Before the end of the year, Bauer Hockey will launch an evolution of a previous product and introduce the all new Bauer Sling stick.
The Bauer Sling stick has a familiar look to it, being an evolution of the Nexus ADV, which featured a hole cut out of the blade. In the new Bauer Sling stick, we’ll find updates to the blade including a new hole, a new core, and a new geometry.
Starting with the main feature, Bauer has revamped the hole in the blade of the Bauer Sling stick, so it now features a shorter slot compared to the Nexus ADV. This provides the Bauer Sling stick with the added benefits of increased stiffness, improved blade stability, and more forgiveness. In other words, the shorter hole and reinforced blade will help to create a larger sweet spot for the shooter.
The blade of the Bauer Sling stick has gone through further refinements in order to improve stability. There are now two vertical carbon bridges in the blade, which surround a softer and more dense epoxy core zone. This has helped to improve durability by as much as 15% on impacts.
Revamping the blade for the Bauer Sling stick has also led to a 10% faster release on shots. There is now more of a sling effect in each release, and a blade kick point that is more optimized than the Nexus ADV. Beyond that, creating a larger sweet spot will result in improved control with the Bauer Sling stick, and more stability in the toe area.
In other ways, you will find the new Bauer Sling stick to be very similar to the Nexus. It will continue to use the ER Spine technology in the shaft, which is a five-sided shaft shape which creates a spine in the back. It’s designed this way to reduce carbon fiber layers while also making the stick easier to load and control.
The Bauer Sling is also likely to use Advanced Carbon Layering (ACL) technology to help reduce weight, and will probably weigh in under 400 grams for a senior model.
How exactly the Bauer Sling stick will fit in to the lineup remains to be seen. Will this be another one off release, similar to the ADV? Will they continue to evolve the Nexus line of sticks? Or will we see a whole new Sling lineup that takes over Nexus. What are your thoughts?
Overall, the Bauer Sling stick is such an interesting addition to Bauer’s arsenal. It still has an awfully gimmicky feel, but maybe that’s just me? I’m curious to know what you guys think. Is the hole in the blade just a huge gimmick? Or is it the real deal and something we’ll see continue to evolve and stay in the Bauer lineup for years to come? Let me know in the comments below!
