Vaughn V9 Pro Carbon set 1 year review

[seagoal]

It's been 1 year since I got my V9 set so I wanted to check-in on my general review of the gear and go over the wear and tear at this point. I've played in 3 tournaments, consistently played 3 times a week, and won a championship with this gear.  I'm not gonna go too deep performance-wise.  I'm a lifelong Vaughn user as you all know but...

Going from VE8 to V9 pads was a HUGE improvement for me.  I am a better goalie in this gear, hands down, and the majority of that is the Extra Stiff spec on the pads. I am so glad I ordered this spec.  My main goal with this set was stiff, firm foundation with the pads and improved mobility down low with Quick Slide.  Mission accomplished. My butterfly sliding and mobility has improved dramatically, I'm routinely using RVH on both sides which is new for me and a huge improvement to my game.  My cheap goals down low, in tight are just about extinct now, especially on my glove side.  These pads have enabled me to use a good foundation in RVH and my pushes on either side feel solid and effortless.  Seriously, Quick Slide is a god send, especially for me, having everything to gain from stiffer pads and putting in the work at stick n puck open sessions on both micro and macro adjustments to my game. My VE8 and all prior pads (V6, 4, 2, 1) were way too soft and lacked the firmness and stability for me to do proper sliding, pushing, RVH, etc.  Sure, part of it was learning and being coached a bit and putting in the work technique-wise, but pads play a huge role in that too and I think what I needed to take my body and my ability to the next level was a firm, stiff pad with an excellent sliding surface and that is exactly what I got in the V9 custom ordered Extra Stiff.  The thigh rises have held up really nicely as well and they still offer good firmness, are not bending torsionally, and are not curling in--I'm a leaner with my elbows and these are the first pads I've had that have not curled. 

I remember when I ordered these thinking: I'm very Bauer-curious, how can I get myself there one day? Extra stiff  was the right choice. 

Here's a look at the wear and tear on the pads.  Not too bad overall.  There are some spots on the corners that have worn to white, there's some fraying below the knee blocks, fraying on the calf wrap from the velcro strap, and fraying underneath on the boot from my Pro Laces velcro

The blocker is great.  I've never had any problems with it and I've been very happy with how it plays and feels.  Again, being Bauer-curious, I'm interested in playing with a properly stiff blocker but everytime I put one on they feel so strange to me, very un-Vaughn and foreign. There is nothing I really want or need from a blocker that this doesn't offer, it's just more hypothetically, I wonder how I'd like and benefit from a properly stiff (different) one.  Of the 3 pieces of this gear, the blocker is probably the most traditional and most "Vaughny" piece. I am just now, after a year in, at a point where a new palm would be a nice new upgrade, but it's not torn or worn at all.  It's just gotten thin and lost its plush by now.  Here's a look at the wear and tear.  For whatever reason I tend to be hard on blocker binding in the finger/thumb areas

 

The glove has been really good for me as well.  My confidence in my glove hand has improved and I really enjoy how this glove feels and plays.  Vaughn gloves just fit me so good and they feel the most natural for me.  I am a 590 goalie through and through.  I did order it with a Pro Palm and in retrospect I probably would not again.  I think I've only felt one stinger that I can recall, so that's great.  But, it was a tough glove to break-in and get to where it feels snappy. After my break-in process I stored in on off days just casually, but I started alternating with it stored either pancaked open face down with weight on top with closing it tight with weight on top leading into game days and that made a huge difference.  For whatever reason this glove would not feel good if stored casually.  Now, when I get to the rink it is snappy and feels great.  

There is one annoying thing on the backhand.  The overlapping nylon segments frequently get misaligned and the one underneath comes out over top the one up top....see pics.  It's not a huge deal and does not really matter performance wise, but it is annoying.  It take the paddle of my stick and try to knock it back underneath to align properly or fiddle with it with my blocker fingertips. Otherwise, it's great.  I really like the leather/buckle wrist strap.  I'm a set-it-and-forget-it goalie and never take my glove off in games.   Here's a look at wear and tear, the glove has the most fading of red to white and it is particularly on the Quick Slide material on the T where it is really bad and the cord around binding on the perimeter of the pocket is worn pretty good, which is a very common wear spot for me. 

