VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[Kgbeast 195]

3 hours ago, Playmakersedge said:

Maybe they are trying to produce to much product.    Anyone know why the brand has changed changed names 3 (?) times  

They are trying to produce more product than before, but that is what businesses have to do as the demand for their product grows... It is just they need to figure out how to do that without sending out deflective product. Perhaps they do not even have QC yet, but just need to institute one.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

1 hour ago, Kgbeast said:

They are trying to produce more product than before, but that is what businesses have to do as the demand for their product grows... It is just they need to figure out how to do that without sending out deflective product. Perhaps they do not even have QC yet, but just need to institute one.

Ok. I have let this go for a fairly long time now. I understand wanting the appearance to be better i get it. I am sure it will get sorted. 

But in now way did the one situation with the cosmetic issue affect the performance. 

Tell me please (and not picking on you in particular) have CCM or Bauer remade custom skates. As in a second pair? I can tell you in my expiernece in 15 years...(at regular retail) NEVER ONCE. I am on about 600 plus fits and I have had about 10 remakes and 2 returned for me to sell as they just didnt like the skate. ( they didn't give it an honest go Or allow for adjustments). If i have a problem i cant fix Rob and his expanded team have always come through. 

 

When it comes to Bauer for example almost every right skate is misaligned compared to the left. Trigger holders come plyable and blades get loose in 3 months on high end players. Toe caps and tendon guards break. 

 

CCM has a toe cap breakage issue here in Toronto.  The 4.0 holder is soft in the rear tower and flexs greatly at 6 to 8 months of high end play. 

 

Every skate has an issue. Or issues   

 

They may have a small team but from what I have seen they are growing it slowly to have the least amount if wrinkles possible. Scott even asked  me ( as I have told he asks all retailers) to send pics of any  we skates with any issues so they can bring it up in the weekly meetings. 

 

In closing I will just say I have never worked with a better group of hockey guys when it comes to product. 

 

Maybe the present CCM Pro Rep and back when Conner Browns and Tanner Pearsons fathers were at Bauer.  Then we got straight answers and good service. 

 

Sticking with True. 

 

 

 

[chocks86 82]

I hope that my posts about my issues with the skate where not misconstrued as bashing or badmouthing the company because that was in no way my intention. I like True products and I think they have a great thing going with the custom skates.  I was in no way going to spend near a thousand dollars on a retail skate but when I heard about True / VH making fitted custom skates for the same price I no longer had much of an issue with the cost. I am sure things will work out for me and I will be happy in the end, and True and Scott VH will continue to blaze a trail through the skate market. 

[Zac911 317]

4 hours ago, chocks86 said:

I hope that my posts about my issues with the skate where not misconstrued as bashing or badmouthing the company because that was in no way my intention. I like True products and I think they have a great thing going with the custom skates.  I was in no way going to spend near a thousand dollars on a retail skate but when I heard about True / VH making fitted custom skates for the same price I no longer had much of an issue with the cost. I am sure things will work out for me and I will be happy in the end, and True and Scott VH will continue to blaze a trail through the skate market. 

Not at all.  That " job " has already been taken here.  There are legitmate complaints and then there is just noise.  I tend to tune out noise when the conversation stops evolving. 

I have not seen a picture of your skates;  however,  after working with a number of other skates I have seen some skates that were not the most aesthetically pleasing to the eye.  It's part of the process and working with materials like carbon fibre and complex / compound curves.  I would be happy to look at them;  however,  I would have to send to to the same people you are in contact with.  I can only add that these people know their boots better than anybody else. 

Old Trainer Guy had some great comments and context to add here,  so wanted to call that out-  Much Appreciated.

[Cavs019 708]

Members worship an orange trimmed skate that literally took piranha bites out of their ankles...

...meanwhile a cosmetic imperfection here is the end of the world.  Come on guys.

Lets not forget the days of Vapor XXs looking like your dog got to them after a month of normal use.

 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Cavs019

[Stewie 721]

To be completely fair, most people only worship the fit aspect of makos, durability and asthetics haven’t seen that kind of praise :) I personally hate their aesthetics, but they are comfortable.

chocks isn’t treating this instance as the end of the world, just voicing some concerns he had about the product he received. I think it’s fair for him to voice his concerns here. 

In relation to what other companies do, that’s irrelevant here. Trues whole motto is that they are obsessed with being the best, and judging by most comments here they are doing well in that regard, so I’d expect them to want people to voice their concerns, or potentially point out ways they can improve. Obviously the feedback on this thread is mostly positive, which is why I’m strongly considering becoming  customer here in  a month or so myself, but there’s still a few cases that as a company I’d be bothered by (I tend to be a perfectionist in my work environment).

