Bauer Supreme 3S Blocker and Trapper Review
Having already reviewed the UltraSonic series, let’s bring our focus to the Bauer Supreme 3S catch glove and blocker. At an impressive price-point, the 3S glove and blocker sport big improvements in terms of quality and protection, using Bauer’s Curv composite and new Shocklite technology, as well as their Catchlite Palm. Let’s dig in and talk about these new features.
Catch Glove
The glove is modelled after its predecessors, the 2S and 1S line, while making necessary improvements in order to improve closure and retain pucks. Originally introduced on the 2X Pro, Bauer brings its Catchlite technology to the palm and T of the 3S. The Catchlite is designed as a durable, yet flexible material similar to an improved Jenpro, that enables the glove to be ready to use off the shelf with minimal break in time. When trying out the trapper, I was impressed with the closure and the control from the first feel, without needing to spend any time breaking the glove in.
Break Angle
The new 3S trapper features the same break as Bauer’s previous 2S trapper. Similar to CCM’s E-flex 600 break, the glove features a large open palm, while supporting a finger to thumb closure for a natural feel, perfect for goalies who hold their glove outward rather than upright.
Curve Composite
The biggest and most exciting addition to Bauer’s Supreme 3S line is Curve Composite. The 3S features Curve Composite on the cuff in order to add an extra layer of protection, making it hold up longer than typical foams. If you aren’t familiar with Curve Composite, it has been used on Bauer’s Pro gear since before the 1S, but Bauer is finally beginning to offer it on their lower price points, first with the 2X and now the 3S. Curv is a lightweight composite material designed to be very protective and have long lasting durability while remaining extremely lightweight, promoting confidence in protection and performance.
The Pocket
For the 3S, Bauer sticks with a double-T pocket. The idea behind the double-T design is that it allows the pocket to remain more open and present itself bigger, thus catching and keeping more pucks. While some fear that the double-T could cause closure problems, this design places the T’s with one connection point and allows for an easy closure. The pocket is laced with nylon string in order to promote visibility when covering the puck. I’ve always preferred the nylon, but for those of you that wish for skate lace, we can always switch it.
Palm Liner
Something I’ve always liked about Bauer’s gloves is the incredible softness on the interior of the glove, guaranteeing a pleasant feel for anybody wearing it. The palm of the 3S catcher is lined with Ivory Nash material, providing a comfortably soft interior. This material wicks away sweat to keep your hand from slipping, improving grip and closure. The backhand of the glove is lined with Bauer’s signature Thermomax material, keeping your hand from overheating in the glove, and allowing maneuverability of the glove and easy closure.
Blocker
The 3S blocker has a similar design to previous Supreme models and now introduces Bauer’s Shocklite technology, designed to launch the puck out of dangerous territory and a tweaked palm fit to provide a comfortable feel.
Blocker board
The new 3S blocker is equipped with Bauer’s new Shocklite technology. This takes Curv Composite, Bauer’s pro material, and combines it with high-density foams to provide protection and performance. This differs from what Bauer did with the 2X, rather than making an ultra-thin blocker board, they kept it thicker to retain the “control factor”, but improved it by adding lighter, more durable materials as well as giving it the performance to send pucks to the glass. While some people prefer to keep pucks in close, bigger rebounds off the blocker allows goalies much more time to move and get set for the next shot.
Palm
Bauer has always made very comfortable blocker palms with extra padding to prevent it from wearing out and to dampen stick vibrations. Though their palms are comfortable, I have also always found them a bit loose and tend to bunch up while holding the stick, but this time around, Bauer has made the palm somewhat tighter to gain extra control over rebounds. Using 14.5” Quattro for the palm, similar to previous models, Bauer redesigned it to improve the feel and control of holding a stick.
Cuff
Bauer boasts a free-floating cuff, designed to increase wrist mobility and provide an all-around comfortable fit. When trying this out, I found that while being comfortable and non-restrictive to wear, it also appears to allow any chest to integrate with it without interference. Bauer also uses their Thermomax material on the cuff to control the temperature inside the glove, to help preventing your hand overheating.
Finger Protection
I really like the finger protection design on the 3S blocker. Not only does Bauer eliminate the double strap on the index finger, but they bring in separate adjustable elastic straps for the outer fingers, while changing the location on the index finger. By doing this, not only is the glove more comfortable and free feeling, but increases protection while eliminating the uncomfortable, restrictive index finger from previous Bauer Supreme blockers.
Final Thoughts
One thing remains clear, Bauer keeps impressing us with new innovations year after year. Bauer has once again improved on their goalie product line, this time with an added consideration for lower price points. After seeing the impressive 2X series last year, it was almost a given that Bauer would deliver an impressive Supreme series at the second price point. I found the glove felt almost broken-in when I tried it on, after a few ice times it’ll feel like you’ve had it for years. It’s comfortable and while it features some nice improvements, it stays true to Supreme’s history. As for the blocker, it brings some impressive improvements, my favorite being the rebound control and the ability to launch pucks far from the crease. I am also a major fan of the tweaks they’ve made to the palm, making it tighter so the material doesn’t bunch up.
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Written By: Jonathan Holloway
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