf?

 

after my disastrous experience with true it may be my next move.

what happened with your trues?  I have heard the same thing.  From what I read, trues are not sized correctly at all to be a custom skate

[nisselrm 23]

I came from two pairs of retail makos, which I liked more than any of the 4+ iterations of full custom vapors.

 

the first pair fit great everywhere except the toes. They were at least a size too small. Holders were 288 vs the 296 if always skated on.

 

i sent them back and they made minimum isl improvements, I believe they just pulled the foam from the toe and sent them back.

i still found them unwearable. True refused to continue working with me and just refunded the money.

i have retail hyperlites now which are fine and generally comfortable but frankly feel like a generic boot compared to the true and mako which is to be expected.

At this point, I’m considering retail true skates so I can control the fit in the store but am worried about durability issues from everything I saw with their previous lines.

 

 

[nisselrm 23]

31 minutes ago, bthompson1286 said:

An update to this.  So I tried on new skates.  My X:60s fit the same as they always have.  The carbon boots from bauer seem to fit a half size down than my x:60s.  I'm concerned by this because of the holder size change.  When I try the same size in both skates, there is a sizing difference.  A 9 fit1 and a 9D has a length difference 

They are longer and deeper than the old “D” width. My vapors overwrap worse than they used to with the lack of ankle padding and I have to lace them differently to get forward flex.

was never an issue in my DAA vapors.

[flip12 748]

14 hours ago, bthompson1286 said:

what happened with your trues?  I have heard the same thing.  From what I read, trues are not sized correctly at all to be a custom skate

True's fit was large on the original TF line. That was corrected on all retail lines since then. If their toe cap were as anatomical as Bauer's current toe cap, they'd be closer to 1:1 fit. Right now I fit True 9.5 like a Bauer 9. I wish I could drop to True 9 because the boot fits sloppy compared to my 9.5D Vapors.

[flip12 748]

21 hours ago, nisselrm said:

Order a classic/custom graf?

 

after my disastrous experience with true it may be my next move.

You could get Graf to make a nice Vapor replicant if they still have the materials:

• Ultra G9000 pattern looks like their closest to the Vapor L-cut: https://grafhockey.com/skates/ice/player/ultra-g9000/ (says it's available for custom order).
  • Reposition the eyelets though so spacing is even top to bottom--no extra space between 1st and 2nd eyelets at the cuff. 
• EPP teclite mesh monocoque quarter construction = TechMesh: https://www.purehockey.com/product/graf-custom-ultra-g5-xi-ice-skates-senior/itm/6628-41/
• Oversize traditional Graf toe cap. It's not very anatomical, but going up a size can get you more wiggle room. It's pretty low volume, which is nice.

Details:

1. The tongue is crucial to classic Vapor flex. I'm not sure what they offer that would be closest. Maybe their updated Flex-insert panel tongue that's standard on Ultra 9000, but the last time I saw G75s in a shop with those tongues they didn't have the lace bite protector's stiffness in the upper half that Vapors have had since the Vapor 10 (Vapor 8 tongue was closer to a Supreme tongue flex profile).

2. You would maybe want to ask that they don't reinforce the collar. A lot of Graf skates have an extra stiffener that wraps the top eyelets and the collar, forcing the top of the boot to flare. That's not the case with traditional Vapors.

3. They even used to offer a fully composite outsole, rather than their Texalite outsole. I had G35X with that outsole, and while it was stiff enough, it turned out to be rather disappointing on closer inspection. It was mostly plastic with a carbon weave injection printed fabric to make it look fancier.

4. Depending on which generation of Vapors is your favorite (mine's Vapor 10), you may want to ask for reduced vamping in the first 3-4 eyelets.

Hell, writing this out is getting me tempted 😛🤑

Edited March 4, 2025 by flip12
Forgot eyelet positioning

[bthompson1286 9]

shouldn't a bauer 9D x:60 fit the same as a current bauer boot 9d?

[flip12 748]

15 minutes ago, bthompson1286 said:

shouldn't a bauer 9D x:60 fit the same as a current bauer boot 9d?

No. In fact there is no current Bauer 9D. 