In his initial response received, he was told this was due to an end pattern of a fiber sheet. Perhaps these portions do not have to be used (depending on material expense) or could be used in a different manner that wouldn’t present this type of defect. If they absolutely must, perhaps it can be communicated to the customer beforehand, so that their expectations are known ahead of time, and they gain knowledge of the fact it won’t impact performance. As someone that has worked quality assurance for many years up until recently, this is what I would do if there was an issue like this. Open the dialogue ahead of time, create awareness, it goes a long way. 

If we want this to be an endless True Praise thread where discussions like this are discouraged, perhaps the title can change.

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

We’re also confusing a “defect,” and “less than aesthetically pleasing.” A defect would shorten the life and durability of your skate significantly. This is not the case here. 

 

I would be willing to bet a significantly higher percent of larger manufacturers skates leave the factory with these same anomalies, and significantly worse. They’re just hidden behind window dressing graphics. 

[chippa13 1844]

And because shops have inventories of the other brands, they can potentially intercept a bad skate before a customer purchase. I'm sure there are those cases where an employee opens a box for someone to try on only to have that employee or the customer notice something off about the skate. The solution there can be to simply grab another pair of that skate out of the backroom. Obviously, that option isn't available with a custom skate.

Early on I was a critic of the VH skate as there seemed to be a significant number of issues cropping up but as time has gone on there seem to be less and less issues. To the outside observer it would appear that they have listened and made great strides in initial quality.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Sorry wasnt bashing you in particular just some of the following comments that seemed more like a lynch mob. God forbid any manufactuer actually makes a mistake.  I think its just society today. 

Anyway I'm sure it will be taken care of. 

[chippa13 1844]

18 minutes ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Sorry wasnt bashing you in particular just some of the following comments that seemed more like a lynch mob. God forbid any manufactuer actually makes a mistake.  I think its just society today. 

Anyway I'm sure it will be taken care of. 

The Race to Outrage always has plenty of participants.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

I would be willing to bet a significantly higher percent of larger manufacturers skates leave the factory with these same anomalies, and significantly worse. They’re just hidden behind window dressing graphics. 

 

55 minutes ago, chippa13 said:

And because shops have inventories of the other brands, they can potentially intercept a bad skate before a customer purchase.

These are both really good points that are important to consider. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

My VH skates were made in June 2015 with Bauer cowlings mounted. Was this before or after the goalie boots started being made with extra protection to allow for a cowlingless holder?  I'm assuming that at some point the boots were changed so that they are ALL made with a reinforced boot so they can be used with any holder, with or without a cowling. Is that accurate?

TL;DR: Can I put Bauer (or step) holders on these boots from mid-2015?

[Buddy 7]

So I picked up my new True skates today from the dealer. Looked over the skates and they looked good, few spots here and there with a little extra glue, but nothing major or impacting. Carbon fiber looked good all around, no issues there. I usually wear a size 9 skate, so thats roughly where I'm at with them. The laces in them were an 84, so luckily I checked this out prior to heating them or anything as they would never have fit. Swapped out the laces, got them heated and molded them. Skates felt great on my feet, good comfort level, no pain issues and fit really good. Was able to stop at public skating today for  a quick 15 min twirl on them. Wasn't crazy about the edge, could of been a little sharper. Outside that skates felt really good, just a matter of getting use to them. The skates have Tuuk holders on them, and I felt like I was on my toes a little more, but probably just an adjustment for me. First skate out of the box that felt like I could just go without a break in period. I am coming from a pair of Nexus 7000 Pro Stock V Cut model. Some people noted they received a letter in their box, I didn't have anything other than the bag they came in within the box.

Will have my first skate on them Wed evening as I'm reffing two games that evening. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Buddy

[Zac911 317]

5 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Sorry wasnt bashing you in particular just some of the following comments that seemed more like a lynch mob. God forbid any manufactuer actually makes a mistake.  I think its just society today. 

Anyway I'm sure it will be taken care of. 

What I find funny is that some companies are ALLOWED to make mistakes and nobody takes them to task. 

God forbid that hockey players have an option that doesn't cause foot deformities, is actually comfortable and actually helps you skate better. 

Why would we want that when we can look cool wearing Baller Hockey?

[Cavs019 708]

Is Baller hockey a reimagination of Easton tech with Lavar Ball and co as the poster boys? 

[Zac911 317]

6 minutes ago, Cavs019 said:

Is Baller hockey a reimagination of Easton tech with Lavar Ball and co as the poster boys? 

