OEM and Hockeytron

[IPv6Freely 2092]

It's worth pointing out that if you look at any of the big chinese wholesale sites online you can find most of Tron's products, minus the Tron logo of course. Just so there's no confusion about where the stuff comes from.

Eg:

VS

[Chadd 916]

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.

Any stick can fail. Tron has told people things in the past that could be easily refuted by anyone with industry knowledge. Claiming their sticks were top of the line Bauers that were leftover (and just repainted with Tron logos) when Bauer "abandoned" a factory was repeated by a lot of people that contacted them. Now, they just paint the sticks like the other companies and say that they "compare". You can compare anything, that doesn't mean they are equal, or even similar. The funny thing is, a lot of people can't tell the difference anyway. That says more about the players than the products.

[Chadd 916]

topics merged

[orelayer 4]

Any stick can fail. Tron has told people things in the past that could be easily refuted by anyone with industry knowledge. Claiming their sticks were top of the line Bauers that were leftover (and just repainted with Tron logos) when Bauer "abandoned" a factory was repeated by a lot of people that contacted them. Now, they just paint the sticks like the other companies and say that they "compare". You can compare anything, that doesn't mean they are equal, or even similar. The funny thing is, a lot of people can't tell the difference anyway. That says more about the players than the products.

I can't tell so I am sure you are a better player than I am. So I have question...Do you have a problem with Bauer stating you can skate faster with their skates or CCM saying you will have a better shot with their stick? Thats all a bunch of marketing BS. Isn't that a lie? Its all about the skill of the player not the equipment.You should know that. Is that OK with you?

I would bet in a blind test you would not be able to pick the manufacturer of a certain stick from the big 5-6 makers. I don't work or know anyone that works for Hockey Tron. Just want to figure what all this hate is about

[aviery 11]

Cheap and nasty equipment.

You pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

That is all IMO.

They stock TRON at my local rinks hockey shop and the rink manager somehow manages to sell it to a lot of our beginners. I do a fair bit of coaching in development league for extra cash and must say that I've seen this equipment deteriorate quickly. Shoulder caps ripped of a pair of one of the kids shoulder pads and I've had a skate with one of their sticks (top end) and it was heavy, un-balanced, hollow in the blade and felt horrible to shoot with. Just my opinion and observations.

[TeamHonda401 54]

They produce knock off items that look almost identical to a Bauer, Easton, CCM, Warrior stick. The make up every detail about their products (for example this is stated about their Tesla **cough RBZ Superfast knock off**)

• Core enhanced blade
• Balanced weight and flex distribution

Neither of those points make any logical sense. At least when a manufacturer says that their stick has a low kick point, it is actually something that can be quantified and not just some mindless babble.

If you need any other examples of why Tron gets hate around here, there are 30 other pages in this thread full of examples.

[Chadd 916]

I can't tell so I am sure you are a better player than I am. So I have question...Do you have a problem with Bauer stating you can skate faster with their skates or CCM saying you will have a better shot with their stick? Thats all a bunch of marketing BS. Isn't that a lie? Its all about the skill of the player not the equipment.You should know that. Is that OK with you?

I would bet in a blind test you would not be able to pick the manufacturer of a certain stick from the big 5-6 makers. I don't work or know anyone that works for Hockey Tron. Just want to figure what all this hate is about

There is a difference between marketing and flat out lying to people. That said, I have had issues with the marketing of various products over the years. I'm not a great player, and have never claimed to be. However, I can feel the difference in sticks and find it fairly easy to tell the difference between sticks that I have used before. I have also used sticks from the same factories that Tron uses, with the same specs and they felt nothing like the major brand sticks that I have used.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

They stock TRON at my local rinks hockey shop and the rink manager somehow manages to sell it to a lot of our beginners.

You should watch this week's episode of Top Gear where they go over the history of Peugeot and how they sold a LOT more cars once they started making the crappy and cheap. Same idea imo. There's always somebody (many people, typically) who couldn't care less about performance as long as it was cheap.

I don't even know how many people I've seen coming into the rooms with torn up Tron bags who say "well it was a good deal".

As far as the sticks go... if they bought a big batch of sticks from chinese wholesalers and slapped the "tron" logo on them, I really wouldn't care. You get what you pay for. The issue I really have is when they try to make them look like the real thing eg. when they changed the paint on the 405 to look like an Easton Stealth RS. At that point it just looks the same as if you were wearing Foakleys sunglasses or a Frolex watch.

