VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[Sniper9 530]

13 hours ago, Nicholas G said:

Usually we give the customer some credit back in exchange for the steel and holder. We then sell them the Tuuk and any steel of their choice at cost and charge a very minimal fee to mount.

While Tuuks are still more popular than the Step/VH holder, we are starting to see more people switch to the Step/VH holder on other brands of skates, specifically a lot of people who use CCM and dislike thr SB holders. 

Personally, I love the Step/VH holder. My main issue is no one other than Step, and soon to be Tydan, make steel for it. 

In the end, it's likely I'll be using the next generation CCM holder when it releases soon. I have been very impressed by it so far. 

Most shops in BC , Canada, will mount for free if holders are purchased from them, which is awesome for them to do. 

I'm not a tuuk edge fan at all and have ls2 holders on mine right now. If they become impossible to get when it's time for new skates, I'll likely just stick with the true/step holders.  

[becoh 0]

Has anyone had any luck with re-shaping the heel pocket?

I purchased a used pair of True skates, and the heel is a bit too deep for my right foot. Baked them at LHS to tighten up the rest of the skate, but the heel is loose on the right skate due to the previous owner's heel shape.

[CigarScott 132]

22 minutes ago, becoh said:

Has anyone had any luck with re-shaping the heel pocket?

I purchased a used pair of True skates, and the heel is a bit too deep for my right foot. Baked them at LHS to tighten up the rest of the skate, but the heel is loose on the right skate due to the previous owner's heel shape.

 

[Sniper9 530]

16 hours ago, becoh said:

Has anyone had any luck with re-shaping the heel pocket?

I purchased a used pair of True skates, and the heel is a bit too deep for my right foot. Baked them at LHS to tighten up the rest of the skate, but the heel is loose on the right skate due to the previous owner's heel shape.

Probably only so much u can do if it was made for someone else's foot. The clamp method works to a degree but only if the dimensions are off, width wise. If it's too deep, then it sounds like the whole pocket might be too big rather than just width. Worth a try though. 

Also when you bake that skate try to really kick your heel back into the heel pocket to get is sucked in as much as you can. 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Sniper9

[goodguy 7]

I will give my sons feedback after moving to True’s after skating Mako 2’s for many years. 

Very comfortable, feel very solid, but heavy and clunky and not as agile/fast as the Mako’s. I guess if you are more looking for durability and comfort, the Trues are solid skates but on high level teams you cant afford to get slower. One slow game can change your spot in the lineup, your stats, your season and your next season. Depends on the level and type of player you are. 

He’s back to using the Mako’s until we can’t find them anymore.

Edited October 8, 2018 by goodguy

[goodguy 7]

Any ideas on good replacements for Makos which will preserve speed and agility? 

Edited October 8, 2018 by goodguy

[IPv6Freely 2092]

25 minutes ago, goodguy said:

Any ideas on good replacements for Makos which will preserve speed and agility? 

True

[Santos L Halper 90]

26 minutes ago, goodguy said:

[snip]

I guess if you are more looking for durability and comfort, the Trues are solid skates but on high level teams you cant afford to get slower. One slow game can change your spot in the lineup, your stats, your season and your next season.

[snip]

True skates are used by players on 26 of 31 NHL teams.  Doesn't get much more 'high level' than those teams.

27 minutes ago, goodguy said:

[snip]

Depends on the level and type of player you are. 

[snip]

77 NHL players use True skates.  The True pro custom is the third most popular individual skate model currently in use in the NHL.  Again, doesn't get much more 'high level' than that.

 

Look, I'm not discounting what your son says about the skates.  If they're not for him, they're not for him.  And that's completely fine.  They are (relatively speaking) heavy and, when compared with the Mako, are a little 'clunky'.  What's more, every player is entitled to his/her opinion.  However, you seem to be insinuating that True skates aren't for 'high level' players, and that's just not true.  Some of the 'highest level' players in the world use True skates and seem to be doing so without 'getting slower'....  

