Bauer Vapor APX 2 Stick Review

Released on September 13th, the new Bauer Vapor APX 2 hockey stick is the follow up to Bauer’s extremely successful APX stick. For round two, Bauer has made some nice modifications, but will it be enough to make you want a new to pick one up? Fortunately, the team at Bauer Hockey sent us a new APX 2 stick to review. We’ve spent around two months with the stick so far, read on for our thoughts and opinions on the new twig.

Specs: Bauer Vapor APX 2, 87 flex, PM9 curve, Lie 5

Design and Construction:

Once again, Bauer has nailed the design on another hockey stick. The black stick with red and white accents is typical for an Vapor product at this point, but we still haven’t gotten tired of it. The logos and other design elements lay directly over the large carbon weave used in the APX 2. This design is a bit different from what we typically see, but looks great.

When designing the APX 2, Bauer set out with an attitude of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…just make it better,” according to Product Manager Evan Baker. The stick primarily remained the same, except for a redesign of the blade. Evan describes the blade changes made for the APX 2 in depth below:

The APX had a dual density blade core design with our POWER CORE foam material running along the bottom half of the blade and our AERO FOAM running along the top of the blade, essentially stacked on top.  The POWER CORE was a great addition because it gave the blade a better puck feel but may have made the blade a little too soft linearly for Vapor’s soft hosel.  We also heard of some blade durability issues with some early production – the blade might make a squeaking sound.  Essentially the 2 core materials became detached from one another and would rub against each other and create a squeaking sound.  Structurally the blades were fine but if you paid $259 for a stick, a squeaky blade does not make me happy.

So to help solve those two concerns we have gone back to a single density foam material – AERO FOAM 3, which is an improved version of the material we used in the X:60.  It has properties that make it stronger without being stiff so that will help with durability – and no squeaking.  But we needed to keep that ‘feel’ part of the APX blade from the POWERCORE, so the R&D found a material that will provide increased energy absorption upon pass reception which we call the SENSE layer.  It’s a unique material that is sandwiched in-between the first 2 layers of carbon fiber on the inside of the blade face and its primary function is to absorb energy improving puck reception and feel for the puck.  The material actually covers the whole front face and wraps around the top, toe, bottom and heel of the blade and because of its ability to manage impact forces so well it has also shown an ability to help reduce cracking and shipping in these key areas that can lead to premature blade breakdown.

Feel:

The blade adjustments seem to have had no ill effect on the weight and balance of this stick as the APX 2 feels just as good in my hands as the original did. It’s a lightweight stick with solid weight distribution, matching other top end sticks with its initial feel.

Puck feel with the APX 2 has been solid as well, but at this point I’m not sure I would call it a drastic improvement over the APX. I’m confident carrying the puck up ice with the APX 2, keeping my head up, and the response I’m feeling is good. But to compare to the original APX, I’m having a hard time really identifying the differences solely based on feel.

Shooting and Accuracy:

Shooting is something that I really liked with the original APX stick. Shots were hard, accurate, and the release felt incredibly quick. Fortunately, I can say that I have all of the same feelings with the new APX 2 stick. The Intelli-Sense Shot Technology helps to accurately provide two different kick points based on the player taking a wrist or snap shot, or the winding up for a slapshot. It’s a great feeling on the ice knowing that your equipment is reacting to your play on the ice and helping to increase your performance.

The APX 2 provides a solid amount of pop on shots as well. It seems as though the past couple years, manufacturers have continued to make solid improvements in a sticks pop and release when shooting. This stick is no exception, competing strongly and holding its own against other sticks such as the V9 or V9E, the RBZ Stage 2 and the Ribcor.

Whether you’re a goal scorer taking quick wristers from the slot or keeping your post on the blue line and firing pucks from the blue line, the APX 2 is going to play to you, and help you get the puck on net both quickly and accurately.

Durability:

The past few years or so, I’ve been greatly impressed by the durability of Bauer sticks. The APX 2 is, of course, no exception to that. This stick battles with me on the ice game in and game out with no signs of slowing down.

I’m a guy who typically goes for a lot of stick lifts when trying to take the puck away from my opponent. While this is a great way to chip and ding the lower portion of your stick, I’ve been pleased with the way the APX 2 has held up to the abuse. Additionally, with the black color scheme, some of the minor dings that do occur, you are not even able to notice.

With steady use over the past two months, I am pleased with how much life still appears to be left in this stick. Shelling out $259 for a stick is not an easy thing to do, but seeing this type of performance and durability from it is making it seem like a much better investment.

Overall Impressions: 

Bauer continues to offer some of the top hockey products available to consumers today. They’re doing everything they can to make sure they are the market leader, and it really shows.The APX 2 stick is another fine example that they are fine tuning everything they create and always trying to be the best.

While the changes to the blade will not be noticeable for everyone during game play, it’s good to see that Bauer can recognize when things are not right and take the proper steps towards fixing. Likewise, when the general consensus is that a product is a success, they will not stray too far away from what made it that way in the first place.

From my experience with the APX 2 stick over the past two months, I would not hesitate to recommend this stick to Vapor fans looking for an upgrade. Even if you’re coming from another Bauer line, or another brand all together, I think you’re going to be pleased with what you get out of the APX 2. With good durability, awesome shot power and accuracy, plus a great design, the Bauer APX 2 is one of the top sticks available today.

Interested in purchasing the Bauer Vapor APX 2 hockey stick or the APX 2 Grip stick? Head over to Ice and Inline Warehouse where you can grab one today for only $259.99!

Have you used the Bauer APX 2 stick? Leave a comment below with your personal review and experiences with the APX 2 to help HWB readers make the best stick buying decision for their needs!