VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[CTB 32]

Been able to skate a few times in the pair I ordered earlier this year (then couldn’t pick up/use for 4 months).  A few thoughts:

Comfort-wise they feel great. I had been skating in FT1s and also Tacks 9080 and before that Vapor X800s so fairly stiff composite boots for the last several years. I also had 1st gen Makos but got terrible Mako bumps, no such issues with these.

I am still adjusting to the softness of the boot In comparison to aforementioned models I’ve used in recent years, I need to sort of retrain my ankles because they can bend more in these than with the stiffer boots. 

The store I bought these from recommended I go with a shallower hollow and to be honest I think this is where my issues with the skates start.  On non Step Steel skates I would go with a 1/2” hollow, I think the store cut the steel that was attached to the boot at maybe 5/8”, possibly even shallower. I understand the rationale, more ankle bend will theoretically allow for tighter turning and compensate for a shallower hollow but I think they may have gone too shallow. I am not a heavy player (6’2”, 175 lbs) nor would I say I have powerful legs (I have distance runner build, my legs are more about stride efficiency than power). Even with softer summer ice I don’t feel the bite when I push off. I had them sharpen the 2nd pair deeper so I have swapped them before my next skate. 

The other issue along with the lack of bite (or because of the lack of it) is my turning feels longer.  If it’s not necessarily due to the hollow could this be a radius or pitch issue?  I really want to like this pair, no complaints with the boot so I am hoping that it’s nothing a new hollow or profiling can fix. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

3 hours ago, CTB said:

Been able to skate a few times in the pair I ordered earlier this year (then couldn’t pick up/use for 4 months).  A few thoughts:

Comfort-wise they feel great. I had been skating in FT1s and also Tacks 9080 and before that Vapor X800s so fairly stiff composite boots for the last several years. I also had 1st gen Makos but got terrible Mako bumps, no such issues with these.

I am still adjusting to the softness of the boot In comparison to aforementioned models I’ve used in recent years, I need to sort of retrain my ankles because they can bend more in these than with the stiffer boots. 

The store I bought these from recommended I go with a shallower hollow and to be honest I think this is where my issues with the skates start.  On non Step Steel skates I would go with a 1/2” hollow, I think the store cut the steel that was attached to the boot at maybe 5/8”, possibly even shallower. I understand the rationale, more ankle bend will theoretically allow for tighter turning and compensate for a shallower hollow but I think they may have gone too shallow. I am not a heavy player (6’2”, 175 lbs) nor would I say I have powerful legs (I have distance runner build, my legs are more about stride efficiency than power). Even with softer summer ice I don’t feel the bite when I push off. I had them sharpen the 2nd pair deeper so I have swapped them before my next skate. 

The other issue along with the lack of bite (or because of the lack of it) is my turning feels longer.  If it’s not necessarily due to the hollow could this be a radius or pitch issue?  I really want to like this pair, no complaints with the boot so I am hoping that it’s nothing a new hollow or profiling can fix. 

Its a combination of the STEP steel, steel profile, and boot design which is why most players go with a more shallow hollow when they switch to TRUE. I typically skate on a 3/4" ROH with my TRUE skates and during the summer in Arizona and Las Vegas I tend to go even more shallow. Before you immediately change back to your standard ROH I would try skating on the more shallow ROH a few more times. It takes a little bit of time to adjust but the benefits are well worth it. 

[CTB 32]

4 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Its a combination of the STEP steel, steel profile, and boot design which is why most players go with a more shallow hollow when they switch to TRUE. I typically skate on a 3/4" ROH with my TRUE skates and during the summer in Arizona and Las Vegas I tend to go even more shallow. Before you immediately change back to your standard ROH I would try skating on the more shallow ROH a few more times. It takes a little bit of time to adjust but the benefits are well worth it. 

Yeah it’s only been 3 skates as rinks have just opened up.   Normally I would’ve at least tried to do a few stick and puck sessions or maybe even public skates to get more used to the skates. I should’ve added that this isn’t the first set of Step that I have used as I have Step black on Tuuk holders on my FT1s. With those I went with 9/16” and eventually got used to that. The 2nd pair of steel I swapped on isn’t my normal hollow, maybe a 9/16” or a tick shallower. Would there be any major issues if I eventually swapped on the Tuuk and Blacksteel or is the Shift holder really the best one for the boot?

