Bauer Vapor XX SFL Skates: Does SFL really stand for Shortened Functional Life?
Written: Apr 16 '04 (Updated Oct 05 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Among the lightest skates made, good skating characteristics
Cons: Dismal durability, unavailability of parts
The Bottom Line: If you have a skate budget of over $1000 annually, the Vapor is not all bad, but those living in the real world should avoid it.
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| puckmugger's Full Review: Bauer Vapor XX SFL Skates |
Bauer’s Vapor XX skates were the coolest thing to hit the market when they came out a little over a year ago. Every kid who played hockey under the age of 13 had to have a pair. A lot of adults were just as amorously affected by the sleek silvery boots and cloudlike weightless feel of the new skates. When the long awaited shipments came into the shop I managed, they flew off the shelves in record time. With the exception of two pair, our full size run of Vapor XX Skates sold in under a week. Our first conclusion was that we should have ordered four or five times as many skates as we had. It didn’t take long to realize that we had actually ordered too many.
The Skate
The Vapor XX was the lightest skate ever produced and is, in fact, still claimed as such by Bauer. I would argue that CCM’s new Vector with the T-Blade system is actually a little lighter, but nonetheless, both skates are feather light compared to their competition.
- - -Boots - - -
The silvery material in the Vapor XX’s boots is actually ballistic nylon which is the lightweight, durable material that has become something of a standard for skate construction. However, the Vapor XX doesn’t rely on traditional interior stiffeners – layers of tougher material inside the liner to add support. Instead, the Vapor XX skates have a unique ribbed system, almost like a boat or airplane, to give them support. Further, the Vapor XX was the first skate to feature such a large amount of ballistic nylon with such small amounts of synthetic leather.
The fit of the Vapor XX is still very much like the rest of the Bauer line. It is made for narrow feet without a pronounced instep. People with wider feet will probably not have the need to heed my warnings to follow as they will be uncomfortable enough to dissuade a purchase anyway.
The other unique thing that Bauer introduced with the Vapor XX skates was a different type of stiffness. Rather than having a cuff that was so stiff that forward lean was an issue, a mistake they made with the Supreme 7000, Bauer designed the Vapor XX skates to give the highest level of lateral support while still allowing skaters to flex forward.
- - - Outsoles - - -
The outsoles are partial carbon fiber encased in a clear plastic substance. They are beveled to allow a tighter turning radius. The partial carbon fiber makes these very stiff. The outsoles are the only ones I know of on the market that incorporate extensive graphics and are again, very sharp looking.
- - - New Lightspeed Tuuk - - -
The improvements on the lightspeed are many (as touted by Bauer). They are three millimeters taller than the old TUUKs which will allow more aggressive edge control by increasing the angle before the boot strikes the ice. They are also 30% lighter because of the reduction of plastic and steel used. Also they have a single screw mounting system which means you no longer need special tools to get to the toe screw.
- - - Most of this sounds good - - -
In fact all of these ideas are good. The impression of skating on the Vapor XX is one of a very high quality skate. The lightness of the skates allows players to accelerate more explosively. The redesigned TUUK Lightspeed allows a tighter turning radius. Even the comfort of the skates was good. What then is the problem?
Durability and Design Issues
Bauer made sacrifices in their skate durability to reduce the weight of the skates. This was an issue with the previous Vapor line, but not to the same degree as it has been with the Vapor XX. Bauer’s weight saving ideas yielded what is essentially a disposable skate. At well over $400 a pair, a pair of skates should last for several years, you will be very lucky to get even two years from a pair of Vapor XX Skates even if you are only skating 2 or 3 times weekly.
- - - The Boots - - -
Perhaps the first clue to just how insufficient the boot construction is comes from Bauer themselves. While standard heat molding for skates is seven minutes, the Vapor XX goes in the oven for a mere two. Heat fitting a skate does take some small amount of the life from the uppers, essentially the part of skating that is most unpleasant, break in time. At two minutes, the skates are barely warm which indicates that Bauer has a low confidence in the boots to me.
The ribbed design of the boots seems like a good idea, however it is substantially less durable that a fully stiffened upper. Boots that are only a few weeks old commonly show the first signs of fatigue, creases and even occasional tears of the materials. Tendon guards have often been a problem as well. Tearing on the edges leads to torn boot linings and worse. I have seen two pair where players tore the tendon guards completely off after they had snapped and were distracting them during a game.
We returned a few pair completely broken down in three months or less. These skaters were actually the lucky ones since they managed to destroy their skates within the 90-day warranty period Bauer provides on the boots and had them replaced. Most skaters will get six months to a year before their boots completely fail – better, but still abysmal.
