Andrew Ross

Andrew Ross

A recent graduate of the University of Western Ontario, I now find myself writing gear reviews and working on my own marketing agency. Although I ran track in university, I secretly wanted to use this new acquired speed and explosiveness on the ice. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the Great White North's capital, and when taking a break from riding polar bears to school, I could be found at the local rink. Currently puddle-hopping five times a week in beer leagues, I use every opportunity to try out new pro stock gear that I've no doubt recently acquired. Things on the ice might get a little chippy, especially when it comes to playoff time, but there is nothing a couple of pitchers amongst teams can't fix. My number one takeaway from hockey camp: "remember kids, if you score more goals than the other team, you will win."
I'm six feet even, and 180lbs. Definitely a fan of the P92 curve, but always willing to try another custom pro stock.
Andrew Ross

 

A close up of the Bauer MX3.

As is the case with most Bauer products that get released to the public, and those that don’t (looking at you Bauer OD1N), there is always much hype over the technology, what pros use them, what the price point is, and even the graphic. In this review, I will break down the technology in the Bauer Total One MX3 skates, and I will also cover performance versus other high end skates from the same year. Finally, I will give you my bottom line on the skates, and will also provide tips and tricks for getting the right pair.
If you are super into the tech behind the skates, read on, if you want to know what I think of them, and how they have held up, skip ahead to the Performance and Durability section.

Sizing:

First off, the Bauer Supreme line of equipment has always been geared more towards the all-around player, and lines like the Vapor have been designed to work better for a winger seeking faster acceleration and faster turns. With this in mind, arguably the most important point of any skate is the fit. The Supreme line is the middle of the road, or standard, when it comes to foot size, whereas the Bauer Nexus line is more of a volume fit, and the Bauer Vapor line is a more tapered fit

When sizing any skate, knowing your foot shape is a great place to begin. If you have to wear a wide pair of dress shoes, the Vapor and Supreme lines of Bauer skates might not be for you. If, however, you possess quite the average width of foot, the Supreme line could potentially fit you well. Small differences can be made up by baking the boot to really mold the interior to fit your foot exactly, or by buying a third party pair of insoles.

Construction:

With sizing out of the way, let’s focus more on the boot itself. The outside of the boot is constructed by an American Company named Propex in Germany, and is produced by weaving layers of polypropylene together to create a lightweight, stiff, and very protective material. The end result is 3D Curv Composite, which Bauer has been using since the original Total One skates were released, and has been used wherever Bauer sees fits (looking at you again, OD1N). This composite material results in a super stiff boot, which allows for more explosive power transfer from the skater, while not sacrificing any protection. The composite material was also chosen for its lightweight performance as well, with a size 8 coming in around 750 grams.

Looking at the boot head on, you will notice the use of Bauer’s 3-Flex Tongue, which was first introduced on the Total One NXG skate. Using the same 3D Curv Composite as the rest of the boot, the tongue insert allows the end-user to customize tongue flex with three options, based on how stiff they prefer their tongue. This proves to be important as it helps with power transfer between strides, as the natural tendencies of the composite want to bounce back to their original state.

Bauer’s new Injection Lacing System.

Continuing along the front of the skate, we see that Bauer has introduced an injection molded lacing system over traditional eyelets, in hopes of making the boot more lightweight, and allowing the laces to stay tighter, for longer with the “T” lace-locking eyelet design. The only problem that arises with this method, is when a traditional eyelet gets ripped out, a new one can me inserted in its place, whereas with the injection system, some creativity with ballistic nylon, and an industrial sewing machine are required – which is why on many pro stock MX3s, we are seeing traditional eyelets.

The Tuuk LightSpeed Edge is the default holder on all the top-end Bauer skates.

Making another appearance is the Tuuk LightSpeed Edge holder. Known for being able to swap dull, or broken blades in a matter of seconds, it is no wonder why Bauer has brought them back. Solid construction, with an easy-to-use trigger system make swapping runners on the fly easier than ever. Furthermore, the new Edge holder system has a small height difference over its predecessor, which provides the skater with a slightly more aggressive angle-of-attack, while skating.

