Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 Skates Review

Back in April, the Supreme line of skates received it’s latest update from Bauer Hockey. The Supreme line, which is designed for explosive power, welcomed six brand new skates to hit various price points throughout the market. Standing alone at the top, however, were the premier level Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 skates. Bauer set the bar high with their Total One NXG skates in 2012, but challenged themselves to create a lighter, stronger, and more durable skate once again. The result is the MX3, and we were fortunate enough to receive a pair from the folks at Bauer to review. Read on for our thoughts and experiences with the MX3 skates in our full Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 skates review.

Design & Construction

Bauer seems to have hit another home run in terms of design on the MX3 skates. Bauer stuck with the black and gold color scheme that has been used on the Supreme line since the original Total One skates, but also incorporated more grey throughout the quarter package than we’ve seen on previous versions. The graphics on the boot look sharp, and do so without being too overwhelming. For those looking to have an all black boot, the MX3 Limited Edition model is available as well.

The MX3 skates are constructed using 3D Curv Composite. This material offers tremendous durability, stiffness, and responsiveness, all the while being incredibly lightweight. In fact, the one MX3 skate in size 9 will weigh approximately 768 grams. This beats out any of Bauer’s competitors when it comes to premier level skates, and the MX3 is only beaten by the Nexus 8000 in weight.

Another notable feature is the customizable 3-flex tongue with Curv composite inserts. This is no longer an innovative new feature, but instead something Bauer has used on it’s Supreme line for a few generations now. They must be seeing some success with it at the retail level to continue to bring it back. In case you’re not familiar, the composite inserts come in three different flexes (mid, stiff, extra stiff). You can swap out these inserts in order to customize the forward flex of your skate.

The free flex tendon guard also returns, which allows you to get a full range of motion with each stride. The spring loaded effect it causes also helps to speed up stride intervals.

Also new to the MX3 skates are the LightSpeed Edge holder and injected stability lacing system. The Tuuk holder is 3mm taller, allowing you to turn and cut more aggressively than before. It also features the trigger system to quickly  swap out blades in any event where that might be necessary. The new lacing system, on the other hand, offers a new design with t-shaped lace holes for a better hold. The one piece material also makes it easier to forward flex, another element of the Supreme MX3 skate that helps to give you the most powerful stride.

Fit

The Bauer Supreme Total One MX3 skates are described by Bauer as having an anatomical fit. What this means is that it’s supposed to have a natural and close fit around your entire foot. Of course, using their technology, you should also have a true 360 degree custom fit for maximum wrap.

Of course, the fit of the boot is a bit more specific than that as well. IceWarehouse.com describes the general fit of the MX3 skates as having a “medium-high volume, medium ankle area, medium across top of foot and forefoot and medium toe box.”

Ultimately, though, the fit of the skate ultimately depends on the shape of your foot. I have a foot with what seems to be a medium width and a medium volume. The MX3 skates fit my foot pretty well as described. My heel was locked in pretty well, and the close fit remained around my entire foot. The forefoot, however, seemed a bit snug on me. This led to some uncomfortable feelings during some games. The problem was easily rectified by loosening my the laces over the forefoot area, and focusing on tightening closer to the ankle and top few eyelets.

I chose not to bake the Total One MX3 skates, as I like to get a raw feeling for the skates, but I am fairly certain that this would have relieved my forefoot from these small pressure areas as well.

If you’re coming from a previous generation of Supreme skates, such as the Total One NXG, you should have a pretty seamless transition to the MX3 when it comes to fit. As long as you plan on buying the skates in the same size as your previous model, you should be all set.

When transitioning from a different brand, be sure to adhere to the guidelines above that were provided by IW. If your foot is a medium width and medium volume, I think you will comfortably be able to switch to the Supreme line without any issues.

