ZeroGravitas

On 5/7/2024 at 8:17 AM, A.YOUNGoalie13 said:

@ZeroGravitas Have you used both the vapor tune fit strapping and the supreme? Curious about the supreme because of the calf strap but I like wearing my pads super tight. Wonder if I should even bother switching on my next set.

I had the Vapor Straps on my HL2 and I think the tightness is pretty close - both the Vapor calf strap and the Supreme calf strap have velcro on both ends so you can get it tight. I'm still experimenting with the Supreme straps...

1 hour ago, RedX said:

Does spec on the Mach bankhand give you back the traditional Supreme sidewall?

From what I was told, yes, it does change the sidewall

6 hours ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Just to note, your picture of the Mach calf plate was the option if you bought a Pro Custom Mach set. 

The standard Mach (retail or custom) had the "Gmail" envelope calf area instead. 

 

Thanks - will clarify this in draft 2. Hyperlite2 retail and custom had very similar, if not the same, calf plate as the custom Machs.

1 hour ago, Teezle said:

Did they make the Supreme TuneFit+ calf strap longer this time? I recall it being very short on the Mach and I’m not a big person. 

I feel like they made the attachment side come a little further down but I can't say for sure!

21 minutes ago, insertnamehere said:

Am I imagining things, or were posts deleted from this thread as well?

I removed a double post that @Puckstopper made. I don't think anything else was deleted or hidden.

[RESERVED FOR LONG-TERM REVIEW]

Alpha - 05/05/2024 - Base spec write up + beginnings of initial impressions.
Beta -ETA ??? - Initial impressions continued
Gamma - ETA ??? - Long-term review

Hello all. Some users here have been asking for me to post my thoughts on my Shadows.

Full disclosure: I am employed at a hockey store and paid less than retail for this equipment. All thoughts are my own and not my employer’s. As far as I know, Bauer does not know or care who I am - though with my obnoxious colorways, I have no doubt they could find me, say mean things to me and drive me to commit hara-kiri - not that they have ever contacted me about these reviews. I have no relationship with Bauer beyond working at a retail store and selling their (and other manufacturer's) equipment.

The reason for this post is two-fold:

1. Show off my sweet new toys - with a radical departure from my old colorways!
2. Discuss the differences between custom and stock options to better inform my fellow goalies who are interested in going to Bauer or going custom.

This initial post will be about my initial impressions, discussion of custom options and some comparisons to other pads I've worn. A full, long-term review will hopefully be posted in a couple months.

Brief Custom Spec Discussion

I ordered this custom set on Feb. 23, 2024 - prior to the Shadow customizer going live. I was in possession of the custom order form sometime in late January 2024. It was a bit tricky to figure out colors and how everything would work as the employee order form is just an Excel file with drop down options -  no pictures, and no details of custom options. Note that the only colors used in this set are white, aviator blue, and navy.

Luckily, Bauer made the decision to step back a little bit on the stiffness from the Stiff option that was the stock option on the Mach. I liked the Mid stiffness of the Ultrasonics very much and had that option on my Hyperlite 2s and was more than happy to keep that stiffness the same as I learned with the Machs that going stiffer than this was not good for my game.

I specced the Vapor soft boot flex as that is what I was used to. I was coming from an Hyperlite 2with that same boot (and having used CCM EF-1/4/5 and Hyperlite1 and Ultrasonic and Mach with similar boots) and wanted to keep the same feel.

I stuck with the stock Supreme Stabilislide as that is what is present on my Ultrasonics, Mach and Hyperlite 2 and because I didn't care for the flex and feel of the Stabiliflex knee block of my Hyperlite 1.

Then comes the option for Calf Bracket. I felt the Mach calf bracket was a bit too much. The Hyperlite 2 implementation was much more to my liking, though I felt it was not a game changer. If selecting the Shadow pad, you cannot spec a Hyperlite 2-style calf bracket even at the Pro Custom tier. So I opted to skip it entirely.

I struggled with my decision about the catcher. The Ultrasonic was one of my favorite catchers ever. Bauer brought it back for 2024 under a new name - the S60 catcher. While I like the Vapor 90 that I ordered with my Hyperlite 2, I occasionally struggle to cleanly catch some pucks. Go look at the my post in the Classifieds subforum and you'll see a mess of puckmarks on the thumb and not the pocket... I eventually decided to stick with the Vapor90 as I felt that I didn't want to re-learn catching with an S60 after having the Vapor90 for the last year. Plus customers are very curious about the Vapor90 and I often have my gear in the store while working so that customers can get a feel for certain items because my store generally does not stock them.