[flip12 714]

True boots are not only softer but also lower cut. The closeness of the fit after molding means they don’t have to go up so high to provide comparable support to what the other brands achieve with higher cuts.

[CTB 32]

1 hour ago, flip12 said:

True boots are not only softer but also lower cut. The closeness of the fit after molding means they don’t have to go up so high to provide comparable support to what the other brands achieve with higher cuts.

Yeah the lower cut is taking some time to get used to. I wouldn’t say my feet feel less supported, because I certainly know there’s no negative space in them. I guess I just really have to adjust to the amount of ankle bend that these skates offer. Coming from the stiff composite boots of the last few years it’s been a challenge. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 hours ago, CTB said:

Yeah it’s only been 3 skates as rinks have just opened up.   Normally I would’ve at least tried to do a few stick and puck sessions or maybe even public skates to get more used to the skates. I should’ve added that this isn’t the first set of Step that I have used as I have Step black on Tuuk holders on my FT1s. With those I went with 9/16” and eventually got used to that. The 2nd pair of steel I swapped on isn’t my normal hollow, maybe a 9/16” or a tick shallower. Would there be any major issues if I eventually swapped on the Tuuk and Blacksteel or is the Shift holder really the best one for the boot?

No issues if you want to change out the holder but since the SHIFT holder is symmetrical and other holders are asymmetrical you're going to have to get some more holes drilled in the boot to mount the other holders. 

Remember, the STEP on the SHIFT holder has a different profile too compared to your other steel. 

[CTB 32]

16 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

No issues if you want to change out the holder but since the SHIFT holder is symmetrical and other holders are asymmetrical you're going to have to get some more holes drilled in the boot to mount the other holders. 

Remember, the STEP on the SHIFT holder has a different profile too compared to your other steel. 

I see, do you know what the profiles would be for the Step Shift steel vs the Tuuk black steel?

Might it be an option to get one of the sets of Shift steel profiled to match the black steel if I still am having issues with adjusting to the Shift steel?  Or are the Shift holders specifically designed for one type of steel profile?

[Sniper9 529]

25 minutes ago, CTB said:

I see, do you know what the profiles would be for the Step Shift steel vs the Tuuk black steel?

Might it be an option to get one of the sets of Shift steel profiled to match the black steel if I still am having issues with adjusting to the Shift steel?  Or are the Shift holders specifically designed for one type of steel profile?

My hollow was always 1/2 or 9/16 depending on whether it was summer ice or winter ice. When I got my trues I started with the 16 in the winter and then tried 5/8. I couldn't skate for the life of me with 5/8. Right now I'm back to pretty much 1/2 year round. So although some do switch to a more hollow shallow with trues, it's not an exact rule. For me, I stayed the same after experimenting. Mind you, my profile was quad zero for both my trues and my previous skates so the radius was constant. 

I'd suggest you have your steel profiled to what you had it before with the same hollow and then go from there. 

Edited July 29, 2020 by Sniper9

[VegasHockey 1280]

32 minutes ago, CTB said:

I see, do you know what the profiles would be for the Step Shift steel vs the Tuuk black steel?

Might it be an option to get one of the sets of Shift steel profiled to match the black steel if I still am having issues with adjusting to the Shift steel?  Or are the Shift holders specifically designed for one type of steel profile?

Standard STEP is 10' single radius with a neutral pitch. The STEP for the SHIFT holder is a dual profile, I believe 9.5/10.5 and slightly pitched forward. 

[CTB 32]

Thanks for the advice all. 
 

I think my course of action is to do the following:

1. Try the deeper cut on the 2nd pair of Shift steel out 

2. If that doesn’t work then get one set of the Shift steel profiled to match the last pair of skates I was comfortable with (Tuuk Black Steel)

3. If that doesn’t work then get the Tuuk Black Steel mounted

 

 

[flip12 714]

It could be you’ll feel better on a longer radius, say 11’. I think there’s a link between the aggressiveness of the boot and radius. Since the boot allows for more range of motion, your sense for the ice might be more in tune with a longer contact strip. It’s worth trying at least.

