bunnyman666

As soon as I get my health back, I want to stock your runners in my little skate shoppe! Can’t wait for the new CCM trigger holders to come out so I can stock runners for them.

@STEP_Official love love love your runners!!!! I am just a Step fanboy!!!! Steel stays nice and sharp, does not take lots of runs to freshen up edges, and is in general better than the rest! Just had to get that out there!

Yes. That is definitely the intent I wanted to put out there. Scott was not a shoe maker, therefore how he approached the method of building is VASTLY different. They are not far off from some custom composite cycling shoes that were built a few years back. The actual method of building them would have to change to purty them up. I have not reverse engineered my VH/Trues to the point of cutting them apart, but the build process they use and what Bauer and CCM would use are vastly different. I could probably build these after a few tries. I do have experience in composites, so I do NOT want to denigrade what the VH/True skate is. This is NOT some DIY project that would take the weekend to do and all of your supplies would be at your local Lowe’s. You would need a well-rounded composites background. Though a goalie mask maker with expanded composite building experience could pull off a True skate.

It is overlooked to a degree because of the methods used in manufacture. This is a one-at-a-time method; now made several in a day most likely. You can “purty up” hand-laid and multi-piece composites; it just takes a LOT longer, and would weigh more. If there were moulds for every size and pieces were not interchangeable, the finish quality would be better. I suspect that there has been zero evolution in build method since buying the process. My power skating coach has a pair of speed skating boots built very similarly, and they are not what you would call beautiful, but speed skates are most likely covered by a skin made of lycra coated with some aerodynamic treatment. As far as the recent fit issues I have read about, this sounds like growing pains for trying to make a one at a time process into a semi-production process. And Scott used to offer resizing, which essentially was building a new boot. And it doesn’t sound like True has gotten around the possibility of needing to re-build the boot. Edit: yes- there is an example in this thread about a boot being built a few times. But it seems that there are growing pains, none the less. The stick building has little in common with skates except that carbon composite is used. True has had their stick factories for YEARS! Stick shafts are pretty well idiot-proof as far as how they are made and can be duplicated in infinitum.

For me, the most beautiful skates to me would be an old pair of leather Bauer Supreme or Graf, hands down. I think once the bigs’ custom becomes more accessible, VH/True will have to up their game on the aesthetics. I chose True for one reason: I could not get what I needed from the big manufacturers in fit, at least easily and from a relatively low cost. VH did it for me. Are they pretty? No. Do they fit well? YES.

I agree 100%! I certainly am forgiving of the looks as long as the voids are cosmetic, which I surmise they are!

Those pits in the finish are voids. It is most likely cosmetic, as it is in the outermost finish ply. But it also implies that the resin did not completely wet out; not a problem in the outer layer but is in the structural layers (most likely there are few voids underneath). Some fabric twill patterns wet out better than others.

Facepalm was for your partner, not you! Wow is all I can say...

Power skating lessons from a figure skater really helped me. I am actually thinking of learning honest to goodness figure skating.

The only thing in new gear that excites me is if it can still be made the old way. I am still excited over my Eagle goat skin player gloves, and I have had them for YEARS. NOS “pro fit” CCM HT2 helmets excite me, though I use a Kustom Composites player helmet. Goalie gear can excite me, but only if I do some sort of customisation. I just got a pair of Vaughn pads that require no strapping change for me to use them; the plus 2” thigh rise will need to be corrected. Guess what I will be addressing whilst out for my surgery? Lastly, vintage gear and restoring it REALLY excites me. The vintage gear I have collected is not pressed into service again, but making it suitable to be used makes me excited. There is something about the old stuff that stirs the imagination for me.

Another small victory: played goal at drop in today. New exercise regimen has paid off as I was nowhere nearly as winded as normal when playing. I let in a few muffins, but it’s not like I get to play all that regularly at this point.

Not a dick move for all reasons stated.

I love my VH/True skates! (me trying to steer us back on topic)

I have not worn a boot strap in four years and mine go right back to centre. I wear a Brian’s ZeroG with an elastic system to hold the pads onto my legs, as well as elastic toe ties. I used the Brian’s smart toe, then other styles of shock cord/velcro style toe ties. What Reactor series do you have @sconnie? The later Reactors (pro model was 9000, I think it went 5000, 7000 and 9000) were a bit stiffer than the older Reactors (2000, 4000, 6000); may have nothing to do with your rotation problem. @psulion22 the boot strap ala Lundquist also raises the pad up, effectively giving you a taller thigh rise without using a taller pad, extremely useful in the thigh rise restricted NHL. Never tried the Lundy loop, and found boot straps run conventionally to be constricting for me. I could see the boot strap run like Lundy as an area the NHL may crack down on in their quest to increase scoring, all joking about the boot strap save a couple of days back.

Penny Marshall

All that it has taken for me to be a “rarin’ to go!” is the fact I can’t do it right now...

You like your partner that much, eh?

I am certain it is; but you could change a few features and call it something else...

Two things I am wishing for on the consumer machine: 1) cross-grind wheel 2) Asymmetrical hollow wheels for goalies. I miss the HELL out of A-Trap (when done correctly, of course!) Jeremiah Sparx- I know you read this board, please entertain offering these items!

Find a friend with a ventilator and have them call on your shift and have them ask for you? You’re welcome 🤡

I particularly like mine.

I imagine it to be a love or hate proposition, no?

I may have to have you sharpen a pair of steel with that and see how I like it, JR. Thanks for the answer!

@JR Boucicaut a buddy of mine is considering an at home sharpener, do you think I should steer him towards this one or a Sparx? How technically proficient does one need to be with the Prosharp home unit versus the Sparx? I am actually considering one of these if I end up liking the Channel Z hollow; do you like that hollow for a goalie?

I get it!!!