OEM and Hockeytron

[hockeytroncanada 2]

Hi Mickz,

We're in the process of obtaining CSA approval

Thanks for your question,

John

[mickz 107]

So the three half visors currently listed on your website: the S30, S40 and S50 will have CSA?

[Chadd 916]

So the three half visors currently listed on your website: the S30, S40 and S50 will have CSA?

The ones pictured will not pass CSA certification, unless the standards have been reduced.

[mickz 107]

The ones pictured will not pass CSA certification, unless the standards have been reduced.

My thoughts exactly. The only visor listed as CSA pending is their US website is the combo face mask. So unless they are releasing something like the HS23 I don't see it passing CSA.

Correct me if I'm wrong but it's the pricing that attracts customers to Hockey Tron. The higher Canadian pricing puts Tron's products up against the more well-known manufacturers' price point and closeout equipment. How can Hockey Tron be competitive or even viable in Canada against various independent retailers and the giant that is Canadian Tire Corp?

I'm only buying equipment online if it is significantly cheaper or if it's not available locally. Hockey equipment in Canada is widely available unlike parts of the USA.

[hockeytroncanada 2]

Hi again Mickz,

Our American supplier who actually owns the brand is in charge of the certification which is why I don't have a ton of detail for you.

It's something I've been pushing him on and he tells me it's in the process at the moment. Sorry I don't have any more information.

John

[Chadd 916]

Hi again Mickz,

Our American supplier who actually owns the brand is in charge of the certification which is why I don't have a ton of detail for you.

It's something I've been pushing him on and he tells me it's in the process at the moment. Sorry I don't have any more information.

John

If you have been told that the existing visor designs could be certified, you need to have a discussion with someone from CSA and your supplier. As I understand the standards, the existing models will not get certified.

[grnmtnvt 18]

In your opinion, what specifically signals that they won't be certified as they look from the site?

[Chadd 916]

In your opinion, what specifically signals that they won't be certified as they look from the site?

1. coverage area, though they may cover more than the picture implies

2. slots on the sides instead of holes that will hold it in place or an attachment at the top

[mickz 107]

John, hate to be blunt but this is why I don't believe Hockey Tron will work in Canada. What has worked in the USA may not translate favorably in Canada:

- Although hockey enrollment is increasing worldwide, the numbers in Canada have been declining for many years

- HockeyTron.com sold direct, now there is a middleman involved that needs to make a cut

- Distribution. HockeyTron.ca even states Canadians have a higher resistance to online shopping than Americans. Then why is online the only method of distribution?

- Pricing. This is the biggest factor for people buying Tron products. Take your Tron 6030 wood stick ($39.99) for example. Why would I pay more and wait for delivery? I can drive down to my local Canadian Tire, Sportchek, or LHS and buy the real thing, Sherwood 5030, for $29.99 and have it in my hands right away?

It's a dangerous position to be in when price is your main competitive advantage. You're better off going into a market where the number of players are increasing but with better distribution than what's available.

[grnmtnvt 18]

Disagree,

Hockey has been declining in the market share that Tron isn't trying to hit- youth and junior programs. I'd imagine their target market is 25-55 year old recreational players, who are more price sensitive and less brand loyal. That market hasn't been declining at the same rate. And isn't really going anywhere soon.

Canadians have a higher resistance to online shopping because of shipping costs. If their shipping prices are reasonable, there's no reason that Canadians would balk at shopping online- they're already doing it in every other market. And 20$ flat fee is pretty darn cheap for anywhere in the country. Outside of major centres, the only barrier to shopping online has been enormous relative shipping costs. Canadians spend more time online and are more wired up than our southern counterparts. Shopping online is trending up in every market, it's not an 'if' it will work as a mode of shopping. With that aggressive shipping cost structure, I bet they are looking for a less urban market, as people in larger centres have a plethora of shops at all price points.

Pricing- I don't know if the cost of a wooden stick is necessarily the best criteria on which to criticize their business plan. That's like saying, Toyota won't succeed because their used 99' Corollas are a little expensive. Probably not where they are going to make their biggest profit and not their primary focus. I bet they'll stay afloat on jerseys and socks sales alone, at least initially.