I will say though the general consensus in this thread seems to be that their visors are pretty good for the price. Though they're also available on chinese wholesale sites too, if you wanted to buy in bulk ;)

[althoma1 574]

The misleading item descriptions for some products, the knock off looks and some unfortunate incidents mentioned earlier in this thread aren't ideal, however; they do offer some good products and sales. I certainly wouldn't buy everything they sell, but have been happy with some of the products I've purchased.

I like the Tron S30 Visor (basically and Oakley knock off). The vision is good and it does the job. It's not CSA certified so I don't use it for ice, but use it to ref roller hockey and the performance is similar to the more expensive Bauer HDO Pro-Clip visor I have to ref ice.

I've also had a Tron DJ100 Drifit Practice Jersey I used for a season of roller hockey and 2 years of pickup games and it's in perfect condition. It's light, comfortable and breathes well - I certainly prefer it for roller hockey vs some of the thicker ice jerseys I own. I highly recommend the DJ100 jersey for roller hockey.

The Tron V-Pro roller hockey pants and Tron V-Elite girdle are also good products - I also own the Valken versions they were based on. I love my Valken V-Pro roller pants with the articulated knees (also like that they aren't baggy like parachute/hammer pants) and now the Tron version seems to be the only thing readily available.

I do find that the socks are a little thin and get holes fairly easily, but the comparable Reebok retail socks also get holes easily. The Tron socks are less than half the price of the Reebok socks. Of course, if you can get thicker pro Reebok socks for a reasonable price that's probably a better option. So far the Bauer socks I've received at the Modsquad events have held up better than the Tron and Reebok socks I've used.

I wouldn't use their indoor roller wheels because they only make low durometer single pour wheels suitable for light weight players. I'd consider using some of their bearings, but haven't tried them yet.

The sticks don't really appeal to me as they only come in common curves and their higher end models really aren't that cheap when you compare them to closeout deals on major brand sticks. I'd also rather buy closeout model high end skates, helmets and protective from the major brands. Hockeytron can have good sales on those as well (I picked up an extra pair of closeout Warrior elbows for a great price a couple years ago).

[Neo5370 132]

You should watch this week's episode of Top Gear where they go over the history of Peugeot and how they sold a LOT more cars once they started making the crappy and cheap. Same idea imo. There's always somebody (many people, typically) who couldn't care less about performance as long as it was cheap.

I don't even know how many people I've seen coming into the rooms with torn up Tron bags who say "well it was a good deal".

As far as the sticks go... if they bought a big batch of sticks from chinese wholesalers and slapped the "tron" logo on them, I really wouldn't care. You get what you pay for. The issue I really have is when they try to make them look like the real thing eg. when they changed the paint on the 405 to look like an Easton Stealth RS. At that point it just looks the same as if you were wearing Foakleys sunglasses or a Frolex watch.

I will say though the general consensus in this thread seems to be that their visors are pretty good for the price. Though they're also available on chinese wholesale sites too, if you wanted to buy in bulk ;)

This is the meat of the argument right here. Selling an imitation is one thing, but being dishonest and making them look exactly like another manufacturer's product is downright despicable imo. But then again, Tron may be happy going for the value market. After all, this is MSH and we're more finicky than the average weekend warrior.

Their reasoning is out of whack too. There's a blog post by a Tron manager, ceo, or whatever he is, about why they use copy cat graphics, it's to "let consumers know that their sticks compare to those of the big manufacturers." What a load of bull, it's only to fool people who don't know any better. Sorry for the rant, but I really, really despise dishonesty. My critique isn't limited to Tron, but that's a topic for another day.

EDIT: Here's the post

http://jerseytron.com/blogs/news/15289077-tron-hockey-sticks-light-on-the-scale-very-light-on-the-budget

[QuanSuDude 1]

I understand they want the consumer to compare their products to other brands and see the value, but copying the paint scheme is just whack!

[strosedefence34 175]

I wouldn't use their indoor roller wheels because they only make low durometer single pour wheels suitable for light weight players. I'd consider using some of their bearings, but haven't tried them yet.

FWIW I use their outdoor wheels (the black ones) I don't really play very competitive outdoor hockey mostly just messing around on a tennis court with some friends and they hold up very well. As you stated though if I was playing competitively indoors or outdoors I would opt for a different set of wheels. But you can't beat an entire set of wheels for $12.

