New true sticks?

[adam14 182]

3 hours ago, Zac911 said:

Ever play monopoly with a friend who acquires all the money and then starts changing the rules every minute to keep themselves in power?

God this is the most relatable post in this thread. 

But to go off what Buzz said above, this is down season for many shops, like the one I work at. We'll carry mostly current stock through the summer and clear most stuff out to make room for everything to come in around August. 

[hawkeyfan 36]

I agree the OEM's throw odd launch dates around (not just True) and try to make it seem like people are going to line up outside of retailers.  Most kids are onto other sports right now.  LET me get a stick with a warranty that will run out before he gets a chance to even hit the ice...splendid idea

[chippa13 1844]

Right now is when kids are jumping into spring/summer leagues, they have tryouts for next fall's teams and are prepping for summer showcases and camps. It is a year-round thing for a lot of folks.

[hawkeyfan 36]

Chippa,  You are right and I was in that craze for a spell with my boy...you also have some other camps and try-outs that are for those players on the advanced track.  I would think that anything this time of year would lead many to searching for season closeouts (the wallet needs a rest at some point).  I will admit...I have unsubscribed from most all of the retailer Email lists...so that tells you something right there.

[Zac911 317]

8 hours ago, adam14 said:

God this is the most relatable post in this thread. 

But to go off what Buzz said above, this is down season for many shops, like the one I work at. We'll carry mostly current stock through the summer and clear most stuff out to make room for everything to come in around August. 

I can completely relate.  March and April are always challenging.  My smaller dealers pushed off their deliveries which is completely understandable. 

[stick9 881]

On 3/18/2018 at 3:13 PM, Zac911 said:

Some brands purchase buzz... Some just make good stuff.

So Bauer, CCM, Warrior and whoever else don’t make good stuff? That is what you are implying.

Honestly Zac, companies who make innovative & quality products don’t need to tell people they do so. They have enough faith in the product to let it speak for itself. 

The sabre rattling is good fun though, certainly gets the fanboys going.

[Buzz_LightBeer 961]

Get indignant all you want, but there's a lot of truth to what Zac said. 

[adam14 182]

2 hours ago, stick9 said:

So Bauer, CCM, Warrior and whoever else don’t make good stuff? That is what you are implying.

Honestly Zac, companies who make innovative & quality products don’t need to tell people they do so. They have enough faith in the product to let it speak for itself. 

The sabre rattling is good fun though, certainly gets the fanboys going.

There is definitely some accuracy to this statement. yes.

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

3 hours ago, stick9 said:

So Bauer, CCM, Warrior and whoever else don’t make good stuff? That is what you are implying.

Honestly Zac, companies who make innovative & quality products don’t need to tell people they do so. They have enough faith in the product to let it speak for itself. 

The sabre rattling is good fun though, certainly gets the fanboys going.

I agree @stick9.  I think that all manufacturers have their hits and misses....  to have one manufacturer throw fire bombs at the others is fun to watch but given that CCM and Bauer don't have a real presence here its more like screaming in a vacuum.  Also kind of like that guy who starts yelling he will fight when the refs already have everyone wrapped up.  

[IPv6Freely 2082]

3 hours ago, stick9 said:

So Bauer, CCM, Warrior and whoever else don’t make good stuff? That is what you are implying.

Honestly Zac, companies who make innovative & quality products don’t need to tell people they do so. They have enough faith in the product to let it speak for itself. 

The sabre rattling is good fun though, certainly gets the fanboys going.

I didn't see it that way at all. I read it as "we let our product do the talking". It's undeniable that the big names spend a fortune on their marketing campaigns. 

[JR Boucicaut 3759]

9 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I didn't see it that way at all. I read it as "we let our product do the talking". It's undeniable that the big names spend a fortune on their marketing campaigns. 

As does TRUE.  They are a big name as well.

Everyone has valid points here; let's just leave it at that.

It still doesn't explain why the stick line isn't out there yet.  Hopefully we get answers soon.

[Cavs019 702]

The way I see it at retail these days is it has nothing to do with relative quality and everything to do with whether little Timmy prefers McDavid/Crosby, Matthews/Kane, or Marner/Hoffman.

It's a tough environment to allow products to speak for themselves- and always has been. 

[mojo122 529]

6 hours ago, JR Boucicaut said:

It still doesn't explain why the stick line isn't out there yet.  Hopefully we get answers soon.

That is what is so frustrating.  I follow True on Twitter and was getting regular tweets over the past month promoting the launch of their new stick line.  True's website lists the sticks as available now yet neither Pure nor Hockey Monkey have them.  Having worked at one time for one of those companies they never missed a launch date while I was there.  If there was a production delay, just say so.

[Zac911 317]

11 hours ago, stick9 said:

So Bauer, CCM, Warrior and whoever else don’t make good stuff? That is what you are implying.