[seagoal]

 

 

 

So all in all, I am very happy with this gear and it has made my game better. I'm a better goalie now, for sure.  Why? Honestly, it's the pads.  The stiffness, stability, and sliding material has changed my game for the better.  So it begs the question now, do I go all in and fulfill my Bauer-curiosity next and go for the stiffest of the stiff?

Maybe.  Not sold yet.  I'm not buying gear anytime soon, but if I did, would I go Vaughn?  V10, SLR3 with a a Velocity glove? Not sure. Outside of Vaughn, Bauer and True is catching my eye the most.  I have no hands on experience with True and the Bauer gloves and blocker feel really foreign to me so I'm hesitant there, but I think I really want to give some properly stiff and firm leg pads a go.   

At this point, my goal is to secure a demo set this year and take a set for a spin, so if I can get my hands....er, legs....on a set of Medium Bauers at some point, I'll be happy to try them. I'm most likely not willing to split up a set and get different brands for pads and mitts, so if I do leave Vaughn down the road it will have to be for the whole set.  Time will tell. 

Cheers. 

Edited May 24, 2022 by seagoal

[SaveByRichter35]

There is nothing wrong with getting a set of Bauer pads and keeping your Vaughn gloves if everything is still matching colors.  

[southpawtendy48]

Great post as always. I can’t add a reaction to it though because I’ve liked too many posts today lol. 

I’m curious about the super stuff option. My pads do curl in the slightest bit and I’ve also gotten more flexible so I might bump up to regular stiff on the upper core on my next set. I’m pretty sure we’ve had our sets for a similar amount of time and your pads are way straighter than mine are currently haha. 

[seagoal]

4 hours ago, SaveByRichter35 said:

There is nothing wrong with getting a set of Bauer pads and keeping your Vaughn gloves if everything is still matching colors.  

Ugh. I know.  That just makes my brain go a bit haywire though.  I'm so engrained with the idea of a "full set".  Mixing brand on gloves/pads has always kinda irked me, for no good rational reason, granted. 

1 hour ago, southpawtendy48 said:

Great post as always. I can’t add a reaction to it though because I’ve liked too many posts today lol. 

I’m curious about the super stuff option. My pads do curl in the slightest bit and I’ve also gotten more flexible so I might bump up to regular stiff on the upper core on my next set. I’m pretty sure we’ve had our sets for a similar amount of time and your pads are way straighter than mine are currently haha. 

Thanks buddy. 

Best decision I made on this set, by far.  In retrospect if I could order them stiffer than Extra Stiff, I would. I do not have a wide butterfly flare by any means.  So my pads closing in the middle is pretty rare.  It does happen, but not all the time.  I make a lot of knee pad save, haha (thank you Warrior Pro +).  So stiffer pads don't mesh well with my body in terms of 5 hole closure. But, what stiff pads has done for me is make my mobility down on my knees way, way better and my technique in things like RVH or pushes left or right from a symmetrical butterfly way, way better.  Adding more mobility and more technique efficiency had far outweighed whatever benefit 5 hole closure might add. We also have sticks and knees to make 5 hole saves, so those are things I actively think about and incorporate into my game.  

My hips just don't flare wide.  5 hole closure is not something I can rely on regularly, even though it does happen in some situations.  So that said, the other advantages of stiffer, firmer pads have added way more to my game and my confidence than I would be able to have with softer, squishyer pads, even though those pads might close in the middle easier. 

I think my ideal pad at this point is super stiff with an inherent, dramatic S curve as its default.  That would be my dream pad now.  

Edited May 26, 2022 by seagoal

[johncho]

7 hours ago, seagoal said:

Best decision I made on this set, by far.  In retrospect if I could order them stiffer than Extra Stiff, I would. I do not have a wide butterfly flare by any means.  So my pads closing in the middle is pretty rare.  It does happen, but not all the time.  I make a lot of knee pad save, haha (thank you Warrior Pro +).  So stiffer pads don't mesh well with my body in terms of 5 hole closure. But, what stiff pads has done for me is make my mobility down on my knees way, way better and my technique in things like RVH or pushes left or right from a symmetrical butterfly way, way better.  Adding more mobility and more technique efficiency had far outweighed whatever benefit 5 hole closure might add. We also have sticks and knees to make 5 hole saves, so those are things I actively think about and incorporate into my game.  

