shoot_the_goalie

Buy new gear! just kidding. Like DK said.

Try getting that area of the toe box heated/punched first by someone who knows what they're doing. It might be tough since it's the toe box, but worth a shot before taking more drastic measures like using a Dremel. With that said, I do know a few people who have used a Dremel for such the purpose you describe. You have to be extremely careful, make sure to sand smooth after, and realize that you are slightly weakening that area of the skate since you are taking some material away. A totally different thought...which may not work at all, but have you tried to use Powerfoot inserts? In addition to removing negative space above your toes, which they're designed for, in my experience, they also tend to restrict movement of your toes and sometimes even help to push back your toes a minimal amount away from the toe box. Worth a shot before taking the measure to alter the boot materials.

My two cents... In SMU's case, sounds like the shop is guilty of communication errors. However, now that True is no longer direct to consumer and added a "middle-man" into the process, it's on True to make sure that their authorized fitters know what they are doing and know how to communicate any issues back to True. I feel that this is the part of the process that broke down, and in SMU's case, it's on both the shop and True to rectify the problem. And look...if it turns out it's definitely more one-sided fault, then it's ultimately up to True to take command, since it's their product, not the shop's. So if the shop is just completely incompetent, True should take over for this specific case, and then later, either re-train the shop or "de-authorize" the shop from selling their product. Just because you're an authorized True seller/fitter, doesn't mean you're good at actually fitting & selling the product (like oldtrainerguy28 is). Luckily for me, the LHS I got scanned at, the guy who did the fitting really knew what he was doing, and he was the only employee in that store authorized to do the scan at that time. If you wanted to get True skates at that shop, you had to make an appointment, and only when he was at the store. Even then, at that time, he had only done a handful of scans (sold product), and he even mentioned that there were still kinks in the process, such as bad connectivity issues, etc. Hopefully a year later, those kinks have been smoothed out. Heck, I know of certain authorized True fitters, that have, at this point, only done 1-2 sold scans. Point being, I would highly recommend going to a True fitter you know well/has a great reputation or calling the shop ahead of time and asking how many pairs they've scanned and sold. Just don't assume that if they sell Trues, that all will be perfect.

In part relation to lasers post, does True keep records of all previously made skates for a particular customer? I'm on my first pair, and they are perfect, but say I wanted to get another pair over time, and I am pretty confident my feet haven't changed, could I just call up True and ask them to send me a new pair built to identical specs of the previous pair? Or would I have to go through the LHS, get a full re-scan, etc...?

This. This is what should be happening so as not to exacerbate the problem. If your "3rd" pair comes back and it's not right again, demand that the LHS contact a True rep on the spot, while you are physically present at the LHS so all parties can figure and sort it out. Would save a lot of time and headaches.

Funny enough, when I got my Trues, I thought my left boot was built too small as my toes were pushing against the toe box. Asked True if they had any solutions to this, they looked up my order, and voila, said all I had to do is pull out the foam insert in the cap. No muss, no fuss, since it was held in with tape. (right boot didn't have any insert) Fit's been perfect ever since. In hindsight, probably should have told my LHS (to relay to True), that I didn't really like my toes brushing too much and they probably would have never put in the insert. On an aside, dealing with True, when I needed it, was fantastic, and I believe they would right any wrongs as everyone I've talked to there seems to really want to have their customers happy. I would leave a message, and they would contact me right back. And whether it's relevant or not, I've found this to be true with CCM and Blackstone.

If only SPARX and Blackstone would have a baby...

Took two hard shots off my Trues last night. Both off the sides of the foot. Felt it, but didn't hurt. I would say for my purposes, the added shot blocker reinforcement is worth it than the extra weight they add, now having taken multiple shots off of them.

I was told my Trues would take up to 3-4 weeks to be delivered. They were delivered in about one week, and probably only in production for 4-5 days as I got them delivered after a weekend. I ordered in last November, and from what I was told by my LHS was that they were not as busy being that they had fulfilled just about all their NHL and pro orders at that time. So no, I wouldn't be worried if they are able to turn over your skates that quickly. Mine were built quickly and they have been solid for a year now.

As a happy True skate user, I have heard this as well. From my understanding, CCM & Bauer 3D scanned customs are generally more expensive than True, due to the fact that they build a 3D last off of the scan. Maybe a rep for the companies on the board can chime in here?

Not to mention all they need is one person who does ignore the safety literature to start a PR nightmare. One person who is careless and causes a fire with their Sparx; that then turns into a video on social media showing a Sparx catching on fire without any context to why.

I have the shot blockers. I'm not a big guy, but I like very stiff skates and I've taken a couple of hard shots off the boot and have felt pretty much nothing. Also have the T-Guards, which I haven't used much, as I mainly use the stock tongue. From my limited use, the T-Guards are noticeably stiffer fore/aft.

