Bauer 2023 Lineup

[ZeroGravitas]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

Alright Bauer friends, what do you guys make of this?

I'm about to pull the trigger on some Bauer gear after much deliberation.  Regarding size of pads, here's the deal:

-just a hair under 5'11

-FTK 20.5

-my custom Vaughns have no size but I know they are 34.5ish and my previous ones were 35. 

-I've gathered that I am likely a Medium in Bauer.  @Chenner29 wants me in XS because he's obsessed with small pads. 

-I have a narrow butterfly and for me, closing the tops when down is not really a thing.  I take a lot of pucks to my knee pads. 

I came across a size L M5 pads in a LHS and here it is side by side with my custom V9 pads.

What say you guys?

Just going off your FTK and looking at the pad fit pic - L looks right. Catalog size chart below.
At 20.5 FTK, you're topping out a Medium, but you're right in the middle of the size range of a Large.

Below is the breakdown of Bauer sizes. Pros are able to mix and match to get a longer thigh and/or shorter boot, whereas we retail customers are locked into boot/shin/thigh sizes.

It doesn't read well horizontally, so I put this together for retail sizes.

Based on this "secret" size chart, the Medium should be the same boot length, but slightly shorter in the shin and the thigh. Judging by the pad fit pic, I don't think you'd want to lose the half inch in the knee.

EDIT: I assume you're wearing skates in the fit pics, too?

Edited May 10 by ZeroGravitas

[seagoal]

40 minutes ago, ZeroGravitas said:

Just going off your FTK and looking at the pad fit pic - L looks right. Catalog size chart below.
At 20.5 FTK, you're topping out a Medium, but you're right in the middle of the size range of a Large.

Below is the breakdown of Bauer sizes. Pros are able to mix and match to get a longer thigh and/or shorter boot, whereas we retail customers are locked into boot/shin/thigh sizes.

It doesn't read well horizontally, so I put this together for retail sizes.

Based on this "secret" size chart, the Medium should be the same boot length, but slightly shorter in the shin and the thigh. Judging by the pad fit pic, I don't think you'd want to lose the half inch in the knee.

EDIT: I assume you're wearing skates in the fit pics, too?

The pic with me in the pads is with no skates, but I have the bungees wrapped around my shoes and tight.

It's funny to me that I'm landing between M and L in the overlap area because for years, and several custom orders, Vaughn has made me what is essentially half sizes and I always bought 35s when buying stock sizes, not 34.  When thinking about sizing, if you asked me choose half size too big or half size too small, I'd choose too big 100% if for no other reason than having the extra thigh length help when down and acheiving this type of bfly closure /\ which is about all I can get in most circumstances.  @Chenner29 has helped me a lot in developing better symmetry in my hips and and in my game and that, along with stiffer pads and Quick Slide, have for sure made me a better goalie. 

I appreciate your post, thanks @ZeroGravitas

[seagoal]

@ZeroGravitas checks out on here too. This is an ankle-to-knee chart on Goaliesplus and I clock in at 18

[seagoal]

@ZeroGravitasproperly geared up.

 

[Hockey34]

2 hours ago, seagoal said:

@ZeroGravitasproperly geared up.

 

Going off all the pictures you have posted I would say the large. 

[ThatCarGuy]

11 hours ago, seagoal said:

@ZeroGravitasproperly geared up.

 

How on earth did you manage to get the knee pads on sideways?

[seagoal]

9 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

How on earth did you manage to get the knee pads on sideways?

Probably just snagged on my jeans and they're not taped down like usual. 

Plus I moved them a but for the photo to show where my knee was landing. 

What do you think of the size?

Edited May 10 by seagoal

[ThatCarGuy]

I’d still drop down to a medium since the boot angle on m5 can force it to ride up in rvh and while sliding. Personally I’m 5’11” and was going to downsize to XS in Mach (S in hyperlite 2) but I also have a much shorter ftk

[A.YOUNGoalie13]

28 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Probably just snagged on my jeans and they're not taped down like usual. 

Plus I moved them a but for the photo to show where my knee was landing. 

What do you think of the size?

I would do the large based on where your knee sits. I get the boot angle and what not but you literally wore the pads with your gear and thats where your knee was. Knee should be in the bottom 3/4s of the cradle which yours is.

[seagoal]

Thanks guys.  

I take the point of how these will play seriously since I've never used proper leg-blockers like these before.  I did notice to that the leg harness could be work very snug and it could be used to adjust the overall feel and fit pretty significantly.

I think honestly I'm on the cusp, within a half inch or so of optimal and I'm not convinced really that going up or down will be noticeable either way.  It's not like ideal is 33 and I'm gambling on 36, you know?

