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AfftonDad

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Posts posted by AfftonDad

  1. Posted · Edited by AfftonDad · Report reply

    I use all three knobs each skate. But I have adjusted my holder to be perfectly flat (at least to the extent that I can measure). If I'm low at both ends I move all three up by the same amount until one side is high and the other low. Then I use just the front knobs for the rest. If it starts with both high, then I move all three knobs down by the same amount until one side is high and one side is low, then use just the front two knobs. After I'm done I return all three knobs to the "zero" position which I have marked on the holder. 

    I contacted the inventor of the tri-lie holder once and asked him if you should use all three knobs. He said "of course,"

  2. Posted · Report reply

    On 1/10/2018 at 1:20 PM, Cavs019 said:

    I think he's saying True +3 forward is slightly more forward than his VH/CXN combo, not True's base pitch. 

    Sounds like -1 + TUUKs is probably the ticket for me. 

    Yeah I was saying that on my True skates with Bauer Edge Holders with the boots constructed to have a +3 built in to the boot, they feel like a little bit more forward pitch than my VH with CXN holders felt.

  3. Posted · Edited by AfftonDad · Report reply

    10 hours ago, Cavs019 said:

    Sorry to ask this again guys- I think it may have been lost as this is a super active thread. Hopefully ordering my first pair this weekend: 

    How is the pitch on these compared to Graf? I had 703s and 735s way back and absolutely hated the "on the toes" feeling they provided. Neutral to negative Bauer pitch has always worked. Is this something Vh/True would be able to explicitly accomodate when constructing the insole/outsole? I'd be ordering them undrilled for LS Edge installation.

    Another obvious solution is profiling or lifts but I'd prefer to have the neutral pitch built into the boot/holder as opposed to having to rely on someone sharpening my skates at a consistently high level. I don't trust most of the shops near me to be able to do that without butchering prior work. 

    Yes they can accommodate it. I had them put a +3 on mine so they would be like my Makos and VH with CXN holders. They can do it with a shim (if they are putting the holder on) OR in the boot (I had them build it into the boot on mine). However, they told me that the boot and True holder is neutral (relative to Bauer), which is contrary to what I have heard here. So figuring out what pitch to ask them to put on it might be difficult. I got Bauer Edge holders on mine. If I were doing it over I think I would ask them for a +2 (they feel slightly more forward pitched than my VH with CXNs did).

  5. Posted · Edited by AfftonDad · Report reply

    5 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

    Anyone have any success using the ratchet clamp technique for a better heel lock?  I want to do it for my right skate but don't want to potentially damage anything. I emailed true regarding how many times one can bake their skates and they said up to eight times which is a good thing, but obviously I don't want to keep hearing them to if I don't have to.

    Right now I'm not sure if my mind is playing games on me or not. My right foot seems to be more sensitive in terms of sensory reception. Like I pay more attention to it than my left. Even when I walk in shoes it feels like my right heel moves more. Not sure if it's because my right ankle is less stable due to a previous injury therefore it feels more sloppy or if the heel lock does need to be a touch tighter. 

    Anyways on another note, I ordered black tuuks and step black steel. I couldn't resist..... I regret not just getting the boot, but then again I wouldn't have gotten the heel cup :p

    I've used the clamps on the heel. It works well. I made the clamps a little tighter than I would have really wanted them because it returns a little bit to it's previous position after you take the clamps off. I used it on insteps as well to get rid of a tiny bit of space there that was causing a bit of a sucking sound/feel when I would stride forward (maybe that's just the sound of me sucking so bad) . It was a really slight thing that was just messing with my head more than anything else. I do one skate at a time. I don't like being rushed and feeling like one skate has cooled down while i am working on the other one.

  6. Posted · Report reply

    18 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

    I Got them baked and swapped the laces for some waxed ones.