[Santos L Halper 90]

9 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

[snip]

Also when you bake that skate try to really kick your heel back into the heel pocket to get is sucked in as much as you can. 

This.

Be aggressive kicking your heel back.  The first time I baked, I was pretty namby-pamby with my heel kicks and wound up with zero heel lock.  Not good.  

On both subsequent bakes, I rammed them back pretty hard and was much happier with the result.

[flip12 714]

1 hour ago, goodguy said:

I will give my sons feedback after moving to True’s after skating Mako 2’s for many years. 

Very comfortable, feel very solid, but heavy and clunky and not as agile/fast as the Mako’s. I guess if you are more looking for durability and comfort, the Trues are solid skates but on high level teams you cant afford to get slower. One slow game can change your spot in the lineup, your stats, your season and your next season. Depends on the level and type of player you are. 

He’s back to using the Mako’s until we can’t find them anymore.

Do the Trues have the same specs on their steel as he had on his Makos?

[goodguy 7]

Had JR change True Steel profile to match the Mako he was used to. Still felt a bit more on his heels.. added some shims between boot heel/holder & still did not like the feel of the Trues (sitting in the basement). I think you can mimic the Mako pitch, but you still don’t have the same weight, flex, extension. I even tried working the True tendon guards to be more flexible to the point of putting small cuts in the ribs of tendon guard... nothing really worked. My original idea was a VH skate & Mako skate would have similar design pedigree... they are totally different. From everything I have seen buying, watching, fitting many many skates over the years, there just is no equivalent for the Mako and it’s unique (athletic vs most other skates/stiff boxy) design. That being said, I have to move him to something currently produced eventually and that might be a CCM As1 (but I don’t want to pay $1200 to find out).

Edited October 8, 2018 by goodguy

[smu 29]

31 minutes ago, goodguy said:

Had JR change True Steel profile to match the Mako

A few years back I had a new set of Bauer X 60s and the LHS guy got me to stand on some HD plastic. He looked at me standing from the side and then fro the rear, Back on he said to put my hands on my knees and bend so my knees were just over my toes.

He new immediately that I was back on my heels and over pronating on the right. The blades were the the Tuuk holders with the nearly flat Bauer steel that was known to have little pitch. He put in a 1/4" plastic between the heel and the holder on both skates and he put in about 3/8" on the lateral side, beneath the back and front right holder and with these adjustments my skating ability was great. He said putting the shim in the heel for the plus pitch was better than wasting my blade by profiling at this point and it gave trouble then other profiling changes could then be made.

Alan

[goodguy 7]

3 hours ago, Santos L Halper said:

True skates are used by players on 26 of 31 NHL teams.  Doesn't get much more 'high level' than those teams.

77 NHL players use True skates.  The True pro custom is the third most popular individual skate model currently in use in the NHL.  Again, doesn't get much more 'high level' than that.

 

Look, I'm not discounting what your son says about the skates.  If they're not for him, they're not for him.  And that's completely fine.  They are (relatively speaking) heavy and, when compared with the Mako, are a little 'clunky'.  What's more, every player is entitled to his/her opinion.  However, you seem to be insinuating that True skates aren't for 'high level' players, and that's just not true.  Some of the 'highest level' players in the world use True skates and seem to be doing so without 'getting slower'....  

Not insinuating anything. Yes, NHL is the highest level ... but they also can demo many many skates in short order at no cost and find what works best. They have ice time to demo and test and equipment managers to refit make changes etc (and it is their fulltime job).  Like I said, at a high level (especially in the highest level ... NHL) you can’t afford to get slower. For many, they like the True (even with some tradeoffs) as it improves their particular game. For a player who has to buy their own skates, maybe their being scouted for NCAA/OHL, etc.. they can’t afford to spend $1000 on a mistake mid season ... you sorta have to know as you have limited games/showcases to make stats, be seen... you can’t be off for two weekends (8+ games) and end up with zero points because you were getting used to new skates that didn’t work ... that’s a huge part of your season. Each player is different and some can adapt to any skate.. some are more picky. If a skate is a detriment, you just can’t stick with it like you could if your playing rec hockey. I would hazard a guess that the players trying to make a name for themselves as “one of fastest skaters”, are not going to choose a heavier clunky skate.... A stay-at-home defenseman (if there is such a thing anymore) might prefer it. Let’s face it, at the NHL level, they probably could skate on old leather skates and still look great. For those trying to get there, the wrong equipment has a bigger impact. That all being said, loved the True skates and really wanted them to work as they are well made but they just didn’t work in our case.. maybe if we had more time to adapt to them but we tried them for 2 weeks and people were asking “is he hurt? He looks different...” not saying Trues are bad, I’m saying Makos were that good (in our case).

