VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[smu 29]

On 11/9/2018 at 11:33 AM, CigarScott said:

Prior to taking up skating, I was a bad supinator (opposite of pronating) in my right foot so I had the local podiatrist make me some skate orthotics for supinating which hurt like hell wearing since it exacerbated the pronation. I offered to make molds of my feet using this kit (https://accu-cast.us/lifecasting-kits/foot-casting/) and ship them to Winnipeg but I was told that I couldn't do that. The point of this is that if they made skates based on regular molds and what info I provided that they may have moved the holders outward for my supination would would have been terrible for me.

I have no idea how they decide how far to move the holders in. It looks to my untrained eye that they moved them in as far they could while there being room in the footbed for the rivets to bite properly.

Thanks for the link anyway, it goes the way as we have suggested earlier with pulling up at the navicular your foot is placed into the foam material. With YouTube now I could not even download it if I wanted to.

When you move holders you have to move all the rivet holes by the same amount, so just mark them off, that is if your holders are already in alignment. I have had a number that were not including my recent True skates! My LHS has done this for me to my old skates then I have done it on my own, but found it difficult getting my sweet spot in any event. I am reluctant to do it again as it does start a lot of wear and tear on your out-sole.

Edited November 10, 2018 by smu
wrong spelling!

[number_22 2]

Did anybody here switch from Mako II‘s to True by any chance?

[Sniper9 529]

Anyone know if this method can me done with the true skates. Thinking about doing this method but increasing the arch on my right skate vs reducing as per the video... 

 

Edited November 10, 2018 by Sniper9

[Sk8Stk 39]

On 11/8/2018 at 11:38 AM, stick9 said:

Meh…. I'm not buying it. A statement like that (bolded) gives one the impression that every facet of the skate is custom made to specs of each individual customer. That sort of process would take months and the cost would be astronomical. I highly doubt they operate like that.

I'm also not buying they'll last longer. There is no real way to prove that. 

What part are you not buying? It is pretty easy to follow up and get the information that every skate is made from scratch. I work directly with Scott on almost a daily basis and after decades of working in the business, you are able to create a process that can be executed quickly and efficiently. The argument that no one can do this because it would take "months and cost would be astronomical" is not based in any facts.  Also, it is very easy to explain that they do last longer. When you are dealing with premium thermoplastics and 6k Carbon fiber, they are obviously going to hold up better and break down slower than the polypropylene weaves other companies are using.  I am not saying True skates are for everyone, but they are unparalleled in the industry in terms of craftsmanship. After seeing nearly 500 skates come through my door, you are able to understand the in-depth customization that is on display here. 

[Sk8Stk 39]

On 11/10/2018 at 1:59 PM, Sniper9 said:

Anyone know if this method can me done with the true skates. Thinking about doing this method but increasing the arch on my right skate vs reducing as per the video... 

 

I would start with cutting out the arch portion of the red eva foam first, this will typically solve most arch pain issues. If you have done that and still have issues, you could sand / grind down the blue insole in the arch section to flatten that out. Once you have exhausted those options, I would heat up the arch area and use a boot punch to increase shaping in that area. You will definitely not have any problems after trying all above methods. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 11/10/2018 at 8:43 AM, number_22 said:

Did anybody here switch from Mako II‘s to True by any chance?

I did. 

[Sniper9 529]

10 hours ago, Sk8Stk said:

I would start with cutting out the arch portion of the red eva foam first, this will typically solve most arch pain issues. If you have done that and still have issues, you could sand / grind down the blue insole in the arch section to flatten that out. Once you have exhausted those options, I would heat up the arch area and use a boot punch to increase shaping in that area. You will definitely not have any problems after trying all above methods. 

My issue is lack of arch not too much arch. As explained in my previous post, my right skate's arch is lower than what I need since I over pronate on my right foot and when I got scanned, i didn't notice but had my foot scanned while over pronated and was more or less flat footed.

