It is impossible for any person or athlete to reach the highest level of hockey without having a passion for this interesting sport. I developed my passion for hockey when I first saw my favorite player, Sidney Crosby, play on the field. His ability to control the game and his skills made me take my first step towards playing hockey.
Passion is an essential aspect of playing hockey. But besides having the required skills and knowledge, one has to know about the best suitable skates to ace the game. The quality and the comfort of the skates are a must while playing the sport. Hence, the two most loved hockey skates amongst all are the Bauer Hockey Skates and Vapor.
So, what is the difference between Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme and Vapor? Though the same manufacturer produces both, they are different from each other. The main difference between the two is the fit and the performance.
If you want to know more, read on!
What Is Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme?
Bauer Hockey is a sports equipment company that was incorporated in the year 1972. Bauer Hockey is also considered the first ice hockey equipment manufacturer, and they deal in other apparel as well. The company was later renamed Nike Bauer in the year 2005.
The reason why this company is so famous for its skates is that it was the first one to produce skates in which the blade was secured to the boot. The company manufactures both the boot as well as the blade.
In the year 2020, the Bauer Company changed the way players bought skates. The D and EE width options now stand replaced with Fit 1, Fit 2 and Fit 3. These three fit profiles are designed to suit the players with low, medium, and high volume feet.
This not only helps you to buy the perfect skates but also helps you fit your style.
The Bauer Hockey skates Supreme was mainly designed for power. Various skates are available under the Supreme line, such as the Bauer Supreme 2S PRO, which is also considered the top model in this line.
Supreme skates have an important feature called the mid-heel pocket, which helps or caters to the ankle wrap requirement and mid instep. In addition, Bauer Supreme skates have an anatomic fit, commonly known as anatomical fit.
Anatomical fit basically refers to the skates having a medium fit from the heel to the toe. The most significant advantage is the room available for the ankles, which makes me feel super comfortable and keeps my ankles locked in.
The Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme is most liked because they provide efficient power through each stride.
What Is Vapor?
The Vapor collection is for those players who have lateral movements. These are best suited for fast and quick turns. The Vapor skates have a tapered fit which helps the players in giving their best performance.
The tapered fit refers to a standard-shaped toe box. Moreover, these skates have a glove-like heel that removes the unnecessary place and gives them a low volume fit. This allows the players to perform smoothly.
Among the Vapor collection, the most popular ones include The Vapor 2X Pro skates. If you are looking for the perfect skates that will help you increase speed, the Vapor collection will help you achieve just that.
The Vapor collection includes some of Bauer’s best quality material, such as the Anaform foam and the Aerofoam ankle pads help provide comfort to the feet while playing.
Why Should You Buy Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme or Vapor?
Both Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme and the Vapor Skates are some of the most popular skates and are used by the most famous players.
Besides being made from the best material, these skates have multiple reasons why I like them and why you should consider buying them too.
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme
- Flexibility
Hockey is a sport that requires a lot of movement and the ability to move quickly. Thus, flexibility plays a major role while playing this sport. In order to help with flexibility, the Bauer Hockey Skate Supreme has a flexible tendon guard, which helps to improve mobility and range of motion.
- Symmetrical Taper
Skating requires a range of motion to increase the skater’s stride length. For this, the Supreme skates have an asymmetrical taper that allows more wrap over the top of your foot. This also helps to load energy into your stride.
- Cut
Hockey is a sport that includes sharp turns, quick movements, and high speed, and the ankle and the foot are in constant interaction. Thus, the power cut boot offers increased wrap, ensuring optimal stability and support.
- Upper flex
The flex refers to the stiffness of the skates. The Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme comes with a Torsional soft upper flex point which helps in a maximum range of motions.
Vapor Skates
- Supportive Tendon Guard
Tendon guards are used to protecting my heels from being injured by another skater during the game. This makes me feel very safe and more confident to play.
The Vapor Skates tendon guards are made of flexible material in order to facilitate the flexible movement of the skater. In addition, these tendon guards also help to maximize agility.
- Asymmetrical Taper
Since the Vapor Skates are used for easy movement and quickness, the asymmetrical taper helps to increase support to improve agility and speed.
- Hyperflex facing
The hyperflex is made up of flexible material to maximize agility through turns. It also offers increased wrap and forward flex for greater side-to-side stability.
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme vs. Vapor Differences
As a skater, I always go for the fit and the performance of the skate. So, since Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme and Vapor Skates are built to suit our requirements, let me tell you more about them.
1. Playing style
While playing hockey, I play with straight movement and quick speed. The Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme is built for such players. Those players with maximum stride length and straight line speed can opt for these.
On the other hand, Vapor is optimal for those players who are fast and apply quick turns or have unpredictable player movements. These skates provide the structural support required.
