shoot_the_goalie

Thanks for the tip and input. Really appreciate it. Cheers.

Yes...one thing they suggested was to remove the toe cap foam. Also using Superfeet (or some sort of hard raised arch insole) to raise my arches and pull back the toes could help. How do you mean if the "feet line up" with the insole? Do you mean the toes not overlapping the blue insole? It does seem from some of the responses though that touching (not brushing) the toe caps when standing is pretty common and not a fit issue...

Yep. I tapped the heel back, and then tied my laces as I usually do - loose at the bottom, tight at the middle, semi-tight on the top, leaving the top eyelet unlaced. The only thing I've done differently is I'm using cloth laces, whereas my old skates, I used waxed laces (many recommended I don't use waxed laces with True Skates) I'm assuming that the skates are good and the fit is something I'll have to get used to. (I'm just not used to it - my old skates had great heel lock and my toes only touched the caps if I pointed my feet.)

Thanks! I contacted True, and they were very helpful and responsive. They gave me some suggestions to help the fit, but essentially said, as long as there's no pain or discomfort, that the toes touching the cap is 100% normal when standing upright with their boots, being that they're made to have as little negative space as possible. I'll have to skate on them a few times and see if it's just a feeling I need to get used to or if it becomes an issue.

Tried adjusting tongue. It's not a volume issue in the toe cap. It's a length issue.

Just got my first pair of True Skates this weekend. Haven't had a chance to try them on the ice yet, but had them baked and molded at around 70% tightness. Everything looks and feels fantastic except for one issue with the length of both boots in regards to the toe cap. With my heel locked in, wearing very thin sock liners, and with laces pretty tight in the middle and upper portion of the boot (but top eyelet not laced), when sitting with legs bent 90 degrees, I barely brush the toe cap, but when standing, I feel contact with the toe cap on both my big toe and 2nd toe...and it's touching, not brushing. When in skating stance, knees bent, I can at times still feel the big toe brushing the cap. However, when I lift my toe, I get more room (see pic - red area). I noticed vs my old skates, where the toe cap goes straight down, the True Skates curve back in at the bottom (see pic - in green). Questions: -Is this how True Skates normally fit due to the unique toe cap shape? I had a solid 3d scan done (during midday), along with pics, and my fitter really was on point with what he was doing and knew his stuff. My old skates (CCM Tacks 1st gen), are actually slightly shorter in boot length compared to the Trues, but I don't feel nearly as much contact with the toe cap due to the "straight down" design of the cap. Wondering if this is a typical fit and I'm just not used to it? (Compared footbeds to my old skates, and my old footbeds are about (just shy) 1/8" longer. -How much do True Skates "pack out" after breaking in? Will I gain some length naturally from the heel pads compressing a bit with time? (maybe like 1/8")? I noticed on my old skates, I definitely gained a little length after lots of use. -If this is an issue and causes pain at the toes, are there any easy adjustments to remedy any issues? Can the skates be stretched in length with baking and using those shoe extenders you see at shoe shops? Maybe more thickness in the insole area at the toe cap to raise my toes a bit? Or do I really have a great fit and I'm just not used to it cause I've never had custom boots before? Any insights are greatly appreciated. https://imgur.com/a/qbXNj

Get a pair of Blacksteel and put in on your skates, and use the regular Step as a pair of backups in case you blow a tire with the Blacksteel. That's what I do. heh.

For me, I agree performance-wise. Where I feel Step Black really shines, is when you sharpen. Edges are always clean. But whether that's worth the extra $30-$40, as you stated, is the question. Also, Step Black just stands out more to the gear hounds since it does have a unique look to it - if that's your thing.

Is it possible to buy replacement tongues directly through True, say if your current ones were to wear out? Or do you have to go through a retailer for special order?

True Skates, as far as I know, in the US are $949 base with the stock Step Holder/Step Steel, and standard tongues. Impact protection is an additional $50 per pair. Not sure the cost of other customizations. These prices don't include sales tax.

How many passes is enough on new Step Blacksteel?

That's a nice skate. If they offer custom boots at the base retail level, I could see this being a strong competitor with True VH. I wonder why Bauer has not gone the one piece boot route?

Any way to easily tell when you have a good FBV edge on a new set of Step steel? Every time I sharpen a new set of Step steel, it always doesn't seem sharp enough after first sharpening, and this is after doing about 20-30 passes on each skate initially. Any other type of steel, this amount of passes is usually fine.

Because True Skates are custom lasted , is it highly recommended to use their insoles? Or would switching out to superfeet, or something, be fine, or would it screw up the custom fit, even if very slightly?

Getting scanned for my first pair of True Skates this weekend. Could someone give me a refresher on the options available for customization? I'm looking to get the Step Holder w/ Step Blacksteel (unless they'll do a LS4 w/ Blacksteel - but I hear that needs to be aftermarket). Also looking at getting added shot-blocking protection built in if they still offer that? Thanks.

When was the last time you polished/pledged your dryland tiles? Could be the reduced friction on the ice is affecting your sauce technique.

Just focus on improving your skating, whether with or without pads on. It's great if you can go to a public skate w/ gear on (most of the people who think it looks weird are usually people who can barely skate), but just keep skating, skating, skating. Skate as much as you can and eventually when you skate with gear on, it should not pose a real problem, unless you wear really heavy, restrictive equipment.

Interesting to see that the majority of the higher star rated helmets are pretty much doing away with high density foams, and going back to mid-density foams or using the specialty foams like Poron and D30. I wonder if that means the shells themselves are bigger to accommodate that. I agree... until there's an official standard established, the VT scores don't necessarily mean that much. But at least it is a start to maybe something better down the road in terms of official certification.

Absolutely love FBV (light years better to me than ROH) and currently sharpening with a Blackstone X01. While I love my Blackstone and am pretty experienced with it, I was intrigued by the apparent ease of use and conveience from the Sparx. However, since it doesn't sharpen FBV, that could be a no-go for me. Anyone have experience skating on the Fire radius and FBV? If so, how does the Fire compare to FBV?

AFAIK, Subban is still under an endorsement contract w/ CCM? And CCM did similar embroidery on his custom winter classic skates a while back.

I've heard that the Super Tacks is a very difficult skate to punch/stretch due to it's stiffness. Anyone have experience stretching or punching out a hot spot?

@MikeBoyarchuk I have the current version and it's great. I was more asking out of curiosity.

@MikeBoyarchuk Any idea if Powerfoot would make the inserts out of different materials in the future? I for one would be very interested in a memory foam version if it was ever in the works.

Directly from Blackstone concerning mini spinners: The spinners will last for around 5-6 grinding stones, so approximately 400-550 pairs of skates.

Sure does help. Really appreciate it.