Bauer PRO Goal Skate Impressions and On-Ice Review

[Black_sheep]

Hey everyone, it's me again with a little Easter egg for ya. So I got a juicy little preview for everyone.



So a little back story: I have been the owner of One100 goal skates for at least a year. I absolutely love them. Well, actually, I lied to you. I love MOST of those skates. The problem was that, while the cut out was absolutely brilliant and gave me an unbelievable angle to push with, the build quality of the Vertexx sucked.



As I'm sure most of you with these skates are familiar with, the cowling sorta broke on you over time. For me, this "over time" meant a month. At max. The picture of the skates you see here actually has the 5th cowling attached to them. So I talked to Bauer. I told them that, after so many replaced cowlings, the boot was probably not going to tolerate many more. After reasoning nicely with them for five minutes, they agreed to send me replacement skates. And thus, these PRO goal skates showed up at my door.



Out of the box, I got such a raging clue from these. After putting that away, I got down to looking at them. The first thing you notice is definitely looks, and as goalies, we all are unparalleled experts in aestheticism so it does matter. It's shiny black and orange. If only I didn't hate the Flyers so much...



The inside is plain and devoid of logos except for the Vertexx cowling cut out.



Now as you can see, the boot has these ripples in it, like the APx player skate. This is BRILLIANT!! I own the TotalONE player skates and have always desperately wanted the stiffness from those applied to my goalie skates.





The ribs, and the entire boot for that matter, are made out of the same Alive composite material that comprises the One100, TotalONE, and APx player skates. You can see how they wrap around the skate.



Bauer calls it "curv composite" in the goalie skate, but w/e. At the end of the day, it works. It is stiff as can be. And light. Extremely light. If you've ever held the One100 skate, you know that it's the lightest goalie skate you can get (I think). This definitely is lighter.



The tendon guard around the back of these is pretty stiff and I feel like Bauer took a step backward with this. I really liked the thinner, more flexible tendon guard that existed on the One100's.



Also, as compared with the One100 boot, the PRO skates are definitely wider. I also feel like the wall is thicker and there is more padding, despite the lower weight. I have to say that this is welcome.

[hgoalie2]

Best skates Ive ever worn. Really comfy, though superfeet help.

[Black_sheep]

As far as the padding goes, it has the same liner as the old skate but with more padding. Also, when I was on the ice, the foot liner felt really cushy. I don't know if that was because it was new, but it was definitely nice when you spend a 90 minute game on your feet.



The tongue is nice and cushioned fight where you would normally get lace bite, so that should keep the tops of your feet nice and comfy. My only gripe is that the laces that the skates came with are definitely one size too short.





The One100 skates and the PRO's seem to have the same height boot, which is totally cool with me.



Now, onto the real reason why I got these skates - supposedly the Vertexx cut-out is fixed!! YAYYYYYY!!!!! Whether it actually is, I will test out over time, but I'm glad to have that opportunity :-)



And now, for the bad news. If you buy these skates, be prepared to purchase Step Steel. The long and short of it is that this steel is trash. It's awful. When I got it sharpened for the first time, my pro shop guy (who does all of my skates) said that it was like trying to sharpen butter. When I got on the ice with them (my step steel hasn't come in yet), I could feel them getting duller as the skate went on. It was not a fun feeling.

Btw, yeah, that's some good, freshly-painted post-rub. Love it. It's the sight of failed wrap-around attempts and short-side shots.

As far as on-ice goes, they felt broken in the first time that I wore them. I baked them, sharpened them (at 7/16, but I felt like going a tiny bit duller to 1/2 would be good), and then went right out onto the ice. The squealed a bit at first, but that's because of the soft blades. Once I get the Step Steel on there, I'm anticipating a much better feel. I love the 3mm steel a ton. In fact, I demand it because I switch so frequently between skating out and playing goalie. For all you goalies worried about going from 4 to 3mm steep, just do it. Once you get used to it, it makes a world of difference. It's lighter and, in my opinion, keeps a better edge.

