Review: Bauer Nexus OPS

[Jarick]

Bauer Nexus 600, 60 flex P92

Ongoing Review (each blurb is another entry):

Just picked it up yesterday. It's got a little heft to it, which is different for me. Pretty whippy up top, which is something I've wanted to try for a while. I don't think I like sticks that are stiff up top. This one is as soft as the flex rating (60) due to that top hand kick.

When you lean in to a shot, it comes off pretty hot. I bet the 1000 with the lighter weight would come off even quicker as this one has a bit of lag (probably from the weight). Slappers seemed a bit mushy but I don't use them.

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The Nexus 600 already has a chip out of the toe of the blade. Yikes.

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Used this as my main stick last week. It's a fine stick for the price, but I can definitely tell both the weight and the blade are holding it back from being a real winner (which is expected).

I kept feeling like the blade was broken because the puck was so jumpy and it vibrates too much on the blade. I lost some pucks and passes at the blue line that are normally fine for me, which sucked as it gave away a couple breaks and cost a goal. Yes there's user error but I swear the puck just hops right over and bounces by the blade.

The other kicker is the weight, which is just a bit too much. I actually really like having some heft on the stick for playing defense. I don't feel like it's going to break and can lift/slash with reckless abandon. But there's lag on the shot because the weight throws me off and a little lighter feel would make it a real winner.

It still kicks great and shoots great when you get hold of the puck. The rest of the stick is fantastic.

Bottom line for me so far, if Bauer introduced a Nexus 800 in the $150 price range, I would be all over it. The Nexus 1000 is so light I'd be worried about it breaking (which is more mental than anything else) and of course is $200+. Make an 800 at around 480 grams and use the Vapor 7.0 blade...winner.

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Still think the Nexus 600 is solid for the money if you don't count clearance sticks. It gives me a heavy shot with better accuracy than the DT-2 but the heavier weight and balance slows the release a bit. And the puck feel isn't great.

But there are still a lot of clearance sticks out there around the $100 mark that should be better than the 600.

 

[Jarick]

Bauer Nexus 600
Grip Finish
Intermediate 60 Flex
P92 Curve

About Me: 29 year old C-leaguer, 5'8 and "stout"

Appearance
The Nexus line is very understated with black and gray text and highlights on a black background. It kind of looks blacked out, but kind of looks drab and boring. I'd prefer something a little more interesting looking, like the APX LE where the logo pops and there's colorful highlights. The 600 has a 3k wrap on the blade.

Shaft Profile & Grip
The Nexus has the same profile as other Supreme sticks, which is more squared corners and concave walls. This makes it feel a bit bigger in the hand than other sticks. It's maybe a bit boxier and bigger feeling than most intermediates.

The grip is just a standard grip finish with no texture. I find it plenty grippy with my clarino palms.

Weight & Balance
I think these are listed at 515 grams and they certainly don't feel light. They are on the heavier side and the blade feels a bit heavy as well. Plenty of heft if you like that kind of thing, but it makes me feel like my handling and shots are slow and have lag. Again, this is the 600, the price point stick, whereas the 1000 is feather weight.

Puck Feel
Like most price point sticks, the feel is not great. It's not lively and ceramic like the old Vapors but it's not soft and solid like the Total One. It feels almost like there's nothing at the end of the stick, hard to describe. Puck feedback is very poor while handling and catching passes and I found pucks would bounce off the blade on hot passes.

Flex & Kickpoint
The Nexus line is said to have a soft flex in the middle, unlike the dual high and low kickpoints of the Vapor series and the stiff lower tapered area of the Supreme line. In practice, the stick felt a bit softer than most intermediates, which made for easier loading and hard shots when you really load up. I would say it's a true 60 flex. The downside to me was that there wasn't as much kick, although this could be less performance as a price point rather than the kick point itself.

Shooting
I was impressed by the accuracy of the stick. Left to right and top to bottom my shots went where I wanted them to go. This is consistent with the Vapor X:60 I used last year. Also, when I had time to load up the stick and lean into a shot, there was plenty of power and the puck seemed to have a heavy "BOOM" when shooting into the boards.

I did have some lag on my shots, which I think is due to the weight of the stick. I felt as if I had to power through my shots rather than rely on a quick shot and release. Again, not sure if it's the price point or weight or the flex, but something to consider.

Durability
I did have a chip out of the blade and honestly have not used the stick much, but the chip did not worsten and the shaft looks new. I have had good luck with Bauer sticks, even at price point models, in terms of durability.

Conclusions/Recommendations
The Nexus 600 is a good stick for the money, but not a great stick overall. The weight and poor puck feel really hold it back. While the flex is good for those of us who prefer wrist shots, I think the weight makes it a better stick for guys who like to take big slappers.

I would like to see Bauer make an 800 version of the stick for the $150-170 price point which has weight and performance between the 600 and 1000. It's curious they left that gap in the naming scheme (400, 600, 1000). I think that stick would be a great performer, but maybe Bauer can't produce something at that price point and still sell their higher end models.