There's definitely a niche for products like these, especially as they expand their catalogue. There are still lots of towns in this country that don't have a LHS and many who aren't modsquad types willing to drive an hour or two to get the exact product they've scouted and reviewed online. But, they're wired up and with flat shipping costs might just bite on a pair of gloves or new pants, etc. Will they be Bauer in a 5-years, no way.

[mickz 107]

Once you factor in the cut Hockey Tron Canada takes for importing this equipment, the pricing is not as competitive as the US counterpart. If you don't like the Sherwood 5030 knockoffs, look at the 405 ($179.99) which is a Stealth RS ripoff. I can go to any big box store or LHS and get a real RS on closeout for less right now.

They'll need more than jerseys and sock sales to stay afloat. Look at a Vancouver-based company like Alpha Sportswear. They've relied on supplying local MHA for many years and now they're gone.

A $20 flat shipping rate isn't as good of a deal as you think. What are their competitors in Canada charging? Similar rates or even free. (Ex. The Hockey Shop, Cyclone Taylors)

[grnmtnvt 18]

I have no idea what the cut is for importing the equipment. None of us do. Agreed, the 405 isn't at a price point that is all that interesting right now, but it's only just opened. The gloves are at a decent price point with high-end gloves going for upwards of 200$ now, so 60$ and 85$ are reasonable to get people trying some.

I don't know anything about the financials of Alpha Sportswear, maybe it has to do with a larger decline in hockey in urban areas relative to smaller areas or maybe they didn't tap into the online market well enough. Maybe the Vancouver hockey market is soft right now and they relied too heavily on a single market or product. It's possible people are going online and getting cheap bulk jerseys for most leagues, or like our team did, put the time in and got really well-done high-end ones from guys like Junkyard Athletics who really put the time in to make something exceptional.

20$ for shipping is excellent. Both of those stores require spending a certain amount before getting free shipping, which is great if you live in BC, but the majority of the population lives far east of there and many smaller northern and Maritime communities spend a great deal in shipping. So, most will have to spend 150$+, or 200$+ for QC in the case of the The Hockey Store. Not to mention the speed of shipping in this country when you get it free, especially going the distances we have with our population.

[hockeytroncanada 2]

They'll need more than jerseys and sock sales to stay afloat. Look at a Vancouver-based company like Alpha Sportswear. They've relied on supplying local MHA for many years and now they're gone.

A $20 flat shipping rate isn't as good of a deal as you think. What are their competitors in Canada charging? Similar rates or even free. (Ex. The Hockey Shop, Cyclone Taylors)

Hey Mickz,

Haven't been on here in awhile, but thought I'd respond to a few of these points just to offer a bit of a different perspective on everything said above.

Jerseys - Although it's not our intention to only be involved in jerseys, there are companies that stay afloat solely on that. Bigstick.ca for example purely does hockey jerseys and no other sports (although they're pretty unique in that no one seems to match their hockey jersey selection). The jersey market is a little bit bigger than most people realize.

Shipping - We actually do offer free nationwide shipping on orders over $95, just to clarify, so really not that different from the examples you mentioned. We've got a few things in the works to help reduce shipping costs as well :)

Online shopping - grnmtnvt explained this well. Expensive shipping and little selection is what's kept Canadians from shopping online as opposed to simply not liking shopping online. If you read non-hockey forums, tons of people are constantly complaining about products they want to buy online that aren't available in Canada. I've spoken with a lot of companies in other industries and the thought is, "Why would we set up a Canadian operation when the market is 1/10 the size when for less effort we could just increase our American market share by the same amount?" Hockey is a bit of a different story since per capita we play loads more hockey.

Market size - Shrinking doesn't mean disappearing totally. We're not too concerned about there not being enough hockey in Canada to go around :)

Middleman - As I mentioned before, our prices are going to (and have) come down a bit as we iron out our operations. Although it'd be completely silly of me to reveal all the details, just want to point out we don't have R&D costs like our American counterpart, which means we can operate at slimmer margins. Stating that we're just an unnecessary, non value-add layer that will never achieve great prices isn't exactly the most accurate.

