Nike/Bauer Vapor X Gloves--a Vapor product that delivers?
Written: Nov 13 '07 (Updated Nov 13 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very comfortable and affordable
Cons: Limited protection, palm durability is a problem
The Bottom Line: For the average recreational player or child, this is a good value. Competitive players will need more protection
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Nike Bauer Vapor X Senior Ice Hockey Gloves |
Gloves
It’s been a while since I reviewed the Vapor XX and Vector Pro gloves. However, I was pleasantly pleased with both. I found them to be the most comfortable gloves in the low $100 price range. Of course that isn’t a price range that every player is comfortable being in. Recently I picked up a pair of the Vapor X gloves which sell for about $60 a pair. Let me go ahead and offer up the spoiler—I was pleasantly surprised.
The Vapor X
Following in the footsteps of most glove lines, the Vapor X takes almost all of its styling cues from the Vapor XX and XXX. It just makes sense for companies to build things this way. Whether it’s a skate, a stick or a glove, players all want the top of the line gear, even though not all players can afford it. It’s that whole silly keeping up with the Jones’s thing. Heck the Jones’s don’t even play hockey and we have to show off our expensive gloves, dumb.
On the bright side, a lot of the good things about a product will trickle down the line. For instance, in the Vapor X glove the cut of the glove is the same as that of the more expensive gloves in the line. This was one of my favorite things in the Vapor XX. A glove could be made with the most comfortable materials on the planet and still be uncomfortable if the shape isn’t right. Bauer nailed the shape of the Vapor glove line.
Fit
The fingers on the Vapor X fit just tight enough to let you know that there is a glove on your hand without any slippage. They close very naturally, unlike many gloves that feel like the fingers are pinching together. The palm is more generous toward the heel of the hand. The wrist is wide without making the glove seem too fat. The length is great and the cuff is wide enough to not interfere with elbow pads or wrist guards.
A fifteen-inch glove is perfect for me which puts the glove just slightly on the smaller size. In a few brands I feel like I am floating in a fifteen-inch. Most brands that stop at 14.5-inch gloves are fine and in several I’ve used a fourteen-inch.
Glove design
While the Vapor X follows in the footsteps of the Vapor XX glove, it does have one major design difference. The thumb on the Vapor X is a standard locked thumb as opposed to the inward flexing thumb on the XX. I like the flexible thumb on the higher end model a lot, but the lack of it isn’t something that ruins this glove. Keep in mind that the X sells for half the price. In fact if you were to get your Vapor XX gloves re-palmed, it would probably cost more than a pair of the Vapor X gloves brand new.
The fingers on the X are two-piece with the exception of the index finger. This makes the glove very easy to close right off the shelf. It’s not a stiff glove that you’re going to have to break-in over a long period of time. However, the space between the finger segments doesn’t have any padding. Higher end gloves have small pads between the segments to minimize the risk of getting whacked there. This is another minor sacrifice you make when dropping the Vapor X. The likelihood of taking a puck or stick between the finger segments is low, but it is possible.
There are decent sized blisters to protect the index finger. These help when someone hooks you on the stick. However, there are no blisters on the pinkie side of the hand. Again, it’s a low percentage area, but getting whacked there is always a possibility. The padding is soft, perhaps a little too soft for play higher than recreational hockey. Novice to intermediate leaguers will be fine though. Competitive players will likely want a glove with plastic inserts in the fingers which the X does not have.
Materials
The palms on the Vapor X are high-quality leather, most likely pig skin by the feel of it. They are reinforced with a Clarino strip in the high wear area of the palm. Pigskin is a pretty comfortable palm, but like all natural palm materials, does tend to pick after a while. This is when the surface becomes coarse on the inside. Leather palms also tend to become harder when they dry, even brittle over time.
The long-term prognosis for leather palms is not as good as that of synthetic. This has been one of the complaints about these gloves—that the palms tend to wear out in 6 months to a year. However, keep in mind that you can still buy a pair of these and have them re-palmed with synthetic palms when the leather ones wear out and it will still be less expensive than the cost of the Vapor XX gloves. Further, most players only wear out the top hand in about a year, so getting one glove re-palmed after a year is pretty much like getting a new pair of these at half price.
The outer on the Vapor X is medium quality synthetic leather. The graphics are printed directly on the materials rather than sewn on. It’s not a major issue since the materials will likely last the average player at least a couple of years.
Parting thoughts
The Vapor X is a great bargain priced glove. I wouldn’t recommend it for competitive hockey players as it doesn’t offer the protection required for higher end league play. However, for recreational players and younger children, this is a good value. The gloves are comfortable and offer a fair amount of protection at lower levels of play. They will likely wear out a little more quickly than gloves with a synthetic palm, but that’s part of the entire bargain.
© 2007 Scott Noble – All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited.
You might also enjoy my book on hockey, Hockey for Weekend Warriors. Click here to read the reviews.
Recommended:
Yes
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