VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[Fletch 219]

Thanks for the update... sorry to hear the fit seems a bit off so far.  Hopefully that changes as you tweak them a bit more and get some more skates in.

[calby8 10]

Picked up my skates on Saturday! Initial thoughts/review...

Keep in mind these are my first custom/VH/True skates

• The weight picking them up by hand was lighter than I expected, maybe I overestimated the weight after reading everywhere they were on the heavier side. I also came from Bauer Supreme 170s (I'm not sure of the weight difference or put either of them on a scale yet)
• Putting them on for the first time, before baking, freaked me out at first, because I could barely get them on my feet. This is because I have duck feet, flat, very wide forefoot, very narrow heel, and they expand a lot when putting weight on my foot, so the boot wraps so much around my flat foot getting the forefoot through narrow part took effort. Unlace the top 4 eyelets or so, pull out the tongue, stretch the boot wider, (as mentioned in the True YouTube instructional video) broke a little sweat, and they were on.
• When my feet were in, the wait was worth it, the heel lock is absolutely amazing, the outline around my foot is spot on. Because of the great fit they definitely "felt lighter" than any skate I've tried on before. The fit felt so good, I felt like I could play without laces or tightening laces at all.
  • • As Iskander mentioned above, I am surprised the width and length seem slightly big, but when I stood up and put pressure on my expanding fat foot, I can't really complain. Of course spending that much on skates for the first time I didn't know how much perfection to expect.
    • Baking them was pretty crazy, they went from a perfectly stiff boot, after putting them in the oven I had no problem getting my feet in the skates when they were warm, then they were back to being a perfectly stiff boot and fit even better.
    • There is some space in the toe box, definitely a lot less than any other skates I've tried on. I guess if there was any less space in the True toe box they might look like Chuck Taylor high tops, in general I have always wondered the reason for space in the toe box. I did try putting Powerfoot inserts inside and it was a tight squeeze, the inserts would have to break in to feel great. I could use the thin shim Powerfoot also provides instead, but I'd also be fine not using any insert at all.
    • The guy at Monkey Sports and I agreed, one of the areas True/VH probably saved some costs was the insole. Luckily, I swapped my old Bauer Speed Plates from my old skates and re-molded them to the inside of the True Skates. Not necessary, but I liked it better.
• When I took them home, I took them on and off a couple more times, it was still a struggle, it crossed my mind I needed to use some slick socks, skate barefoot or use some kind of oil to get my feet in and out of the skates until they were broken in. ha :/
  • Since the eyelets on my skates are practically molded on top of my foot (due to my wide flat feet) it was a little tiresome lacing and unlacing the skates, I took the recommendation from another one of the True YouTube videos, I took a heat gun to the eyelets and slowly bent them outward a bit and it worked great after, problem solved. (After this I was able to get my skates on using dress socks, still with a lot of effort) After that I was done tinkering for the day.

On to last night's game...First game with the skates, no practice session, 5 minute warmup, initial thoughts...

• I showed up early since I didn't know how long it would take to put my skates on, and I was happily suprised, no hassle getting my feet in and lacing them up! I guess they just needed a little break in or some practice getting them on and off. On the flip side, going back to the fit (referred to above), the skates now felt looser than before, I needed to tighten my laces after all. However, I didn't have to loosen and tighten and re-tie a bunch of times all game to find a comfortable fit, as I would usually do with past skates,at least I can go back to my hockey socks after one game instead of using super thin dress socks. ;)
• During warmup and the game, I did not feel any pain in areas I usually expect, it took very little time to getting used to the skates and finding my footing, I felt great starting/stopping, crossovers, cuts, lateral movement, things I normally do, but felt better and more confident due to the custom fit. I was also confident trying different/new things with ease during the game I practice during stick time, but wouldn't normally do during a game.
  • Since the side of boots are cut lower, in my opinion, I love the additional range of motion/articulation. The longer contoured thick felt tongue and tendon guard on the True skates also offset any worries I had getting too wobbly.

End result so far...first hat trick in two years!

I felt great out there all game, some of it is probably due to being stoked on new skates, but I had zero foot pain, and many might agree, sometimes how well I play depends a lot on how bad my feet hurt on any given night. There was no lace bite, no heel lift, no extreme forefoot pressure. It must have reduced a lot leg fatigue and unnecessary exerted energy because I could skate harder and play more minutes, my legs and cardio felt fine after the the game.

