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Ok so I made a phone call and this is what was explained to me prior to me getting my scanner because I had some questions. I just wanted to make sure it was ok to post. Hi Jeff, there are some misconceptions that have been posted around the net, maybe I can clear some up... This is a brand new scanner and software system. Scott Van Horne has previously used 3-D scanning to build speed skates, but that has proved not to work well in the past for hockey skates. With speed skates, comfort and protection are not paramount as in hockey, so 3-D scanning was providing a model to build a “milled last” for speed skates. Hockey also has the challenge of building a canted boot that will accept a holder – again, not something that the previous scanner and software would allow VH to solve for automatically. Also, this speed skate process can be upwards of $2,000 per pair – something that is not currently palatable in the hockey industry. Thus, VH designed a series of algorithms based upon measurement sets and 2-D tracings for hockey. Fast forward to 2016, and the opportunity to source a lightweight, mobile, and iPad compatible scanner became a reality. This got VH excited, and for the past year, they have been working on specifications with the software scanning provider to develop a custom software application. This software takes allot of the calculations and foot mapping that were previously done manually, and automates them. This will allow VH to continue to produce custom skates at the same rate – even though demand has increased. Essentially, once this process is refined through the pilot and testing phase, VH fit centers will have use of the scanner to send in orders – and those orders will be more easily handled at the factory. The current method of tracings, measurements and photos is still how they are building custom skates. Eventually, you will see these scanners in the hands of all dealers as a lightweight and mobile option, that will also cement consistency across all fittings. For a small company out of Winnipeg, I think they should be applauded for investing in solutions to try to continually get better and move the industry forward.

@OptimusReim You weren't that bad. You had a LOT of odd man rushes against you. Bloody fackin hell- you defended a fair few 2 and 3 on 0 situations with D men who should wear orange cone-shaped helmets. Stop being so bleedin' hard on yourself; you are better than I.

Bailed out of work to meet my daughter at the ballgame(our AAA Angels affiliate) for her schools ballpark day. Don't mind if we get a foul ball!

You've got to market that curve as a pro Kane / Giroux!

Keep working on whatever skills you are working on! When I bought all of my gear the goalie expert in-store gave me some advice that may help you. He told me that I would start off strong and have some really good games. As I focus on working on certain skills, goals would start pouring in and I would wonder what the heck is going on. This happens to every goalie no matter the age or level they are playing. He said to stick with it and everything will start to even out once you start to get all of the skills down. We start off so good because we stay within a comfort bubble and don't try other skills. When we start to move around and learn to anticipate it leads to mistakes but through practice we fix those mistakes; you just have to get through that learning curve first!

Scored my first playoff goal tonight!

I have about four games on them now, and love them. I think the fit is so much better that I don't miss the bells and whistles. That being said, I'm watching sales and eBay to pick up a pair of Mako II to put in storage until I need them. The big differences I imagine are the liner, tongue and overall weight. Mako II and M8 have the hard metatarsel protection on the tongues, while the M7 does not. I am used to "regular" tongues, so that doesn't bother me at all. Weights are not crazy different for a size 9D skate: M7 915g, M8 859g, Mako II 839g. Being over 200lbs, I'm not going to fuss over a 70 gram difference with my skates.

So they're now using 3D scanning for hockey skates? That's interesting because a couple years ago I asked Scott about using the 3D system they used for speed skates for hockey skates and he said they didn't do it because the bottom came out in an odd shape that they couldn't attach a holder to. I guess they fixed that issue.

My vote is for the new (composite) model.

Utica Comets sale is May 17th. http://www.uticacomets.com/news/detail/equipment-sale-scheduled-for-may-17

that depends on your situation. I bought a Wissota over 10 years ago for somewhere in the $600-$700 range. here in ATL the rink shops are notorious for doing poor sharpenings. at that time we only had one non-rink shop in town and it was probably 35 miles from my house and not open on Sundays. if you couldn't get up there on Saturday you were SOL and of course at a 70 mile round trip we couldn't just leave our skates if they were busy so we invested in the Wissota and not only did our own skates but also did skates for teammates and friends at $5 per. the machine has paid for itself several times over just in the $5 charge not to mention the savings in gas and the wear and tear on my car.

I was going to give the same advice as ted above. You need to stay the course and push through. Identify weaknesses and work to improve them. Now's the time for that. When you're playing bad, things can't really get worse. So if you start to adjust things now, you won't really suck any more than you already do (not insulting you). When you're playing well, you (not you specifically) want to stay in the groove and are hesitant to change. But now you have the opportunity to work on something without worrying about degrading your play. Go back and watch video of your games when you were playing well, and now that you're not. Identify things you may be doing differently between then and now. From my limited viewing of your videos, your angles seem to be off. You're getting beat on clean shots you weren't before. Go back to basics - focus on proper angles, proper depth, proper stance (I find when I play poorly it's because I get lazy and bend at the waist instead of the legs and don't gett deep enough.) And then work on things like movements and recoveries. When I feel like I'm not tracking the puck well, I bring out the white pucks for warmups. A black puck looks like an airplane beacon after tracking a white one. And one other thing, you talk about how you don't go down or do much during warmups. That has to change. If you're not playing well, you need to take every opportunity to refocus and build confidence. Warmups are a great time do do what you need to do, particularly getting square and tracking. You've made tremendous improvements. Don't get down on yourself. You've hit a plateau, that's all. It happens to everyone.

The Indy Fuel of the ECHL are having a sale on May 13-15 at their practice rink in Fishers IN http://www.indyfueltank.com/news_article/show/646340?referrer_id=2000215

Bought some at IW and have used them 4 times now. What a difference they make. I have nexus skates which were the only ones that passed the pencil test for me. However,the room I had in the tops of the toes was way too much. With the shim in place all that space is gone now. I have noticed one strange thing. Where I used to have lower back pain after a skate,I no longer have had any after using the power feet.Just hard to explain but not complaining.