Superfeet Yellows will give you a little more length in the boot, since it will arch and "lift" your foot...but it'll only maybe give you 1/8" more clearance at max. Plus, you'll also affect the mold of the boot to your arch by putting in Superfeet. To get some more volume, you can request True send you a set of their thin tongues (typically what ships is the standard). Of course you'll sacrifice protection, but if it helps with volume... But it sounds like a bigger problem than just small tweaks, from what you describe. I would call True (not Pure Hockey), and see if they can help you. They are great in terms of customer service and will have a record of all your data to reference to. Worst case, if everything they suggest doesn't help, they will always make you a 2nd set of skates (but not after they exhaust all options with you first) CigarScott...at what time of day did you get scanned?

I wouldn't worry about the glue/epoxy on the carbon fiber of the boot. That's pretty typical for Trues and won't be an issue in the near or far term. It's really just cosmetic. The liner issue, seems like a bigger issue. I don't think it's gonna really cause any serious issues except premature wear, but it does look like the liner was sloppily done. Your liner on the tendon guard in one of the pictures looks a bit sloppy too.

I've talked to some former NHLers and some players who've gotten to the higher levels of pros, D1 college, and major junior levels. I've also talked to pros in other sports, particularly tennis. The one constant I've heard is that at some point in their development, a whole bunch of people started to take notice that they had the potential to play at the elite levels. It's not a couple of people who are being complimentary or inflating egos...it's many people, and many times people that are not in your typical circle. (meaning press, agents, other organizations, etc) The point I'm trying to make is that if a kid truly has the potential to make it to the elite levels, they'll have many indicators to let them know, and those indicators will seek them out. On the other hand, typically, if the parents are seeking them out, their kid probably doesn't have what it takes to play eilte (although there's the rare outlier from time to time)

Yes. Took me much longer than I thought to adjust to Trues from my old skates. Had to do a bunch of tinkering around too to get it dialed in (nothing major). Very happy with them now, and much better fit than any previous skate I've worn.

Maybe they're now going to be offering physical moulded lasts instead of just 3D lasts? My best guess.

https://www.amazon.com/Tandy-Leather-Strop-Handle-3325-00/dp/B00888FAC4 Has a rough leather side and the other side is a smoother leather side.

For those who've had experience with both, which they prefer... now that FIRE has been out there longer...

Reviving this thread, to see if anyone has given a greater sample size to FIRE vs FBV....

Anybody have experience with changing an eyelet on their True skates? Took a shot to the foot tonight (didn't hurt) but damaged one of my eyelets pretty good.

In my experience, I've noticed that those who are wearing ill-fitted skates that say "they don't hurt"; their mistakes eventually catch up with them and results in some kind of discomfort/pain.

Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference. I've been skating for a long time now, and I'm one of those people that notice even the smallest differences/discomfort/changes in my skates (kinda like a "princess and the pea" thing). It's probably why I have modded my retail skates so much in the past, and even with True skates, I've made many small trial and error adjustments to dial in the fit I prefer. I think ultimately, in terms of fit, if the boot is comfortable and doesn't give you any pain, it fits, because if you're getting pain after the break-in period (i.e. lace bite, arch pain, blisters, hotspots, etc), that's your foot telling you you're in the wrong type/size skate. After that, IMHO fit is subjective, generally speaking. If you like room in the toe box, or you like your toes up against the cap, that's personal preference. Could you dial in the fit even more to gain a bit more efficiency and response, sure...but if you're not having pain, I think in general, the skate fits. In regards to whether a high end boot might be too much for you, depends on your technique and personal preferences... I prefer very stiff skates cause I lean very hard on my edges, so I've always gravitated to the higher end, stiffer models, and with my Trues, I have the built in shot blockers for both protection and added stiffness. IMHO, you should get a slightly stiffer boot than you can handle.

This is great stuff Amazin. It's been a joy to see how much you've improved over this thread, and it's great that you put yourself out there and are so open to learning/critiques from people on this thread. Try to "roll" your top hand a little more when stick handling so your motion is a bit more fluid. Rolling your top hand will allow you to cradle the puck a bit easier from side to side. Good stuff!

The "packers" you're referring to is what Scott Van Horne (in his video) refers to as the "custom fit toe cap inserts". They are black foam pads, about an 1/8" thick, that are held in the front of the boot with masking tape. I had one in my boot too, and I also removed it as the boot felt too short. Once I took the insert out the boot length was perfect (it gives you a 1/4 size more in length if you take one out). This is not to be confused with the toecap foam, which are red comfort foam pads (the same material they use to make the red footbeds) that are adhered to the front of the toecap to provide comfort padding. Note: not all True skates have the toe cap inserts in them - I had it only in one skate, the skate for my shorter foot) Very common to reheat the eyelets and pull them back in order to get into the skate easier Step holder pitch is slightly more forward than the Tuuk holder pitch. I wouldn't worry too much about the "break down" in your pic. That's mostly the carbon composite outer epoxy layer scratching off, which is gonna happen during gameplay. AFAIK, it's not going to affect the integrity of the boot. (it's like scratching graphics off on another brand skate) If anything worries you though, contact True. They're customer service is great and they're always ready to help out.