I'll be back with with pictures and another update after a couple more games. One thing I noticed about the aesthetics of the skates, since I haven't ever seen a pair in person before I bought them, is some the handmade characteristics of the skate. In my opinion, they design looks really clean in person, I got a few compliments from my teammates, but if you really want to look closely at the detail it is both impressive and yet the stitching and pieces put together isn't exactly picture perfect cookie cutter looking like Bauer, CCM manufactured skates. It is slightly different than what I'm used to seeing, but I'm okay with it as long as they last!

Edited September 19, 2017 by calby8

[Fletch 219]

Glad you got them!  I am still waiting on mine, hopefully not too much longer :)

Thanks for the writeup, too - stuff like that lets me know what to expect.  I may end up using my Superfeet Carbon from my Super Tacks (current skates) if I don't like the True Footbeds but we shall see.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

2 hours ago, calby8 said:

Picked up my skates on Saturday! Initial thoughts/review...

Keep in mind these are my first custom/VH/True skates

• The weight picking them up by hand was lighter than I expected, maybe I overestimated the weight after reading everywhere they were on the heavier side. I also came from Bauer Supreme 170s (I'm not sure of the weight difference or put either of them on a scale yet)
• Putting them on for the first time, before baking, freaked me out at first, because I could barely get them on my feet. This is because I have duck feet, flat, very wide forefoot, very narrow heel, and they expand a lot when putting weight on my foot, so the boot wraps so much around my flat foot getting the forefoot through narrow part took effort. Unlace the top 4 eyelets or so, pull out the tongue, stretch the boot wider, (as mentioned in the True YouTube instructional video) almost break a sweat, and finally got them on.
• When my feet were in the wait was worth it, the heel lock is absolutely amazing, the width outline around forefoot width was good. Because of the great fit they definitely felt "lighter" than any skate I've tried on before. The fit felt so good, I felt like I could play without laces or tightening laces at all.
  • • As Iskander mentioned above, I was surprised the width and length seem slightly big, but when I stood up and put pressure on my expanding fat foot, I don't think I can complain. Of course spending that much on skates for the first time I didn't how much perfection to expect.
    • Baking them was pretty crazy, they went from a perfectly stiff boot, to being really moldable (no problem getting my feet in while they were warm!), and back to being a perfectly stiff boot. They felt even better.
    • There is some space in the toe box, definitely a lot less than any other skate. I think if there was any less space in the toe box they would look like Chuck Taylor high tops. I did try putting Powerfoot inserts inside and it was a tight squeeze, the inserts would have break in to feel great. I could use the thin shim Powerfoot also provides instead, but I'd also be fine not using any insert at all.
    • The guy at Monkey Sports and I agreed, one of the areas True/VH went cheap is the insole. Luckily, I could use my old Bauer Speed Plates from my old skates, and re-mold them to the inside of the True Skates. Not necessary, but I highly recommend it.
• When I took them home, I took them on and off a couple more times, it was still a struggle, it crossed my mind I needed to use some slick socks, skate barefoot and/or some kind of oil to get my feet in and out until they broke in. ha :/
  • Since the eyelets for my skates are practically molded on top of my foot, it was a little tiresome lacing and unlacing the skates, I took the recommendation from another one of the True YouTube videos, I took a heat gun to the eyelets and slowly bent them outward a bit and it worked great after, no more problems in that area. (After this I was able to get my skates on using dress socks with a good amount of effort!) After that I was done tinkering for the day.

On to last night's game...First game with the skates, no practice session, 5 minute warmup, initial thoughts...

• I showed up early to put my skates on since I didn't know how long it would take, what do ya know, no hassle getting my feet in and lacing them up! I guess they just needed a little break in or some practice getting them on and off. On the flip side, going back to the fit (referred to above), the skates now felt looser than before, I did actually still need to tighten my laces. But now I can go back to my hockey socks instead of super thin dress socks :)
• During warmup and the game, I did not feel any pain in areas I usually expect. it took little time to get my footing, but it felt great starting/stopping, crossovers, cuts, lateral movement, doing the things I normally do, but better. And I was confident trying different/new things in the game with ease that I practice during stick time, but and wouldn't normally do during a game.
  • Since the boot is cut lower on the sides, in my opinion, I love the additional range of motion/articulation it provides. Plus the longer contoured thick felt tongue and tendon guard on the True skates, offset any worries I had about getting too wobbly.

