Bauer Profile 960XPM Mask Review

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Trav4

Travis Ridgen, more recognizable known as "Trav4" is an ice hockey goaltender still playing competition Junior hockey in the KJHL for the Lundar Falcons. Most known for his dead honest and big personality, Trav is one of the most respected voices in the online goalie community which can be seen on his Youtube channel in his video reviews, features, commentaries and his infamous Junior Hockey Vlog series.

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Bauer makes some of, and in my opinion the best masks on the market. They are comfortable, mobile, and they look HELLA good from a style standpoint. Contrary to popular believe I do believe you should protect your melon, I mean it does house the most important organ of the body. So, for that reason I’ve used pro level masks since I was 16. They are pricey but a very good investment considering in my experience all of my helmets have lasted quite a while.

What is a 960XPM

So today we are talking about the current top of the line profile mask from Bauer, the 960XPM. My previous Bauer masks have been an NME 9, Profile 960 and now a 960XPM. This is actually my 2^nd 960XPM so that will probably set the tone for what you’re about to read from this point on.

So, for a grand, you’re getting a mask that has it all. 37.5 technology truly does get rid of as much moisture as possible, so the mask isn’t always soaking wet. However, if you’re like me and get lazy sometimes; if you leave it locked up in your bag soaking wet after an ice time, no technology or foams are going to dry that shit.

Feautres

The foams though are super soft and almost like memory foam. They really cushion your face from all angles and it cushions your face to the point where you don’t feel many shots. This is a big improvement from the last gen where the foams were pretty stiff. This time there are no vibrations from shots and that’s a bit improvement from the last generation. The foams are also sync’d up with the cage, so everything screws together, this is also a MAJOR improvement from the last generation where the foams were just glued in.

This is also a “paintable” mask by Bauer’s standards because everything is sync’d up (foams and cage) so you can have any painter airbrush your mask and it doesn’t void the warranty in any way shape or form. This is my 3^rd paint job on a 960XPM mask and every time I’ve never had any issues with the foams or cage coming back together. The paint job I have on this 960XPM is a Kurt Cobain / Nirvana tribute mask and that replaces the previous Pekka Rinne “monster” inspired theme mask. If you want to see this design a bit more in close, then click the video link below debuting this paint job.

Mods

The straps that come stock are good but I’ve always liked having an open design back plate, so I used the quick harness straps you can get off of the Padskinz website. I’d love to see Bauer offer an open-faced harness for the backplate in the future.

Recap

To recap, this is the best mask on the market. It’s a little slimmer fit than the NME line but it’s my personal choice. Its got great protection, feel/comfort, it’s paintable without voiding the warranty and I’m a creature of habit. When I’m comfortable with something I usually don’t change it up and unless something drastic changes cause I wouldn’t use anything BUT a Bauer goal mask.

Thanks for reading this review article. For more review coverage, follow me up @ Trav4oilers on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.