- - - The Outsole - - -
The outsoles have had some issues with extensive chipping, primarily at the toe. Mostly this is cosmetic, but in some instances it has been a case of vast portions of insole pulling loose. The outsoles are sometimes separating from the boot in a matter of a couple months. One interesting note on the cool looking graphics in the insole, they are printed on a piece of paper that sits between the outsole and boot. I suspect that, while this does look great, it heavily contributes to the tendency for the outsole to pull loose.
- - - The Lightspeed Holder and Steel - - -
Next time you are watching an NHL game, pay close attention to the steel on the player’s Vapor Pro Stock skates. They don’t use the perforated steel that Bauer ships on every pair of Vapor XX skates. This was a major issue on the skates, and still one of the biggest headaches over a year later.
The Perforated steel bends and breaks very easily. Further, about 80% of the Vapor XX skates mounted with the lightweight steel come with bent steel. Now it’s one thing to have a puck curve your blade; that happens from time to time. It’s altogether another thing to pull a brand new pair out of the box and find that the steel is already bent. Further we aren’t talking about a little twist that only the best skaters might notice. I have pulled Vapor XX skates out of the box and noticed the bend in the steel without looking for it.
Normally fixing bent steel is a simple task. However, the perforated lightspeed steel is so flimsy that it will take on the shape of the holder. The problem that Bauer engineered into the skates, is that the lightspeed was mounted incorrectly on huge numbers of their boots. In other skates the holder and steel are rigid enough to keep them from bending during assembly. The lightspeed with perforated steel is very prone to bending, and often mounted wrong at the factory.
Adding to what was already a headache, the steel breaks at such high rates that you still cannot get replacement blades without a considerable wait. Bauer has had this holder on the market for almost a year and a half and the steel is backordered for at least 30 days still! All skate blades break. Even if this was good steel with a minimal chance of breakage, I would be concerned with the lack of replacement parts. Given the lightspeed’s record I am terrified that I will break a blade in my V-12’s which also use the lightspeed.
The single screw mounting of the steel makes the Lightspeed easier to access than the previous two-screw mounting. However, the screw almost always works loose. We made is standard procedure to remove the screw and put a dab of locktite on it before giving the skates to the customer. If you do lose a screw, they are as difficult to come by as the steel blades still.
- - - Thoughts on the Vapor XX Skates - - -
If Bauer is going to continue to sell this skate they should cut the price by half or more. It is ridiculous to have a product this bad and expect customers to remain loyal. The Vapor XX was briefly the most popular skate in the NHL, but players have quickly switched as they are apparently as unimpressed by the durability as I am.
Rumor is that Joe Sakic and Peter Foresberg were going trough a pair of Vapors in six weeks or less, and those were pro stocks that are better than the Vapor XX’s the public can buy! Peter switched back to Graf last I heard and Joe is in something other than Vapors again, perhaps Bauer Supremes.
The general consensus of recreational players who purchased Vapor XX skates is pretty similar. As mentioned, we sent at least 3 pair of Vapors back that didn’t make the initial 90-days. We credited the skaters towards a new pair of skates and none of them went back to Vapors. Another issue with bent steel kept one player from being able to use his skates enough to break down the boots. Bauer replaced his skates with Vapor Pro Stocks which have worked well enough for him, but it’s only been six months so that story’s end has yet to be written.
One player on my summer league team was heading to juniors and bought three pair of Vapors before leaving. He managed to get four months out of his first pair and apparently had a huge bag of money to throw away on skates. He liked the Vapors enough to buy four pair, but the fact that he had to buy that many speaks testaments to me.
Final Recommendations
Do yourself a favor – unless you like these enough to buy a pair every six months to a year and have the finances to do so, buy something else. Break in time is short enough that it will not be a huge issue, so the disgustingly wealthy might not take issue to the problems. (I mean that as a compliment if you are reading this as a member of the disgustingly wealthy – please send cash).
I would honestly steer clear of this skate. Bauer’s supreme line skates are still among the best available, Graf’s 735 with the T-Blade is almost as light and will easily last five times as long as the Vapor XX. The fit of the Graf 735 is similar to Bauer as well. CCM’s new Vector line is in the same weight class without sacrificing durability but it is a bit wider skate which will not work for some Bauer skaters.
Oh yeah, if you read all this hoping I would tell you what SFL really stands for, here you go – “Stronger, Faster, Lighter” although a case was made for “Super Friggin’ Light” as well. Personally I think that latter might be more applicable. Bauer certainly didn’t make Vapor XX skates Stonger.
© Scott Noble – Unauthorized use prohibited
A few of my other reviews that you might find helpful:
Hockey Skate buying demystified
Graf 735 Skates with T-Blades
CCM Vector Pro Skates
CCM Vector ZG 130 Skates with T-Blades
Thanks to openroad for adding this item so I could review it.
Recommended:
No
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