So unless I actually add to the arch with pieces of the Eva foam (which I didn't really want to do), I don't really have any other choice but to heat that area up and push the arch area from outside of the boot, up.  This is what I did and it worked well. Used a heat gun and made a subtle but noticeable change. That is another thing I like about the true skates. You can target certain areas of the skate with a heat gun and basically make precise changes to the boot. My over pronation is obviously still an issue since it sometimes makes my right foot feel a bit sloppy bc of the combination of weak ankle ligaments (from an old ankle injury), and just overall poor biomechanics on my right side, but I'm overall very happy with my skates. Theyve def held up really well.  When I pay attention to my biomechanics consciously activating my ankle muscles, the right side actually feels completely locked in. So it might be something where I just need to focus on strengthening my right ankle and working on proper alignment rather than thinking I need to keep tinkering my skate. 

Still trying diff footbeds to see if I can dial them in even more. Will see how the ccm orthomoves are when they come in. I am going to put some speed plateswter this week and test those out.  If nothing really changes with these footbeds, then oh well. 

 

Edited November 13, 2018 by Sniper9

[CigarScott 132]

11 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

My issue is lack of arch not too much arch. As explained in my previous post, my right skate's arch is lower than what I need since I over pronate on my right foot and when I got scanned, i didn't notice but had my foot scanned while over pronated and was more or less flat footed.

So unless I actually add to the arch with pieces of the Eva foam (which I didn't really want to do), I don't really have any other choice but to heat that area up and push the arch area from outside of the boot, up.  This is what I did and it worked well. Used a heat gun and made a subtle but noticeable change. That is another thing I like about the true skates. You can target certain areas of the skate with a heat gun and basically make precise changes to the boot. My over pronation is obviously still an issue since it sometimes makes my right foot feel a bit sloppy bc of the combination of weak ankle ligaments (from an old ankle injury), and just overall poor biomechanics on my right side, but I'm overall very happy with my skates. Theyve def held up really well.  When I pay attention to my biomechanics consciously activating my ankle muscles, the right side actually feels completely locked in. So it might be something where I just need to focus on strengthening my right ankle and working on proper alignment rather than thinking I need to keep tinkering my skate. 

Still trying diff footbeds to see if I can dial them in even more. Will see how the ccm orthomoves are when they come in. I am going to put some speed plateswter this week and test those out.  If nothing really changes with these footbeds, then oh well. 

 

Have you looked at having your holders moved in? True moved the holders inwards on my second pair and that was a world of difference for my pronation.

[Sniper9 529]

31 minutes ago, CigarScott said:

Have you looked at having your holders moved in? True moved the holders inwards on my second pair and that was a world of difference for my pronation.

No. Don't want to do something that drastic esp having more holes drilled. Funny thing is that it doesn't really affect my skating. I do the one leg glide test and I still glide straight.  Not sure when I developed this issue but I'm guessing it was pronounced by an ankle injury I had in 2012. I'm going to put my old bauers on and see if I notice the difference as well. 

Looking at my Bauer's the right skate boot got soft and started to break down before the left which tells me that it obviously took on more strain from the pronation... I guess with the Bauer's they always felt ok, but it's more noticeable with the trues bc they are made from your scan and vs my left which fits 100%, you notice it way more. 

[jared9356 39]

So I ordered my pair on 11/5 in DFW. Skates entered production on 11/6 and I just received a notification that they have been shipped. Anyone else find this to be ridiculously quick? 

[Leif 161]

48 minutes ago, jared9356 said:

So I ordered my pair on 11/5 in DFW. Skates entered production on 11/6 and I just received a notification that they have been shipped. Anyone else find this to be ridiculously quick? 

Maybe orders have slowed down due to custom options now being offered by Bauer and CCM. This is just a guess, and could be nonsense. 

[jared9356 39]

1 minute ago, Leif said:

Maybe orders have slowed down due to custom options now being offered by Bauer and CCM. This is just a guess, and could be nonsense. 

My optimistic side wants this to be true. That, or they took one look at my regular-ish foot and it took about an hour to find a last and make the necessary adjustments.

My pessimistic side is worried that in an effort to cut production costs, True is utilizing a team of poorly trained chimpanzees to make their skates. Let’s hope this is not the case.

[dimpledballs 8]

Interesting look at durability on a pair of trues. Any opinions?

 

[z1ggy 81]

Not an expert but have to agree with the commentors here - Looks like a poor fit and that because of a poor fit (loose near the top of the ankle area) here's wrenching the crap out of the skate to tighten it up enough when playing. 

