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It might not be suitable for full-time use, but a couple of times, I've had teammates coming back from broken or badly bruised ribs. I gave them some thigh inserts salvaged from old pants that they held in place with compression shirts. Those contoured thigh pads actually conform perfectly to your ribs and don't get in the way of anything. They're also much more protective than any padded shirt.

Ah ok I read wrong. I thought you picked up extra holders. Makes sense now. Shipping may be expensive but I know a lot of people sell the max shift holder with the black dlc runners as a set for cheap on sideline swap since it comes with their custom skates but they chose to use tuuks. For example https://sidelineswap.com/gear/hockey/holders-runners-replacement-steel/7519927-true-272-mm-shift-max-holders-shift-max-steel

Not sure this is a predictable thing. I have older TF9s and have had zero issues over several seasons with them. I bought mine used in fact, but am guessing they are from the 1st 1 or 2 initial production runs. My kid's Cat9s were bought almost a year after they hit the market. Had issues within 6-8 months.

The true customs (svh) aren't the same as the retail boots or even the custom tailored hzrdus and catalyst pros. The latter two use the retail shell. Svh customs have been generally pretty good in terms of durability. The catalyst and tf boots are the ones that showed cracking issues. And I'm starting to see some posts online for the hzrdus too. Tendon guard coming off isn't really an issue for me since the repair is so easy, but cracking boots is a no no.

True just recently released retails skates only a few years ago. I'm confident that more and more people will enjoy the comfort of their skates and the retail gaps with start to reduce between them and Bauer/ccm. Trues price is also very competitive for what you get. They just better fix their durability issues with the retails shells and their sticks or they're essentially be giving a 2 for 1 for all the warranty replacements. As for the pro level, true dominates the goalie skate numbers.

Let’s look at some data. They’re trending up. Bauer and CCM are doing a lot to try and recover any ground gained by True with each release. To me that says a lot about niche status as well. Do the big players take notice of what you’re doing and make adjustments? Then you’re not niche. I would argue.

I've only tried Bauer and True. I found the Trues to require 0 break in period and they had the most "custom" fit. I did not even need to lace the skates when they were new, but they were a pain to put on and take off. Only drawbacks when new were the cosmetic issues. After a few seasons few some rivets popped out, the boots lost stiffness quicker than the Bauers and the heel lock is loose on the dominant foot. All minor issues. The last time I put on the Bauer for ODR it felt loose after getting used to the snugness of True. I think if you have foot issues or mangled feet, the Trues would be a very suitable skate.

Skating without pain is such a beautiful thing haha. TRUE Customs have given me what I've been looking for (especially from an officiating perspective). There's no way I can not go with them for any future skate purchases.

Correct me then instead of making a vague statement. Both ccm and Bauer make custom skates with prefabricated shells which are pressure molded to your foot last.

I've had a LOT of problems with lace bite (I'm an aggressive skater but weigh nothing and have super skinny ankles). Was a Bauer guy but always had lace bite if I tied my skates tight. I went with True Customs and am happy with them, however they weren't amazing to start. I had to send them back right after I got them as they felt half a size too long. True did apparently open them up and take some length off the toe, now they feel proper length. Even in my customs I still got lace bite, with both the low profile tongue or the pro felt tongue. I even tried their met guard tongue (https://www.hockeyvancouver.ca/products/true-met-guard-felt-replacement-skate-tongues). I was almost ready to get rid of the skates until I tried the Crosby lacing method (skipping one eyelet below the top). This seemed to give me good forward flex but also side to side stability. I also learned to tie the customs differently. I lace them tight through the mid foot and just snug everywhere else (maybe just past finger tight). This has made huge difference in how they skate and perform. Now that the lace bite and length are fixed, comfort is unreal. My feet are super weird shaped and they built a boot that fits them perfectly. I actually look forward to putting my skates on now. These are the first set of skates that when I take my feet out, I don't immediately go "ahhh that feels better". They are so comfy basically right away. I had no issues switching to the Edge holders and have had no issues with steel either. (I'm a long time vapor guy so Tukk holder). It took some time to get them built right (which is a bit disappointing considering the price and wait times) but now that they are and I have learned how to tie them, they are fantastic skates.

FWIW, hockey monkey doesn’t care about all the small shops they have run out of business. I wouldn’t feel the least bit bad milking every possible thing out of them without a second thought. These giant stores can’t undercut local shops and fall back on “just capitalism bro, nothing personal,” and then cry foul when consumers do the same thing to them. Fuck ‘em.