My hips just don't flare wide.  5 hole closure is not something I can rely on regularly, even though it does happen in some situations.  So that said, the other advantages of stiffer, firmer pads have added way more to my game and my confidence than I would be able to have with softer, squishyer pads, even though those pads might close in the middle easier. 

I think my ideal pad at this point is super stiff with an inherent, dramatic S curve as its default.  That would be my dream pad now.  

This is extremely helpful insight to me right now as I'm shopping for a pad, and I want stiffer than my current set, but I'm hesitant about how stiff might be too stiff. Main concerns were about my not-super-wide butterfly, but in my games most danger moments happen in movement side to side and I think in that aspect a stiffer upper core would help. 

[wox33]

If you went pro custom in Bauer I think if you went with the 1X style 2 piece blocker and the Hyperlite glove you wouldn't be too far off of what you have in the V9.

[seagoal]

4 hours ago, johncho said:

This is extremely helpful insight to me right now as I'm shopping for a pad, and I want stiffer than my current set, but I'm hesitant about how stiff might be too stiff. Main concerns were about my not-super-wide butterfly, but in my games most danger moments happen in movement side to side and I think in that aspect a stiffer upper core would help. 

Nice, glad it helped you.

The one bummer about ordering Vaughn pads stiff is the weight goes up.  My V9 pads are significantly heavier than my squishy VE8 pads.  I don't mind it when playing necessarily but it's definitely a thing.  One of the more attractive attributes of Bauer gear for me is the light weight.

4 hours ago, wox33 said:

If you went pro custom in Bauer I think if you went with the 1X style 2 piece blocker and the Hyperlite glove you wouldn't be too far off of what you have in the V9.

Good to know, thanks.  I'm slowly but surely taking notes of Bauer stuff for some "future purchasing decisions", haha.

My goal first is to get a demo set somehow.

[wox33]

42 minutes ago, seagoal said:

The one bummer about ordering Vaughn pads stiff is the weight goes up.  My V9 pads are significantly heavier than my squishy VE8 pads.  I don't mind it when playing necessarily but it's definitely a thing.  One of the more attractive attributes of Bauer gear for me is the light weight.

 

I wouldn't get too hung up on this, at least not on the legs pads. I unfortunately shipped my Hyperlites out about 2 hours before my True set arrived and never put them on a scale but just going off of hand feel you couldn't convince me that a medium Hyperlite was lighter than a 33+2 20.2 pad.

[southpawtendy48]

17 hours ago, seagoal said:

Thanks buddy. 

Best decision I made on this set, by far.  In retrospect if I could order them stiffer than Extra Stiff, I would. I do not have a wide butterfly flare by any means.  So my pads closing in the middle is pretty rare.  It does happen, but not all the time.  I make a lot of knee pad save, haha (thank you Warrior Pro +).  So stiffer pads don't mesh well with my body in terms of 5 hole closure. But, what stiff pads has done for me is make my mobility down on my knees way, way better and my technique in things like RVH or pushes left or right from a symmetrical butterfly way, way better.  Adding more mobility and more technique efficiency had far outweighed whatever benefit 5 hole closure might add. We also have sticks and knees to make 5 hole saves, so those are things I actively think about and incorporate into my game.  

My hips just don't flare wide.  5 hole closure is not something I can rely on regularly, even though it does happen in some situations.  So that said, the other advantages of stiffer, firmer pads have added way more to my game and my confidence than I would be able to have with softer, squishyer pads, even though those pads might close in the middle easier. 

I think my ideal pad at this point is super stiff with an inherent, dramatic S curve as its default.  That would be my dream pad now.  

