Gnetik IV vs Bauer 1X

[goalieThreeOne]

Evening folks. Thanks to the kind folks at TGC, I am demoing a set of Gnetik IV's (and an extra Optik Glove) this weekend. I've been in 1X's for about a year. Since I have the opportunity to compare them side by side, I thought I'd field questions from anyone curious about how these two lines stack up.

Feel free to ask me any questions and I will do my best to answer them as honestly as I can. I hit the ice in a couple hours, so I'll be posting my stream of consciousness thoughts throughout the weekend and answering any questions you might have.

[TheGoalNet]

What one do you like better and why?

[goalieThreeOne]

Thoughts from last night's skate:

Pads:

• The flex in the stock GenIV is very similar to the 1X. I would say the 1X surprisingly is slightly more flexible at the thigh break. They're identical at the knee. The GenIV is slightly more flexible at the boot
• CORETech sliding is what sold me on the 1X originally. On fresh ice, I would say that COREtech is only very slightly faster, but where OptiSlide really shines is in control. CORETech really requires a lot of discipline or you'll spin out of position. OptiSlide feels straight and true and controlled. It's much less of a mental effort.
• Rebounds are quite similar in terms of speed. But there's a huge difference in puck feel. Rebounds off the 1X give a nice loud pop and you can feel a dull impact sensation in your legs that lets you know a puck hit your pad. In contrast, the GenIV has a much more muted impact sound and no puck feel at all.
• Brian's thigh rises really are tall. I was rubbing all night which was quite annoying. Do not size yourself 1:1 with Bauer. Get measured or you'll have a bad time.
• Smart Toes are great. If you've used HALs or ProLaces, you'll be right at home. They do seem more sturdy than HALs. I attached mine at the innermost position on the toe bridge to match the 1X offset toe bridge. Literally noticed no difference.
• I'm still working on strapping. I can say for sure that I like the GenIV knee elastic a lot better than the 1X knee elastic. I did not fall off my GenIV knee block, an occasional hazard in my 1X. Jury is still out on the calf strapping. On 1X, I liked to place the tab on the Y strap fairly high up on the inner calf wrap in a pseudo-professor strap.This is a contrast to the GenIV SmartStrap with two equal length straps placed lower on the calf. I think if I tighten the SmartStrap a little more, I'll survive, but I much prefer the TuneFit strapping on the 1X.
• I thought having a full size outer roll was going to be a problem. I've been in some variation of Bauer for over two years so it's been a while since I've had a full outer roll. My concern was always that the outer roll would press against the post in RVH and leave a gap between the post and the face of the pad. The outer roll was soft enough that this wasn't the case and it's also very subtly tapered. Still, I will likely opt for the Optik outer roll. On a side note, does anyone know if you can get a tapered outer roll on Brian's?
• If you like the 1X leg channel, you'll like the GenIV leg channel. Very similar feel. If you're coming from a Supreme, you're gonna feel slightly claustrophobic for a while.

[goalieThreeOne]

Trapper:

• Last night I used the Optik trapper. I can say with full conviction that I DON'T like this glove, coming from a 1X.
• Lots has been written about the break already so I won't go into that.
• I don't know if it was my copy of the Optik, or if this is across the board, but I had trouble getting the thing to close all the way without really applying pressure from my pinky and ring finger. I was cramping in my hand halfway through the game.
• The pocket on both the Optik and GenIV is head and shoulders above the 1X. My copy of the Optik has a double tee with skate late. My GenIV has double tee with regular lacing. My 1X has double tee with skate lace. Even with skate lace, the 1X pocket is hard, meaning you have to have a lot of glove discipline to keep the puck from dribbling back out. Both Brian's pockets are soft. The difference maker, besides how soft the actual leather of the tee is, is that  there's a much larger distance between the two tees. So the Brian's pockets sit deeper and wider, with much more visibility when covering the puck. To test this theory, I put a puck in each pocket, closed the glove, and shook them. Both Brian's gloves allowed the puck to rattle around a bit confirming that the pocket is better designed and shaped for a puck. The 1X, in comparison, held the puck tight, which I suspect means it's not as well suited for a puck shaped object.
• I do not like the pinky strap on the Optik. If you're coming from Supreme, you may prefer a pinky loop. But the dedicated pinky stall is one of my favorite features of the Vapor. You'll find that in the GenIV
• Again, I don't know if it's my copy or if it applies to all optik gloves, but I had real problems with the middle Boa strap. A portion of the plastic thread that cinches down the middle strap was in direct contact with my skin, giving me pain all game. I will not be buying an Optik glove for this reason alone.
• Speaking of Boa, it will take some getting used to. Typically when I go out onto the ice for a game, I leave my 1X wrist strap loose so I can take my gloves off the peg the net and move my water bottles. Boa means I have to take my blocker completely off to tighten down my glove when I'm ready to start the game. With 1X, I can just pull the nylon strap and I'm done. I'm not saying it's a deal breaker, but it does change my flow. 
• Tee inner material on the Optik seemed to get kind of slippery as the game went on. Never had that with the 1X.
• The floating wrist strap is amazing. I felt like I had way more control and I was able to make some across the body glove saves and some downlow shots much easier because my mobility wasn't restricted. I will say I wish the floating wrist strap was a little thinner, because part of it laid across onto my palm. Maybe that's a custom option?
• The Game Ready palm was very protective. Pro Palm would only be useful if you're seeing very elite level shots. Practice Palm is only useful if you're a masochist.