 

Seems like it's maaaaybe True's fault for making a poorly fit skate, but the OP should not have worn and played on these for 8 months. Almost immediately he should have noticed poor/loose fit.

 

Shame because he says down below he's not even going to bother trying to get it fixed. Somewhat odd that True isn't offering to at least repair for free.

 

Also, I say above about guys saying True doesn't make totally custom lasts anymore... this other person seems to think the same -

 

"One of the shops I hang out at. Lots of rivet issues. There’s been some threads on here too about other wear issues. My guess is it’s biased to people complaining. Now that they’re not doing custom lasts (I’ve heard) I feel like I’m seeing people with more fit issues. Nick G in this forum has had a couple of pairs. He’s a good one to weigh in." 

Edited November 13, 2018 by z1ggy

[Superjet 6]

On 11/8/2018 at 6:14 PM, smu said:

If it is me that you are referring to, yes I am very lucky to be able to send mine back twice after a very bad first fitting. The first pair was so bad it was thought I received some one else's scan. So they were sent back with a second scan along with a list of all the faults and errors that were in my first pair, like the rivets not being parallel, making the holders not centered and crooked, causing the bending of the steel. The width of the skate was so far off, it seems it would fit two of me and as I said before the skates were too long by an inch or so. That's enough to say about the issues at this moment! I want (no stuffing in my toe box).

What do I get back is the exact same skate with stuffing in the toe box and nothing else fixed at all. No explanation, nothing. I have photos before the skates went back and all the photos match the first pair. Nothing fixed and nothing read with respect to instructions, the second scan was not even reviewed or it could not have been!

I am saying this cannot be True, with a capital T.  This can't be my second pair of skates? But they were, what were they thinking? I can't even comprehend it? The same skates back with nothing fixed, the same skates with all the problems and second scan! One thing was added, some pieces of 6 mm dense foam to make them feel smaller and let my toes "touch the end".

Argh!  Now they are going back again and this will be my third try and suggesting very hard that they read the message and look at the photos of my old skates that go along with it and that I want a new pair the size of my size 5 Bauer. If they are a bit thicker and heavier I don't mind as long as they are not a long skate that needs a filler for me to skate.

You know, it might be that if the boot is any smaller I will get the Junior price $200 cheaper, if it is made to my size and not have that silly toe box making the skate longer and really not warranted at all.  Dense foam so I could feel my toes touch is something! You do want to lightly touch the end of the toe box because once the laces are pulled the heel will move back and away from the toe and you get then a good heel lock. 

With these long skates the pricing increased from a junior to a senior or $200 plus tax. This was new to me and the LHS, but I took it in stride and said if they work for my pronation, I did not care what they cost. I was a bit miffed at this approach when I saw how large my skates were and how long the toe box was, no wonder I was charged more, by design IMHO, but I wanted my pronation gone!

They adjust the price by what ever size holder fits the boot.  Apparently my runner or steel that fits the holder was 8 mm longer than my last X 90 Bauer, but I believe the old Bauer boot was at least an inch shorter over all.

My thoughts are that True's idea to stretch the toe box makes for a lot of extra capital and that size easily put me into a senior. No wonder they are trying to get me some nice foam for all the space in the toe box. This really though does not explain all the other issues that just were not fixed!

In order to be returned to True I had to at least try the skates on the ice (both pairs to this point)and then indicate how I felt with them. Even though they are 1 or 2 sizes to big, I did have a better time than my old skates as the True skates took my pronation problem away. But the holders and blades felt odd and their large size was getting in the way, but again my pronation was gone. I did fall a few twice directly related to the bowed blades / holder problems and did hurt my already bad left shoulder twice and there was a few other easy falls, but related to normal moves, but ended up on the ice Thinking about the holders, blades and huge size I did think "what if I slam into the end boards" I could have easily gone head first into the boards and that would have been a much larger issue.

I now await for my third pair and hope it is almost an overnight turnaround kind of thing since it is the third try. I missed enough hockey as it is.