This was really helpful to know. I do wonder about going stiff with a soft boot. Might just go regular boot. I have never not played in a soft pad so it’ll be a shot in the dark…

 

and definitely don’t go pro palm if you don’t have an extra glove. It can mostly close now but in hindsight I should’ve taped it shut after every skate and amped up the keeps method. Couldn’t leave it in the car for a day before it went stiff again. So annoying 

[Chenner29]

9 hours ago, wox33 said:

I wouldn't get too hung up on this, at least not on the legs pads. I unfortunately shipped my Hyperlites out about 2 hours before my True set arrived and never put them on a scale but just going off of hand feel you couldn't convince me that a medium Hyperlite was lighter than a 33+2 20.2 pad.

I demoed a pair of Hyperlites but forgot to weigh them.  Or maybe I did, wrote it down somewhere and forgot.

Either way, my opinion is the Bauers feel a little top heavy because of the Stabilislide/Stabiliflex bracket in the knee.

@ZeroGravitas can you weigh your Machs?  Or bring them over Saturday

[ilyazhito]

11 hours ago, seagoal said:

Nice, glad it helped you.

The one bummer about ordering Vaughn pads stiff is the weight goes up.  My V9 pads are significantly heavier than my squishy VE8 pads.  I don't mind it when playing necessarily but it's definitely a thing.  One of the more attractive attributes of Bauer gear for me is the light weight.

Good to know, thanks.  I'm slowly but surely taking notes of Bauer stuff for some "future purchasing decisions", haha.

My goal first is to get a demo set somehow.

Why not go with SLRs or amother traditional butterfly set? That should allow you to get the hard rebounds you want and slide well at the same time. 

 

I know I won't always be able to close my pads perfectly, but I still use my Bauer 2S Pros for the hard rebounds. Just yesterday, I literally had a save where the puck went off my right pad and skidded over the blue line, without touching anyone else. My pads effectively cleared the zone!

[ser33]

your glove looks like it had a lot of ice

my low end Reebok XLT24 glove after a full three years of constant use

I am by no means saying something bad about your glove, but I was surprised by so much wear in just one year

[keeperton]

14 hours ago, wox33 said:

I wouldn't get too hung up on this, at least not on the legs pads. I unfortunately shipped my Hyperlites out about 2 hours before my True set arrived and never put them on a scale but just going off of hand feel you couldn't convince me that a medium Hyperlite was lighter than a 33+2 20.2 pad.

I have to echo this @seagoal, my Hyperlite blocker is the heaviest blocker I own (V1, Optik 1, Optik 2, GNetik V).

[ser33]

1 hour ago, keeperton said:

I have to echo this @seagoal, my Hyperlite blocker is the heaviest blocker I own (V1, Optik 1, Optik 2, GNetik V).

The S1 blocker is also the heaviest of all that I had. but this is not surprising, knowing the design of his board

[seagoal]

9 hours ago, ser33 said:

your glove looks like it had a lot of ice

my low end Reebok XLT24 glove after a full three years of constant use

I am by no means saying something bad about your glove, but I was surprised by so much wear in just one year

All good.

Yeah, my gloves always do this.  I must drag them face down on the ice a lot.  I attribute this to "user error."

Thanks for the feedback on weight @wox33 @Chenner29 @ilyazhito @ser33 @keeperton

On the weight point, I was just talking about pads, not mitts.  Mine were ordered Extra Stiff so my guess is whatever Vaughn adds to Velocity pads to make them Extra Stiff adds weight.  My hands on experience with Bauer pads in stores is they are stiffer than Vaughn AND they weigh less than Vaughn.  So that was all I meant about the weight.

@ilyazhito SLR pads are definitely on my radar, for sure.  Gloves, no way, they feel too weird to me.

[Maxpower29]

I'll ask since it mentioned here. Is there and word on the new Velocity line coming? I keep reading SLR3 was 2021 so you would think 2022 they will have one? Kind of difficult to drop money on a new set like I want if a newer line is coming 

[Maxpower29]

On 5/26/2022 at 3:20 AM, seagoal said:

Ugh. I know.  That just makes my brain go a bit haywire though.  I'm so engrained with the idea of a "full set".  Mixing brand on gloves/pads has always kinda irked me, for no good rational reason, granted. 