    Might find you don't need/want waxed laces. I used to always use waxed laces until I started using VH (and now True). I found that with VH I was prone to making them too tight with waxed laces. Even now, 3 or 4 years later, I still catch myself forgetting that I don't need to and making them too tight every now and then.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    21 minutes ago, Larry54 said:

    Call me an idiot, but I bought a pair of custom-made skates that fit me from the get-go instead of buying a pair of big-name skates that despite being backed by millions of dollars of R&D have to be customized by some unknown self-proclaimed expert with an @yahoo.com e-mail. :huh:

    And a Weebly (free) website whose domain was registered just 7 days ago (the same time he started posting here). Interesting business model... piss off your potential customers. I guess he follows the "there is no bad publicity" philosophy.

    • Like 4

  11. Posted · Report reply

    The re-baking with clamps solved all my problems. They pretty much feel exactly like my old ones. One thing about them though is pissing me off. I wear my shins over my tongues and for some reason my tendon guards keep ending up under my hockey socks. So I end up with that "leg warmer" look. I hate that. My last pair were the "flexible" tendon guards so maybe they stuck out a little more and prevented it. It's the only pair of skates I have ever had do that. Hopefully it will stop after the tendon guards get broken in a little bit.

    • Like 1

  12. Posted · Report reply

    On 8/25/2017 at 9:42 AM, Iskander said:

    Can anyone tell me: did you get tracking information from True (or VH) when they shipped your skates to you?  Just curious if I'm going to know when to expect a very exciting package, or if they just sort of show up on the doorstep.  Monday will be 3 weeks since I ordered, and while I understand I need to be patient, it would be nice to know when they're on the way.

    I did not. They took around four weeks for them to arrive. I'm sure if I had asked Rob for tracking info he would have given it to me. I think they shipped on a Monday and I got them on the next Wednesday. Took a total of four weeks.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    On 8/25/2017 at 4:00 AM, flip12 said:

    @AfftonDad , how do the tongues compare between your VH boots and the Trues?

    Very similar (except they look a little cooler... they say True on them and have some cutaway pieces that sort of give them a metatarsal guard look). Even though they offered me an option with metatarsal guards, I chose the felt tongues. I didn't have good luck with metatarsal guards on my U+CL (they kind of "broke") so I wanted to stick with the tried and true felt tongues.

  15. Posted · Report reply

    Bit of an observation here... I had/have a pair of VH and I just received my True skates a week or so ago. I had the True skates made to the same tracings as the VH were. My feet (nor any other body parts) have not lost weight. The True skates seem to have a little more space in them than the VH skates that should be exactly the same. I'm having to work a little harder to get the True skates as snug as the VH were.

    I have a lot of forward pitch built in to the boot. The first time I skated with them I could feel my toes banging up against the toe cap due to the extra space allowing my foot to slide down the "hill" of the forward pitch. After that I baked them a second time, using a trigger clamp on the heel, wearing no socks and tying them as tightly as I could (to bias them a little snugger). I skated on them a second time and the sliding forward thing was gone, but there was still a little space in the midfoot (instep and directly across the instep on the outside) where I can feel(hear?) air sucking in and out of the gap each stride. I am going to try baking them a third time, with clamps also across the midfoot to take out the little bit of remaining space. True has offered to send a thicker footbed if I'm not able to get it there through molding. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get them there though. After the second baking (with the exception of the little bit of space that will hopefully soon be gone) I am very happy with how identical my True(with +3 in the boot) + Bauer Edge + LS2 feel compared to my VH + CXN + ES4.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, marka said:

    Howdy,

    I probably missed it in the thread but...

    If you want to have Tuuk holders mounted, it sounds like you can still ship them to True/VH and have them mounted.  Does the boot get discounted since you're not using the True/Step holder?  Is there any extra charge to mount the Tuuk holder instead?

    Mark

    I was initially told that they couldn't do it but then told if I send them my holders they would do it (which I did and which they did). I ordered them on 7/7/2017. The boot only price was $839(USD) with no line item for the installation of the holder OR the +3 forward pitch I had them make into the boot. Everything else was standard (no options). I received them on 8/14/2017 (without the blades, but they are overnighting them to me as we speak). I don't know if the policy (or price) has changed since 7/7.

