CCM RBZ Speedburner vs. Bauer Nexus 1N

It's no secret that Bauer and CCM are most known for their popular sticks from youth leagues up to the NHL. Generally the Bauer Vapor sticks and the CCM Ribcor sticks see the most use amongst players, but let's take a look at two of the more "niche" sticks: the CCM RBZ Speedburner and the Bauer Nexus 1N.

Kick Point

The kick points on each stick are pretty similar. On the Speedburner, you are getting CCM's custom kick point technology, meaning the stick's "sweet spot" is anywhere the lower hand is placed on the shaft.

On the 1N, the kick point is in the middle of the shaft (Sweet Spot mid kick), but it's so large that it feels as if it flexes anywhere.

The RBZ Speedburner and Nexus 1N tie for the kick point category.

Blade / Puck Feel

While the RBZ Speedburner has upgraded its blade core to a large inner pocket with a small outer pocket running along the blade rim for improved shooting power, it is still very difficult to feel the puck when stickhandling much like its predecessors in the RBZ family.

The puck feel on the Nexus 1N was fantastic, which was to be expected because the Nexus 1000 and 8000 sticks were great for stickhandling as well. The 1N's blade has two major parts: Aero Foam 3 in the heel and Power Sense Core 2 from the middle to the toe. This results in a lightweight and balanced blade with incredible feel and a powerful shot.

The Nexus 1N is far superior than the RBZ Speedburner in the puck feel category.

Shooting Power

The Speedburner is designed to be a shooter's stick, and a shooter's stick it is. This stick will shoot rockets from snap shots, wrist shots, one timers, and slap shots. In the months leading up to the Speedburner's release, CCM's Twitter account shared photos from their pre-release testers' first impressions. The amount of shattered glass was remarkable! While this was more of a marketing ploy to show off the RBZ's shooting power instead of its accuracy (note the net's location in the image below - the puck was clearly just being shot at the half boards), the Speedburner is still a very accurate stick.

The Nexus 1N stick was very close in shooting power, but since it's also designed for saucer passes and stickhandling, Bauer had to sacrifice some explosive power in order to make it more well-rounded.

A CCM RBZ Speedburner stick has more shooting power than a Bauer Nexus 1N stick.

Durability

For durability, the RBZ Speedburner utilizes CCM's new PowerHosel Technology which is a new rib inside the hosel that helps maximize energy transfer when shooting and increases durability when getting slashed in the lower portion of the shaft.

The Nexus 1N uses a combination of Bauer's TeXtreme carbon fiber and eLASTech shaft technology to stop the spread of small fractures throughout the shaft, ensuring the 1N is always ready to perform when you are.

Since it has eLASTech all the way up the shaft, the Bauer 1N is more durable than the CCM Speedburner, which only has PowerHosel Technology at the bottom of the stick.

Weight

For weight, a senior CCM Speedburner weighs 425 grams and a Bauer 1N weighs 429 grams. This four gram difference is hardly noticeable, but the Speedburner is in fact lighter than the 1N. If you are looking for a lighter stick, the CCM RBZ Speedburner barely edges out the Bauer Nexus 1N.

Summary

In conclusion, even though the Speedburner barely edges out the 1N in a few specifications, I think the Nexus 1N is the better stick. The Speedburner comes off as a "one-trick pony," where it's incredible for players who consider themselves snipers, but that's about it. The Nexus is a much more well-rounded stick with nearly equal shot power and much better puck feel. This stick will be more useful for danglers, shooters, and passers.

You can check out both the CCM RBZ Speedburner and the Bauer Nexus 1N sticks in-store and online at DiscountHockey.com! Thanks for reading and we'll see you on the ice.