Thanks buddy. 

Best decision I made on this set, by far.  In retrospect if I could order them stiffer than Extra Stiff, I would. I do not have a wide butterfly flare by any means.  So my pads closing in the middle is pretty rare.  It does happen, but not all the time.  I make a lot of knee pad save, haha (thank you Warrior Pro +).  So stiffer pads don't mesh well with my body in terms of 5 hole closure. But, what stiff pads has done for me is make my mobility down on my knees way, way better and my technique in things like RVH or pushes left or right from a symmetrical butterfly way, way better.  Adding more mobility and more technique efficiency had far outweighed whatever benefit 5 hole closure might add. We also have sticks and knees to make 5 hole saves, so those are things I actively think about and incorporate into my game.  

My hips just don't flare wide.  5 hole closure is not something I can rely on regularly, even though it does happen in some situations.  So that said, the other advantages of stiffer, firmer pads have added way more to my game and my confidence than I would be able to have with softer, squishyer pads, even though those pads might close in the middle easier. 

I think my ideal pad at this point is super stiff with an inherent, dramatic S curve as its default.  That would be my dream pad now.  

One thing I have found is I cannot full close my 5 hole with newer pads because of the knee landing being larger. I have a brand new set of V7s and a new set of SLR2. Both 33+2 and exact form but the SLR2 knee is a lot larger and stops me from completely closing. 

But like you said I don't seem to be bothered much by it yet.

Still trying to decide which pad I like best before ordering a custom set. 

Tough life decisions 

[ArdeFIN]

5 hours ago, Maxpower29 said:

One thing I have found is I cannot full close my 5 hole with newer pads because of the knee landing being larger. I have a brand new set of V7s and a new set of SLR2. Both 33+2 and exact form but the SLR2 knee is a lot larger and stops me from completely closing. 

But like you said I don't seem to be bothered much by it yet.

Still trying to decide which pad I like best before ordering a custom set. 

Tough life decisions 

Look for pads that have the knee blocks top corner cut out. One reason I jumped for G5 is that. And it definitely helps that much. This is kind of weird evolution as on Warrior GT pads the knee block is smaller and I have no problem hitting it. Now the G5 block is bigger, corner cut and I still have no issues hitting it. Only asking for what is the purpose of the bigger block anyways?

[Maxpower29]

28 minutes ago, ArdeFIN said:

Look for pads that have the knee blocks top corner cut out. One reason I jumped for G5 is that. And it definitely helps that much. This is kind of weird evolution as on Warrior GT pads the knee block is smaller and I have no problem hitting it. Now the G5 block is bigger, corner cut and I still have no issues hitting it. Only asking for what is the purpose of the bigger block anyways?

Ya I think that would do. I'm going to start doing some stretching exercisesto be honest because I think it's something I should be able to figure out easy. I'm not far off 

[Maxpower29]

30 minutes ago, ArdeFIN said:

Look for pads that have the knee blocks top corner cut out. One reason I jumped for G5 is that. And it definitely helps that much. This is kind of weird evolution as on Warrior GT pads the knee block is smaller and I have no problem hitting it. Now the G5 block is bigger, corner cut and I still have no issues hitting it. Only asking for what is the purpose of the bigger block anyways?

I should also note the V7 set I close perfectly with the smaller block. Not sure if I explained that well 

[ArdeFIN]

18 minutes ago, Maxpower29 said:

I should also note the V7 set I close perfectly with the smaller block. Not sure if I explained that well 

Actually I only commented on your custom set plans and didn't think of those mentioned V7 pads that much.

SLR3 pads are with cornerless knee blocks btw...

[Chenner29]

7 hours ago, Maxpower29 said:

I'll ask since it mentioned here. Is there and word on the new Velocity line coming? I keep reading SLR3 was 2021 so you would think 2022 they will have one? Kind of difficult to drop money on a new set like I want if a newer line is coming 

If they're following typical release patterns, there should be a Velocity 10 this year unless they're revamping the line

I'd expect pro summer skate/workout pics coming in the next couple weeks, and retail release in Q2/Q3 2023