This post is part of a series of interview questions we conducted with Bauer Hockey. Throughout the month of May, we’ll be adding new interviews related to newly released or upcoming Bauer Hockey gear.
Bauer Hockey is in the process of releasing their new Vapor APX protective line of equipment. Despite a slight delay in the release, fans are eagerly awaiting the new gear. If you’ve been considering an upgrade in protective equipment, or have been looking to learn more about the new vapor series, look no further. Below is a transcript of a few questions we had for Tyson Teplitsky, Global Brand Manager at Bauer Hockey, along with his insightful responses.
Hockey World Blog: Tell us about the new Vapor protective equipment…
Bauer Hockey: BAUER’s VAPOR line connects with players looking to maximize performance through speed and agility. The new line of VAPOR Protective gear attributes to this player across all categories. The VAPOR fit has remained the same but innovations in new light weight materials and increased mobility will allowing players to take their game to the next level.
HWB: What types of tests are performed on the protective equipment to prove its quality and durability?
Bauer Hockey: BAUER performs several types of tests before we allow any product to hit the marketplace. This is one of the most critical elements in ensuring that the end user will be satisfied with our protective products. The first phase takes place in-house in our lab. This includes the drop test along with puck cannon testing to validate new materials or technologies. If the gear exceeds our standards we know they are ready for the intense nature of today’s game.
Our next phase is to hit the ice with these products to get additional validation 6-10 months prior to launch. This allows us to get a true understanding of how our products will perform in order to optimize our manufacturing processes. This is a key attribute in creating a consistent product.
HWB: How effective is the silver lining in preventing odor and bacteria in the long term (over 1 year)?
Bauer Hockey: BAUER has partnered with NOBLE BIOMATERIALS to build silver X-Static fibers into our Techni-Flex+ palm to help prevent odor and bacteria. In order to maximize the performance of the fibers, we built the technology directly into the palm of our VAPRO APX glove.
Our results have showed that a palm built with X-Static silver fibers can help prevent bacteria build up by 95% vs. a palm without X-Static fibers.
A unique quality about X-Static is that the technology is woven in the material making it a permanent anti-microbial solution through the life of the product. Many other anti-microbial solutions are a topical application which has the potential to wash away through use and cleaning.
HWB: Describe the thoughts behind the new VAPOR APX shin guard with lower flexible portion?
Bauer Hockey: Shin guards have not evolved a lot over the past 10 years in terms of functionality. The thought process behind the design of the new VAPOR APX shin guard was to engineer a pad which could provide additional flexibility. By improving flexibility in the bottom of a shin guard, a player will be provided with additional Range-Of-Motion. Increased Range-of-Motion ultimately helps a player achieve maximum power in their skating stride with less energy, something that BAUER is actively continuing to innovate.
HWB: What are the biggest adjustments that have been made to the pants?
Bauer Hockey: With our VAPOR line of hockey pants our concentration has always been on performance. The VAPOR APX has achieved maximum performance by improving flexibility and reducing weight. Our Free-Flex technology increases overall Range-Of-Motion by maximizing extension through every stride while the use of light weight Vent Armor composite materials has dramatically decreased the weight of the VAPOR APX pant.
If you have additional questions that you think might be helpful to yourself or other readers, please post them in the comments. We’ll compile a list of the best and have our friends at Bauer follow up with some additional insight on the new Vapor APX protective line.
For those interested in upgrading to the new protective gear, head over to Pure Hockey to pick it up. The APX gloves and APX Pro gloves are currently available, while other items are still being shipped in. Don’t forget to use the coupon code HOCKEYWORLD while you’re there to save 10% on select products with your purchase.
What about the elbow pads and shoulder pads. How have they been improved since the x60’s?