In conclusion, Bauer has a winner on their hands. I encourage everyone to try these things out because they are FANTASTIC (except for that god-awful steel). If the Vertexx stands up to abuse, then you will not be unhappy with them!

[VaughnGP]

interesting review...

i got these also, used them for 2.5 hours last night..

a few things of note..

1st thing i did was change the lace, not bc of length, but the stock factory lace is crap, only good for pants or emergency

2nd move over my super feet, don't see a big problem with the stock insoles if your foot doesn't have any issues, but i deff felt the better support when i switched to the superfeet, so might as well keep it going

3rd, move over my step steel.. couldn't agree more about the quality difference of the steel, same steel is on all stock goal skates, while i would change it anyway i can't understand why the use the lower grade steel on all their goal skates, at the least you would think the high end would get a better quality.

i am also coming from the one100's, and just like you said, other then some noise from being a new skate and everything not being seated just yet they were broken in just about immediately.



I can say i don't notice much of a fit difference anywhere in the boot other then the heel, which is tighter because of the design taken from the apx, which i personally enjoy a lot.

[Kael]

Where was your cowling breaking? I've never had an issue after over a year with them (I think it's been over a year now). My main issue was the cheapo eyelets they used. All the originals have popped and needed to be replaced with actual quality eyelets (I got them from Nash sports). First skate to ever have eyelet problems in 20 years (I hang dry my skates post skate and don't wear them tight). Once I did that, I had no issues.

Does the new skate have the better quality eyelet? Were these made in Canada or overseas?

[VaughnGP]

look thru the threads, many guys had various issues with the cutout area, some would crack, some would separate from the rest of the cowling.. etc..

haven't seen one of these skates (supreme line) with a eyelet issue yet

[thegoalie29]

I see you wear size 8, are you looking to sell your one100's?

[Black_sheep]

Originally Posted by VaughnGP

interesting review...

i got these also, used them for 2.5 hours last night..

a few things of note..

1st thing i did was change the lace, not bc of length, but the stock factory lace is crap, only good for pants or emergency

2nd move over my super feet, don't see a big problem with the stock insoles if your foot doesn't have any issues, but i deff felt the better support when i switched to the superfeet, so might as well keep it going

3rd, move over my step steel.. couldn't agree more about the quality difference of the steel, same steel is on all stock goal skates, while i would change it anyway i can't understand why the use the lower grade steel on all their goal skates, at the least you would think the high end would get a better quality.

i am also coming from the one100's, and just like you said, other then some noise from being a new skate and everything not being seated just yet they were broken in just about immediately.

I can say i don't notice much of a fit difference anywhere in the boot other then the heel, which is tighter because of the design taken from the apx, which i personally enjoy a lot.

Yeah I have almost perfectly neutral feet, so I never find the need to buy other insoles for my skates or shoes. I like the Superfeet (I have used the orange) but find that they push my feet a little too high in the boot. Personal preference if anything.

Originally Posted by Kael

Where was your cowling breaking? I've never had an issue after over a year with them (I think it's been over a year now). My main issue was the cheapo eyelets they used. All the originals have popped and needed to be replaced with actual quality eyelets (I got them from Nash sports). First skate to ever have eyelet problems in 20 years (I hang dry my skates post skate and don't wear them tight). Once I did that, I had no issues.

Does the new skate have the better quality eyelet? Were these made in Canada or overseas?

The biggest way to destroy eyelets is, believe it or not, not loosening up your skates enough when you take them off. I always remove my skates 2 eyelets before I slip my feet out of them. Otherwise it's direct force on the eyelets and that breaks them down.

Answering your question, though, the PROs definitely have a thicker area where the eyelets are located. I've never had problems with any of my skates in that regard, but these seem beefier than before.

Originally Posted by thegoalie29

I see you wear size 8, are you looking to sell your one100's?

