My Bauer R5 6000 REACTOR pads experience

[RichMan]

I chose to post this here as it won't necessarely be a real review but more a Q&A about them to help me find the proper adjustment(s) before I truly decide if they stay or go.

Thought I'd give a small update/first impression/mini review here since these are an old model and very hard to find, especially new like mine and not worth a full on breakdown.

These aren't light as per current Brian's and Warrior standards but they don't weigh a ton either. At 36"+1 they maybe weigh 6lbs a pad. They are definitely a soft hybrid like pad but I still managed to get a few mid size rebounds off of them. Coming from some 12" pads, I do feel and see a slight difference in how they sit and move on my leg. The channel is a good middle between wide and snug. I decided to not use the knee locks to accommodate my Vapor knee pads - BIG mistake. I must of landed off the blocks in my b-fly at least a half dozen times. Not doing that again. They slid nicely on fresh ice as any pad would. They slid ok after 90min. of ice time. I put on the Pro Laces I bought last spring. Although I did feel some flex, they were still a tad tight for my ankles which was in turn hard on my knee joints. I have to figure a way to give the toes a little more slack. I only wear a size 9 skate and yet, strapping it up over the boot was work, even if only using the first 2 holes of my cowling-less skate. Over all, I'm happy with my purchase. Now I have to get rid of my new found Giggy b-fly 

[RichMan]

I had my second game in them with my advanced group. It was a really off night for me as I was uncomfortable in all my gear even though everything but the pads is broken in nicely.

This time I chose to use the knee locks which helped secure the pad closely to my leg as it should. despite this, I still managed to land off the knee blocks a couple times which made for an uncomfortable save and/or slide.

Either my legs shrunk some the past few seasons or the newer pads are more true to size compared to previous models. I'm not sure if it's the Pro Laces that are making the pads sit higher on my leg thus the reason I'm not landing in the middle of the blocks as I should. Maybe I honestly would fit better in a size down. Maybe I simply have to wait for the boot to break down some. Maybe I should go back to sliding toes instead.

It's frustrating to not feel dialed in when you need to focus on your game instead of your gear.

[JustSomeFinn]

I had similar problem couple of years ago with some premier pads that were a tad too big for me. What I suggest you to do is put normal skate lace toe ties with 3.5-4 inches of slack and run the bootstrap from the middle of your skate and tighten it pretty firmly so that your knee wont slip from the knee stack. It might feel weird at first but once you get used to it you will like it. I liked it so much that I still put my bootstrap from the middle of the skate and as tight as it can go

[RichMan]

4 hours ago, JustSomeFinn said:

I had similar problem couple of years ago with some premier pads that were a tad too big for me. What I suggest you to do is put normal skate lace toe ties with 3.5-4 inches of slack and run the bootstrap from the middle of your skate and tighten it pretty firmly so that your knee wont slip from the knee stack. It might feel weird at first but once you get used to it you will like it. I liked it so much that I still put my bootstrap from the middle of the skate and as tight as it can go

My knees and ankles won't agree with the torque that would come from a tight boot strap, but thanks for the suggestion..

[Lucky Pucker]

49 minutes ago, RichMan said:

My knees and ankles won't agree with the torque that would come from a tight boot strap, but thanks for the suggestion..

I knew as soon as I saw the cranking the bootstrap suggestion (while it would be effective), would be a non-starter for you.

As for the pro laces, do you have a pic of your set up? I think others have either modded an inch or two of slack, or else order the newer models that incorporate; Myself, I got the Armour-Hybrid. So much good stuff in the Pro laces thread here - see page 13, for example:

[RichMan]

11 hours ago, Lucky Pucker said:

I knew as soon as I saw the cranking the bootstrap suggestion (while it would be effective), would be a non-starter for you.

As for the pro laces, do you have a pic of your set up? I think others have either modded an inch or two of slack, or else order the newer models that incorporate; Myself, I got the Armour-Hybrid. So much good stuff in the Pro laces thread here - see page 13, for example:

I laced them on at the back of the existing toe-bridge instead of using the hardware provided. Gave them a little bit of slack but will now go for the full inch and see. Had the pads been 35"+1s, they'd sit perfectly with the snug Pro-Laces.

If I learned anything in all this so far is that it's better to have a shorter pad than with too big a pad based on the knee landing's purpose.

[Punisher Goalie]

What about compressing the pad a bit? Not sure of the internal construction of these, but I’ve had success in the past with older pads compressing them and wrapping them in bungee cords for a few days to break them in. I’m usually stuck between 33” and 34” in pads, so I buy 34” and plan to break them in this way and it works out perfectly for me.