2X Pro

[BadAngle41]

15 hours ago, heyclaytay said:

It appears that what I would want to design isn't possible, was looking for Supreme Boot, Supreme Profile, Vapor Thigh, and Vapor Leg Channel. Also I'm curious as to why the Vapor glove always has to be an offset T?

Yeah... Boot Flex and Leg Channel are tied together for us non-professionals. I guess Bauer feels that's the core of each line so no ability to mess with that. When I demo'd 2S and 1X I actually preferred 2S strapping... likely because I had them for a short time and 2S was easier to dial in... albeit a cumbersome setup. Not sure which you'd want to give up... the boot or the channel/strapping to get to your set.

Also not sure why the T is offset on 2X... but I can say that I'm a long time user of 580 break and having tried it on in store... pretty happy with how the 2X closes. This will in fact be my first set of Bauers and a pretty dramatic departure from my norm.

One thing I would highlight if you haven't noticed already... is the various palm sizes available. After some feedback from @TheGoalNet I paid particular attention to this and while I'm at the high end of the measure... I went with the Senior INT palms... just to have that tighter fit.

[Telfo]

got my 2x pads last week and after using them a few times I have to say I really like them.  Only issue I've had is my knee not staying securely on the knee stack at times.  I think it is because there is a lot of give in the adjustable knee flap. anyone else run into that issue?  If I could do it again I would definitely get the knee flap sewn in.

[goalieThreeOne]

43 minutes ago, Telfo said:

got my 2x pads last week and after using them a few times I have to say I really like them.  Only issue I've had is my knee not staying securely on the knee stack at times.  I think it is because there is a lot of give in the adjustable knee flap. anyone else run into that issue?  If I could do it again I would definitely get the knee flap sewn in.

This is a common issue dating back to the 1X. You can try strapping your knee and calf tighter (put the TuneFit up high at the top of your calf as well) or you could do what I did and add a Kenesky professor strap kit and snug it up. 

[Telfo]

1 minute ago, goalieThreeOne said:

This is a common issue dating back to the 1X. You can try strapping your knee and calf tighter (put the TuneFit up high at the top of your calf as well) or you could do what I did and add a Kenesky professor strap kit and snug it up. 

I have the knee strap about as tight as it can comfortably go.  my next option was gonna be moving the tunefit strap up higher as right now I am putting it kind of in the middle of the velcro area.  I actually have a kenesky professor strap kit from my old pads so I may try that out as a last option.  Thanks!

[maxtm30]

18 hours ago, heyclaytay said:

It appears that what I would want to design isn't possible, was looking for Supreme Boot, Supreme Profile, Vapor Thigh, and Vapor Leg Channel. Also I'm curious as to why the Vapor glove always has to be an offset T?

To have further differences between vapor and supreme gloves, they don’t offer the offset for the supreme, so why offer the straight for the vapor?

[#16]

7 hours ago, goalieThreeOne said:

This is a common issue dating back to the 1X. You can try strapping your knee and calf tighter (put the TuneFit up high at the top of your calf as well) or you could do what I did and add a Kenesky professor strap kit and snug it up. 

Is this what you mean

[goalieThreeOne]

On 7/19/2019 at 6:01 PM, #16 said:

Is this what you mean

Yes

[BadAngle41]

On 7/19/2019 at 12:00 PM, Telfo said:

I have the knee strap about as tight as it can comfortably go.  my next option was gonna be moving the tunefit strap up higher as right now I am putting it kind of in the middle of the velcro area.  I actually have a kenesky professor strap kit from my old pads so I may try that out as a last option.  Thanks!

Interesting. I bought a set of these I was going to get rid of as they didn’t seem to do much for me on the ‘ole EF1 Retroflexes... but by the sound of it they may be worth hanging onto for the 2X Pro.