Enough bullshit, let's get to the specs.

Shadow Leg Pads

There are a couple changes this year for Supreme.

1. Slider Skin 2.0
2. Softer flex
3. New calf plate
4. New toe attachment system
5. Stiffer outer roll

Some of these options - namely Slider 2.0 and the stiffer outer roll feel like minor changes - if it wasn't for the Bauer catalog mentioning that the skin had changed, I wouldn't have noticed.

The biggest changes this year are the move from the Stiff/Mach core to the Mid/Shadow/Ultrasonic core. The curve of the pads is pretty similar to the Mach, but they play a bit more like a pad with more curve on it due to the softer flex.

The other big change is the new calf plate. If you take a look at the pictures below, you'll notice that the Shadow has a curved interior calf pillow, as well as a curved calf plate. Compare that to the Mach (red pad), which was pretty flat. Hyperlite 2 had the same calf. The effect of the curved calf pillow is that your leg sits further inside on the pad. You'll notice this in your stance and in your butterfly. I think it is actually pretty comfortable and helps you feel more connected to the pad.

The final big change is the new, stock toe attachment system. Instead of a Pro Laces/Monster Hockey bungee lace, there's a short nylon anchor to a Y-shaped bungee system.

Below, a shot of the non-Grip Knee, which is made of a suede-like material. Fairly soft.

.

Shadow Catcher

 [TO BE CONTINUED]

Shadow Blocker

[TO BE CONTINUED]

23 hours ago, Leader Blue said:

Is the shadow line out for retail? I'm struggling to find somewhere to try it on and I was told to believe they would have been out by now.

I believe official release is 5/24, but since these are likely rolling into shops within the next couple weeks, you'll probably see them being sold in-stores early.

Family picture

15 hours ago, Toobs said:

Beautiful gloves! I love my new SLR4 70 degree. It catches everything. Best part of the new set for sure.

I think Vaughn still needs to work on their finger protection for their blockers, but I like the amount of pop I’m getting on the blocker so far.

Thanks! And speaking of fingers, I think the SLR4 index finger needs a little work. When I bend my index finger, the finger material seems to be bend in an awkward way. Maybe a side effect of the SLR4 fitting on the larger side?

20240501_160553-rot-noaud.mkv

But on the Velocity 10, it seems to be just fine.

20240501_160616-rot-noaud.mkv

Spring sale at GoalieMonkey.com continues.... sorta. Use coupon code SPRING20 for 20% off.

Previously it was 25% off. Lots of Warrior available.

Just now, ArdeFIN said:

That is Velo style catcher, not SLR even though said to be SLR. Lacing, fingers to palm, structure overall.

I love VE8, hated V9 and now I think I have to get myself one 70deg to try as it looks just what I would like. 

BTW take a measure of the perimeter, my V9XP (not Pro Carbon) was about 116cm from factory and looked massive....

You're probably right. I think these 70 degree catchers were initially released as a Velocity 9 or Velocity 10 70 degree XP.

From what I was told, the glove and pocket are all NHL-legal - they shortened the cuff so they could add more space to the pocket.

My SLR4 gloves came the other day. Leg pads still on the way, I hope?

Blocker is stock SLR4, though I wonder if I should have gone with an INT palm as it feels pretty spacious. But I'm used to using a Bauer blocker.

Catcher is a 70 degree SLR4 - which is Vaughn's version of a 580. Went with the "Double Classic T" instead of the stock Single T. Pocket looks and feels huge, I have to doubt that it is NHL-spec.

You're buying pro-level gear already - what's stopping you from making the jump to custom and getting a custom Bauer glove? You'd be able to reinforce the tee, add foam to the thumb, go with a pro palm to beef up the fingers. But the closure won't be buttery at that point.

Sold, thanks for looking!

28 minutes ago, RichMan said:

I'm in Canada, both locations would coast an arm and a leg after all is said and done.

I'd reach out to a goalie specialist or store manager at your local ship. They can probably do it but don't really advertise it since not a lot of people are getting custom chest or pants.