SMU your story sounds a lot like mine.  We have similar size feet (I wear either 4.5 or 5 in Bauers) with a narrow heel.  The first pair I got were humongous, and the second pair were only slightly reduced in volume.  The heels in both pair were too wide.  I think True is incapable of making a skate with a narrow enough heel in smaller sizes.  After reading many posts, it seems that the larger the skate, the less fit problems people generally have.  I also believe their lasts are not "true to size" meaning that half sizes are just shortened or lengthened instead of the whole last being resized.  I'm looking forward to hearing how yours turn out, I wish you better luck than I had.

 

A thought on pronation-

After switching back to Bauers and eventually a new pair of Vapors, my theory is that True skates fit much tighter ABOVE your ankle and that combined with their stiffness is how they eliminate/reduce pronation.   I felt this difference immediately when switching back to Bauers.

Edited November 13, 2018 by Superjet
Added Pronation Comment

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

1 hour ago, jared9356 said:

My optimistic side wants this to be true. That, or they took one look at my regular-ish foot and it took about an hour to find a last and make the necessary adjustments.

My pessimistic side is worried that in an effort to cut production costs, True is utilizing a team of poorly trained chimpanzees to make their skates. Let’s hope this is not the case.

I was told my Trues would take up to 3-4 weeks to be delivered.  They were delivered in about one week, and probably only in production for 4-5 days as I got them delivered after a weekend.  I ordered in last November, and from what I was told by my LHS was that they were not as busy being that they had fulfilled just about all their NHL and pro orders at that time.  So no, I wouldn't be worried if they are able to turn over your skates that quickly.  Mine were built quickly and they have been solid for a year now.

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, dimpledballs said:

Interesting look at durability on a pair of trues. Any opinions?

 

This is clearly an issue with how the person baked the skate and tightened the laces. 

[smu 29]

On 11/13/2018 at 7:52 PM, Superjet said:

SMU your story sounds a lot like mine.  We have similar size feet (I wear either 4.5 or 5 in Bauers) with a narrow heel.  The first pair I got were humongous, and the second pair were only slightly reduced in volume.  The heels in both pair were too wide.  I think True is incapable of making a skate with a narrow enough heel in smaller sizes.  After reading many posts, it seems that the larger the skate, the less fit problems people generally have.  I also believe their lasts are not "true to size" meaning that half sizes are just shortened or lengthened instead of the whole last being resized.  I'm looking forward to hearing how yours turn out, I wish you better luck than I had.

 

A thought on pronation-

After switching back to Bauers and eventually a new pair of Vapors, my theory is that True skates fit much tighter ABOVE your ankle and that combined with their stiffness is how they eliminate/reduce pronation.   I felt this difference immediately when switching back to Bauers.

 

On 11/13/2018 at 7:52 PM, Superjet said:

SMU your story sounds a lot like mine.  We have similar size feet (I wear either 4.5 or 5 in Bauers) with a narrow heel.  The first pair I got were humongous, and the second pair were only slightly reduced in volume.  The heels in both pair were too wide.  I think True is incapable of making a skate with a narrow enough heel in smaller sizes.  After reading many posts, it seems that the larger the skate, the less fit problems people generally have.  I also believe their lasts are not "true to size" meaning that half sizes are just shortened or lengthened instead of the whole last being resized.  I'm looking forward to hearing how yours turn out, I wish you better luck than I had.

 

A thought on pronation-

After switching back to Bauers and eventually a new pair of Vapors, my theory is that True skates fit much tighter ABOVE your ankle and that combined with their stiffness is how they eliminate/reduce pronation.   I felt this difference immediately when switching back to Bauers.

Since I destroyed my X80 or 90 with the medial holder move I had to replace them with a good used pair of size 5D Bauer Junior S-180 because the Trues did not fit. I heated the sides to try and reduce the ankle and heel space, but I was still pronating and now I have inserted my wedges ( 0 < 1º wedges) and having someone watch my knee bend (knees just over the toes) from behind to see when I was stable, that is have the tendon guards follow the calf muscle and should mean that I am no over my center of gravity. Well, I am not quite there yet, not dialed in and getting really tired of always playing with the skates. I would have loved to keep the too large Trues just for the ability to take my pronation away. I am off to play again today and as always I have to wonder what they are going to feel like when I first step on the ice. I have taken a couple of more wedges (these are from Australia for bikers as they have problems with pronation while riding bicycles). Depending upon which way you flip them they cab be used for Over supinators as well, but Gawd I don't want to go through this anymore. this is the 5th week of hockey and I should have had a good set of skates from True before I started the year instead of the double mistakes that were sent. I just hope I can get my third set back quickly with no issues (oh please!!!).