Edited October 8, 2018 by goodguy

[flip12 714]

1 hour ago, goodguy said:

Had JR change True Steel profile to match the Mako he was used to. Still felt a bit more on his heels.. added some shims between boot heel/holder & still did not like the feel of the Trues (sitting in the basement). I think you can mimic the Mako pitch, but you still don’t have the same weight, flex, extension. I even tried working the True tendon guards to be more flexible to the point of putting small cuts in the ribs of tendon guard... nothing really worked. My original idea was a VH skate & Mako skate would have similar design pedigree... they are totally different. From everything I have seen buying, watching, fitting many many skates over the years, there just is no equivalent for the Mako and it’s unique (athletic vs most other skates/stiff boxy) design. That being said, I have to move him to something currently produced eventually and that might be a CCM As1 (but I don’t want to pay $1200 to find out).

Did you inquire with True whether they could make the skates more along the lines of the Mako stiffness, mass, tendon guard, etc? @Larry54 noted the increase in bulk and stiffness as VH skates evolved:

If you still have the True skates, maybe you could see if they can try to match the original VH build as their offer to remake custom skates once if they don't work out for you, since your son's experiencing that they're just overbuilt for his needs.

[VegasHockey 1280]

17 minutes ago, flip12 said:

Did you inquire with True whether they could make the skates more along the lines of the Mako stiffness, mass, tendon guard, etc? @Larry54 noted the increase in bulk and stiffness as VH skates evolved:

If you still have the True skates, maybe you could see if they can try to match the original VH build as their offer to remake custom skates once if they don't work out for you, since your son's experiencing that they're just overbuilt for his needs.

I had Rob make my True skates as close to a Mako as possible as the Mako is my most favorite skate of all time. 

[flip12 714]

19 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

I had Rob make my True skates as close to a Mako as possible as the Mako is my most favorite skate of all time. 

I thought you said 707's were the last skate that felt right? Could be I'm misremembering.

Did he go over how your new pair would be different from standard Trues?

[VegasHockey 1280]

5 hours ago, flip12 said:

I thought you said 707's were the last skate that felt right? Could be I'm misremembering.

Did he go over how your new pair would be different from standard Trues?

The last pair of Trues I had made I requested a lot of little specifics. I wanted them to be as close to a Mako as possible and they were able to deliver the near exact experience including the aggressive pitch forward and deeper heel. Going with "off the shelf" I would say the Grafs were the closest in boot feeling, supportive but still flexible. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

12 hours ago, goodguy said:

I will give my sons feedback after moving to True’s after skating Mako 2’s for many years. 

Very comfortable, feel very solid, but heavy and clunky and not as agile/fast as the Mako’s. I guess if you are more looking for durability and comfort, the Trues are solid skates but on high level teams you cant afford to get slower. One slow game can change your spot in the lineup, your stats, your season and your next season. Depends on the level and type of player you are. 

He’s back to using the Mako’s until we can’t find them anymore.

If he wears them enough and does some dryland he will adjust. I agree they are heavier than Mako II and others but it is, in fact, a pro spec skate. Once you add extra protection and such everything weighs about the same. I really do hope Bauer incorporates a lot fo the Mako into the next Vapor skate. 

[Sniper9 530]

11 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

If he wears them enough and does some dryland he will adjust. I agree they are heavier than Mako II and others but it is, in fact, a pro spec skate. Once you add extra protection and such everything weighs about the same. I really do hope Bauer incorporates a lot fo the Mako into the next Vapor skate. 