I'm curious about @ZeroGravitas thoughts and then I'll be set.

@ThatCarGuy the HS I was in had a brand new Hyperlite 2 set that I tinkered with.  Stuff feels unreal, pretty awesome. 

I'm excited for you guys getting new gear.

[coopaloop1234]

20 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Thanks guys.  

I take the point of how these will play seriously since I've never used proper leg-blockers like these before.  I did notice to that the leg harness could be work very snug and it could be used to adjust the overall feel and fit pretty significantly.

I think honestly I'm on the cusp, within a half inch or so of optimal and I'm not convinced really that going up or down will be noticeable either way.  It's not like ideal is 33 and I'm gambling on 36, you know?

With the Machs and how straight they are, I'd do what @ThatCarGuy would do and go down a size. 

I'm in the area of using S or XS Bauers.

I demo'd a set of small Machs and while I could use them fine and I was landing fine I did think that going to a XS would have been better. The Tunefit+ hoists the pad a little higher on your legs, you couple that with the straighter thighrise too and you can get a clunkier feeling. 

With how different these pads are going to be for you, I think nailing down the right size to improve the ease of transition is pretty important. 

Edited May 10 by coopaloop1234

[ThatCarGuy]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

I'm excited for you guys getting new gear.

Unfortunate news is it may be for sale almost immediately since my team may require me to wear ccm next year which is very annoying. Waiting on a final word from our organization gm

[seagoal]

2 minutes ago, ThatCarGuy said:

Unfortunate news is it may be for sale almost immediately since my team may require me to wear ccm next year which is very annoying. Waiting on a final word from our organization gm

Oof.  No further comment.

[ZeroGravitas]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

Thanks guys.  

I take the point of how these will play seriously since I've never used proper leg-blockers like these before.  I did notice to that the leg harness could be work very snug and it could be used to adjust the overall feel and fit pretty significantly.

I think honestly I'm on the cusp, within a half inch or so of optimal and I'm not convinced really that going up or down will be noticeable either way.  It's not like ideal is 33 and I'm gambling on 36, you know?

I'm curious about @ZeroGravitas thoughts and then I'll be set.

@ThatCarGuy the HS I was in had a brand new Hyperlite 2 set that I tinkered with.  Stuff feels unreal, pretty awesome. 

I'm excited for you guys getting new gear.

Wow, someone cares what I think

As you say, it is really close. I think your knee is just a teeny bit low on the knee cradle, but you do wear a pretty bulky knee pad. And if you went smaller, you might get a little more control in the knee, but you'd give up that little of that thigh rise for your Jiggy-fly.

Tough call, but I'd go with the Large.

[Chenner29]

5 hours ago, ZeroGravitas said:

Wow, someone cares what I think

Go brag to your wife

[RecoveringGoalie1]

8 hours ago, ThatCarGuy said:

I’d still drop down to a medium since the boot angle on m5 can force it to ride up in rvh and while sliding. Personally I’m 5’11” and was going to downsize to XS in Mach (S in hyperlite 2) but I also have a much shorter ftk

Agreed, my custom Mach's are size small - I'm 5'11 and am very glad that I didn't go with the medium's as the way the tunefit strapping holds the pads higher on your legs would've resulted in a taller thighrise / reduced mobility. I technically could fit a medium based upon where I landed in the cradle, but with how stiff the mach line is you're better off being an inch 'short' than too long in my opinion.

[xmikex32]

@seagoal We are almost identical in sizing I'm 5'11 on good days but 5'10 by the evening. My FTK is roughly 20.5 too and i tried on a pair of medium M5's and a pair of large Hyperlites. They sit slightly different but i was landing hair over center on the medium M5's and kind of where you are landing in the Vapors. They are fitting pretty much how my 34 G5's fit and i am able to move around great in those without being clunky. I would take the advise of some of the members here and go with a medium if you feel comfortable in them. It might be hard to get your hands on a psir of mediums to test fit but that would tell you. My LHS doesn't have the widest selection, goalies seem to be the red headed step child, they have a whole giant store full of player gear and a small corner that us goalies are banished too.

I wear PAW knee pads so they aren't as big as yours but i was still on the knee stack without too much thigh rise poking out and smacking each other. Try on some mediums if you can or even medium x3/hyperlites and just take into account that the machs SHOULD sit taller than the medium Vapors.