[cwarnar]

Excited can use these bad boys tonight for my first skate in 2 months. Really looking forward to see how they compare to my warrior GT Pros

[cwarnar]

Quick first impressions post from my skate last night.  It was a summer pick up and I haven't been on the ice in 3 months.  I was able to get the 2X demo set from GoalTec here in town.  A goalie school that has gradually expanded their gear selection.  The pads were a medium (34+1) and I normally wear a 33+1.5 Warrior GT Pro.  All stock set, single T on the glove.

PADS

This was my first time using any Bauer OD1N based product.  I must say they passed the eye test.  The demo set was mostly used by goalie doing their lessons at the school.  No major issues with durability or wear, I think Bauer has finally refined the issues that plagued the 1st gen stuff.  The materials on the back side of the pad were all premium and make the pad comfortable on the leg.  My knee landed in the top part of the stack size wise and the Tune Fit strapping is a nice touch.  I have come to love the simplicity of the Warrior strapping system and I think Bauer has embraced the strapping revolution.  The soft boot is a feature I normally require on my pads and the free flex 100 degree boot made recoveries easy and helped the pad feel more connected to my leg.  The pads "play big" and I definitely noticed very quickly how much stiffer the 2X were.  They are the most stiff pads I've ever used (CCM Blockades being a close 2nd) and that took an adjustment.  The double internal break gives some flex in the pad but not much.  I prefer an S curve in my pad, and while I think you could get a decent one in the 2X, I felt clumsy at times.  

Overall I think the pads are well made, function great and check a lot of boxes, they just don't fit my style of play.  The weight difference between the 2X and GT pros were noticeable and I could tell my legs were getting tired faster as the 1.5 hour skate went on.   Lastly, the ice was slush (32 degrees C here yesterday), so I didn't really get to take advantage of the CORTECHST sliding surface.  I think for Pro/Junior/College guys or you lucky peeps with floods could take advantage, but I think Primo/QuickSlide still holds a small advantage when it comes to sliding.  I think going Pro Custom to add a few mods would be the way to go to make the pads a little more user friendly.

GLOVE

I was a die hard TPS guy before moving into Smith gear in the mid 2000s.  I think Warrior makes the best glove on the market in terms of weight, closure and feel.  I have also really come to like the Gnetik IV from Brian's, being my 1B glove right now of current market offerings.  The 2X glove is Bauers best to date, closure is great, break and feel are solid.  I don't have overly large hands so the glove did feel a little sloppy as the internals were likely a little big on me.  I think adding a reinforced double T and a skate lace pocket would make it an absolute vacuum.  The glove presents big and is a more pancake style glove.  It feels like a hinge that pops back open each time.  The weight difference over my GT was also significant.  The 60 degree closure, being more finger based closure was also an adjustment, but likely to be an easy one after repeated use.

My only major gripe was the nylon wrist strap.  I really love the lack of a wrist strap in the Warrior gloves and it was an adjustment going back to a strap.  It seemed to loosen up as my skate went on.

BLOCKER

Is a blocker really a blocker???  Maybe.  But this piece was the one that I really liked.  Tons of wrist mobility, lots of pop off the face and the softest, most supple palm I've ever used.  The thin board is a nice touch while offering lots of protection.

Overall I think the 2X line will be a win for Bauer and their most successful line to date.  I did have more pros than cons overall but the line just isn't for me.  Anyone who considers themselves a "hybrid" goalie, don't fool yourselves.  The pads especially are not flexible by traditional standards.  I don't even like the use of the term hybrid anymore, most gear companies are moving to a stiff vs soft in their lines.  While the Supreme line is still the stiffest on the market, the new Vapor line will actually create some separation for Bauer.

If you do get a chance to demo a set I would highly recommend it... Gives you some perspective on how Bauer has invested in improving their products.

[coopaloop1234]

Good overall initial impression. 

I don't think anyone should think that the new Bauer lines are anything but stiff pads. Even the 2x, their softest Odin pad, is still a plank on the legs. 

[TheGoalNet]

12 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Good overall initial impression. 

I don't think anyone should think that the new Bauer lines are anything but stiff pads. Even the 2x, their softest Odin pad, is still a plank on the legs. 