    • Like 1

  17. Posted · Report reply

    4 hours ago, Iskander said:

    My Mako IIs are literally falling apart (the carbon fiber has cracked around the forefoot where the rivets are), so I decided to order a pair from True on August 6th.  I didn't have time to drive at least 2.5 hours (one way) to get my foot scanned properly (assuming they're even set up for scanning anywhere here in Florida), so I had my girl do the foot tracings and pictures.  She's a former x-ray tech, an amateur photog, and an artist, so I think she did a good job with the tracings and photos. *fingers crossed*  

    Years of skating in poorly fitting skates have done a number on my feet: very large Haglund deformities and other issues that don't necessarily hurt, but make skate fitting tricky.  I loved the Mako IIs, but really looking forward to what True/VH does for me.

    I sent a pair of CXN holders up to Winnipeg and they're being installed on my new skates since I have a few pair of custom steel from the Mako IIs.  Looks like I got in just in time to be able to order online from home and send my own holders to True.

    Anyway, as soon as I get them and take 'em for a spin, I'll be sure to share my thoughts.

    CXN Holders? Have you tried to get steel for that lately? Not easy. I had CXN holders on my last pair of VH (in order to emulate my Makos) but I switched to Bauer Edge this time around. I believe I "determined" the pitch on the CXN+Runner to be around +3 and this is in line with what I have seen many others say as well as what VH told me is the pitch for the CXN + Runner. So I had them put a +3 in the heel (built into the boot). I haven't skated with them yet, so I don't know if my gamble was a success or a failure (If it is a failure, I'll have my runners profiled appropriately). 

    • Like 1

  18. Posted · Edited by AfftonDad · Report reply

    5 hours ago, calby8 said:

    How did you like the new pair and getting them baked? This is probably a dumb question, but what does it mean if they don't come without the foxings in the heel? Did they install the Bauer Edge holders for you and additional work needs to be done?

    Haven't had a chance to bake them yet (I'll do it at home as I did with my last pair). The foxings are plastic piece on the heel. They put the holders on for me. They didn't charge me extra, but the no holder price was around $839 instead of the $800 I had been expecting.

  19. Posted · Edited by AfftonDad · Report reply

    I liked it too. Sad to see it not on there. It makes it look closer to the slick retail skates. Oh well. At first I thought it was a mistake but I called them up and was told that it only works with the True holders. I had more important issues to deal with anyway.

    I bought Edge holders and LS3 steel from Pro Hockey Life online and had them shipped directly to True (VH) so they could put them on (they told me they would). When they came yesterday they came without steel. I paid $90 for the steel. I asked them what was up and they said that Pro Hockey Life shipped the wrong steel. The guy I talked to at True said that they were LS2 instead of LS3 but I suspect that the problem is actually that they are not the Edge version LS3 (I wasn't aware that the Edge holder uses a special version so I probably ordered the wrong one). However, I get that they couldn't put them in the skates, but they should have at least put them in the box so that I could recoup some of my expense on eBay. The guy I talked to yesterday was supposed to get back to me today to let me know what they could do, but as yet I haven't heard back from them. If they can't find them, I can't imagine they are going to ship me some. So I think my skates are going to end up $90 more than they should have.

    • Facepalm 1

  21. Posted · Report reply

    22 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

    I'm 100% happy with my VH as far as fit and such, but... why not add more data points? I can't imagine actually getting an even better fit, but it sure can't hurt. 

    That said, if you don't have access to a fit centre, it's not the end of the world. 

    My feelings exactly, I just ordered my second pair of VH (now True). I don't have a fit center but I can't really imagine them fitting any better. I didn't even re-trace. I asked them if they still had the stuff from last time on file and they said yes so I said make them the same as last time. However, this time I had them build a +3 forward pitch into them to make up for the Mako holders I had on my last pair (using Bauer Edge this time). I had the skates made without holders and had the Bauer holders shipped to them from a Canadian LHS for VH to mount.

    • Like 1

  22. Posted · Report reply

    On 7/7/2017 at 9:09 PM, adams2001 said:

    I can't speak for afftondad but I can definitely get where you are coming from before dropping serious money on these skates. I myself read this threas when it was up to 30 something pages or so before I pulled the trigger on mine. 