Honestly Zac, companies who make innovative & quality products don’t need to tell people they do so. They have enough faith in the product to let it speak for itself. 

The sabre rattling is good fun though, certainly gets the fanboys going.

Of course they do.  Now you're reading things I didn't say and that's when it's time to tap out,  but I will repeat what I said earlier.

You may or may not have noticed I said that it goes for any product-  If you don't see it on the shelf you need to let the dealer know.  Dealers tend to stick within the lines that are being drawn for them.

This is a very challenging industry... And for some reasons the end user will never see.

Appreciate the cage rattling though.

[mjpisat 36]

Pure hockey said on Twitter they should have them by early April

[Zac911 317]

8 hours ago, dkmiller3356 said:

I agree @stick9.  I think that all manufacturers have their hits and misses....  to have one manufacturer throw fire bombs at the others is fun to watch but given that CCM and Bauer don't have a real presence here its more like screaming in a vacuum.  Also kind of like that guy who starts yelling he will fight when the refs already have everyone wrapped up.  

I generally only take penalties when we don't have anyone on the bench and I need a break ;)

Many mfg's miss launch dates due to unforseen circumstances. 

What you guys are missing that I keep repeating is this-  Many dealers submitted their orders late ( missed deadline ) or for later delivery.

 

[Zac911 317]

1 hour ago, mojo122 said:

That is what is so frustrating.  I follow True on Twitter and was getting regular tweets over the past month promoting the launch of their new stick line.  True's website lists the sticks as available now yet neither Pure nor Hockey Monkey have them.  Having worked at one time for one of those companies they never missed a launch date while I was there.  If there was a production delay, just say so.

I did.  I explained it.  

[Zac911 317]

7 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I didn't see it that way at all. I read it as "we let our product do the talking". It's undeniable that the big names spend a fortune on their marketing campaigns. 

To be fair... I can see how someone would read it that way.  It wasn't meant that way at all however.

Even after I explained why... It wasn't satisfactory.  

[Buzz_LightBeer 961]

1 minute ago, Zac911 said:

To be fair... I can see how someone would read it that way.  It wasn't meant that way at all however.

Even after I explained why... It wasn't satisfactory.  

Bauer, for years, has made up for marginally better product by promotions and huge marketing campaigns, so it's not like True is in the wrong in any way, IMO. It's the nature of the business.

[215BroadStBullies610 434]

All I can conclude is that the people don't care that much for True hockey sticks. If they did, we'd see shops/stores wouldn't be dragging their feet. If this is true, I guess marketing does pay off. I've stuck with True sticks because, for the most part, they've held up well. Hiccups and all, I have no hesitation making another True purchase.

[Wolfpack_1986 146]

38 minutes ago, Zac911 said:

I did.  I explained it.  

So, does anyone know a vendor that didn't miss the deadline? I like trues sticks, but I can't buy what I can't find.

[puckpilot 312]

24 minutes ago, Wolfpack_1986 said:

So, does anyone know a vendor that didn't miss the deadline? I like trues sticks, but I can't buy what I can't find.

I found listings for them at two of my local shops.

http://www.thehockeyshop.com/true-a6-0-ht-grip-senior-composite-hockey-stick-2018.html

https://www.prohockeylife.com/collections/senior-hockey-sticks/products/true-a6-0-ht-sr-hockey-stick?variant=6766368555047

I don't know about other areas, but in Vancouver where I live, with the exception of one store, I've noticed the shops I frequent are carrying a lot less stock. And some of the stores that are carrying the newer stuff, sometimes keep it in the back and you have to ask for it. I'm speculating, but I think part of its is a lot of them are still stuck with sticks from like two and three generations ago, and they aren't moving fast even at discounts. Seriously, one store still has a Warrior Diablo floating around. 

[Fletch 219]

On 3/20/2018 at 5:15 AM, roadrunner said:

How about tapered shafts? Is True out of that market now?

Sadly, yes.  Only Standard offered now.  

[Jamarquan 201]

1 hour ago, puckpilot said:

I found listings for them at two of my local shops.

http://www.thehockeyshop.com/true-a6-0-ht-grip-senior-composite-hockey-stick-2018.html

https://www.prohockeylife.com/collections/senior-hockey-sticks/products/true-a6-0-ht-sr-hockey-stick?variant=6766368555047

I don't know about other areas, but in Vancouver where I live, with the exception of one store, I've noticed the shops I frequent are carrying a lot less stock. And some of the stores that are carrying the newer stuff, sometimes keep it in the back and you have to ask for it. I'm speculating, but I think part of its is a lot of them are still stuck with sticks from like two and three generations ago, and they aren't moving fast even at discounts. Seriously, one store still has a Warrior Diablo floating around. 

But those are Canada only.

[215BroadStBullies610 434]

1 hour ago, Fletch said:

Sadly, yes.  Only Standard offered now.  

Not a fan of the standard shaft + blade. The tapered setup is money in the bank though...