Leif

This isn’t the best advert for a True is it? That makes a lot more sense. Presumably that is the case for Bauer and CCM customs too.

Maybe orders have slowed down due to custom options now being offered by Bauer and CCM. This is just a guess, and could be nonsense.

How much does it cost? Bauer and CCM have invested in CNC milling machines for their custom skate lasts, so clearly they think that sales will recoup the cost over time. And I suspect that a custom cutting machine is cheaper than a CNC mill. Not sure anyone is offended, or unrealistic. And isn't space fairly cheap in Quebec? As to people to operate such equipment, the hard work is in programming the machines. Once that is done, costs per unit can be reduced. But I have no inside information.

I do not know how the manufacturers make custom skates, but you are making assumptions. These days computer controlled cutters and CNC mills could allow full custom skates at reasonable prices. As to what a True do, who knows. I will soon speak to someone who has spoken with Bauer reps about their custom skates, and I am eager to hear her news.

I don't think they've even started selling units overseas. I'm one of many Brits who have the money, but cannot yet buy one. I am sure many countries especially those in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe could prove quite lucrative for Sparx. Also don't forget that many machines will be sold to a family with one or more kids who have started playing hockey on a regular basis, so there's a whole set of new customers each year.

I decided on Bauer rather than True for the rather prosaic reason that the Bauer custom shop is 25 miles away, whereas the True shop is 200 miles away, and fitting requires two journeys, one for the scan, and one for the heat moulding. I also have a very good opinion of the people at the local shop and quality of service is important when you spend that sort of money. I suspect many people in the south of England have made the same decision, certainly some friends who said they would buy True skates subsequently opted for Bauer customs after the local shop started doing them.

Are you sure? Bauer and CCM claim that they use 3D scans to make custom lasts for each customer. They even have videos on YouTube showing the lasts being machined on CNC mills. According to discussions on this forum True do not make a custom last, but use an existing last, chosen from a large selection, which most accurately matches the customer's feet. As to longevity, a friend has Easton skates made from carbon fibre which he replaced when they started cracking after 8 years of heavy use. Before that he used cheaper skates which wore out after a year or two. Can others confirm that for example Bauer 1S skates only last one high level season, whereas Trues last much longer?

About me: Age 55. Experience: One and a half years. Level: muppet. I started out with the Bauer 4500 helmet and face cage. It does the job, but you feel every bang on the head due to the firm foams used. I decided to upgrade the helmet after I collided with a huge player going at full speed who wasn’t looking where he was going. I was nowhere near the puck, so there was no excuse, but there was a loud bang as our helmets collided, I went flying, he remained upright, and I had a headache for several days afterwards , which is not good. The Bauer Reakt 200 is a top end helmet, and well reviewed by Virginia Tech. I know the VT reviews are controversial, but a good review can’t be a bad thing. So I ordered a large to try, and bought it as it fitted well. The first time I wore it on ice I had mild pain either side of my head, which I figured out was due to the cage being too narrow, despite being a large. A few minutes manually widening the cage sorted out the discomfort. This helmet is much more comfortable than the 4500, and after suffering a collision with the boards and a whack on the head from a stick I can say that it provides noticeably more protection than the 4500. Obviously if my head hits something hard, and decelerates rapidly, the helmet will not protect my brain from the deceleration, but the soft foams do without any doubt dissipate the impact much better, and hence the helmet should reduce brain damage to some degree. The helmet is expensive compared to others, but given that brain damage is a serious risk, I don’t mind paying more for a better level of protection. Added 1 January 2019: Last night I took a slap shot to the head while wearing this helmet. The puck hit the plastic shell above the forehead. It wasn't the most powerful of shots, thank goodness, but the helmet did its job: I didn't feel a thing, nothing and I haven't felt anything since either, so hopefully there was no zero injury. When it impacted, I had the feeling that the foams and suspended lining inside the shell were deforming and absorbing the shock of the impact. I'm sure my old 4500 would not have dealt so well with that shot. So, a big thumbs for the new helmet.

I largely agree, however they might have been scared of law suits and decided not to take the risk. My new VW car has a user manual that is largely useless as most of it consists of warnings along the lines of “do not drink the brake fluid”, no doubt due to fear of litigation.

True, but there’s probably a lot of bad ideas out there. The Marsblade holder might not be the product hoped for, but it looks pretty solid in terms of support from respected names.

These people, and many others, accept various names for the heel problem: http://www.aofas.org/PRC/conditions/Pages/Conditions/Haglund-Deformity.aspx

I was told that the Bauer custom skates (such as custom S2 Pro) are full customs with moulds made from the foot scans, and the boots are then built around the moulds. Am I mistaken?

Maybe the lack of criticism reflects the general satisfaction of owners? I was chatting to someone who may soon be the UK distributor for Sparx, and he said that a good hand grind was better than a Sparx grind, which rather took me aback. He explained that blades are often bent, and automated machines do not necessarily deal so well with bent blades. My right blade is very slightly bent, perhaps due to the holder, but a Sparx did a good job of sharpening it. I suspect that if a blade is bent to the degree that a Sparx can’t deal with it, then the bend should be rectified.

I had a sharpen from a Sparx machine in the U.K. and it was a very good sharpen. The owner of the machine might end up being the U.K. distributor/retailer for Sparx, so I hope you guys sort out all the details soon as I am tired of driving 25 miles to the good sharpener.