    I don't know what model afftondad has but my tendon guards both had the rivets pop. I bought some screws with posts to secure the tendon guards where the rivets were. I haven't had a problem since. That issue came up about a year into owning the skates and I did the replacement on both skates about 4 months ago. 

    I feel the durability is about middle of the pack for a top end skate but the fit is so unrivaled that it makes those issues minor. 

    I skate about 4 times a week if you want a gauge on use. 

    Other than the tendon guard and some scuffs from pucks hitting my holders they are still going like tanks. I do take care of them though, after every skate I remove the footbeds and hang them upside down on my drying rack. 

    I think that if you are going for fit and performance from having a proper fitting skate that these skates are your best option if you are wanting to spend top end skate money. 

    Hope this helps. 

    I hadn't thought about that. I already have some T-nuts with the little teeth sticking out. Is that what you are talking about? You put the nut on the inside, right? Did you need a washer on the outside?

    • Like 1

  23. Posted · Report reply

    On 7/7/2017 at 6:28 PM, start_today said:

    Can you talk a little about how long you had your original skates, and how many hours you put on them before they broke?

    Im REALLY intrigued by these skates, but  a failed rivet in a tendon guard leading to new skates is eyebrow raising. This thread seems full of people mentioning construction and quality issues, but people kind of bend over backwards to excuse them. 

    I cant tell if the skates are THAT GOOD, or if there's cognitive/emotional bias where people want to like the expensive skates they bought, so they overlook the flaws. 

    They are right at 3 years of playing 2-3 times a week for 1.5 hours each and for two of those years coaching squirt/bantam twice a week (I don't think the coaching took much out of them). I had the "flexible" tendon guards if that makes any difference. I know that I could probably take them someplace and have them make a hole in the back of the tendon guards and put new rivets in, and I may do that so that I can have them as a backup pair. They still feel as great and the same stiffness as when I got them. I NEVER kicked them off by the tendon guard and I USUALLY put them on a dryer with forced air, but I would get lazy probably 1 out of every 6 times or so, so I probably didn't help the tendon guard rivet any by doing that. They were from when they had exposed carbon fiber on the toe and still had the VH logo on them. They have gotten REALLY ugly with the CF getting scraped up and marred up and the "leather" looking pieces getting rubbed off in spots and some stitches popped etc., but I still consider them as solid as they day I bought them (except for the tendon guard thing). On the other hand, I was playing with a guy from the St. Louis Jr. Blues (an NA3HL Juniors team) the other night who wore them and I asked him if that was his first pair and he said that it was his third. I asked him how frequently he gets a pair and he said he gets a new pair each season (maybe he has rich parents or something). It is probably true that I was just looking for an excuse to get a new pair. And in fact, I can and will still wear these for the 3-4 weeks it takes to get my new ones. Even though I can fold the tendon guards way back with my feet out of the skates, because of the material on the back that is still sort of holding them in place, there is enough tendon guard below the rivet that my ankle still holds them upright when my foot is in. For what it's worth, one of the new Van Horne/True videos shows that the repair of that rivet is a little easier on the new True model. There is a cap that you can get off to access the rivet for replacement. I was buying top of the line skates anyway (guess the old more dollars than sense thing considering I'm an old beer leaguer) so it's not THAT much more money. I went from CCM Vector Pros to CCM Crazy Lights to Makos to VH. The difference between the Makos and the Crazy Lights was so profound that I decided then and there that I never wanted to go back to a "ski boot" type skate. My feet were getting KILLED by blocked shots in the Makos though so I switched to VH when the CF on the underside of the toe of my Makos started separating. I don't think I could go back to Bauer or CCM until they start offering models that don't do the ski boot thing.

    • Like 1

  24. Posted · Report reply

    The rivets on my tendon guards on my VH skates just gave out last night so I ordered a new pair today. I don't have a fit center near me so I told them to make them against the info I sent in the last time. I'm getting them without holders (I'm going to drop ship holders to them). I'm trying to decide if I should go with Edge or LS2. I know about the complaints of Edge being loose, but is the LS2 nearing end of life or anything? If so, I would probably go with Edge even with the complaints of being a little loose if the LS2 is being phased out.

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