I have placed a couple of orders with hockey tron and have had no issues. However I only bought a practice jersey, some inline wheels and a hockey tool. I personally wouldn't buy their equipment or sticks.

[Dorsey24 6]

I got the Tron-X Heat HX4 stick for Christmas and have been using it since. I see no difference between it and the Bauer Supreme MX3. My buddy cant even tell a difference when he uses the Tron vs his Supreme

[aviery 11]

Dorsey, I'd have to question how well you know your equipment and how often you play if this is the case.

[Dorsey24 6]

I play 3-5 times a week. I'd say I know equipment pretty well... I have used Easton, Bauer, CCM and so far at least the Tron X is holding its own... Granted that's only my option...

[orelayer 4]

Dorsey, I'd have to question how well you know your equipment and how often you play if this is the c

What have you purchased from Tron? Please give us a review of items bought

Thanks

[jonesy9020 77]

Wow, I hadn't been on the Tron website in a while and it looks like their attempts to make their sticks look like the same sticks from the big names has gone to the next level. For the Bauer stuff they've even made the names match, HX4 instead of MX3, X19 instead of X1, and Kinetic 8000 instead of Nexus 8000. Kinda shameless.

The frustrating thing about what they do from my perspective is saying that the sticks "compare to" a particular branded model, but then don't have any of the features of that model. For example the 405 is claimed to compare to the RS2, but it's 405 grams (up for debate) while the RS2 is 445, it has a normal taper section while the RS2 is elliptical taper, and there's no mention of whether it's a high or low kick. Truly the only comparison between the sticks is the color scheme.

The same goes for pretty much every other stick on there. They seem to have at least gotten the listed weights close to their comparison sticks for the most part, but then you get sales language like: "Square double concave taper" and throw your hands up in the air. A shaft cannot be both square and double concave. Also are we talking about the shaft or the taper area?

A lot of people have said you get what you pay for with Tron, and to some extent that's true. But I still feel like this is unfair to consumers, especially as some have mentioned, novices who get sold this stuff most often. To say that one of these sticks compares to a Nexus 8000, Superfast, or MX3 is deceitful. The Tron sticks are not worth the $150 they're sold for, and much less the $250 of the products they claim to be comparable to. It just makes me mad. Go out and buy a mid-level stick from Bauer, CCM, Sherwood, Warrior, Easton or whoever else at the same price and you'll have a much better and more durable product.

[orelayer 4]

"Wow, I hadn't been on the Tron website in a while and it looks like their attempts to make their sticks look like the same sticks from the big names has gone to the next level. For the Bauer stuff they've even made the names match, HX4 instead of MX3, X19 instead of X1, and Kinetic 8000 instead of Nexus 8000. Kinda shameless.

The frustrating thing about what they do from my perspective is saying that the sticks "compare to" a particular branded model, but then don't have any of the features of that model. For example the 405 is claimed to compare to the RS2, but it's 405 grams (up for debate) while the RS2 is 445, it has a normal taper section while the RS2 is elliptical taper, and there's no mention of whether it's a high or low kick. Truly the only comparison between the sticks is the color scheme.

The same goes for pretty much every other stick on there. They seem to have at least gotten the listed weights close to their comparison sticks for the most part, but then you get sales language like: "Square double concave taper" and throw your hands up in the air. A shaft cannot be both square and double concave. Also are we talking about the shaft or the taper area?

A lot of people have said you get what you pay for with Tron, and to some extent that's true. But I still feel like this is unfair to consumers, especially as some have mentioned, novices who get sold this stuff most often. To say that one of these sticks compares to a Nexus 8000, Superfast, or MX3 is deceitful. The Tron sticks are not worth the $150 they're sold for, and much less the $250 of the products they claim to be comparable to. It just makes me mad. Go out and buy a mid-level stick from Bauer, CCM, Sherwood, Warrior, Easton or whoever else at the same price and you'll have a much better and more durable product."

Have you tried Trons new sticks?

[jonesy9020 77]

Have you tried Trons new sticks?

No, and I have no plans to do so. However, my not having used them does not affect the point I was making, that their marketing terminology is nonsensical, often contradictory, and misleading, and that their goal appears to be to throw a bunch of buzzwords on a page to confuse the consumer and then say "it's basically a Superfast."