End result so far...first hat trick in two years!

I felt great out there all game, some of it is probably due to being stoked on new skates, but really I had no foot pain and as many may agree, I feel like how well I play depends a lot on how bad my feet on any given night. There was no lace bite, no heel lift, no extreme forefoot pressure, it must have reduced a lot leg fatigue and unnecessary exerted energy. My legs and cardio felt fine by the end of the game.

I'll be back with with pictures and another update after a couple more games. One thing I noticed about the aesthetics of the skates, since I haven't ever seen a pair in person before I bought them, is some the handmade aspects of the skate. They look perfectly clean looking, I got some compliments from the teammates, but really looking in detail at some of the stitching or pieces put together don't expect it to look exactly picture perfect cookie cutter looking like Bauer, CCM manufactured skates. It was different than what I'm used to seeing, but I'm okay with that as long as they last!

The biggest issue I've had with skates is the toe box. What skates have you worn to use as comparison? Interested to hear more about this from you (and others) about this. Congrats.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

4 hours ago, calby8 said:

Picked up my skates on Saturday! Initial thoughts/review...

Keep in mind these are my first custom/VH/True skates

• The weight picking them up by hand was lighter than I expected, maybe I overestimated the weight after reading everywhere they were on the heavier side. I also came from Bauer Supreme 170s (I'm not sure of the weight difference or put either of them on a scale yet)
• Putting them on for the first time, before baking, freaked me out at first, because I could barely get them on my feet. This is because I have duck feet, flat, very wide forefoot, very narrow heel, and they expand a lot when putting weight on my foot, so the boot wraps so much around my flat foot getting the forefoot through narrow part took effort. Unlace the top 4 eyelets or so, pull out the tongue, stretch the boot wider, (as mentioned in the True YouTube instructional video) broke a little sweat, and they were on.
• When my feet were in, the wait was worth it, the heel lock is absolutely amazing, the outline around my foot is spot on. Because of the great fit they definitely "felt lighter" than any skate I've tried on before. The fit felt so good, I felt like I could play without laces or tightening laces at all.
  • • As Iskander mentioned above, I am surprised the width and length seem slightly big, but when I stood up and put pressure on my expanding fat foot, I can't really complain. Of course spending that much on skates for the first time I didn't know how much perfection to expect.
    • Baking them was pretty crazy, they went from a perfectly stiff boot, after putting them in the oven I had no problem getting my feet in the skates when they were warm, then they were back to being a perfectly stiff boot and fit even better.
    • There is some space in the toe box, definitely a lot less than any other skates I've tried on. I guess if there was any less space in the True toe box they might look like Chuck Taylor high tops, in general I have always wondered the reason for space in the toe box. I did try putting Powerfoot inserts inside and it was a tight squeeze, the inserts would have to break in to feel great. I could use the thin shim Powerfoot also provides instead, but I'd also be fine not using any insert at all.
    • The guy at Monkey Sports and I agreed, one of the areas True/VH probably saved some costs was the insole. Luckily, I swapped my old Bauer Speed Plates from my old skates and re-molded them to the inside of the True Skates. Not necessary, but I liked it better.
• When I took them home, I took them on and off a couple more times, it was still a struggle, it crossed my mind I needed to use some slick socks, skate barefoot or use some kind of oil to get my feet in and out of the skates until they were broken in. ha :/
  • Since the eyelets on my skates are practically molded on top of my foot (due to my wide flat feet) it was a little tiresome lacing and unlacing the skates, I took the recommendation from another one of the True YouTube videos, I took a heat gun to the eyelets and slowly bent them outward a bit and it worked great after, problem solved. (After this I was able to get my skates on using dress socks, still with a lot of effort) After that I was done tinkering for the day.

On to last night's game...First game with the skates, no practice session, 5 minute warmup, initial thoughts...