Performance and Durability:

Now, all this technology might be fine and dandy to all the gear-lovers, but what most of you are here for, presumably, is to find out how they hold up after months of consistent use, and how the act on-ice.

I bought mine from a retailer near me when the Bauer 1S skates came out, because it was time to upgrade, and because it was a screaming good deal. Along that point, I would say now would be the perfect time to invest in a pair while they are still available – you would be getting a pro-level skate, for a consumer price.

They are used roughly five times a week in a competitive beer league setting. I would consider

Only cosmetic damage to the 3D Curv Composite.

myself more of a speedy winger, that likes to make quick turns and stops, and not a meaty defensemen who needs to stay firmly planted. For me, these skates have held up wonderfully. Quick in the turns, and plenty of power to get a step on the defensemen. The Curv composite material is very durable, and besides the paint from the graphic chipping off, caused by sticks and pucks to the boot, the boot is in terrific shape. As mentioned previously, the one item I would take issue with is the injected lacing system. For now, as none of the eyelets have broken, I am very happy with them, as I like to really crank down the tightness of my boots, but as it is only one piece of plastic, I will have to look into a good repair shop should one ever break. The HydraMax liner definitely wicks away the moisture as advertised, and the boot is just as stiff as the day I first slipped them on. On my skates, I liked having more of a felt tongue, than the stock Bauer flex tongue, and swapped them out for the APX2 tongue.

Takeaways:

Pros:

  • Very affordable pro-level skate.
  • 3D Curv Composite material very durable, and hold up well.
  • Stiff boot stays stiff.
  • Forward cant helps power each stride.
  • TUUK LightSpeed Edge holders mean quick and easy steel replacement.
  • Injected lacing system keeps skates tight.
  • HydraMax liner definitely keeps foot dry.
  • Extra material added to inside of the boot to reduce wear caused by tongue.
  • Clean, yet aggressive look.

Cons:

  • Injected lacing system not as durable as traditional eyelets, and impossible to fix.
  • LightSpeed Fusion runners not as high performance as aftermarket LightSpeed 3 or 4.
  • Tendon guard has tendency to break after serious flexing.
Final, gratuitous shot of the Bauer MX3.

A tip I would like to shed light on: if you cannot find a pair at a local retailer, buy them online. In this day and age, everything that can be found locally, can also be sourced (often cheaper) online. Furthermore, if you shop online, you can see if you can find a pair of pro stock skates. These skates will have extra stitching, sometimes they will have extra padding, or a different holder/runner, and often they will have some custom touches such as an extended toe box, or a clarino liner. For the MX3 skates specifically: I find a lot of pro stock MX3 skates will have traditional eyelets instead of the injected lacing system – this is because they are more prone to blocking shots, and therefore more likely to break the plastic eyelets. All that being said, if you can find a pair in your size that are pro stock: SNAG THEM!
After coming from the TotalOne NXG skate, and having some problems with the tendon guards, and the Curv material having some cracks, it seems like Bauer definitely reworked the boot to make it more durable. Overall I’m very pleased with both the performance, and the durability of the boot, and I look forward to seeing how it holds up for the coming months.

 

If the Bauer TotalOne MX3 skates don’t interest you, check out the Bauer Nexus 8000, the VH Footwear skates, or the CCM JetSpeed skates, as comparable models.

Andrew Ross

Andrew Ross

A recent graduate of the University of Western Ontario, I now find myself writing gear reviews and working on my own marketing agency. Although I ran track in university, I secretly wanted to use this new acquired speed and explosiveness on the ice. I was fortunate enough to grow up in the Great White North's capital, and when taking a break from riding polar bears to school, I could be found at the local rink. Currently puddle-hopping five times a week in beer leagues, I use every opportunity to try out new pro stock gear that I've no doubt recently acquired. Things on the ice might get a little chippy, especially when it comes to playoff time, but there is nothing a couple of pitchers amongst teams can't fix. My number one takeaway from hockey camp: "remember kids, if you score more goals than the other team, you will win." I'm six feet even, and 180lbs. Definitely a fan of the P92 curve, but always willing to try another custom pro stock.

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