Back when there was 9D it was also a lie because the width of the foot last each line was built on was different. When the 3 Fit System came in Bauer started having the updated version of the different fits available in your preference of Vapor or Supreme. Bauer was wishy-washy on the language about Fit 1 being close to a Vapor D, Fit 2 Supreme, and Fit 3 Nexus, with the updates to those fits coming from their 3D scan data. If you search MSH there are similar stories to yours where a happy Vapor D wearer wasn’t able to find the same degree of fit from their size or even a size down in Fit 1. The new toe cap can push people down half a size as well, just like the switch in the forefoot shape from the straight sidewalled TechMesh boot to the curved TrueLasted (or whatever it was called) CURV boot did for some.

Edited March 4, 2025 by flip12

[Sniper9 567]

21 minutes ago, bthompson1286 said:

shouldn't a bauer 9D x:60 fit the same as a current bauer boot 9d?

No. It's been so long and different lasts used to make the boots. Even a fit 1 and 2 Mach changed from the ultrasonics fit 1 and 2 (in the toe box), and these are just 2 years apart. 

[Sniper9 567]

Just now, flip12 said:

No. In fact there is no current Bauer 9D. 

Back when there was 9D it was also a lie because the width of the foot last each line was built on was different. When the 3 Fit System came in Bauer started having the updated version of the different fits available in your preference of Vapor or Supreme. Bauer was wishy-washy on the language about Fit one being close to a Vapor D, Fit 2 Supreme, and Fit 3 Nexus, with the updates to those fits coming from their 3D scan data. If you search MSH there are similar stories to yours where a happy Vapor D wearer wasn’t able to find the same degree of fit from their size or even a size down in Fit 1. The new toe cap can push people down half a size as well, just like the switch in the forefoot shape from the straight sidewalled TechMesh boot to the curved TrueLasted (or whatever it was called) CURV boot did for some.

Don't the low to mid tier lines still use D and E?

[flip12 748]

Just now, Sniper9 said:

Don't the low to mid tier lines still use D and E?

Maybe. I don’t look at those. The farthest down I’ve looked was at Vapor X4, and there you have the three options. There’s some argument for looking somewhere below the top of the line for replacing X:60s, but I wouldn’t seriously recommend anyone that’s that used to a boot of X:60’s calibre to go low end.

From just checking X3, it looks like that might not be offered in Fit 1, but our LHS offers them in Fit 2 or Fit 3. I guess if you call Fit 2 a D, you could say D exists, but it doesn’t translate well back to when Bauer labeled their skates D and EE.

 

Edited March 4, 2025 by flip12

[bthompson1286 9]

Is this true?

[bthompson1286 9]

On 3/4/2025 at 10:53 AM, flip12 said:

No. In fact there is no current Bauer 9D. 

Back when there was 9D it was also a lie because the width of the foot last each line was built on was different. When the 3 Fit System came in Bauer started having the updated version of the different fits available in your preference of Vapor or Supreme. Bauer was wishy-washy on the language about Fit 1 being close to a Vapor D, Fit 2 Supreme, and Fit 3 Nexus, with the updates to those fits coming from their 3D scan data. If you search MSH there are similar stories to yours where a happy Vapor D wearer wasn’t able to find the same degree of fit from their size or even a size down in Fit 1. The new toe cap can push people down half a size as well, just like the switch in the forefoot shape from the straight sidewalled TechMesh boot to the curved TrueLasted (or whatever it was called) CURV boot did for some.

The Fit System is still marketing nonsense. A Supreme still fits like a Supreme, and a Vapor still fits like a Vapor.
I tried the 2X Pro V Cut or whatever it’s called, the Tech Mesh version, and it still doesn’t fit like my X:60LE.
As I said, a Vapor X:60LE with "Curv Comp" would be perfect.

the Vapor last and sizing changed.

[flip12 748]

16 hours ago, bthompson1286 said:

The Fit System is still marketing nonsense. A Supreme still fits like a Supreme, and a Vapor still fits like a Vapor.
I tried the 2X Pro V Cut or whatever it’s called, the Tech Mesh version, and it still doesn’t fit like my X:60LE.
As I said, a Vapor X:60LE with "Curv Comp" would be perfect.

the Vapor last and sizing changed.