[goalieThreeOne]

Blocker:

• The GenIV blocker has a slightly higher hand position than the 1X. About 1" higher. Not a deal breaker by any means, but something you need to be aware of.
• The palm material was incredible. I know @TheGoalNet said he thought the palm material wasn't as rich feeling, but I can tell you it feels way better than any Bauer palm I've ever used, pro or senior.
• There was no difference in grip between the 1X and the GenIV
• The finger stalls in GenIV are about 1/4" longer than the 1X in the senior sizes.If you were just on the border of an XL palm with Bauer, you can comfortably move to Senior in Brian's.
• Something I was the GenIV has was a pillow between the thumb and sidewall. There is a strip of loop material on the inside side wall that looks like it was meant to hold a pillow. I don't know if my copy was missing it, or if it never came with it in the first place, but It's an option that I'll be requesting if I decide GenIV is my next upgrade.
• Rebounds are much softer on the GenIV. It's very very noticable. I will be requesting a Lexan upgrade.
• My GenIV has Boa on the blocker. I leave my wrist strap very loose, so I don't see a reason for me to get this feature, so I'll likely opt for a nylon strap for the minimal weight savings.
• I like the sidewall shape for the most part. One of the problems I had with my 1X was that the outer index finger protection and the sidewall cut out made it difficult to manipulate the stick. There just wasn't enough room for it. The cutout and outer index finger protection is perfect with plenty of room to manipulate the stick. I was easily able to handle my water bottle and adjust my mask. Dexterity is phenomenal. My only gripe is that the sidewall doesn't extend past the base of the thumb. I don't think it will be a problem, but I'd rather it extend to the first knuckle like on the 1X.
• Both the GenIV and 1X have a two piece sidewall, but the GenIV is noticeably more flexible. This may change with a thumb pillow installed.

[goalieThreeOne]

13 hours ago, TheGoalNet said:

What one do you like better and why?

I wrote three comments with more specific details, but right now:

Pads:

• I prefer TuneFit to Smart Strap. I prefer the GenIV knee elastic to the 1X knee elastic.
• Verdict: After playing enough in them, I will get used to SmartStrap 4.0. Slight edge to GenIV

Gloves

• I like the Optik pocket and floating wrist strap better. I like the Vapor inner materials and break better.
• Verdict: I prefer the 1X over the Optik. I will be testing the GenIV on Sunday, so I'll update then

Blocker

• I like the GenIV palm material and sidewall design better. I prefer the Vapor thumb pillow and rebound strength (although I can modify the Gen IV to account for this)
• Verdict: I prefer the GenIV with modifications.

[TheGoalNet]

52 minutes ago, goalieThreeOne said:

Blocker:

• The GenIV blocker has a slightly higher hand position than the 1X. About 1" higher. Not a deal breaker by any means, but something you need to be aware of.
• The palm material was incredible. I know @TheGoalNet said he thought the palm material wasn't as rich feeling, but I can tell you it feels way better than any Bauer palm I've ever used, pro or senior.
• There was no difference in grip between the 1X and the GenIV
• The finger stalls in GenIV are about 1/4" longer than the 1X in the senior sizes.If you were just on the border of an XL palm with Bauer, you can comfortably move to Senior in Brian's.
• Something I was the GenIV has was a pillow between the thumb and sidewall. There is a strip of loop material on the inside side wall that looks like it was meant to hold a pillow. I don't know if my copy was missing it, or if it never came with it in the first place, but It's an option that I'll be requesting if I decide GenIV is my next upgrade.
• Rebounds are much softer on the GenIV. It's very very noticable. I will be requesting a Lexan upgrade.
• My GenIV has Boa on the blocker. I leave my wrist strap very loose, so I don't see a reason for me to get this feature, so I'll likely opt for a nylon strap for the minimal weight savings.
• I like the sidewall shape for the most part. One of the problems I had with my 1X was that the outer index finger protection and the sidewall cut out made it difficult to manipulate the stick. There just wasn't enough room for it. The cutout and outer index finger protection is perfect with plenty of room to manipulate the stick. I was easily able to handle my water bottle and adjust my mask. Dexterity is phenomenal. My only gripe is that the sidewall doesn't extend past the base of the thumb. I don't think it will be a problem, but I'd rather it extend to the first knuckle like on the 1X.
• Both the GenIV and 1X have a two piece sidewall, but the GenIV is noticeably more flexible. This may change with a thumb pillow installed.

I think you’re confused about my point about the blocker. Brian’s blocker glove is fantastic. 

Bauer adds more padding between the back of the blocker board and the back of your hand as stock. Vaughn does the same with the Velocity line too. 

Thats the feeling I prefer. CCM and Brian’s are more flat and your hand sits closer to the board 

Also, all IV’s have the Velcro without a pillow. I would have ordered a pillow had I caught this feature before I ordered mine. 

My guess is that to streamline manufacturing, Brians makes 1 inner thumb. They use it for both the GNetik and Optik line 

[goalieThreeOne]

16 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

I think you’re confused about my point about the blocker. Brian’s blocker glove is fantastic. 

Bauer adds more padding between the back of the blocker board and the back of your hand as stock. Vaughn does the same with the Velocity line too. 

Thats the feeling I prefer. CCM and Brian’s are more flat and your hand sits closer to the board 

Also, all IV’s have the Velcro without a pillow. I would have ordered a pillow had I caught this feature before I ordered mine. 

My guess is that to streamline manufacturing, Brians makes 1 inner thumb. They use it for both the GNetik and Optik line 

You know what I'm confusing your video with the one @Hills where he said the Brian's palm wasn't as nice as some of the other brands. My mistake.

I'm sure you could order a thumb pillow separately. There's already velcro loop there to attach it to. Although, if it's like the Vapor thumb pillow, it also loops into the thumb to sidewall elastic strap.