I keep wondering though, am I going to have problems down the line when the skates start to beak down. I am light and only playing twice a week maybe that will help in the long run. At 69 now, how much more time do I have. I hope ten years at least!

Edited November 15, 2018 by smu

[smu 29]

6 hours ago, smu said:

 

 

Revised: I will send some photos tomorrow of my first pair of new True skates that we’re a joke. Not only about 2 sizes too large they are just huge in the width when I clearly needed a narrow heel pocket area skate. These were sent back to be remade and to be made shorter as they were excessively long, I could not even feel my toe anywhere near the end of the skate when first put on. I had other issues as well that were not even adjusted let alone no remake that should have happened because of the long length of the boot making them hard to skate in a skate 2 sizes too large. They also had rivets as if they went in as if they came off a maligned assembly line and the rivets were not parallel making the holders and blades crooked. My right knee actually acted up because of this.

Now they get the skates sent back a second time all within two weeks of the FIRST pair pointing out that these are not my small sizes 5 skates, way to long and too wide with the other holder / rivets as well problems.

I heard that True will stuff the toes with some dense foam if there is excessive room in the toe box area to make them feel like smaller skates they do fit and I asked specifically not to have stuffing in an already too long skate that does not fit. The skates have to be remade as well as the other issues I was complaining about. Theses skates were a joke.

I assumed a new pair of skates that would fit my narrow foot and had no other issues would be returned, but this was not the case. I received the exact same pair back with the crooked holders etc and to reduce the extra length 6 mm dense foam was taped (masking tape) into the end of the toe box that fell out upon feeling that area. With the extra foam they did feel smaller, but changed nothing in that they were way too long and wide and should have been remade from scratch.  Again, all the other issues were ignored except to stuff the toe box.

By stuffing the toe area their insoles size (printed on the bottom) went from a size 7 to a size 6! They have now went back for the third time and I hope "third time lucky"!

Wait for tomorrow for the photos and my True skates with my Bauer size 5 beside the True skates and more.

Edited November 14, 2018 by smu
I had to redo most of it, lots of errors etc sorry

[Sniper9 529]

22 minutes ago, smu said:

I will send some photos tomorrow if my new True skate that we’re a joke then supposedly a new pair to reduce size and all I got back wax the same skates with 6 mm dense foam in the toe to make them seem smaller. By doing so their insoles went from a size 7 to a size 6 with no boot alterations not even the width reduced or the holders fixed as the were on crooked and my photos show it. Wait for tomorrow for the photos and my skates have gone back for a third time and they better be right this time!

At least now we all know how to customize an off the shelf skate 😁. But in all seriousness, I hope it works out for you. 

I actually tried on my Bauer's today for fun without lacing them, and I have to be honest, I didn't mind/actually likes the hollow super light feel..... 😶

[jvincig01 13]

Somewhat new to the forum but I wanted to share my experience with my True's (3 months). I have been playing for around 25 years so my skating is good enough that I know what I like and don't like in a boot. I played on Graf's for around 15 years and really liked the aggressive profile/pitch. I went to Step Steel a couple years ago and got used to the height. When I switched to True I found myself a little flat footed and felt clumsy. I brought my Graf G3's to my LHS and had them check the radius. Turns out the radius was the same as my True's so that was a good sign. I ended having them pitched 3 degrees forward which doesn't sound like a lot. BUT, after about 5 minutes on the ice, I felt like I was in a better version of my Graf's!

My True's have shot blockers so there is added weight but worth it. I took a shot to the inside of my ankle a few years ago and have nerve damage around the bone. I added the blockers because I can't afford to take another shot in the same spot.  I actually weighed my G3's next to my True's and they were almost identical btw.

To me, the weight isn't an issue. Not trying to sound rude but if the weight is simply too much for you to bear than consider doing a couple air squats every morning for a few weeks followed by a protein shake or something. 

Let me answer some questions..

Aren't the skates ugly? Maybe to some but who really cares? I am not an aesthetics guy. I just want to skates to last like my Graf's did. 