• I showed up early since I didn't know how long it would take to put my skates on, and I was happily suprised, no hassle getting my feet in and lacing them up! I guess they just needed a little break in or some practice getting them on and off. On the flip side, going back to the fit (referred to above), the skates now felt looser than before, I needed to tighten my laces after all. However, I didn't have to loosen and tighten and re-tie a bunch of times all game to find a comfortable fit, as I would usually do with past skates,at least I can go back to my hockey socks after one game instead of using super thin dress socks. ;)
• During warmup and the game, I did not feel any pain in areas I usually expect, it took very little time to getting used to the skates and finding my footing, I felt great starting/stopping, crossovers, cuts, lateral movement, things I normally do, but felt better and more confident due to the custom fit. I was also confident trying different/new things with ease during the game I practice during stick time, but wouldn't normally do during a game.
  • Since the side of boots are cut lower, in my opinion, I love the additional range of motion/articulation. The longer contoured thick felt tongue and tendon guard on the True skates also offset any worries I had getting too wobbly.

End result so far...first hat trick in two years!

I felt great out there all game, some of it is probably due to being stoked on new skates, but I had zero foot pain, and many might agree, sometimes how well I play depends a lot on how bad my feet hurt on any given night. There was no lace bite, no heel lift, no extreme forefoot pressure. It must have reduced a lot leg fatigue and unnecessary exerted energy because I could skate harder and play more minutes, my legs and cardio felt fine after the the game.

I'll be back with with pictures and another update after a couple more games. One thing I noticed about the aesthetics of the skates, since I haven't ever seen a pair in person before I bought them, is some the handmade characteristics of the skate. In my opinion, they design looks really clean in person, I got a few compliments from my teammates, but if you really want to look closely at the detail it is both impressive and yet the stitching and pieces put together isn't exactly picture perfect cookie cutter looking like Bauer, CCM manufactured skates. It is slightly different than what I'm used to seeing, but I'm okay with it as long as they last!

I couldn't even get my VH on my feet before they were baked. There's really no point in even trying since you know they need baking anyway.

I put mine on with a shoe horn. You can actually hear the air getting pushed out of the skate as I put my foot in, which is good because I can show people who give me funny looks for using a shoe horn why I'm doing it! 

[Zac911 317]

5 hours ago, calby8 said:

 

• • • The guy at Monkey Sports and I agreed, one of the areas True/VH probably saved some costs was the insole. Luckily, I swapped my old Bauer Speed Plates from my old skates and re-molded them to the inside of the True Skates. Not necessary, but I liked it better.

WHY???

The speedplate has issues all it's own;  however,  the boot made for you in Winnipeg is a custom skate-  This includes the shape of your arch.  There is no off the shelf skate that can address the ball of YOUR foot,  YOUR arch,  and YOUR heel all in one package.

The footbed that Scott chose was not for costing issues.  The combination was chosen to give you the most options for fine tuning.

[malcb33 97]

1 hour ago, Zac911 said:

WHY???

The speedplate has issues all it's own;  however,  the boot made for you in Winnipeg is a custom skate-  This includes the shape of your arch.  There is no off the shelf skate that can address the ball of YOUR foot,  YOUR arch,  and YOUR heel all in one package.

The footbed that Scott chose was not for costing issues.  The combination was chosen to give you the most options for fine tuning.

Personally I didn't like the spongy-ness of the VH soles (not sure how they compare to the True sole). When I popped in my custom Sidas soles (with the red) the whole skate felt better, more of a 360 degree fit. Each to their own I guess.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

5 minutes ago, malcb33 said:

Personally I didn't like the spongy-ness of the VH soles (not sure how they compare to the True sole). When I popped in my custom Sidas soles (with the red) the whole skate felt better, more of a 360 degree fit. Each to their own I guess.

My issue was that the yellow insole wasn’t stiff enough and bunched up in the toe box. Had to replace it.

[calby8 10]

2 hours ago, Zac911 said:

WHY???

The speedplate has issues all it's own;  however,  the boot made for you in Winnipeg is a custom skate-  This includes the shape of your arch.  There is no off the shelf skate that can address the ball of YOUR foot,  YOUR arch,  and YOUR heel all in one package.

The footbed that Scott chose was not for costing issues.  The combination was chosen to give you the most options for fine tuning.

