Bauer Hockey is probably the fastest growing and the highest trending equipment brand in the equipment industry. Bauer has taken off the last 3-4 years after they split away from Nike. And don't get me wrong, what they're doing with the TotalOne equipment series and the Vapor Apx series, and what they're bringing out throughout the 2012 year is awesome. But there is a problem with Bauer... they're getting arrogant about it. The Bauer Apx line and the TotatOne line are some of the most revolutionary innovations to hit the hockey equipment market. However if you're a hockey player buying equipment, and you want quality you have to spend at the professional level to get it. For example, the Bauer One70 skate. The skate has a nylon stitched quarter package ( The exterior of the boot), it has a cloth/cotton based lining material on the interior of the boot, the tongue has a 2 piece felt density guard, and it features the LS2 holder and Superstainless steel (cheap low grade steel). The One70 skate runs at $299.99 retail, however in terms of quality and design it is comparable to the Reebok 6k which runs $199.99 and has the same features with high end steel and a composite quarter package that takes away weight and adds durability. Even closer to the One70 is the CCM U+ 06 skate, it is almost completely identical with the CCM having high end steel on it as well as the 6k, the U+ 06 runs at $199.99.
That's just a small example too. It is all over the equipment lineups, in protective, helmets, sticks, and gloves. The worst part about too is for the 2012 year and into the future, Bauer is rising their prices on everything, about 10-20%, and on the supreme line in particular, they're not making any significant upgrades to the line.
If you're buying equipment, don't just go to the Bauer racks. Check out the Easton, Warrior, and CCM/Reebok racks. Keep an open mind, and shop for the product that fits your needs the best at the price you want to pay. At a pro-level line Bauer generally has the better designed product but once you go below that line Reebok and CCM products are generally better quality.
That brings me to my next beef with Bauer hockey. I'm a goalie, and I worked in the hockey industry the past year. This past year I got sucked into the buy Bauer because everyone else is buying it, and also because Bauer gave me the best discount, I bought the Supreme goalie set, Pads/Gloves/Skates/Sticks. The design on the equipment is pretty good but the quality isn't there. The pads/gloves/skates have pretty weak stitching and it requires often repairs to keep the gear in good shape, if I didn't work in a pro-shop and had access to repair equipment, I would have gone trough the Bauer gear in 6 months. Let's face it, Bauer Hockey isn't a goaltending brand. Their skates, sticks, and masks are pretty good but their pads/gloves/protective gear is built off the old Itech models after Bauer bought them out. With that said, Bauer is raising their prices on everything goaltending. I'm speaking for most goalies when I say, nobody wants goalie prices raised, goalie equipment is already expensive enough. For the 2012 year with their pads/gloves/protectors Bauer is going to be up there as the most expensive brands in the goaltending market. Even as expensive as Vaughn and Brian's goaltending, brands that only make goalie equipment, brands that are two steps ahead of Bauer in both design and quality of goalie equipment.
So what's my point? Bauer is getting arrogant. Bauer is getting aggressive in marketing their brand. Bauer is getting aggressive in controlling equipment prices. And Bauer is overlooking quality in favor of the lightest weight design. Bauer is rising their prices, even though they've been making their gear in the South Pacific. Bauer is rising prices even in area's where they're no where near the top producer (goaltending). So if you are buying hockey equipment, don't just look at Bauer, look at other brands too. If you just buy all Bauer you may not be getting the best products for your specific needs...
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