Time will obviously tell, but we are well aware of all these concerns and pretty confident we can address them all in the long term. Lots of other stuff I'd love to share, but probably better we keep them under wraps until they're live (i.e. nothing you see us doing is completely static...give us some time!).

Hopefully a few of those thoughts intrigue you a bit.

Also, hope the season is going well for everyone here!

[hockeytroncanada 2]

By the way, you'll also notice that many of our prices are actually lower than you'd pay after the exchange rate because we recognized we probably can't sell them higher.

[TunaSalad 0]

I'm sorry if this has been posted before, the search function did not yield the answer I was looking for.. As a new player wanting to get into the sport I found some gear online, pants, shoulder, elbow and shin guards fairly inexpensive with the Tron name. I have never heard of it and upon looking for reviews all I see is that their customer service is horrible but, with no comments on the quality of product. My question is.. Is this gear durable / well made? Will I get laughed out of the locker room and off the ice for using it? Thoughts or opinions are welcome. Thanks.

[Gummer12 134]

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/55178-oem-and-hockeytron/?view=findpost&p=972363&hl=tron

[aviery 11]

Cheap and nasty equipment.

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

That is all IMO.

[QuanSuDude 1]

The LHS here in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, stocks Hockeytron sticks and a player in the Men's gold division uses a set of Hockeytron jerseys.

[orelayer 4]

Cheap and nasty equipment.

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

That is all IMO.

Aviery,

Have you actually purchased anything from Tron?

I just received a new Tron Tesla stick the other day. I think it is awesome. Its based on the top of the line CCM with the Tron20 discount its about $129

Great feeling stick! FWIW I have NO ties to Hockey Tron except for being a satisfied customer

[z1ggy 81]

Terrible customer service in my exp. Ordered a few things from them, shipping took well over 2 weeks. Their sticks look promising but I've only ever used their low tier offering, and it wasn't really that great.

Friend also got Tron roller hockey skates, and they literally fell apart in less than one season. This dude was not a good skater either, so it wasn't like he was pushing them to the limit.

My only good experience with Tron stuff is with their mesh socks. I have 2 pair and they've held up now for well over a year with only a few tears in them, which I personally don't mind. I'll probably replace them once a major tear forms.

[IPv6Freely 2094]

My only good experience with Tron stuff is with their mesh socks. I have 2 pair and they've held up now for well over a year with only a few tears in them, which I personally don't mind. I'll probably replace them once a major tear forms.

Really? With tron being literally 5 minutes from our rink there's a lot of guys in tron socks and carrying tron bags. Both are full of holes for everyone I see with them. They're SO THIN.

I'm sure most of you have seen the other tron thread by now and have seen my experience with them. No point in going into that again.

[hawkeyfan 36]

I have mailordered from Hockey Tron. I have picked up both name brand as well as a few of the Tron items...although I have mixed reviews with the tron stuff, your getting what you pay for...with that They may get a factory to build gear, but they have no pro players testing out equipment for them.

As another has stated I probably have mostly Socks and bags from tron. There is a difference between the Reebok and the Tron socks...My kids both have Tron bags. I can fine issues with both of the bags, but the kids are rough on anything you get them and I see all types of bags looking in bad shape.

[z1ggy 81]

Welp, I can't speak for all of the other Tron gear, but out of my 2 pair of socks, I can't complain. I would buy them again, YMMV.

For any other products, like sticks, skates, and protective, I'd probably avoid.

[Chadd 916]

Aviery,

Have you actually purchased anything from Tron?

I just received a new Tron Tesla stick the other day. I think it is awesome. Its based on the top of the line CCM with the Tron20 discount its about $129

Great feeling stick! FWIW I have NO ties to Hockey Tron except for being a satisfied customer

Don't believe anything they say about their sticks. They have lied to so many people about their sticks that I have a hard time believing anything they say.

[orelayer 4]

Don't believe anything they say about their sticks. They have lied to so many people about their sticks that I have a hard time believing anything they say.

Chadd,

Not sure how to prove they are lying. The stick feels good. I guess you would need someone familiar with stick manufacturing to analyze the materials and process used. It seems many people here have something against Tron. For me its been a good experience. My question is durability of the stick. Only time/games will tell. Truth be told I have had high end Bauer sticks fail after a couple of games.