VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[VegasHockey 1280]

3 hours ago, BenBreeg said:

Me three!

I wish I could share info but I am not allowed. All I can say is there will be a huge shift in the retail industry coming soon. 

[Stewie 721]

Anyone know a good steel holder that fits the shift steel? Thinking about 3D printing one if nothing easy enough exists on the market 

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, Stewie said:

Anyone know a good steel holder that fits the shift steel? Thinking about 3D printing one if nothing easy enough exists on the market 

I use this:

https://prosharp.us/collections/accessories/products/blade-bag

Edited March 5, 2020 by SkateWorksPNW

[IPv6Freely 2093]

2 hours ago, Stewie said:

Anyone know a good steel holder that fits the shift steel? Thinking about 3D printing one if nothing easy enough exists on the market 

What about the MSH pouch?

[Stewie 721]

26 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

What about the MSH pouch?

Love the pouch, have one, but the shift steel has a part that sticks up taller than the zipper so it cannot he zipped shut. Could potentially look into replacing the zipper with some other closure system, but I also work around lots of nice 3D printers and foam so making my own wouldn’t be too hard either. 

[Sniper9 530]

8 hours ago, Justinm said:

So I decided to take the leap to Pro Custom Skate during the December promo of free customization. Shot blocker, tongue, embroidery, black steel and express delivery! Sign me up. Went in to Pro Hockey Life got scanned easy peasy, or at least I thought. Pick up time 2 weeks or more later.... you know the express part of my order!! Well that was put on the back burner because they had my skates for over two weeks before calling me.... and fibbing to me over the phone and also over charging me for the blacksteel upgrade which was supposed to be free. I decided to phone the factory after being told my skates weren’t in and found out about the blacksteel upgrade confirming it was free with the promo. They were also super nice and gave the tracking number for the skates, which proved they had my skates for weeks before calling me. They also informed me that the blacksteel was back ordered but they sent me the normal steel for free to get me going until the black came in. So the call came 10 plus days after confirmed delivery to the store kind of peeved because the promo was a huge reason why I went to this store as it was the only Truefit centre close to me. So I drove an hour to pick up my skates and they were clueless on how to bake these things, tied them up super tight all the way up and no wrap. Also after that they had no time to sharpen! What awesome service. So I went home and did my bit of research on trues website etc and here are my thoughts and advise 

 

As soon as you guys get these things adjust the tounge accordingly via the Velcro option without laces and fine tune until your ready for the bake as the tongue has a huge impact on your fit and you want yours set up for the bake to help comfort (I took mine to my local sharpener and got him to heat them back up so I could re do the bake process) make sure the folks doing yours have watched the video of the wrap bake from true. you spent a lot of money dealers should be informed! After the fitting process skate the with your average sharpen,after one skate I knew that the pitch of boot along with shift holders was not for me. Coming from a Bauer supreme for a majority of my life a neutral pitch is what I needed so after a couple trials with profiling (shaving the rear profile down) I got the balance and feel I am use to. 

 

Build quality:

they are 100% built for my feet as I have two different size feet. Im out a size in Bauer and 3/4 in a true these things are really dialed to each foot. I played with the red inserts for fit and can say now I’m happy with the results. Don’t be thrown off by the shift holder because of the pitch and extra height I have found that a good guy behind the wheel can get the feel you want without wasting money on swapping out holders and steel! Bring your old skates in and have him take measurements to your set up to help the process. NOTE... I just got my blacksteel in the mail as they shipped them direct to me as I refused to go back to the store (I wouldn’t let them sell gatorade to me) and wow they have a lot more steel on them compared to the first versions of Step that came with them! A lovely surprise as the photos of the blacksteel I have seen were much smaller! Lots of more room to profile without having so little blade life left, oh ya and still 2 sets! I opted for the T guard upgrade and got embroidery along with the shot blockers. I don’t feel the weight of skate being an issue. The overall quality of assembly looks good I haven’t had any issues thus far. As for the liner I went with the moisture wicking which is what my old skates had and I never had an issue with that. Seems the opposite choice of what most have chose on here.

