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.

Maybe he could shove the runners in the freezer beforehand, and wear gloves when putting them in. I have step and standard Bauer holders, no issues swapping blades, but obviously there are sample variations.

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.

@strosedefence34 : Thanks, I edited my post just as you posted your comment, as I think you are right.

I don't think we said anything different, except that for the Bauer you use the term 'fully custom skate' without clarifying what that means. Having seen a YouTube video of Bauer custom skates being made, my understanding is that they take mostly off the shelf components (quarter package, sole, toe cap etc), throw in a few customisations (tongue etc), build the skate and then use heat and pressure to mould that 'almost stock' skate to a mould of your foot. This seems like a rather clever approach but perhaps not quite as good as made to measure if your foot diverges markedly from a stock skate. Of course I may be mistaken, and it might indeed be a made to measure skate with unique toecap etc, in which case hopefully someone such as JDub will chime in and correct me. As an aside, the Bauer 3D scan is fascinating. I never until then realised what shape feet I have, and how they related to the three Bauer skate models, and that my feet do not properly conform to any model. Edit: Ah okay just read the comment by @JR Boucicaut which suggests that Bauer custom is indeed made to measure. That is good news.

According to various online sources, it would appear that CCM and Bauer use a machine to make a custom mould of each foot. CCM openly state that a stock boot (or one with custom options) is then formed using heat and pressure around each mould. I believe Bauer do the same, thus the custom options are tongue, blades and lacing eyelets, other parts of the boot are stock. Many people state that True make a proper fully custom skate from your foot measurements, but they form it around the closest existing mould that they have, of which there are supposedly 350. However, this is speculative and may be incorrect. I have duck feet, which are shallow, and not particularly wide, which might suggest Vapor, but the widest part is at the end, just like a duck’s foot, which does not map to Vapor as that assumes a narrowish foot end. I guess Bauer believe that by choosing the boot with the correct volume, the pressure moulding will create a good fit. I believe that the toe cap is and off the shelf and not heat formable, which could be an issue for people like me. I guess even though this process is called custom, in reality it is not a proper custom as per custom made shoes, but how good it is remains to be seen.

See the reply from JDub on page 7 which briefly describes the 2N Pro skates.

That’s an interesting question whether the moulded toe cap is custom, or off the shelf, I suspect the latter. I tried on Vapor 6.5 EE and my toes felt bunched, whereas with Supreme 6.5EE they didn’t, so I think I will be fine. You’d think Bauer had this all sorted anyway, as they’ve been doing this custom line for pros for a while now.

Thank you. My LHS has always been very good. Apparently Bauer customs are doing quite well for them.

My current skates are stock Supreme S160 7EE. The recommended stock Vapor is 7EE. Hopefully you can see the scan here: https://my.volumental.com/en/bauer/2f029e24-c1e1-4885-bd8a-706f9cc01baf/?utm_medium=myvemail I always thought I had wide feet, but they’re actually not that wide. I have decided to go for customs, and when I mentioned I was previously most happy with Supremes, Mark who did the scan said I could go for Supremes. I tried on Supremes and Vapor in 6.5EE. The Supremes did not feel too deep, whereas Nexus are like boats on my feet.

Could you explain how the three Bauer lines differ in terms of pitch and skating? Thanks. I had a 3D scan yesterday. It recommended Vapor as ideal, Supreme as border line, Nexus as completely unsuitable. My current skates are stock Supreme which had the best fit when I tried all three lines on a couple of years ago. The Vapor failed the pencil test, so I assume the pencil test is only a guide, as otherwise they were okay. That said, I’ve been happy with Supremes and that is my preferred model. JDub did indicate that you can go to a neighbouring model, though generally it is to be avoided. As others have said, the price difference between custom and non custom is minor compared to the non custom price.

I forgot to take the gel pad along for the last skate, so instead I didn't tighten the skate much at the top eyelets, and it seems to have done the job. So you are right, it was pressure rather than overuse, or bad skate design.

Thanks. I’ll use a Silopos gel pad. I’ve decided to get some custom skates, which I hope will be more comfy.

This week I skated for at least ten hours, a bit more than usual, and I now have discomfort in my right foot. Where the foot joins the leg, and slightly to the right, not far from the ankle. Bending the foot, as when crouching for example, is uncomfortable. This isn’t lace bite, I’ve had that a few times on the top of the foot. Does anyone know the cause of the discomfort and how to avoid it? It makes driving a car trickier. At present I’m giving skating a miss for a few days to let it recover. I wear Bauer Supreme S160 skates which are 20 months old, and otherwise very comfortable.

Is there any advantage to the custom skates over stock S2 Pro for someone who fits stock mid range supremes well? As an aside, my old style speed plates have cracked after a couple of months. That’s not good.

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 agree with mojo122. SF are preformed. Your feet must conform to their shape, and they lift the heel noticeably. I didn’t get on with SF yellow. SP are thin plastic plates that you heat mound to your feet and the skate. Their primary function is to support your arches, and to lock the soles of your feet in place inside the boot. They also increase foot to skate contact via the SP. because they heat mould, they are essentially a custom fit to your feet. IMO Bauer hit the ball out of the park with SP.