Coach Jeremy has a short mini review of these on YouTube. Someone posted a comment that they own some, and they lose a couple of rivets each month, and they have several friends with the same problem. Can I assume this is BS? Presumably it is someone who sells some other brand of skates, and wants to discredit True. Or a childish ‘prank’.

I returned the BAT gauge but not having heard anything I assume it has been lost in the post.

Thanks all. 18 months ago I was fitted with skates by someone who works as a hockey coach. No pain, apart from when I regularly fell on my backside when moving slowly and my feet shot forwards, and once I left blood on the ice from a head wound. I soon realised they were way too big, and bought boots elsewhere that fitted. In 18 months not one single unexpected fall due to feet shooting forwards. And no head wounds. It sounds like I can’t go wrong with the VH, even though I might not gain as much as hoped. I had a look at the Bauer 2s yesterday. Very very stiff. Massive tongue, and I mean massive, with hard plastic on the top side. Large tendon guard. Loads of squishy foam in the ankle area to compensate for the lack of custom fitting. I’m inclined to think they are way beyond my needs. As the lad (and co owner) in the shop said “you could skate in them, but you don’t need them”. I’ve examined VH skates, and they are more like hand made gloves.

Thanks. All To be honest when you're my age an extra few hundred pounds for a skate that will last years is neither here nor there. I recently upgraded to top end pads, and the increased comfort and mobility is well worth having, and I feel I am playing better as I no longer notice the pads, apart from the weight of course. The question I have is whether or not a better skate fit is anything more than a lack of spare space inside the foot. Sorry if this seems to be a stupid question, but the space around my toes in my Supremes does not bother me. In other words, does it have a practical impact? Of course comfort is worth having if it makes you skate better.

I'm sure it's not hockey specific, long distance running has "hydration products" etc. To be honest these terms turn me off, it just makes me think they are selling snake oil. That's a shame as the new Bauer pads I have are actually rather good. What I like is the improved comfort and mobility, neither of which are mentioned in the marketing BS. As for them staying dry, which is claimed, nope!

I’ve had my Bauer S160 skates for 18 months, and they fit pretty well. They have some superficial tears but they will last a year or two more. However, I will upgrade to a more high end skate just before Christmas 2018. Several people have told me that a higher end skate will improve my skating. Do others agree? Going from 20 year old entry level Vapors to the S160 did hugely improve my ability. I am a good skater by local rec standards, but not when compared to the really good players. Secondly, a friend bought VH skates as off the shelf skates would not fit his very wide feet. Given that Supremes fit me (seemingly) well, would the VH offer any benefit over the Supreme 2s? From what I can see the VH should fit snugly, whereas the 2s will be slightly less snug, using internal padding to fill voids, but with some accommodation when heat moulding. Or perhaps the 2s is far more than I need? Incidentally money is not an issue, it’s the fit and performance benefits if any that matter. Oh, and I’m 54 but very fit with a lean build, if that makes any difference.

Their product descriptions are very basic by today's standards. Surely the hockey pants should have UltraFoam inserts with PuckOff protection and MeshTech fabric. Obviously they are no good. Does anyone else laugh at the marketing nonsense employed by the big name equipment makers? I checked my top end Bauer shin pads recently. Behind the Curv composite (1) are some blocks of expanded polystyrene. No doubt they have a high tech term for it. (1) What Bauer don't tell you is that Curv is a fraction of the cost of carbon fibre and less strong. It's decent stuff though.

Any update on when Europeans will be able to buy the Sparx? Or is is still ‘soon’ ie could be next year, or next decade or ...?

Nah. I was sent a torch/flashlight to review. It was excellent and said so. I was sent another, it was pretty good, so I said so. I was sent a third, and a I thought it was potentially dangerous, so I said so. I was not asked to do any more reviews. in all cases I gave the lights away to colleagues, who would use them. I had too many lights already. So it’s not always a blatant case of “wowI got this free, it’s great”. If reviewers are not ‘compliant’, they might not get more items to review, and the review for some is a source of income. That said, wine reviewers with big UK newspapers can be honest because they get paid a salary, and the prestige of the paper means everyone sends them stuff to review. I suspect duff items are just not reviewed. So we might think homely online reviews are more honest, but the reality might be different.

Okay, thanks, appreciated. I’m not sure how my original comment sounded like an attack, it sounded like you were saying Chris does reviews for payment, which was a rather strong statement, so I asked for clarification. I can see that this is a grey area, he clearly has expenses, but I’m not sure I am happy with the idea that he charges you, and others, for a review. In my view, he should not charge you, and he should make the money from people viewing his review. Maybe this is rather idealistic, and not how internet reviews work. As an aside, I was once sent a pair of binoculars to review. I did the review, which was honest, then asked for the return address. I was told to keep them, so I gave them to a charity shop to sell on. I felt uncomfortable keeping them, as it would indicate corruption, or bias. I know many binocular reviewers are sent on paid trips to nice places to do the review. Maybe that is the ‘way of the world’.

Hi, no you’re not being grilled, but I would appreciate some clarification as what you wrote could mean several things. Your comment suggested that he will ‘review’ a product for a fee, unless I misunderstood you. I have always assumed his reviews are not paid for ie they are trustworthy. I believe in Canada and maybe America a web site must declare any financial sponsorship, not sure about the UK. Chris has loads of videos, so there’s no way I can know which is yours. Was it a product review for a product that you make or distribute? As I’ve said, you’re not being grilled, or attacked, just being gently prompted for some details. Thanks.