Actually wasn't a dig at Easton at all.  Other than blade durability I don't think they were given a free pass for their mistakes.

 

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, Buddy said:

So I picked up my new True skates today from the dealer. Looked over the skates and they looked good, few spots here and there with a little extra glue, but nothing major or impacting. Carbon fiber looked good all around, no issues there. I usually wear a size 9 skate, so thats roughly where I'm at with them. The laces in them were an 84, so luckily I checked this out prior to heating them or anything as they would never have fit. Swapped out the laces, got them heated and molded them. Skates felt great on my feet, good comfort level, no pain issues and fit really good. Was able to stop at public skating today for  a quick 15 min twirl on them. Wasn't crazy about the edge, could of been a little sharper. Outside that skates felt really good, just a matter of getting use to them. The skates have Tuuk holders on them, and I felt like I was on my toes a little more, but probably just an adjustment for me. First skate out of the box that felt like I could just go without a break in period. I am coming from a pair of Nexus 7000 Pro Stock V Cut model. Some people noted they received a letter in their box, I didn't have anything other than the bag they came in within the box.

Will have my first skate on them Wed evening as I'm reffing two games that evening. 

It's funny bc I'm a size 7 and my laces we're a 108 it seemed.

Although probably safe to use after a couple hrs after baking, I personally would allow at least 12 hours before using them on the ice after heat molding since these boots are heated for so much longer than other skates, and get to such a pliable state when hot. 

[Cavs019 708]

44 minutes ago, Zac911 said:

Actually wasn't a dig at Easton at all.  Other than blade durability I don't think they were given a free pass for their mistakes.

 

I know- we're both throwing a dig at the "parent" here if you catch my drift 

Edited January 30, 2018 by Cavs019

[Leif 161]

Do these skates provide any benefit over a pair of standard skates that fit well? A friend has a pair on order, as he was unable to find skates that fitted his large and wide feet. He was in pain, so custom skates are worth the money for him. In my case my Bauer Supremes are very comfortable.

I've seen a pair of VH skates at a local UK rink, worn by a young lad, and a good skater. But they are fairly rare in the UK, no doubt in part because to get them fitted you have to go to Sheffield, which for some of us is a 5+ hour car journey each way.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

1 hour ago, Leif said:

Do these skates provide any benefit over a pair of standard skates that fit well? A friend has a pair on order, as he was unable to find skates that fitted his large and wide feet. He was in pain, so custom skates are worth the money for him. In my case my Bauer Supremes are very comfortable.

I've seen a pair of VH skates at a local UK rink, worn by a young lad, and a good skater. But they are fairly rare in the UK, no doubt in part because to get them fitted you have to go to Sheffield, which for some of us is a 5+ hour car journey each way.

Yes they fit and perform better. As they are even more comfortable than traditional skates.  

[greyskull 21]

2 hours ago, Leif said:

Do these skates provide any benefit over a pair of standard skates that fit well? A friend has a pair on order, as he was unable to find skates that fitted his large and wide feet. He was in pain, so custom skates are worth the money for him. In my case my Bauer Supremes are very comfortable.

I've seen a pair of VH skates at a local UK rink, worn by a young lad, and a good skater. But they are fairly rare in the UK, no doubt in part because to get them fitted you have to go to Sheffield, which for some of us is a 5+ hour car journey each way.

That may well be me...

[IniNew 53]

1 hour ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Yes they fit and perform better. As they are even more comfortable than traditional skates.  

If the retail skates are comfortable and fit well, as the poster you replied to said, you can't assume VH is going to fit and perform better.

[chocks86 82]

4 minutes ago, IniNew said:

If the retail skates are comfortable and fit well, as the poster you replied to said, you can't assume VH is going to fit and perform better.

How can something that is custom made from a digital laser scan of your feet not fit better?

[KennyWu 24]

Approx 50 hours later...

-Boot has loosened up at the top, easier to tie the laces
-Skate loosens up during a game, maybe time to swap back to waxed laces
-A little heel lift coming back on the right side, maybe I need to go back to the True soles instead of the superfeet for more volume
-I used to get a suction type sound when removing the skate after games, that's gone
-My reinforced tongues aren't as stiff (good thing) but one of them ripped already

All in all, pretty good. Really comfortable. Will update at end of the season.

 

[IniNew 53]

2 minutes ago, chocks86 said:

How can something that is custom made from a digital laser scan of your feet not fit better?

Assuming the technology works perfectly, and there's no defects in manufacturing that causes deformities from the idealistically perfect laser scan?