Bauer Vapor 1X 

Bauer is about to release its newest line of sticks and skates, The Vapor 1X. The Vapor 1X is the newest product in the Vapor line by Bauer, following the Vapor APX line. Although this stick is not to be available until February 2015, working in a sporting goods store has given me the opportunity to try out the stick before it is officially released. The first thing I noticed about this stick was how similar it is compared to the Warrior QR1, which stands for Quick Release 1, hockey stick. In fact the Vapor 1X has the letters QRT on it which stands for; Quick Release Taper. This alarmed me a bit, Bauer is supposed to be the top brand in hockey with the most innovative ideas, but for now we will forget about that and learn more about the stick. The Vapor 1X has a very aggressive taper at the bottom of the stick, this taper is going to build up a lot of energy for your shot and fast. This low taper is going to be very useful for the sniper type of player who is taking a lot of snap shots and looking for that very quick release. Another new aspect of the Vapor 1X is the new blade. This new blade has an expanded throat, what this is going to do is increase your accuracy and control as well as reducing the amount of deflection on those hard passes. Bauer has also brought back the Textreme carbon fibre, this carbon fibre is 20% lighter than your standard carbon. The stick will be available in your standard 102, 95, 87 and 77 flex, it is not available in the stiffer 110 flex making it stick designed primarily for forwards. It is also available in the standard intermediate and jr sizes.