The only drawback I really noticed was around the total edge comfort pads. Specifically on the outside of my right foot, I felt the edge of the boot dig in to my leg quite a bit. The feeling was quite bad at first, but then

Performance

Bauer Hockey makes some of the most widely used skates in the NHL, and in many other leagues across the world. When you slip on a pair of Bauer skates, you expect incredible performance on the ice. I was very pleased when using the Total One MX3 skates, because top notch performance is exactly what I got.

With a skate so incredibly light, I felt very quick and light on my feet. Acceleration was easy and felt fast. The skates were strong and rigid while cutting or changing direction, due to the Curv composite quarter package.

Through my experiences talking about hockey equipment with different people, I think I’ve hard more complaints about the customizable tongue than anything else. I really didn’t think it was that bad though. When I would skate in warm ups and pay attention each stride, I could definitely feel the responsiveness from the tongue as it helped push back into place. Beyond just the inserts, the tongue offers a nice wrap around your ankle and is quite comfortable. If you like to tuck your tongue underneath your shin guards, this would be a great option for you.

When it comes down to it though, the tongue and flexible tendon guard don’t play as big of a role providing you with a powerful stride as the boot itself. They are nice compliments, but the Total One MX3 offers a pretty outstanding and strong boot. It’s soft and comfortable on the inside, but the Curv composite quarter package and composite outsole go a long way in transferring energy from each stride into the ice. With these high end materials, you will likely see some blazing top end speed, especially given how light the skates are.

Back to the inside of the boot, I have been quite pleased with the liner upgrades on the MX3. Not only does it have a great look with the blues really popping on the grey, but the Hydra Max 2 liner does a great job of wicking moisture away from your foot. My feet feel dry throughout each game, and then look and feel dry when I remove my skates afterwards too.

As far as the new injected stability lacing system, I wasn’t overly impressed. I’m not sure the difference in ease of forward flex is all that noticeable, or that the return is that great. I’ll be honest, I thought this was a system I was going to love as far as ease of lacing and keeping my laces flat. Unfortunately, each time I laced my skates through an eyelet, I felt like the lace was snagging and tearing. This definitely doesn’t happen with traditional eyelets and was kind of a disappointment here. My laces never fully tore, and really don’t look awful, but it was noticeable each and every time I laced up.

Durability

To briefly touch on the durability of the Total One MX3 skates, I was happy with how the skates held up after months of rigorous use. The most noticeable area of damage would be the random cuts on the quarter package from skate blades hitting it. None of the cuts were deep enough to go all the way through, so the only real damage is visual. The same types of cuts were seen on the Tuuk holders as well, but that is to be expected with lots of use.

Through the quarter package, there was no softening occurring, or anything that would indicate that these skates were breaking down prematurely. Even the tendon guard, which I know had been a bit of an issue on the NXG skates, held up well to all the use these skates received. From that perspective, it looks like Bauer made some enhancements to prevent the flexible tendon guard from breaking and falling off.

Inside the boot, there were no signs of high wear either. The liner of the MX3 skates is made with abrasion resistant materials in some areas, which allows it to stay in great shape for a longer period of time. The total edge comfort pads also help up to the abuse and show no real signs of strong wear either.

Overall Impressions

The Bauer Supreme line of skates are certainly one of a kind in their design and performance. The MX3 skates take the line to new heights with an all around terrific skate. Bauer has focused in on a core niche of consumers, aiming for those players looking for a strong and powerful stride, and has done a tremendous job of meeting all expectations with a skate priced at $850. If you fit in to that niche, and are debating a pair of Total One MX3 skates, you should feel confident in your decision to buy them if they fit your feet right.

If you’re ready to grab a pair of Total One MX3 skates, head over to IceWarehouse.com where you can buy them today for $850. You can also score a pair of the Total One MX3 LE skates, which are blacked out for an awesome look, at the same $850 price. Drop us a note in the comments and let us know if this review was helpful to you, or share your own review if you have used these skates. You can also let us know if you have specific questions, and we will do our best to answer those for you.