I appreciate the info. I'm aware the boot is a custom skate that should reflect the best representation of the shape of my arch. I understand "there is no off the shelf skate that can address the ball of my foot, my arch, my heel all in one package", which is why I purchased the skates in the first place. And I assume the footbed included is supposed to fit the boot hand in hand, correct?

The footbed fits my arch nicely, but there is dropoff dip from the arch to the ball of my foot that didn't feel great and there was even more unwanted negative space in the toe box before the speedplates. Maybe you can provide more helpful info regarding that issue. And the thin floppy foam perforated insole shaped to the dropoff dip for the ball of my foot I wasn't fond of. (Note: I said "probably saved some costs" on the insole, I do not have factual numbers)

So getting back to the speedplate, I haven't had any issues with them after 1.5 years, at least none that I am aware off. If there is anything I should be warned of, please let me know. There are other companys like SIDAS and SOLE heat moldable footbeds that have great reviews if I need to switch. I don't think there is anything wrong with having a head moldable insole, is there? A nice happy medium that molds to your foot and the boot. I like the additional feedback the hard plastic provides while skating.

It should be all preference and what's comfortable right? If I'm doing anything that is unknowingly causing bad habits or long-term health risks then by all means I'm open to suggestions.

Other than that I wrote a great review for the skates. Using a 3D foot scan to create a handmade skate out of great materials that can fit the foot of a customer that they've never met like a glove is really impressive. So far am really happy with how they turned out. It would be silly to be disappointed they aren't 100% perfect, but I'm surprised you picked the cost of the insole/footbed as the one thing you wanted to jump on.

Edited September 20, 2017 by calby8

[calby8 10]

52 minutes ago, malcb33 said:

Personally I didn't like the spongy-ness of the VH soles (not sure how they compare to the True sole). When I popped in my custom Sidas soles (with the red) the whole skate felt better, more of a 360 degree fit. Each to their own I guess.

 

45 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

My issue was that the yellow insole wasn’t stiff enough and bunched up in the toe box. Had to replace it.

Yes, to each their own, the spongy not stiff enough insoles have also bunched up sliding your foot in the skate or slid out taking your skates off.

Edited September 20, 2017 by calby8

[Zac911 317]

22 minutes ago, calby8 said:

 It would be silly to be disappointed they aren't 100% perfect, but I'm surprised you picked the cost of the insole/footbed as the one thing you wanted to jump on.

I am swamped with work.  I don't have the luxury that many have to be on forums,  so it wasn't so much my picking out or singling out that comment and ignoring the rest-  It was just a comment that really stood out to me.  

Scott has spent tireless hours on this skate.  There are things/specs I thought I wouldn't like,  but in seeing his suggestions I went with what he felt worked the best on his boots.  I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when I got my skates.  I could only go off what my close friends who are in them have told me.  I went into the process with completely open eyes and ears.  The skates I received did not disappoint.  I realize that not everybodies experience will be the same,  but they have achieved excellent consistent results since implementing the 3d scanning.

I didn't want to take my experiences / perceptions of other companies skates and apply them to Scotts boots.  That's like your girlfriend making you pay for her last boyfriends mistakes :)

 

 

[calby8 10]

42 minutes ago, Zac911 said:

I am swamped with work.  I don't have the luxury that many have to be on forums,  so it wasn't so much my picking out or singling out that comment and ignoring the rest-  It was just a comment that really stood out to me.  

Scott has spent tireless hours on this skate.  There are things/specs I thought I wouldn't like,  but in seeing his suggestions I went with what he felt worked the best on his boots.  I wasn't 100% sure what to expect when I got my skates.  I could only go off what my close friends who are in them have told me.  I went into the process with completely open eyes and ears.  The skates I received did not disappoint.  I realize that not everybodies experience will be the same,  but they have achieved excellent consistent results since implementing the 3d scanning.

I didn't want to take my experiences / perceptions of other companies skates and apply them to Scotts boots.  That's like your girlfriend making you pay for her last boyfriends mistakes :)

 

 

I think I get what you're saying. It certainly is beneficial to keep an open mind, never know what a player can come across that is helpful without trying it out, especially if it can make someone a better player. Like I mentioned, it was my first time/game ever wearing the skates, without a chance to test them out beforehand I went with what was comfortable for the game. I had one of, if not the best game I've had in my illustrious beer league career. Now that I'm confident and comfortable with the skates, I can continue to tinker with the skates including giving the stock soles a try.