Question though you stated that you have a narrow BF have you looked into the vapor line they are more curved in the thigh rise and could help close it. You are looking at what appears to be the stiffest and straightest pad on the market. I'm not telling anyone how to spend their money or what pads to buy, just some food for thought  

[xmikex32]

Not to derail the thread from the gear but i have a question and pardon my ignorance and lack of gear knowledge. So each product line is supposed to fit a certain style, stiff pad vs. flexible. what is the real difference between a softer pad vs a stiffer pad since your shin doesn't actually move and its all hip and knee rotation. wouldn't thigh rise stiffness and boot be the only areas that would come into play? couldn't all pads essentially just have a soft boot and be stiff and it would cover everything? I just don't see the point of flexible pads since flexibility at the shin doesn't do anything. I see softer pads pushed more towards people who don't have flexibility but if your issue is lack of ROM with hips a softer pad wouldn't matter vs a stiffer pad since your body cant physically get into that position. 

only real thing is see between the  two lines is boot angle and thigh rise shape/stiffness...trying to expand my knowledge 

[sescaro]

4 minutes ago, xmikex32 said:

Not to derail the thread from the gear but i have a question and pardon my ignorance and lack of gear knowledge. So each product line is supposed to fit a certain style, stiff pad vs. flexible. what is the real difference between a softer pad vs a stiffer pad since your shin doesn't actually move and its all hip and knee rotation. wouldn't thigh rise stiffness and boot be the only areas that would come into play? couldn't all pads essentially just have a soft boot and be stiff and it would cover everything? I just don't see the point of flexible pads since flexibility at the shin doesn't do anything. I see softer pads pushed more towards people who don't have flexibility but if your issue is lack of ROM with hips a softer pad wouldn't matter vs a stiffer pad since your body cant physically get into that position. 

only real thing is see between the  two lines is boot angle and thigh rise shape/stiffness...trying to expand my knowledge 

Pads like Vaughn Velocity have more torsional flexibility so they twist more laterally.  Coming from V8s to the 3X I definitely noticed the difference there.  

Edited May 11 by sescaro

[xmikex32]

8 minutes ago, sescaro said:

Pads like Vaughn Velocity have more torsional flexibility so they twist more laterally.  Coming from V8s to the 3X I definitely noticed the difference there.  

What did you feel? i just haven't had enough gear to really tell soft vs stiff. i would think since it just the knee and hips moving then the pad doesn't actually move it just follows your leg.

[seagoal]

2 hours ago, xmikex32 said:

@seagoal We are almost identical in sizing I'm 5'11 on good days but 5'10 by the evening. My FTK is roughly 20.5 too and i tried on a pair of medium M5's and a pair of large Hyperlites. They sit slightly different but i was landing hair over center on the medium M5's and kind of where you are landing in the Vapors. They are fitting pretty much how my 34 G5's fit and i am able to move around great in those without being clunky. I would take the advise of some of the members here and go with a medium if you feel comfortable in them. It might be hard to get your hands on a psir of mediums to test fit but that would tell you. My LHS doesn't have the widest selection, goalies seem to be the red headed step child, they have a whole giant store full of player gear and a small corner that us goalies are banished too.

I wear PAW knee pads so they aren't as big as yours but i was still on the knee stack without too much thigh rise poking out and smacking each other. Try on some mediums if you can or even medium x3/hyperlites and just take into account that the machs SHOULD sit taller than the medium Vapors.

Question though you stated that you have a narrow BF have you looked into the vapor line they are more curved in the thigh rise and could help close it. You are looking at what appears to be the stiffest and straightest pad on the market. I'm not telling anyone how to spend their money or what pads to buy, just some food for thought  

Good post, thanks.

I had to think about this, but here is my progression of leg pads over the past several years:

-V4, double breaks, thigh strap worn tightly, SUPER squishy.

-V6, single break, thigh strap worn tightly, squishy

-VE8, single break, no thigh strap, ordered Stiff, still squishy

-V9, single break, no thigh strap, ordered Extra Stiff, not squishy but soft

See a pattern?

So yeah, a progression in my game and in my physical abilities (thank you @Chenner29 for your help and support) has led to wanting more and more stability and rigidity my pads, more and more stiffness, less and less flex.  My Extra Stiff V9s right now after 2 years and playing 2-3 times a week and a few tournaments are now too soft for me.  I use RVH on both side, my mobility on my knees and my edge work is good now and I can do things they do on TV, haha, I just need the gear to do it.

I will say though, shout out to Vaughn for Quick Slide material.  That stuff is truly amazing and was a game changer.  I'm honestly a bit nervous/sad about new pads without it.

I do have the option around here in my LHSs to tinker with both Vapor lines and Supreme lines. In fact, one shop has a full set of Hyperlite 2.  That stuff is unreal and looks and feels great (especially the blocker, jeez).  But the pads are notably softer than Supreme pads and that alone is kind of a turnoff given my progression and my needs for my gear.  Supreme stuff just feels better to me and as a bonus, looks better aesthetically to me as well.  I think I've developed abilities and techniques to warrant jumping out of Vaughn into Bauer and going big, getting Supreme stuff and moving towards the line that is more different than my normal than the Vapor line is.