This. No two skate Will feel the "same". Even going from one model you've used for a couple years and then getting the same model but brand new will feel diff. Skates break in, and that alone will make a new skate feel different enough for you not to feel at home in them. Case in point, new hockey gloves. Same make model etc will feel foreign just due to the fact they are not broken in. 

Mind you, having the same make model will decrease break in time, but getting a diff brand, I think it's unrealistic to think you could throw them on and be a couoel slates away from not missing a beat. 

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

On 10/8/2018 at 10:46 AM, goodguy said:

I will give my sons feedback after moving to True’s after skating Mako 2’s for many years. 

Very comfortable, feel very solid, but heavy and clunky and not as agile/fast as the Mako’s. I guess if you are more looking for durability and comfort, the Trues are solid skates but on high level teams you cant afford to get slower. One slow game can change your spot in the lineup, your stats, your season and your next season. Depends on the level and type of player you are. 

He’s back to using the Mako’s until we can’t find them anymore.

The True needs to have the profile adjusted to make it feel the same as the Mako thats all. Had this happen many times with guys. 

[Thanos 12]

Had a question around the skates that Im hoping someone may have be able to provide info around.

My last few pairs of skates have all caused irritation (minor cuts as well) on the high outer ankle areas of both legs.  My current Bauers MX3's have the "comfort edge" material which helped to a degree, but over time the issue came back as the material wore down and Ive simply begun taping my ankles for protective purposes out of habit. Even with the tape though some games are worse than others.

My question is if the True skates have a similar mechanism to the comfort edge (as I havent noticed it) or if the idea is that a custom made skate will eliminate the issue based on fit?  Otherwise is this something that could be raised to True when ordering that they might add something or...?

Thanks

 

[goodguy 7]

1 hour ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

The True needs to have the profile adjusted to make it feel the same as the Mako thats all. Had this happen many times with guys. 

Yeah, that didn’t work for us. I don’t agree the True can be profiled and/or adjusted to perform like a Mako. Two totally different skates. I had profile changed to match total forward leannof the Mako (including heel shims) and it still didn’t skate the same. The Mako has much more flexion forward and at the tendon guard which allows a very full stride and push. The True acts like a traditional skate, is much more stiff/durable and heavier. If you think you can make a True feel & perform like a Mako, I just don’t think it’s gonna happen. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

That’s interesting because I went from Mako to VH and it felt very natural. Like an evolution. Very similar feel.

[goodguy 7]

23 minutes ago, Thanos said:

Had a question around the skates that Im hoping someone may have be able to provide info around.

My last few pairs of skates have all caused irritation (minor cuts as well) on the high outer ankle areas of both legs.  My current Bauers MX3's have the "comfort edge" material which helped to a degree, but over time the issue came back as the material wore down and Ive simply begun taping my ankles for protective purposes out of habit. Even with the tape though some games are worse than others.

My question is if the True skates have a similar mechanism to the comfort edge (as I havent noticed it) or if the idea is that a custom made skate will eliminate the issue based on fit?  Otherwise is this something that could be raised to True when ordering that they might add something or...?

Thanks

 

The Trues we own don’t have a comfort edge but it hasn’t been a problem. True might add a custom edge for you?? The Bauer’s I’ve seen most people skate in seem to not wrap the ankle and have some space between above ankle and boot ... if the boot isn’t form fit well there can be some play and the leg/ankle slops around hitting the boot upper edge. Not sure if that’s the case but if the boot is form fit well, doesn’t seem the boot upper edge should be a problem. 

[goodguy 7]

1 minute ago, IPv6Freely said:

That’s interesting because I went from Mako to VH and it felt very natural. Like an evolution. Very similar feel.

Cool.. it is amazing how different people adapt. My son said he was bummed the Trues felt more “clunky” because they were incredibly comfortable. Maybe it’s just him. He also prides himself on his speed so he didn’t want anything that felt slower (to him). Maybe it’s just a time/getting used to them thing?