[CTB 32]

1 hour ago, flip12 said:

It could be you’ll feel better on a longer radius, say 11’. I think there’s a link between the aggressiveness of the boot and radius. Since the boot allows for more range of motion, your sense for the ice might be more in tune with a longer contact strip. It’s worth trying at least.

Could be, it’s a good thing they include the extra set of steel so I can use one as a test case to find the right hollow/profile. These are definitely the right type of boot so I want to explore all my options with the steel. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Does anyone know how to get replacement tongues? Ideally working with an online shop.

[Miller55 333]

Depends what exactly you're looking for. If you're looking for a specific tongue that you just want to have the Velcro thing installed, any hockey repair shop can do that if you get your hands on the tongues you want. If you're looking for Trues you should be able to get them from true directly. And if you're looking for customs then BAHR in SF does it or Nash sports in Canadia. Also check sls. I've seen a bunch of people trying to sell custom tongues with the True Velcro system. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Just now, Miller55 said:

Depends what exactly you're looking for. If you're looking for a specific tongue that you just want to have the Velcro thing installed, any hockey repair shop can do that if you get your hands on the tongues you want. If you're looking for Trues you should be able to get them from true directly. And if you're looking for customs then BAHR in SF does it or Nash sports in Canadia. Also check sls. I've seen a bunch of people trying to sell custom tongues with the True Velcro system. 

Looking for True tongues. If I wanted just modded tongues, I could do that myself.

Do I just email their support/customer service address?

[Miller55 333]

5 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Looking for True tongues. If I wanted just modded tongues, I could do that myself.

Do I just email their support/customer service address?

Yes. They aren't listed in their accessories page on the shop, but I think if you're in their system as a custom client then they will almost definitely help you get what you're looking for. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Cool, thanks!

[VegasHockey 1280]

18 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Does anyone know how to get replacement tongues? Ideally working with an online shop.

What model are you needing and for what size skate? We have a ton of them. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I’ve never seen a good comparison of the various tongues. Size 8-8.5

[VegasHockey 1280]

3 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

I’ve never seen a good comparison of the various tongues. Size 8-8.5

https://www.true-hockey.com/media/2020_TRUE_Catalog.pdf

Page 29. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Doesn’t help much without photos. Is the lightweight the new standard one that isn’t felt and has what looks like moisture wicking fabric on the inside?

That's what I meant about not seeing a good comparison. The catalog is just text and doesn't show you what they all look like, inside and out. 

[CTB 32]

On 7/29/2020 at 3:58 PM, CTB said:

Thanks for the advice all. 
 

I think my course of action is to do the following:

1. Try the deeper cut on the 2nd pair of Shift steel out 

2. If that doesn’t work then get one set of the Shift steel profiled to match the last pair of skates I was comfortable with (Tuuk Black Steel)

3. If that doesn’t work then get the Tuuk Black Steel mounted

 

 

Update:

Deeper ROH blades definitely helped. Definitely felt more comfortable with the extra bite and felt more balanced.  

[gsr027 1]

Might have missed this in a previous post, but anybody swap out the shift holder for for another brand? If so, how do the rear holes line up? Obviously the fronts are all off, but wasn’t sure if any lined up or all new holes would be required 

[VegasHockey 1280]

10 hours ago, gsr027 said:

Might have missed this in a previous post, but anybody swap out the shift holder for for another brand? If so, how do the rear holes line up? Obviously the fronts are all off, but wasn’t sure if any lined up or all new holes would be required 

It's a mess. Only about 40% of the holes line up. I just swapped a pair of Tuuk Edge holders for a customer. I'll snap and share some pics. 

Edited August 10, 2020 by SkateWorksPNW

[dasuchin 20]

Anyone know how I can get a pair of retail True laces? I've liked them so far and they've held up well, so I just want another pair of them. True said to reach out to a retailer, Pure said they didn't have any. Haven't tried anywhere else yet.