I did end up ordering a Medium, after all.  I had a chat with Cam at The Hockey Shop in Surrey, BC and he in particular swayed me comfortably into Medium.  Funny point though: I actually placed my order for Large, kinda regretted it, spoke with Cam, decided I would return the Large immediately upon receipt for Medium, and then got contacted by the shop in Pennsylvania that they were in fact out of Large but still had Medium.  I said "Sold, I'll take Medium."

It was fate.

[xmikex32]

6 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Good post, thanks.

I had to think about this, but here is my progression of leg pads over the past several years:

-V4, double breaks, thigh strap worn tightly, SUPER squishy.

-V6, single break, thigh strap worn tightly, squishy

-VE8, single break, no thigh strap, ordered Stiff, still squishy

-V9, single break, no thigh strap, ordered Extra Stiff, not squishy but soft

See a pattern?

So yeah, a progression in my game and in my physical abilities (thank you @Chenner29 for your help and support) has led to wanting more and more stability and rigidity my pads, more and more stiffness, less and less flex.  My Extra Stiff V9s right now after 2 years and playing 2-3 times a week and a few tournaments are now too soft for me.  I use RVH on both side, my mobility on my knees and my edge work is good now and I can do things they do on TV, haha, I just need the gear to do it.

I will say though, shout out to Vaughn for Quick Slide material.  That stuff is truly amazing and was a game changer.  I'm honestly a bit nervous/sad about new pads without it.

I do have the option around here in my LHSs to tinker with both Vapor lines and Supreme lines. In fact, one shop has a full set of Hyperlite 2.  That stuff is unreal and looks and feels great (especially the blocker, jeez).  But the pads are notably softer than Supreme pads and that alone is kind of a turnoff given my progression and my needs for my gear.  Supreme stuff just feels better to me and as a bonus, looks better aesthetically to me as well.  I think I've developed abilities and techniques to warrant jumping out of Vaughn into Bauer and going big, getting Supreme stuff and moving towards the line that is more different than my normal than the Vapor line is.

I did end up ordering a Medium, after all.  I had a chat with Cam at The Hockey Shop in Surrey, BC and he in particular swayed me comfortably into Medium.  Funny point though: I actually placed my order for Large, kinda regretted it, spoke with Cam, decided I would return the Large immediately upon receipt for Medium, and then got contacted by the shop in Pennsylvania that they were in fact out of Large but still had Medium.  I said "Sold, I'll take Medium."

It was fate.

I understand i too kind of took that same path i went from 2 sets of simmons double break pads, one being a velocity knockoff to warrior G5's in single break. I was able to close my 5 hole so much better with the stiffer single break than the double break. Plus this was my first modern style pad and the sliding and movement was SO much better than the simmons. 

I'm in the process of talking myself into a new set of Bauer's right now. My warriors are 3 years old and starting to soften up a little bit more than i would prefer. They have very minimal wear so my rational side is telling me i don't need two sets with playing 1/2 times a week. My fun side though is saying go for it, internal battle. also deciding whether to go with vapors or Supremes, I'm leaning towards Supremes but research and speaking to people here it seems the rebounds and sliding is pretty close between the two lines and at the level i play i probably wouldn't see a difference and all the 3x stuff is on sale right now 

[coopaloop1234]

15 minutes ago, seagoal said:

I did end up ordering a Medium, after all.  I had a chat with Cam at The Hockey Shop in Surrey, BC and he in particular swayed me comfortably into Medium.  Funny point though: I actually placed my order for Large, kinda regretted it, spoke with Cam, decided I would return the Large immediately upon receipt for Medium, and then got contacted by the shop in Pennsylvania that they were in fact out of Large but still had Medium.  I said "Sold, I'll take Medium."

It was fate.

Glad to hear. When do you get your set? 

Also, Cam is good shit. 

[seagoal]

1 minute ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Glad to hear. When do you get your set? 

Also, Cam is good shit. 

Cam is the biggest goalie nerd and that is saying a LOT on this site, haha.

They show up tomorrow morning and I signed up for a pickup game tomorrow night

Looking forward to kicking rebounds on goal to the other goalie!

[coopaloop1234]

8 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Cam is the biggest goalie nerd and that is saying a LOT on this site, haha.

They show up tomorrow morning and I signed up for a pickup game tomorrow night

Looking forward to kicking rebounds on goal to the other goalie!

Dude knows his stuff and we've had plenty a conversation about gear. 

Right on man. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts