VegasHockey

If Westside did the scan and fitting I dont think they would "mess up" on baking them. They do enough True skates that they know what they are doing, especially if the first pair was not built quite right. However, we are mostly all human and there is always a margin for error 😉 Full disclosure, my first pair of True skates did not fit as I expected. Now, it's debatable if they fit right or wrong, as that could be considered objective, but for MY needs and how I prefer MY skates to fit they had too much volume. The first pair of skates I tried using the red insoles to take up the extra volume, toe inserts to make them snugger in the toe box, and switched to thicker tongues. Despite the changes, they still felt "sloppy" even though they were very comfortable. This led to True making me a second pair. The second pair were closer in proper fit, but still not exactly perfect. I personally had to make adjustments to the facing of the skates and add some foams to get them to fit the way I wanted. As mentioned, I did this myself, it obviously helps that I own a shop and also have experience customizing skates, but the work I did is far more involved than the typical consumer would put into a pair of skates. I am sure many would have considered the first or second pair to be a good fit, but for my personal preferences they didn't fit right and felt sloppy. Our shop does a lot of fitting for players requesting True skates. To be completely honest, there are times that the fit is not exactly spot on, but usually its pretty close. The most difficult players to fit are the ones coming from a skate like the Mako which has zero negative space and fit incredibly close to the foot. Those players usually complain about the fit, weight, or that the skates feel bulky. Usually, we make modifications to the skates for the customer if its easy enough to adjust. Cutting back the facing is relatively easy on the True skates compared to modifying other one-piece skates like the AS1. Have you talked to Westside? Baking them and using ratchet clamps will surely help the fit, and adding red insoles will take up the volume. You can even use a custom insole if you want, we have some players that prefer to do such as they prefer the CCM footbeds, Bauer Speed Plate or Super Feet. Usually, these players have a very high arch that needs more support than the skate can provide.

We do a lot of True skates and I haven't seen a pair fit this strangely ever. There is definitely too much depth in that boot, almost like fitting someone who needs a FT1 in a Ribcor... Have you shared these pics with True directly or only the shop?

Makes sense. Thanks for the insight. We have a lot of players with Pre-True skates and lower generation VH skates that are swapping to the Step holders and I have seen a few issues with getting a very flat mounting. Each time we have used a very thin piece of polycarbonate between the skate and the holder.

I noticed the True Gen 1 skates you show dont have the piece under the hell of the skate. I think its only cosmetic and doesn't really add any lift though.

Pretty easy to change out. Our shop does it all the time.

I'll be honest. I have mixed feelings about the skates. Certain things I love and other things I dislike. But that's the way it is with most things in life. If you want it to be exactly the way you want you need to do build it yourself or find someone to build it for you.

My skates have done that since day one. I only hear it and dont feel anything when on dry land. I dont hear or feel anything it on the ice.

I used to use Pro Stock sticks but with dealer staff discount from manufacturers being so significant there is no a cheaper option for the top of the line sticks.

So I spoke with Rob at True, he is the Operations Manager for True Skates. He mentioned there are a few options to drop weight in the skate. On average a True boot is roughly 10-30 grams heavier and depending on the boot size is sometimes lighter than other brands. 40-50 grams of weight is due to the Step steel and STEP/VH holders so swapping to Tuuk holders and a smaller or lighter steel LS2/Byonic would drop unsprung weight. Shot blockers add roughly 40-50 grams of weight per skate but cannot be removed as they are incorporated into the design. The stiffness he said will break in over time =. It might take a while but it will eventually become less rigid. He said they do have special lightweight tongues that they can supply that will save 30-40 grams compared to the metatarsal ones I currently have. Not sure which tongues those are but I am very excited to see them.

My understanding is the technology the True licenses for use is the same technology that CCM will be using as well. They just perform the scanning differently.

Now that is something I need to see! Haha

Equipment managers typically hack fixes and occasionally make minor adjustments for players when they get new gear. Most of the time when a skate arrives from the manufacturer it's built pretty close to the players requested specification. You might need to punch an area or make minor modifications but I have yet to see an equipment managers add padding (comfort pads) to the top ankle area of a players skate. Again, to me, this is a design flaw. Something. That was just overlooked.

Work is a variable. I wanted to use static values.

I agree with you. I am saying it's a manufacturer oversight. Comfort pads have been built into hockey skate ankle areas for quite some time now. If anything, it seems every year those comfort pads get bigger. I have a demo pair of the new AS1 skates that I am testing and the comfort pads on them are quite large and plush. It just remindeds me of the Mako I vs Mako II debacle.

Just for perspective and to bring science into this. Weight: 150 grams vs 124 grams Blade weight at full stride extension: 600 grams vs 496 grams Average strides per game: 1000 Blade weight transferred per game: 600kg vs 496kg 600kg - 496kg = 104kg less weight transferred per game which equals 229lbs. That's with comparing 26 grams of weight difference. Now imagine 200 grams.

Very true. I fit figure skates all the time and they are beyond stiff and quite terrible requiring a TON of adjustment. But I have never fit a pair of figure skates that had a 3D foot scan though ;)

Both the inside of the left ankle and the outside of the right ankle are problem areas.

Thanks. I'll start using it. For some reason, in my current browser, it didn't display/format the page properly. In firefox and chrome, it seems fine though.

Not to sound like a primadonna, and I am sure people will flame me for saying this, but when you order custom skates that are specifically designed to fit a players foot you shouldn't need to "hack" solutions together.

This area specifically https://photos.app.goo.gl/DHsES4jXy0Vl5f9g1

The shot blockers make the skate more stiff than anything I have ever used. Much stiffer than pro stock Vapor, Super Tacks, FT1, and everything else I have ever owned. You literally cannot squeeze the sides closed. Look for my review video on YouTube.

I wish they did put comfort pads. That area bruises my ankles after some really hard skates. I'm going to have to mod it myself to resolve it.

Typically, yes. Equipment managers dont want to mess with any of that technology though unless enough players ask for it. We do a bunch of WHL players skates because the veteran equipment managers won't bother with profiling since they have little experience with doing such. The younger equipment managers are more open-minded though.

Do a blind test. I recently had a player from the WHL come in to get a profile. We took 4 sets of steel and did 3 different profiles and left one "stock" and had him perform a series of skating challenges. We timed him and also asked him which felt best. He repeated the challenge 3 times with each set of steel. We switched up the order in which he tested the steel as well. It was no surprise that the "stock" steel he had the worst times and disliked the most and a Quad 0 is what he preferred. His second best times and ranking was with the Quad 2. For some, it can be a placebo, but there is absolutely science behind it. Can everyone benefit from switching from a single radius to a quad? No! There is nothing that says a quad is better than a tri, dual or single radius. Each player is different and you need to find what fits his/her style best.

A GOOD shop SHOULD blend the toe and heel. I would personally never profile a skate and not blend such.