The Vapor fit has always been evolving while maintaining some essential qualities. The recent evolution has me thinking it's not really Vapor anymore. The main thing is the death of the L pattern of the quarter panels. Vapor used to be distinctly shallow, now it's closer to the classic Supreme cut than the original Vapor.

I'm not sure you would like an X:60 with CURV quarters if you didn't like APX. The X:60-CURV would probably be closer to APX than to X:60. Bauer went to the TrueLasted fit right from the start with CURV boots. It seems like that extra wiggle room ruins the fit for you. The same goes for the more anatomical toe cap that came out on the 2X. 

[bthompson1286 9]

On 5/14/2026 at 4:26 AM, flip12 said:

The Vapor fit has always been evolving while maintaining some essential qualities. The recent evolution has me thinking it's not really Vapor anymore. The main thing is the death of the L pattern of the quarter panels. Vapor used to be distinctly shallow, now it's closer to the classic Supreme cut than the original Vapor.

I'm not sure you would like an X:60 with CURV quarters if you didn't like APX. The X:60-CURV would probably be closer to APX than to X:60. Bauer went to the TrueLasted fit right from the start with CURV boots. It seems like that extra wiggle room ruins the fit for you. The same goes for the more anatomical toe cap that came out on the 2X. 

I didn't like the shape of the APX.

What i am saying is, if I could have CURV boot shaped exactly like the X:60 I'd be happy.  

I'm not talking about liking the Tech Mesh, I am saying I like the boot shape.

[flip12 748]

On 5/18/2026 at 3:48 PM, bthompson1286 said:

I didn't like the shape of the APX.

What i am saying is, if I could have CURV boot shaped exactly like the X:60 I'd be happy.  

I'm not talking about liking the Tech Mesh, I am saying I like the boot shape.

That's what I was saying: the TrueLasted forefoot changes the fit of the forefoot, or the shape of the forefoot if you like. They haven't done a CURV boot without that shape. I'm pretty sure the ONE90 had it as well, so it's not a thing that's bound to CURV/hardshell boots and unheard of with TechMesh. If they did an X:60 with CURV quarters, it would probably have the same shape they've always applied to their top end CURV boots.

Edited Tuesday at 04:55 PM by flip12

[bthompson1286 9]

3 hours ago, flip12 said:

That's what I was saying: the TrueLasted forefoot changes the fit of the forefoot, or the shape of the forefoot if you like. They haven't done a CURV boot without that shape. I'm pretty sure the ONE90 had it as well, so it's not a thing that's bound to CURV/hardshell boots and unheard of with TechMesh. If they did an X:60 with CURV quarters, it would probably have the same shape they've always applied to their top end CURV boots.

I get what you’re saying. I just think we’re talking about two different things.

You’re explaining why Bauer may have changed the forefoot shape on later top-end Vapors. What I’m saying is simply that the actual fit/geometry of the X:60 felt different to me than later Vapor models, regardless of whether that came from TrueLasted, CURV, or anything else.

So when I say I’d want an X:60 in CURV, I literally mean the exact X:60 boot shape and fit, just built with CURV materials.

[flip12 748]

On 5/19/2026 at 10:18 PM, bthompson1286 said:

I get what you’re saying. I just think we’re talking about two different things.

You’re explaining why Bauer may have changed the forefoot shape on later top-end Vapors. What I’m saying is simply that the actual fit/geometry of the X:60 felt different to me than later Vapor models, regardless of whether that came from TrueLasted, CURV, or anything else.

So when I say I’d want an X:60 in CURV, I literally mean the exact X:60 boot shape and fit, just built with CURV materials.

Yeah, that seems about right. The point in the hypothetical where I get stuck is Bauer never used those materials the old way, so it's a double hypothetical, if you will. And it's tricky stacking hypotheticals like that. Also, you mention fit and feel in your original post and the jump in stiffness from X:60 to 2010's era materials does change the feel quite a bit.

What about True's SVH customs? They're the closest current skate to the classic Vapor cut. The new softer facing could potentially bridge the difference in feel between TechMesh and newer hard shell boots, at least to some degree. I guess Bauer's trying to do the same with their zany facing, but that just pushes the current skates further and further away from the pre-Covid Vapor essence.

Edited yesterday at 07:29 PM by flip12