2. Cut profile
As said earlier, the Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme have a power cut that helps the player promote full motion for maximum stride length.
Vapor skates, on the other hand, have an agility cut. As the name suggests, this cut is meant for those players with quickness and tight turns.
3. Outsole
When I buy skates for myself, I make sure to check the outsole. The outsole is an essential part of the skates since it fulfills flexibility, grip, and stability, which are important for Hockey.
The Supreme skates have a unibody outsole that wraps the lower portion of the boots to create stiffness and increase the energy for good skating.
The Vapor skates have a flexible outsole that helps to absorb energy during quick and sharp turns.
4. Color and width
The Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme is yellow in color, whereas Bauer Vapor skates are red in color.
Regarding the width, Supreme skates have an average one, whereas Bauer Vapor has a narrow width.
5. Lace facing
The Supreme skates have more flexible properties, which help to maximize the wrap over the foot, allowing maximum flexion.
Meanwhile, the Vapor skates have an excellent lacing system that allows support and lightness in the skate.
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme vs. Vapor Pros
Here, I’ve listed down the pros of the two skates.
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme
- Affordability
Everyone looks forward to affordability along with good quality while buying skates. After using these skates for a year, I can say that these skates are good value for the money spent. The cost of these skates ranges from $80 to $720.
- Comfort
The comfort level offered by these skates is worth it because of the material used to manufacture them. In fact, these skates have been ranked first among the top 7 comfortable hockey skates ever made.
- Quick and Effective Strides
While skating at high speed, you cannot lengthen your stride. However, the design of these skates is built-in. Thus, it helps you overcome this and allows you to achieve the perfect strides.
Vapor Skates
- Lock Fit
The collection under Vapor skates comes with a pro liner that allows stability and ensures that the foot will not be slipping around while playing in the field.
- Budget-Friendly
The Vapor skates are budget-friendly and can last for more than a year. The approximate cost of the Vapor skates is from $100 to $900.
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme vs. Vapor Cons
Down below, I listed all the cons of the two skates to help you make a better decision!
Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme
- Stiffness
These skates are made with a more stiff profile which helps to increase the energy transfer. However, this stiffness was uncomfortable for me sometimes.
- Padding
The Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme has extra padding, which sometimes wears off and causes discomfort to the players.
Vapor Skates
- Low Fit Profile
The low fit profile may sometimes result in shorter points of contact, making each push-off a little bit less powerful. But, this wasn’t a problem for me since I have strong ankles.
Best Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme Skates
Here are the top 3 Bauer Hockey Skates Supreme:
1. Bauer Supreme 3S Pro Hockey Skates
These skates come under Bauer’s new fit system and go up to Fit3. These skates are available in wide as well as narrow widths. These are specifically designed for elite or skilled players. The features of these skates include a power boot cut, asymmetrical toe-cap that helps provide added comfort.
2. Bauer’s Supreme 2S Pro
These are long-lasting and built with a carbon shell that provides lightweight durability. It also has a lock fit proline that allows the foot to fit perfectly without it moving around while playing. These skates are perfectly designed for advanced players to help them deliver outstanding performance.
3. Bauer’s Supreme S29 Senior
These are primarily for seniors. It comes along with memory foam on the ankle pads, which allows protection and makes it comfortable to use. Since these skates are lightweight, they help the player to move around faster on the ice. These are durable and worth the price.
Best Vapor Skates
Now, let’s take a look at some of the best Vapor skates:
1. Vapor 2X Pro Senior Roller Hockey Skates
These skates have improved in every part, from the lock fit pro liner that allows your feet to be dry and comfortable to the asymmetrical toe cap. These skates are best to increase your speed and push-off power.
2. Bauer Vapor 1X
Bauer Vapor 1X is best for agility. They come with a tapered design which allows your ankles a lot of support and at the same time ensures that your feet are in a natural position. These skates allow you to have more control while taking sharp and quick turns.
3. Bauer Vapor X500 Senior
The Bauer Vapor X500 is suited mainly for intermediate players but can also be used by beginners. These skates feature a TUUK lightspeed Edge blade holder and a stiff flex tendon guard.
How to Make Your Decision?
Now that you have an idea about the two skates let us try to understand the few points to be taken into consideration before you buy your skates.
Firstly, you need to know whether you need senior hockey skates, which are sized for players who have a shoe size of 7 or more, junior hockey skates for those with a shoe size of about 6.5 or less, or youth hockey skates for kids.
Next, you need to know the style. Make sure that you know how wide or narrow the skates are so that they fit you perfectly.
Next, decide your fit. The Bauer’s fit now stands as Fit1, Fit2, and Fit3 for high, medium, and low volume fits.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve understood everything about skates, it’s up to you to select the ones best suited for you and make yourself stand out and be the best player.
