Bauer 2S Pro chest/arm protector

[RichMan]

I had my eyes on other brands. Vaughn V8 for example but it's a tad pricey. Mckenney's XPG1 or their older 895. Pro returns are far and few and often overpriced. 

I got my hands on the Bauer 2S Pro. It's an XL. I can't remember ever wearing an XL chest pad, which leads me to believe I might of been wearing the wrong size chest protector all my adult life. I was worried about the torso length and especially the arm length since they can't be adjusted. It fits shoulder width, kinda ok on the torso length if I pull on the straps under the floaters, but I have to say I'm still on the fence about it. I have a week or so to decide if I'm keeping it or returning it.

I love the fact that there is no over the shoulder velcro adjustments like every other model on the market. I feel the unit as a whole piece and solid. I tuck in, my pants are XL (Mckenney 855) and it does feel a little weird and puffy but that could just be because it's new. I wish they would of put the loop at the front a notch or two higher as well for lacing in my pants. Something I'll definitely get done if I keep the unit.

 It's not too heavy and quite mobile. Although it does feel much bigger than my Large TGC SPEC P1, it's still described as NHL spec and I'm happy with that. I'm more into mobility than size when it comes to chest protectors. The neck sits higher and that will also be an adjustment playing but at least I'll get the added protection at the neckline that I was lacking from my P1 and didn't even realise it.

I do feel that it was built as an untucked unit but i enjoy feeling a close wrap of my ribs for protection so I tuck.

The shoulder caps do feel like football ones given their size and shape compared to my flatter facing ones on the P1.

I

[RichMan]

Played my first game with it tonight.

So as mentioned above, it's a unit that definitely wants to play untucked. Not being able to cinch it down properly with my pants front lacing because the nylon loop on the unit's abdomen was affixed too low. I will get that fixed by installing 2 more each a notch above the other.

It's probably just because the unit is brand new, but although I have it wrapped around my ribs/waist snug, it felt like there was something missing there. I guess I was too used to the extra side protection my P1 offers.

The soft edge that aligns the unit and sits under the armpits, well they're not so soft. Again, only maybe cause it's new.

The belly is fairly long and a little too much for my torso length which is why I have the strapping over the traps tighten all the way. This in turn with having it tucked in my pants makes for a little pressure at the neck in my crouch. I do wear a Maltese neck/clav underneath which might add to the issue.

I didn't get crazy tested in the body but I did get a couple arm shots and I can say that I felt one on the forearm quite well from a simple wrister. It didn't hurt but I imagine some A/A+ level shooters would of left me a sore or even bruised spot for sure. Biceps was ok.

Onto the more positive stuff. Heat was manageable, mobility was better than expected, arms length was a concern initially but in the end there was no glove/blocker interference. Despite large cup size shoulder caps, visibility and mask chin clearance was fair enough. I'll still need a few games to get a proper feel for it and break it in some more. Any major mods/adjustments should follow suit if needed.

It's my first XL chest protector and I think it should of been so from my early adult playing days. Sometimes you learn the hard way. 

[coopaloop1234]

I'm surprised you had any issues with the arm protection on a 2S. The level of protection was one of my largest positive takeaways from using this unit, that and the body blocks. 

My grievances with the unit really came down to the arm movements and the wrist connections. 

This unit truly went with the 'exoskeleton' feel instead of the 'sweater' feel. The arms felt robotic, but they moved well enough. The wrist straps bugged the hell out of me. I could never get them right and they always felt super square. 

I found it to be a very particular type of C/A. 

[RichMan]

For the arms, I would say it's maybe the type of materials used or the series in which it's assembled cause I don't feel shots the same way in my P1 forearms. It shouldn't be a huge factor for me as I don't mind feeling shots. My second game in it is tomorrow night. We'll see what comes out of it. By the way, I had 2 more nylon loops added at the belly to better adjust the height and pants/chest incorporation. Should work better. 

[RichMan]

So second game in the books with this chest protector and despite having added some extra loops at the front to keep the unit in place in my pants, it still comes untucked and becomes very annoying and distracting during game play.

@coopaloop1234, was your experience the same?

[coopaloop1234]

9 hours ago, RichMan said:

So second game in the books with this chest protector and despite having added some extra loops at the front to keep the unit in place in my pants, it still comes untucked and becomes very annoying and distracting during game play.

@coopaloop1234, was your experience the same?

I don't tuck, so I can't help you there. 

Though, I'd definitely say they had not tucking mostly on mind for this unit. It doesn't seem like it would tuck well. 

[RichMan]

Just had my third game in it and this time I laced the front through the third loop I got installed. It held in much better but it's still no golden egg as far as comfort or function. Bauer says it was mostly designed as a non-tuck unit really. So annoying trying to make it work. 

[coopaloop1234]

11 hours ago, RichMan said:

Just had my third game in it and this time I laced the front through the third loop I got installed. It held in much better but it's still no golden egg as far as comfort or function. Bauer says it was mostly designed as a non-tuck unit really. So annoying trying to make it work. 

So don't force it then? 

Join us on the untucked side. 

[RichMan]

On 6/2/2022 at 11:17 AM, coopaloop1234 said:

So don't force it then? 

Join us on the untucked side. 

I know I'm late on this but I tried it your way a couple times and the lack of rib coverage was always a concern while I played. Not to mention I now confirm that the body is too long for my torso. I could hack the bottom flap and shorten the sternum bar to make it work, but as I am actively looking at other options out there, doing so to it would highly impede in its resale value. We shall see.

[coopaloop1234]

On 3/19/2024 at 8:30 AM, RichMan said:

I know I'm late on this but I tried it your way a couple times and the lack of rib coverage was always a concern while I played. Not to mention I now confirm that the body is too long for my torso. I could hack the bottom flap and shorten the sternum bar to make it work, but as I am actively looking at other options out there, doing so to it would highly impede in its resale value. We shall see.

None of the padding is going to be in the correct spots as the unit is far too large for you. 

The resale on 2S C/A's isn't great, but, hacking up your current unit would just leave you with a C/A that's more or less useless. I'd highly recommend just going to get a proper fitting unit instead of trying to Frankenstein your current one. 

[RichMan]

13 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

None of the padding is going to be in the correct spots as the unit is far too large for you. 

The resale on 2S C/A's isn't great, but, hacking up your current unit would just leave you with a C/A that's more or less useless. I'd highly recommend just going to get a proper fitting unit instead of trying to Frankenstein your current one. 

Pretty much where I'm heading to for the moment. Just gotta find what fits my body, my game level and my budget.