 

Closing note: 

 

A long journey for skates but I’m happy with them now. It’s really to bad the dealer/store I dealt with was that bad. It really did make me wonder if I was going to end up with useless skates, no customer should have to do the kind of research and work afterwards to get a good product especially one that is in this price point! Thank god for the customer service at the factory, the Lady was awesome and contrary to what others have said they pick up the phone rather regularly even if you are pestering them.

Photo link of steel comparison etc

https://imgur.com/a/V9KQJVJ

The wick liner actually looks nice. Might go that route next. 

Also nice to see that they raised the height on the steel. I wonder who is gonna be making steel from them here on in. I hope it's tydan..

[Justinm 3]

8 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

The wick liner actually looks nice. Might go that route next. 

Also nice to see that they raised the height on the steel. I wonder who is gonna be making steel from them here on in. I hope it's tydan..

The height makes a huge difference in feel on the ice for me. The originals were kind of shaky when leaning in hard. Also I would told that Trues deal with Step is status quo......

[IPv6Freely 2093]

12 hours ago, Stewie said:

Love the pouch, have one, but the shift steel has a part that sticks up taller than the zipper so it cannot he zipped shut. Could potentially look into replacing the zipper with some other closure system, but I also work around lots of nice 3D printers and foam so making my own wouldn’t be too hard either. 

Wow, really? And it was actually made oversized for goalie steel 😆 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Wow, really? And it was actually made oversized for goalie steel 😆 

Not that big a surprise.  Mine is a tight squeeze for CXN holder steel (new, Step).  It fits, but there's no extra room.

Mark

[darkhors 88]

15 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I use this:

https://prosharp.us/collections/accessories/products/blade-bag

I use the Nash steel pouch and it works perfectly with them. No issues at all.

https://www.hockeymonkey.com/nash-hockey-accessories-skate-blade-pouch.html

[darkhors 88]

12 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Also nice to see that they raised the height on the steel. I wonder who is gonna be making steel from them here on in. I hope it's tydan..

It seems like the logical choice would be Tydan as they source the same steel as Step does and they're not tied to an OEM. Flare also uses the same steel, but obviously there's a bit of difference in what they're producing and what Step/Tydan do. I would be super bummed if they went with Massive or something else. I have a feeling though, that Tydan will ultimately be the one since they are already heavy into the NHL market.

12 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

The wick liner actually looks nice. Might go that route next. 

I went with the wick liner and I'm very happy with it so far. It's very similar to the liner I had in my X90's so for me it was a smooth transition.

 

As for the black steel being taller, how much of your regular steel was taken off for profiling? I suspect that the difference in size isn't going to be very big once they profile those and sharpen them. I bet they'll be pretty close to the same. 

[Sniper9 530]

39 minutes ago, darkhors said:

It seems like the logical choice would be Tydan as they source the same steel as Step does and they're not tied to an OEM. Flare also uses the same steel, but obviously there's a bit of difference in what they're producing and what Step/Tydan do. I would be super bummed if they went with Massive or something else. I have a feeling though, that Tydan will ultimately be the one since they are already heavy into the NHL market.

I went with the wick liner and I'm very happy with it so far. It's very similar to the liner I had in my X90's so for me it was a smooth transition.

 

As for the black steel being taller, how much of your regular steel was taken off for profiling? I suspect that the difference in size isn't going to be very big once they profile those and sharpen them. I bet they'll be pretty close to the same. 

From the pics I've seen the black steel he had is def taller and not because it hasn't been profiled. U can see the blacksteel he has is slightly different in that the hole in the rear hook is even smaller. 