As you might be able to tell, I don't have much of a luxury to be on forums either, we can discuss being swamped and work hours per week if you like, but I have 17 posts all related to VH/True skates questions, and one review I hope is helpful to those that read it.

Much respect to Scott, the tireless hours he's spent on the skate probably easily outdo us both, and to the skate itself. With that being said, I've already convinced two teammates to order skates, and two employees at Hockey Monkey to order skates as well. That should be an indication of my overall impression of the skate and something that stands out to you as well. Cheers.

Edited September 20, 2017 by calby8

[Zac911 317]

1 hour ago, calby8 said:

I think I get what you're saying. It certainly is beneficial to keep an open mind, never know what a player can come across that is helpful without trying it out, especially if it can make someone a better player. Like I mentioned, it was my first time/game ever wearing the skates, without a chance to test them out beforehand I went with what was comfortable for the game. I had one of, if not the best game I've had in my illustrious beer league career. Now that I'm confident and comfortable with the skates, I can continue to tinker with the skates including giving the stock soles a try.

As you might be able to tell, I don't have much of a luxury to be on forums either, we can discuss being swamped and work hours per week if you like, but I have 17 posts all related to VH/True skates questions, and one review I hope is helpful to those that read it.

Much respect to Scott, the tireless hours he's spent on the skate probably easily outdo us both, and to the skate itself. With that being said, I've already convinced two teammates to order skates, and two employees at Hockey Monkey to order skates as well. That should be an indication of my overall impression of the skate and something that stands out to you as well. Cheers.

Sorry-  The comment about the luxury to be on forums wasn't a shot at you or anybody else.  I'm just buried and I try to make myself available as much as possible.  I always try to keep an open mind as to new ideas as you never know where the next great idea will come from-  I certainly don't believe in stifling the conversation.  I have worked for companies that operate like that-  They want what they want and they don't care about your experience as long as there is a nice story to sell people on.  They give you a Powerpoint Presentation & tell you to just dance and the mice will follow .  Nearly all my accounts will grill you on a cheesy Powerpoint Presentation,  so you better know what you are talking about when they start grilling you-  Or you will get exposed.  They can smell a phony a mile away.

I have working experience with Speedplate and so I will leave it at that.  

I just wanted to clarify that the footbed was not a situation where somebody was trying to save money.  If Scott and his team were going to save money somewhere you are not going to bridge the delta on footbeds.  The entire process of how they make skates is very cost prohibitive.  When many companies set out to design and market a skate one of the most important factors is how can we commercialize this and make lots of money.  When Scott started his journey profitibility wasn't really in the eqaution.  It was something he had to figure out later on the fly as it was Player and Fit FIRST.

[Fletch 219]

Got my skates today, going to skate with them later tonight so I will post some thoughts on that later.  Initial thoughts from seeing them/getting them baked, etc.

The fit - Wow.  They really do feel like a "comfy shoe" when you put them on.  They feel NOTHING like a traditional skate boot.  This is a true wrap around your foot, different from anything I have ever tried.  I have had 3(!) reconstructive foot surgeries due to genetically collapsed arches and also Haglund's deformity.  Needless to say, I have been a prime candidate for custom skates for years so finally getting them is nice.

The presentation by True is pretty impressive - it has a very Apple-like feel to it once you open the box up, with magnets in the flaps and a new car smell.  Very nicely done and I know it's just a box but when you drop this kind of money on something, it's nice to see the extra effort put in.  I somehow ended up with VH/Step holders instead of True branded ones, not sure if that was intentional or not but it's not a big deal to me.

Here are some pics I took, can't wait to hit the ice tonight :)

 

 

 

[Monty22 831]

Nice looking skates Fletch.

[Fletch 219]

32 minutes ago, Monty22 said:

Nice looking skates Fletch.

Thanks man :)

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Beautiful. Great packaging too. Much better than what my VH came in! Haha

[Amiroo39 121]

New Jets!

[Jason 65]

44 minutes ago, Amiroo39 said:

New Jets!