How's the fit? Petty incredible. I have very narrow heels and flat feet. My ankles are completely locked in and I have a ton of pop when taking off. There is no extra space in the boot which I like. The advantage of having perfectly fit skates, and the performance that comes with that, is worth the tradeoff of a couple grams of boot weight. 

Aren't they bulky? At first, yes. But once I had them profiled that seemed to go away.

Have I had any issues with the quality? Yes. But not True's fault. My local hockey shop took them out of the oven and handed them to me without a shoe horn or any direction on how to lace them. This compromised the integrity of the liner and one of my eyelets was a little off on my right skate. I sent pictures to True and they got back to me right away. I had them there and back to me fixed in 1 week! Their support is absolutely great.

Hope this review helps everyone. In summary, we are not NHL players but we know what we like and don't like. These are pro skates, not a pro-like skate, so find comfort in knowing they are quality. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, Sniper9 said:

At least now we all know how to customize an off the shelf skate 😁. But in all seriousness, I hope it works out for you. 

I actually tried on my Bauer's today for fun without lacing them, and I have to be honest, I didn't mind/actually likes the hollow super light feel..... 😶

The lightweight hollow feeling is nice until you take a shot to the foot or the skate starts to fall apart. I guess its all depends on the level of hockey you play and how often you are on the ice, but for me, nothing has been as durable as my True skates. Not even close. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

24 minutes ago, jvincig01 said:

Somewhat new to the forum but I wanted to share my experience with my True's (3 months). I have been playing for around 25 years so my skating is good enough that I know what I like and don't like in a boot. I played on Graf's for around 15 years and really liked the aggressive profile/pitch. I went to Step Steel a couple years ago and got used to the height. When I switched to True I found myself a little flat footed and felt clumsy. I brought my Graf G3's to my LHS and had them check the radius. Turns out the radius was the same as my True's so that was a good sign. I ended having them pitched 3 degrees forward which doesn't sound like a lot. BUT, after about 5 minutes on the ice, I felt like I was in a better version of my Graf's!

My True's have shot blockers so there is added weight but worth it. I took a shot to the inside of my ankle a few years ago and have nerve damage around the bone. I added the blockers because I can't afford to take another shot in the same spot.  I actually weighed my G3's next to my True's and they were almost identical btw.

To me, the weight isn't an issue. Not trying to sound rude but if the weight is simply too much for you to bear than consider doing a couple air squats every morning for a few weeks followed by a protein shake or something. 

Let me answer some questions..

Aren't the skates ugly? Maybe to some but who really cares? I am not an aesthetics guy. I just want to skates to last like my Graf's did. 

How's the fit? Petty incredible. I have very narrow heels and flat feet. My ankles are completely locked in and I have a ton of pop when taking off. There is no extra space in the boot which I like. The advantage of having perfectly fit skates, and the performance that comes with that, is worth the tradeoff of a couple grams of boot weight. 

Aren't they bulky? At first, yes. But once I had them profiled that seemed to go away.

Have I had any issues with the quality? Yes. But not True's fault. My local hockey shop took them out of the oven and handed them to me without a shoe horn or any direction on how to lace them. This compromised the integrity of the liner and one of my eyelets was a little off on my right skate. I sent pictures to True and they got back to me right away. I had them there and back to me fixed in 1 week! Their support is absolutely great.

Hope this review helps everyone. In summary, we are not NHL players but we know what we like and don't like. These are pro skates, not a pro-like skate, so find comfort in knowing they are quality. 

Where are you located? 

[jvincig01 13]

15 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

Where are you located? 

Sacramento

[smu 29]

6 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

At least now we all know how to customize an off the shelf skate 😁. But in all seriousness, I hope it works out for you. 

I actually tried on my Bauer's today for fun without lacing them, and I have to be honest, I didn't mind/actually likes the hollow super light feel..... 😶

I cleaned up my post a bit, you may want to re-read it. I must have been half asleep when posting, but I will get some photos up today.

6 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

At least now we all know how to customize an off the shelf skate 😁. But in all seriousness, I hope it works out for you. 

I actually tried on my Bauer's today for fun without lacing them, and I have to be honest, I didn't mind/actually likes the hollow super light feel..... 😶