Bauer Supreme TotalONE Impressions

[Black_sheep]

Hey Everybody!

Well I did this same kind of thing for the SubZero's that I ran into. However, back then, there had already been some people getting their gear. Well, in this case, I believe that I am the first review on the internet.



So I went into my local Total Hockey to get my skates sharpened on Tuesday, as per my normal routine. Anyways, I'm looking around because I'm bored and they have a new goalie display set up tucked back into the corner of the store. I recognized it as the TotalONE stuff that everyone is anticipating.



I was pretty impressed by the quality overall. I didn't see any hang threads, no scuffs, no stitches out of line. JRZ is doing a good job constructing these things.



The graphic looks nice enough. I really like simple things so the TotalONE graphic doesn't necessarily tickle my fancy, but I can tolerate it.



The leg channel is simple enough. It's mostly open and seems to be sort of Reebok-esque. Not a true open leg channel but almost.



The little riser pad under the calf can be laced out, which would be my preference if I ever purchased these pads.



There were three calf straps on this thing. They ran through the calf wedge like any normal setup now. Nothing groundbreaking here. I still sort of find the calf wedge on the TotalONE's to be kinda big, just like the One100's before them.



The boot straps are adjustable and can be placed into two different positions on the inside and two different positions on the outside.



It seems as if the outside strap is actually screwed into the leather of the tab on the pad. I could foresee a durability issue here.



The toe seems pretty standard, with a binding and your requisite toe straps. No major developments here. They have the same kind of toe bridge setup that the SubZeros had, but I'm sure there are more options.



It's not the thinnest pad on the market, but its not fat either. In my honest opinion, it felt a bit heavier thank it could have been because, in my opinion, it just had too much going on. More on that in my next post.

[Black_sheep]

Now, I wanna get into the most interesting portions of the Supreme TotalONE pad that I saw. This is all about the stuff going on with the knees.



They changed the knee setup and I personally like it a lot. The landing pad seems firm but comfortable, just the way that I like it. That strap is wide and long and doubled over, so it should be durable and comfortable on the back of the knee. The landing pad itself is big. Like BIG big. You can easily fit your bulky knee protection in these and move around.



I like how the outer knee velcro attachy thing (technical jargon here, of course) comes out very far but not in an obtrusive way. I feel as if this is going to be a very nice feature. Also, notice that the female end of the buckles is metal!!



The knee protection that comes with it is adequate at best. First thing I would do is rip those things off and put something better on there. Personal opinion though.



The knee stack has its straps coming through it, just like every other pad on the market. The difference is that you have three different slots through which you can put the knee strap through. This is nice because you can customize the knee strapping system any damn way you please.



The knee stacks velcro to the landing pad. Standard stuff, yadda yadda



Okay, now for the good stuff. This is the adjustable stiffness system that Bauer is using on these pads. I have high hopes for this system actually, and I think you guys'll like what they did. This is the outside roll and you can see that there are little vent kinda looking things. Inside there are the rods as I will call them.



You can see that these are flaps that are velcroed down to the edge of the pad.



After unvelcroing them, its time to really get into the guts of the pads.



You can see how the rod is inserted into the pad. There is a little space on the inside of the pad for it to be able to fold when you want to bend them. Smart on their part.



There is a little pull tab attached to the rod so that you can remove them. Pulling them out still wasn't easy.

[Black_sheep]

It slides out with a little bit of muscle, but I'm okay with that because I'd rather have a tight fit when I put them on.



This is what the cavity looks like when it is empty. I am told that you are technically allowed to play without any of the rods in there. When I flexed the pad with no stiffener, it felt a little more flexible than my Zero G's. This is a good and a bad thing. Remember that these had never been worn, so when they break down they will get softer. Also, there is less padding flexing in there so the foams themselves could be breaking down faster than we realize.



Speaking of the rods, there are two different flexes available. The first is the yellow, or mid flex as I think it should be called. Its moderately squishy, but not a sponge. With these in, the pads feel a little stiffer than my Zero G's do, and a little stiffer than when they were new. I have a feeling that these will be the rods of choice for most people.



The black ones are stiffer. When these are in, the pad is stiff as a board. There might as well not be a break in the pad with the black ones in. People who like one break below the knee will be perfectly content with yellow below and black above.



Anyways, getting away from the knee thing, the tops of these pads are bindingless. Surprise surprise there, I know.



And last but not least, they have that fun little TotalONE branding on the boot. These are 35+1's for those that are looking to pick them up at the Total Hockey in Downers Grove, Illinois.

My first impression of this pad is that it is an improvement to the One100. It has some innovative stuff, like the adjustable knee rods, but there also stands some potential for accelerated breakdown there too. The pad seems a bit heavy because of all the adjustability. However, for many, this increased weight will be offset by the ability to adjust to exactly how they want it. Overall, Bauer has made a good pad though. I wouldn't be opposed to wearing these had they been an option when I purchased my pads.

Next up, the blocker!!!

[Black_sheep]

The side wall of this follows the trend of solid blocks of foam to increase coverage when the blocker gets pulled into the body for blocking style goalies. Not my style, but they executed it well.



The blocker hand position is high up on the blocker so that it covers more area. I'd personally prefer it to be lower on the board so that it balances better, but once again they execute this well.



The palm of the blocker was pretty comfortable. I wouldn't mind having my hand inside this one for a game.



