Friday, May 11, 2012
Preview: Bauer Re-Akt Helmet

By Jeff Copetas, VP of Marketing & E-Commerce

I just walked out into our warehouse yesterday and saw waves of boxes, just coming off the truck. Whenever this happens, I always have to take a peek at the box to see what's in it and this time it was Bauer's Re-Akt helmet. Bauer has spent the better part of a year (or years?) in research and development on what makes a better and safer helmet - and the Re-Act is the result of that labor.

So first off, this is a minor, but appreciated thing Bauer is doing - adding featuresets and actual graphic design to their helmet boxes. This will undoubtedly help out store shoppers who are browsing, yet have no idea why one helmet may be better than another. Hockey companies in general are still catching up to the rest of the world on this type of stuff, so it's nice to see that it's really starting to happen.

OK, now let's get down and dirty here. Let's start off with the most important part - the inside, protective part of the helmet. This is where Bauer has really devoted some time and energy into making the most stable and protective helmet they possibly could. The picture below on the left side, is the inside of the helmet, obviously. Bauer has calls this their "Suspend-Tech Liner," which is loosly attached to the inside of the helmet. Now, when I say "loosely attached," don't let that worry you - it's not like it's going to fall out of the helmet. You can see what I mean by looking at the picture on the right. At impact on the ice, the liner will move independantly from the foams in the helmet to help protect your squash from any potentially damaging brain movement. Of course, no helmet can prevent concussions entirely, but Bauer's technology is taking a next step in protection.

OK, so here's a shot of the helmet in its full-glory. Bauer modeled this one after their immensely popular 4500 line and you can clearly see that in the design. Why mess with success?

On the back you have the adjustment feature, which you can move up or down to help stabilize the back of your head and give you that good, snug fit that you need.

Towards the top of the helmet, you have your tool-free adjustment, which gives you quick, easy adjustment options. At first glance it looks a little odd, but it actually gave Bauer a chance to slightly tweak the width of the helmet and enhance the protection on the sides.

....and finally, here's the angled ear-loops and dual-density ear covers.

I tried this helmet on and I must say it warrants real consideration. This is a top-of-the-line helmet pricewise and Bauer has created top-of-the-line technology and it is - by a long shot - the most comfortable Bauer helmet I have ever put on my head. I currently wear a Cascade M-11 and the Bauer Re-Akt provides the same level (if not better) of comfort.

We will be doing some on-ice testing in the next couple of weeks and will provide a game-time review at that time. The Bauer Re-Akt will be on sale at Pure Hockey stores and PureHockey.com on May 18th.