PM me! They are indeed for sale! I haven't gotten around to putting up an ad yet on here, but I will! (Don't ban me mods!)

[RollrGoal]

How would you say the steel on the new skate compares to the older One100s? I'm using the One100 now, and I am going on the same sharpening for over a month skating 5 days a week, then down to 2 days a week. I am so impressed how long my steel holds its edge and keeps the bite I like.

I use 3/8" sharpening, and I only need to get my skates sharpened now b/c my edge is so knicked up from hitting the posts.

Maybe I'm just weird, but I have had zero problems with the One100 steel.

[VaughnGP]

well to put it nicely you are weird..

they use the same steel, and they are both junk..


you almost defeat the purpose of getting them done at that hallow and then using them for a month

[Wong]

I definitely dont use my sharpenings that long but I can go a couple weeks using a sweet stick between skates just fine. (Skating 3x a week)

I remember this skate being after going too long without a trip to the grinding stone

Beast Masters vs Naked Snowmen - YouTube

I'm still pushing fine and without slipouts.

I felt that the One95/100 both had fantastic steel but maybe I was just used to the Vapor XXX which may as well have been tin.

Are we going to get bent over and pounded on price for these new skates just like the forwards do for the APX boots or are they keeping the already insanely expensive price of the One100 for this new top model.

[VaughnGP]

I've seen them for 575

[Black_sheep]

Originally Posted by Wong

I definitely dont use my sharpenings that long but I can go a couple weeks using a sweet stick between skates just fine. (Skating 3x a week)

Yeah Step Steel is a HUGE improvement over the stock steel. I used the One100 steel for a good long time but when I tried the Step on my TotalONE player skates, it was like night and day difference between that and the Fusion steel. I tried the PRO's with Step Steel and it feels amazing.

[Thiazi]

Originally Posted by Wong

I definitely dont use my sharpenings that long but I can go a couple weeks using a sweet stick between skates just fine. (Skating 3x a week)

I remember this skate being after going too long without a trip to the grinding stone

Beast Masters vs Naked Snowmen - YouTube

I'm still pushing fine and without slipouts.

I felt that the One95/100 both had fantastic steel but maybe I was just used to the Vapor XXX which may as well have been tin.

Are we going to get bent over and pounded on price for these new skates just like the forwards do for the APX boots or are they keeping the already insanely expensive price of the One100 for this new top model.

At the hockey shop today, the the Pro's were $590 and the Elite's were $349. If I go with Bauer when I replace my skates, then I'll probably go with the Elite's, but I'm waiting to see the new Graf's before I purchase new skates.

For people who are more familiar with Bauer skates than I am, what are the major differences between the Elite and Pro skates? Also, what impact does the blade angle have? I know it's supposed to make pushing off for slides easier, but does it impact stability at all? I'm coming off of a knee injury and having a little more stable skate wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm currently using Graf G50s, which have been comfortable, but they're very heavy and the blade isn't replaceable. I'm not sure if it's worth replacing the cowlings when the midlevel skates aren't much more than getting my cowlings replaced.

[VaughnGP]

Originally Posted by Thiazi

At the hockey shop today, the the Pro's were $590 and the Elite's were $349. If I go with Bauer when I replace my skates, then I'll probably go with the Elite's, but I'm waiting to see the new Graf's before I purchase new skates.

For people who are more familiar with Bauer skates than I am, what are the major differences between the Elite and Pro skates? Also, what impact does the blade angle have? I know it's supposed to make pushing off for slides easier, but does it impact stability at all? I'm coming off of a knee injury and having a little more stable skate wouldn't be a bad thing. I'm currently using Graf G50s, which have been comfortable, but they're very heavy and the blade isn't replaceable. I'm not sure if it's worth replacing the cowlings when the midlevel skates aren't much more than getting my cowlings replaced.

biggest difference is the boot... the pro is a composite boot, making it much stiffer, but also more responsive as more of your energy will transfer to the ice.