When I make a fist, the finger coverage is pretty impeccable. There will be no stingers if you play with closed fists on your stick.



However, if you play with your index finger on the paddle, there is a gap there for a puck to squeak through to the outside of piggie number one. They made the elastic straps from the fingers to the finger protection long to try to combat that, but in my opinion, that just makes the finger protection feel sloppy on any blocker. I like short straps so that the protection moves with the fingers, kinda what Vaughn is doing with the new V5 7990 blocker.



From the front, though, this looks as if it could take a bullet.



Thumb has some branding on it of course. However, it looks to be protective, soft, and comfy.

Next up, the glove.

[Black_sheep]

I'm going to start by saying that I REAAAAALLLLYYYY like this new glove. Like a lot. This just jumped into my top 3 list along side the t5500 and 7600 (I have a feeling that I'm going to like the 7800 glove though, but I haven't tried it on yet so I can't include it on the list) for when I need a new mitt. Or want one. Whatever. Don't you judge me. Anyways, the shape of it is pretty classy and I am quite partial to it. One gripe is that the logos are kinda ruining the glove flow. Definitely needs pro logos.



The palm seems pretty well padded right off the bat. I do not thing that this had a pro palm in it, but it did inspire confidence right away (and I play with some dudes with cannons). The palm is soft and supple on the inside. The glove was significantly less stiff than any other glove that I put on, with the notable exception of all Brian's gloves. The one-piece wrist is very nice and I never felt like it was causing my hand to feel stiff. The T felt fairly hefty, though not super thick. It feels as if it will hold up well over time.



With no help from the other hand, I was able to shut this thing right off the bat. Did I mention how comfortable my hand was? No? Well it was really motherlovin' comfortable. Closure is awesome and no pucks are getting out of that pocket.



Speaking of pockets, this came with a double-t which I happen to like. I'd definitely get some skate lace in that web, but what was there was acceptable. The T had a nice curve to it that looks good and will probably catch pucks better.



The backhand protection on this is really good. They put an air/gel/foam matrix thing over the knuckles that definitely will protect your hand from that guy who thinks running a goalie when they've covered the puck is cool. Screw that guy. *Not at all bitter.*



The backhand opens up pretty wide. Straps seem adjustable and nice. I was upset that there wasn't a port for the wrist strap to exit the glove for easy tightening during a game. Oh well. The material on the back hand seems soft and was comfortable too.



There is a closer look at the strap over the fingers.



You'll have to take my word on this one, but the glove sealed everything in perfectly. There is a gap in the picture because I couldn't apply pressure and take a picture at the same time and the glove wasn't broken in enough to stay that way. But believe me when I tell you that I seals the ice absolutely perfectly. That jerk ain't smacking the puck out from under my glove. Jerkface.

In conclusion, Bauer has made a glove that rocks. This thing is friggen stupid good. I would definitely consider getting one to try on. You probably won't be disappointed.

Overall, for all the gear, Bauer has made a pretty good lineup of stuff. It's innovative where it needs to be, comfortable, and seems to be of good quality. When someone gets on the ice with this stuff, you need to tell us how they are!

Hope you enjoyed this! If you want to know anything more, just ask! I'll try to answer as best I can.

[Red_2]

Love your reviews Black_Sheep!

My bruised pointer finger is LOVING the look of that blocker!

I may not wait for these though. I think the adjustability is great (You can get with this. Or you can get with that.) , but I'm a pad minimalist like some on here, and besides the thick calf riser, I'd be pulling stuff off too.

Great job!

Now to go order some custom One100 stuff before it goes away ...

[Dual Showman]

Graphics aside, that glove looks very promising. Perhaps a bit like the Itech/Bauer XR10...

[LivGoalie84]

I'll @ work today so i'll get my hands on "our" set in a few mins. I'll take some pix of a side profile look with all the different MYFLEX options.

-Mikey

[MGordo]

Good job on the review! I look forward to checking the gear out locally.. when ever it arrives.

[northstar355]

Which Total Hockey were you at? I might have to drop in and take a look.

[NJ Hitman]

Nice set. looks like to most radical change (aside from the adjustable Flex) was made to the catcher and the Knee Cradle.
Overall I like them but im always leary about buying a brand new technology ( ie MyFlex) For this reason I just recently placed my order for a Custom Set of One100's.. any issues in their design and performance have been addressed by now.

[mattvivsound]

Do the stiffener rods run vertical (side roll) or horizontal (knee roll) in the pad?

[aallen39]

Originally Posted by NJ Hitman

Nice set. looks like to most radical change (aside from the adjustable Flex) was made to the catcher and the Knee Cradle.
Overall I like them but im always leary about buying a brand new technology ( ie MyFlex) For this reason I just recently placed my order for a Custom Set of One100's.. any issues in their design and performance have been addressed by now.

I'm in 100% agreement, I just did the same thing, except i did have all the updated foams and whatnot ordered on mine, and is it me or am I getting a reebok p3 vibe on the catcher aesthetics for some reason?

just my 2cents

[Serly35]

Great review .... Pictures say so much !!!... Serly

[Smokey 32]

I looked at these pads last week. Very impressive to be honest. The interchangeable inserts are kind of cool, and a very smart marketing tool. With the black ones in, these things are stiff as a board! With the yellow inserts in, they felt more like a Vaughn V4 7600 in the knee/thigh area. Nice and light as well. Bauer will sell a ton of these pads!