[Justinm 3]

1 hour ago, darkhors said:

It seems like the logical choice would be Tydan as they source the same steel as Step does and they're not tied to an OEM. Flare also uses the same steel, but obviously there's a bit of difference in what they're producing and what Step/Tydan do. I would be super bummed if they went with Massive or something else. I have a feeling though, that Tydan will ultimately be the one since they are already heavy into the NHL market.

I went with the wick liner and I'm very happy with it so far. It's very similar to the liner I had in my X90's so for me it was a smooth transition.

 

As for the black steel being taller, how much of your regular steel was taken off for profiling? I suspect that the difference in size isn't going to be very big once they profile those and sharpen them. I bet they'll be pretty close to the same. 

The black steel and the regular had both been profiled before that photo so I would say it is significantly larger probably 3/4s of a normal size step opposed to the original 1/2 

[darkhors 88]

1 hour ago, Sniper9 said:

From the pics I've seen the black steel he had is def taller and not because it hasn't been profiled. U can see the blacksteel he has is slightly different in that the hole in the rear hook is even smaller. 

Yeah I didn't even notice that when I looked at it the first time. That's good news though, because I'm looking to pick up 2 sets over the summer.

[Larry54 243]

3 hours ago, Justinm said:

The black steel and the regular had both been profiled before that photo so I would say it is significantly larger probably 3/4s of a normal size step opposed to the original 1/2 

Isn't the True holder taller than other holders to allow for the use of shorter (height-wise) and thus lighter steel? What next, skating on stilts? Isn't there a point of diminishing returns with respect to height's effect on agility? Personally, I prefer to have the shortest steel possible with a bit of leeway that won't cause my boot to hit the ice on sharp turns .

Edited March 6, 2020 by Larry54

[Sniper9 530]

4 minutes ago, Larry54 said:

Isn't the True holder taller than other holders to allow for the use of shorter (height-wise) and thus lighter steel? What next, skating on stilts? Isn't there a point of diminishing returns with respect to height's effect on agility? Personally, I prefer to have the shortest steel possible with a bit of leeway that won't cause my boot to hit the ice on sharp turns .

I think it was s mistake to have made the holder taller and steel shorter just to save weight. Having steel that short really kills the potential to have them profiled more than once and really decreases the lifespan. Ya, they give you two hit that just means profiling two sets. If I'm gonna order another pair of Trues, I'd stick with the CCM holders anyways. 

[Justinm 3]

1 hour ago, Larry54 said:

Isn't the True holder taller than other holders to allow for the use of shorter (height-wise) and thus lighter steel? What next, skating on stilts? Isn't there a point of diminishing returns with respect to height's effect on agility? Personally, I prefer to have the shortest steel possible with a bit of leeway that won't cause my boot to hit the ice on sharp turns .

I think that was the initial idea but after a neutral to slightly progressive profile those blades were cutting it to close. Tbh I do not notice a difference with the holder height and my new profile with the V2 Blacksteel. Quite nice and no not on stilts 

[nfrechette 0]

Has anyone else had issues with the new Step Steel Black blades cracking. I have had two blades crack in the same exact spot right under the blue trigger of the new shift holder. I officiate at a high level, but would expect this steel to be strong enough to maintain its structural integrity. I also ripped through the top eyelet half way through the season. Not sure if a skate sliced it or not. The comfort of the true skate is amazing, however I might just be going back to CCM, based on the inability for Trues to last me a full season.

 

 

[althoma1 575]

The broken steel is likely caused by a misaligned holder; especially if they're breaking in the same spot. Get a knowledgeable shop to check the holder mount (to see that it's straight and also check that there are no loose rivets) or mail them to JR Boucicaut if you don't trust the shops nearby (if you mention your location, members may be able to point you to some competent local help). If the holders are properly mounted and aren't warped,  you definitely shouldn't have steel constantly breaking. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by althoma1

[Giltis 116]

37 minutes ago, althoma1 said:

The broken steel is likely caused by a mismounted holder; especially if they're breaking in the same spot. Get a knowledgeable shop to check the holder mount (to see that it's straight and also check that there are no loose rivets) or mail them to JR Boucicaut if you don't trust the shops nearby (if you mention your location, members may be able to point you to some competent local help). If the holders are properly mounted and aren't warped,  you definitely shouldn't have steel constantly breaking. 