10 minutes ago, RichMan said:

Just to add to my post above...I got curious and looked up the 2024 catalogue and the Pro Series c/a has been omitted from available orders. The Shadow looks like a mishmash of the Pro Series body with Hyper shoulders and Mach arms.

Am I right to assume that the Pro Series is dead and done from Bauer? 

Did you look at the custom catalog or the retail catalog? Its never been in the retail catalog. It should still be available for 2024.

There was an upcharge for the custom graphic, I think it was less than $100 CAD.

The letter denotes where the pant was built. A is built in Asia. C is built in Canada. See if the seller has a picture of the tag, it should say made in Canada.

HPG14 are NHL-spec in terms of sizing, which I do not believe the HPG12s are. Also, the waist sizing is different.
HPG12s come in Small (30-32"), Medium (32-34"), Large (34-36"), X-Large (36-38") and XX-Large (38-40").

HPG14 come in Fits 1-5 instead. I suspect the waist size is measured per the NHL rulebook, so a Fit 1 is 32-34.49", Fit 2 is 34.5-36.49", etc. Check out Section 3 - Equipment - 11.4 for the other sizes.

Vaughn does. A buddy of mine got some SLR4 pants with the red/gold Canucks V on the sides.

1 hour ago, RichMan said:

Any chance you can measure shoulder to shoulder, collar to belly and arm length? I've been thinking of getting a Pro Series, but don't know how they fit and no local stores carry them to try.

Just now, coopaloop1234 said:

Calf strapping is all new on the G7.

G6 iteration was not good. It had a hard, plastic like, outer calf wrap that was situated on the far outside of the pad. The changes on the G7 were very welcome. 

Calf pillow is bigger than the Hyperlite 1 too. Good thing it's removable. 

Nice set. 

The G6 - and maybe the G5? had a slit in the calf so you could put the wrap through that to make it slightly tighter. My last experience was GT2, which, IIRC, did not have that option.

I noticed the pillow was removable, too! It leaves a big strip of velcro to rub on your leg/hockey sock though.

Just now, coopaloop1234 said:

That's all eh?

That exposed foam was present on the G6 line as well. It was also seen on the glove backside finger protection and the inside of the calf wrap on the G6. 

Odd choice to not at least cover it up. 

Didn't pay much attention to G6 as I was/am happily married to my Bauers. It does seem really odd to cover it up on the black models but not on the white models.

I do like the changes to the calf strapping - I think it may have begun with G6 - one big complaint customers had with Warrior was the inability to fine-tine and really get the calf tight.

I'm hesitant on the big calf pillow here - that's one thing I didn't like about Hyperlite1.

10 minutes ago, coopaloop1234 said:

Those are gorgeous. So how many sets are you rocking this year? 3? 

What don't you like about them? 

Axis XF on the way, Bauer and Warrior are here, Vaughn SLR4 coming any day/week now. That'll be it.

With my one league game on the weekend, it's really hard to find stick time or pick-ups during the week - they all seem to be Fridays, and I'm hesitant to skate two days in a row and compromise my ability to win my men's league games. Still recovering/trying not to aggravate whatever injuries I have and playing back-to-backs does seem to set it off.

I've used the car analogies a lot. For me, playing with the Bauer is like driving a Mercedes Benz. Nice, smooth ride. Most everything just feels quality - though MB and Bauer do take shortcuts with certain things and some things are quite dumb, but overall the performance and feel is top notch. Holding and looking over the G7 is like getting in my wife's Hyundai.

Below are two pictures, one of my G7's inside finger guards. There's plain exposed foam there. My first reaction was that someone forgot to cover it up. I looked a retail white-based G7 blocker in my store and it's the same.

But a black-based G7 blocker in the store had a suede-like covering over it. It just looks much cleaner.

2 minutes ago, RichMan said:

You beat @WONGER to the punch!

When will you go into full details? Wearing the GT2 line myself, this has particular interest for me   

Gear is pretty much stock, except for going INT size in the hands, which I never had the guts to do on my other sets - I do think I like it. Added the wrist strap for the catcher since I'm old fashioned.

Entirely possible that I won't do a full, separate thread for a couple of reasons: hard to find ice time (not a lot of pickups and stick times in my area for some reason), and a deep attachment to the way my Bauers feel and perform.