Agreed. Only exception is the soft boot. The 2X Pro boot flexes well. Anything Bauer is stiffer than anything Vaughn as a reference though

[coopaloop1234]

2 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Agreed. Only exception is the soft boot. The 2X Pro boot flexes well. Anything Bauer is stiffer than anything Vaughn as a reference though

Oh absolutely. I liked the boot flex of the 2X over the 1X. 1X just felt like a slightly more broken in 1S.

I just like to hammer home the notion that the new Bauer lines are very stiff, though I should specify more about their torsional flexibility being non-existent.

[cwarnar]

3 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Oh absolutely. I liked the boot flex of the 2X over the 1X. 1X just felt like a slightly more broken in 1S.

I just like to hammer home the notion that the new Bauer lines are very stiff, though I should specify more about their torsional flexibility being non-existent.

Bingo.  Solid in the butterfly and literally like a wall.  And you do get a really good "connected" to your leg feeling

[cwarnar]

8 minutes ago, TheGoalNet said:

Agreed. Only exception is the soft boot. The 2X Pro boot flexes well. Anything Bauer is stiffer than anything Vaughn as a reference though

Yup.  The SLR2 seems squishy compared to the 2X.  The soft boot is a great feature.  I think you could get a small S curve storing a 2X pad upside down tho.  

[Telfo]

Just now, cwarnar said:

Yup.  The SLR2 seems squishy compared to the 2X.  The soft boot is a great feature.  I think you could get a small S curve storing a 2X pad upside down tho.  

Can confirm I’ve gotten my 2x pads into a bit of an S curve and they are now perfect for my relatively narrow butterfly.

[TheGoalNet]

12 hours ago, cwarnar said:

Yup.  The SLR2 seems squishy compared to the 2X.  The soft boot is a great feature.  I think you could get a small S curve storing a 2X pad upside down tho.  

Done this with mine too. Goalie Gear Nerd shared this on his account. It works.

[maxtm30]

After 20 weeks (huge delay happened with a new form version rolling out; they skipped my set up for a few weeks in the factory before beign told to do it as is) I finallt received my 2X Pro gear so here are a few shots including action ones. The delay occured because I ordered slightly before the official retail from rolled out. Tell me what you think!

[seagoal]

Looking good man, great set of gear.

[goalieThreeOne]

@maxtm30 Great looking set! Any reason you went with square knee blocks?

Also I've never seen a blue 2X Pro chesty before. How'd you get your hands on that?

[goalieThreeOne]

On 8/2/2019 at 11:25 PM, TheGoalNet said:

Done this with mine too. Goalie Gear Nerd shared this on his account. It works.

I store my pads upside down against a wall and put my skates on top. A month in and it's already taking a curve pretty well. Did the same with my 1X.

[maxtm30]

7 hours ago, goalieThreeOne said:

@maxtm30 Great looking set! Any reason you went with square knee blocks?

Also I've never seen a blue 2X Pro chesty before. How'd you get your hands on that?

Thanks! I went with the square because I had a 2s Pro setup last season (I chose the powerlite core too  ) so I wanted to keep a similar feel! 

I work at retail and my rep showed me the colorway (red is also available) so I booked a blue one for myself back in november!

[#16]

Those look SWEET.

[TheGoalNet]

On 8/10/2019 at 8:33 AM, maxtm30 said:

Thanks! I went with the square because I had a 2s Pro setup last season (I chose the powerlite core too  ) so I wanted to keep a similar feel! 

I work at retail and my rep showed me the colorway (red is also available) so I booked a blue one for myself back in november!

Notice any stiffness or break differences between the Powerlite on Supreme Vs Vapor?

[maxtm30]

1 hour ago, TheGoalNet said:

Notice any stiffness or break differences between the Powerlite on Supreme Vs Vapor?

I’ll make a full comparaison thread this week! But the only noticeable difference is the boot break since I have the vapor free flex boot.