A few more examples: They also compare the X19 to a Mako, despite it appearing to be a 1X knockoff, which is even more confusing because the Mako is a mid-kick while the 1X is low kick. At the top of the entire stick page they say that the Heat line is a Bauer Vapor equivalent, while on the Heat stick page they compare it to the Supreme line. The Supreme and Vapor lines are polar opposite sticks in Bauer's lineup. Supreme is a high-mid kick with a softer blade, best suited for slappers, while Vapor is a low kick with a stiffer blade best suited for wrist and snap shots. Perhaps the X19 actually has dual kickpoints like an intellisense profile on the APX2? Maybe that's what they meant when they said "super balance and kickpoints." They also make false claims such as having the only true one piece on the market. The Heat is actually the only stick I could find on the site where Tron has made half an effort to identify such basic information as where the kickpoint is located. So kudos to them for that.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I would respect them a lot more if they just said "we sell low end sticks at low end prices for the beer league guys who don't need a $250 stick". There's plenty of money to be made in that market.

[orelayer 4]

No, and I have no plans to do so. However, my not having used them does not affect the point I was making, that their marketing terminology is nonsensical, often contradictory, and misleading, and that their goal appears to be to throw a bunch of buzzwords on a page to confuse the consumer and then say "it's basically a Superfast."

A few more examples: They also compare the X19 to a Mako, despite it appearing to be a 1X knockoff, which is even more confusing because the Mako is a mid-kick while the 1X is low kick. At the top of the entire stick page they say that the Heat line is a Bauer Vapor equivalent, while on the Heat stick page they compare it to the Supreme line. The Supreme and Vapor lines are polar opposite sticks in Bauer's lineup. Supreme is a high-mid kick with a softer blade, best suited for slappers, while Vapor is a low kick with a stiffer blade best suited for wrist and snap shots. Perhaps the X19 actually has dual kickpoints like an intellisense profile on the APX2? Maybe that's what they meant when they said "super balance and kickpoints." They also make false claims such as having the only true one piece on the market. The Heat is actually the only stick I could find on the site where Tron has made half an effort to identify such basic information as where the kickpoint is located. So kudos to them for that.

The Bauer Vapor 1X Grip Hockey Stick is the premier model in the new Vapor Line. This 1X features all of Bauer's premier technologies and materials, including a completely redesigned QRT Taper that loads 20% faster and recoils 28% faster than the previous APX2. Translation: the Vapor 1X's innovative taper offers the quickest shot release from Bauer to date. The Senior Stick length is 60" and is available in 77, 87, 95 and 102 flex with a grip stick finish.

Ok....Do you know what Bauers premier technologies and materials are? Can you prove that it loads 20% faster and recoils 28% faster? Innovative taper (a bit vague?) Quickest shot release from Bauer to date. Are you sure?

My point is it is ALL marketing BS. Like the way Bauer markets their different lines of skates to different "styles" of players. If it makes you feel better to spend more and label shop that's cool, just don't belittle the alternatives especially if you have never owned one.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

Most people in the hockey realm know that different lines of skates cater to different fits and foot types.

Of course there is the element of marketing BS to dress everything up, but the fact that Tron's marketing BS's purpose is to be a "me-too" offering at a lower price doesn't give a good impression to me. The knock-off graphics only make it worse.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Marketing BS is one thing, copycat marketing BS is another.

[chippa13 1844]

The Bauer Vapor 1X Grip Hockey Stick is the premier model in the new Vapor Line. This 1X features all of Bauer's premier technologies and materials, including a completely redesigned QRT Taper that loads 20% faster and recoils 28% faster than the previous APX2. Translation: the Vapor 1X's innovative taper offers the quickest shot release from Bauer to date. The Senior Stick length is 60" and is available in 77, 87, 95 and 102 flex with a grip stick finish.

Ok....Do you know what Bauers premier technologies and materials are? Can you prove that it loads 20% faster and recoils 28% faster? Innovative taper (a bit vague?) Quickest shot release from Bauer to date. Are you sure?

My point is it is ALL marketing BS. Like the way Bauer markets their different lines of skates to different "styles" of players. If it makes you feel better to spend more and label shop that's cool, just don't belittle the alternatives especially if you have never owned one.

And yet this response does nothing to address the inconsistencies presented in the post it quoted.

[orelayer 4]

And yet this response does nothing to address the inconsistencies presented in the post it quoted.

Really?