Very nice, Amiroo. Great choice on the steel. Those look like pro stock seats too. Beautiful!

[KUTYRKOKUV 4]

Mine just game in today. Unlike Fletch, mine just came in the cardboard shipping box so I didn't get cool bag, box or letter of authenticity, but I'm still happy. I just got back from getting them baked, the fit is super tight, but felt like no other skate that I have ever tried on, I'm really looking forward to taking them for a spin tomorrow. There is one superficial issue and that is with the second set of tongues that I got, at the top one has the imprints above the true logo and the other doesn't, purely a superficial issue, but in all honesty for what I paid, I expected a little more on the quality control. The second issue which may or may not affect the integrity of the skate is the sealant on the bottom. On the bottom of my right boot you can see where the sealant did not adhere correctly and flaked off...it looks like it bubbled over and cracked off. Other than that, they look great and feel great. I'll let you know how they feel once I take them for a spin.

 

 

This is purely superficial.

 

 

These next two are what I don't know about.

 

Edited September 23, 2017 by KUTYRKOKUV
change away from photobucket so you can see the pictures.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

4 hours ago, KUTYRKOKUV said:

Mine just game in today. Unlike Fletch, mine just came in the cardboard shipping box so I didn't get cool bag, box or letter of authenticity, but I'm still happy. I just got back from getting them baked, the fit is super tight, but felt like no other skate that I have ever tried on, I'm really looking forward to taking them for a spin tomorrow. There is one superficial issue and that is with the second set of tongues that I got, at the top one has the imprints above the true logo and the other doesn't, purely a superficial issue, but in all honesty for what I paid, I expected a little more on the quality control. The second issue which may or may not affect the integrity of the skate is the sealant on the bottom. On the bottom of my right boot you can see where the sealant did not adhere correctly and flaked off...it looks like it bubbled over and cracked off. Other than that, they look great and feel great. I'll let you know how they feel once I take them for a spin

.  

 

 

Don’t use photobucket - it’s garbage. Use imgur.com instead.

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 9/21/2017 at 7:52 PM, Fletch said:

Got my skates today, going to skate with them later tonight so I will post some thoughts on that later.  Initial thoughts from seeing them/getting them baked, etc.

The fit - Wow.  They really do feel like a "comfy shoe" when you put them on.  They feel NOTHING like a traditional skate boot.  This is a true wrap around your foot, different from anything I have ever tried.  I have had 3(!) reconstructive foot surgeries due to genetically collapsed arches and also Haglund's deformity.  Needless to say, I have been a prime candidate for custom skates for years so finally getting them is nice.

The presentation by True is pretty impressive - it has a very Apple-like feel to it once you open the box up, with magnets in the flaps and a new car smell.  Very nicely done and I know it's just a box but when you drop this kind of money on something, it's nice to see the extra effort put in.  I somehow ended up with VH/Step holders instead of True branded ones, not sure if that was intentional or not but it's not a big deal to me.

Here are some pics I took, can't wait to hit the ice tonight :)

 

 

 

Wow. They have you bake them for a long time comapred to other skates. 

For example, the Super Tacks and JetSpeed FT1 you only bake for a couple of minutes. I think Bauer is about the same, a few minutes. 

I'm kinda shocked they quote 20 min at 180 degrees! 

[flip12 712]

48 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

Wow. They have you bake them for a long time comapred to other skates. 

For example, the Super Tacks and JetSpeed FT1 you only bake for a couple of minutes. I think Bauer is about the same, a few minutes. 

I'm kinda shocked they quote 20 min at 180 degrees! 

The Scott Van Horne boots have been in that neighborhood: MLX, VH, now True. Makos were rather long too: between 12-18 minutes or something IIRC. It's just a different layup/cure(?) recipe that allows for unlimited bakings as well. Pretty sure that's not possible with Bauer, CCM, etc. There just isn't a comparison between these and other lines in that regard.

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

Guys, please don't quote the pictures.  You can edit his quote.

[BureKovy 20]

Has anyone tried Tuuk and VH/Step holder on the same boot for comparison? 

I'm coming from (MLX with Tuuk) to (VH with VH/Step holder Stepsteel and sidewall protection) so its hard to get a feel for the difference in the holder.