This is what happened to my friend with his mid-level Bauers, his steel kept on snapping near the same spot. We thought it was the steel quality (esp. due to the Bauer steel reputation at the time), but turns out his holders were damaged/misaligned somehow and causing a stress point, and so any little impact would cause it to fail.  

[eugene8080 0]

On 4/7/2016 at 10:09 AM, methosb said:

I got the clamp at some local hardware store (I live in Hong Kong so I can't give you a store name useful to you). I just used my wife's hair dryer as it is a pretty powerful one, you can use a h leat gun if you can get ahold of one. The clamp does try to slip off so I just put pressure on the back of it to stop it from slipping backwards. You gotta hold it there for a good 15mins though to make sure it cools down and hardens with the clamp squeezed in. 

I do live in Hong Kong and I also have problems with the heel lifting. I'm having trouble finding ratchet clamps that grip the boot correctly, Can you tell me where this store is in Hong Kong?  I'm also ordering the Stable 26 socks to see if that will fix this problem.

[nfrechette 0]

2 hours ago, althoma1 said:

The broken steel is likely caused by a misaligned holder; especially if they're breaking in the same spot. Get a knowledgeable shop to check the holder mount (to see that it's straight and also check that there are no loose rivets) or mail them to JR Boucicaut if you don't trust the shops nearby (if you mention your location, members may be able to point you to some competent local help). If the holders are properly mounted and aren't warped,  you definitely shouldn't have steel constantly breaking. 

Hey thanks for this info. The equipment manager of the team I was reffing for is taking off the shift holders and replacing them with lightspeed triggers. It will make it more manageable should I have skate issues, like i did yesterday. The team skates on LS steel and holders and we had huge issues with my skates during the game yesterday and no step steel to work with. Thanks again for the info!

[Sniper9 530]

9 hours ago, eugene8080 said:

I do live in Hong Kong and I also have problems with the heel lifting. I'm having trouble finding ratchet clamps that grip the boot correctly, Can you tell me where this store is in Hong Kong?  I'm also ordering the Stable 26 socks to see if that will fix this problem.

You shouldn't need stable socks for a custom skate otherwise they weren't made properly for you. It's been discussed in this thread regarding how the true skates may feel a bit more roomier in the heel as the pocket is deeper to allow a deeper knee bend. The clamp will only help is the heel pocket is too wide. 

Did u heat mould using the stretch wrap technique? If not, I would do that first as that method really eliminates every ounce of negative space. 

[darkhors 88]

18 hours ago, nfrechette said:

Hey thanks for this info. The equipment manager of the team I was reffing for is taking off the shift holders and replacing them with lightspeed triggers. It will make it more manageable should I have skate issues, like i did yesterday. The team skates on LS steel and holders and we had huge issues with my skates during the game yesterday and no step steel to work with. Thanks again for the info!

If you're switching to something other than the shift holder, I'd recommend the XS holder. The Bauer holders are soft and you're likely to see play in them if you're on the ice as much as you say. The new XS holders are really nice and you'll have the benefit of being able to use Step instead of the garbage that Bauer makes. You're going to have to drill new holes anyway, but the XS are the way to go if you're going to switch.

[methosb 5]

19 hours ago, eugene8080 said:

I do live in Hong Kong and I also have problems with the heel lifting. I'm having trouble finding ratchet clamps that grip the boot correctly, Can you tell me where this store is in Hong Kong?  I'm also ordering the Stable 26 socks to see if that will fix this problem.

I think I got it at Ironman hardware store in Tai Kok Tsui. 21 Beech St. That was some years ago though.