VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[boo10 323]

1 hour ago, Tucker16 said:

Sorry for long post 

Hi guys. I’ve read the entire 252 page post (I need a hobby). But I really am excited for these. 

i previously have worn Bauer total ones and these awful nexus skates (havok or something). Basically I didn’t do my research. I didn’t play for 6 years due to life and previous injuries playing so my total ones no longer fit and were badly damaged. I wanted a mid to high tier skate that’s full composite. Nothing fit. Period. The nexus EE ones I got were the only ones that didn’t crush by my pinky toes in the forefoot and along the outside edge of my foot. Little did I know how bad these were going to be. 

 

I was told they were heat mouldable and would be good when they broke in. I had them punched more in the trouble area. I basically have to have them loose in that area crank them at the top. My heels don’t lock. No lace locks, powefoot, stable 26 socks, tape, super feet, lace bite guards and ankle supports can ever get my heel to stop lifting and my ankle shifting. I have to retie them after every shift. The store I got them from refused to do anything about it than sell some crappy solutions and mould them 2 more times to no avail. There is no padding above the heel and ankle. It’s basically flat. I’m pretty certain you shouldn’t be able to squish the boot with your hands, my total ones didn’t do that. I can’t turn. Can’t crossover. Have zero edge control. Nothing is working. 

 

Finally went to a good shop and they said they have zero idea how I’m even skating on these. They are such a low end boot they’re shocked I haven’t broken my foot Or ankle. No amount of heat moulding makes these useable. For a Sunday skate maybe… I was floored. They were like $500. Once again. Nothing retail fits my duck feet. Tiny heel huge wide forefoot. They sadly didn’t offer true so I went to pro hockey. I realize I have no hope to ever skate again without custom skates. As a kid 6-15 playing hockey I remember pain but nothing like these nexus skates. 

 

So I went to pro hockey and got scanned on the 23rd of JUNE. Just got I think the TF Pro tongue, shift holder with step steel, clarino liner, embroidery and just the black accents. Very standard. They told me usually 2-5 weeks. Sweet. Soon my issues will be solved! My summer league had started but I know the end is near for my feet. 

 

It is now august 13 and I still have not received them. I have been in contact with the shop (it is not at all their fault) and they have not been able to get a response to why I don’t have the skates yet. On their end they have sent and true has got the scans and stuff. 3 managers I’ve talked to are stunned and honestly confused. I am still attempting to use my old skates but they are ruining my ankles. The pain is so bad on my left one after playing it hurts for days. I was so desperate last week I almost went and bought another pair of something retail used that’s not these it’s that bad. I had to stop myself and be like NO you just spent 1200 on skates. I don’t think I’ll even play until I get them. And it’s been almost a year because of covid. All ready dropped out of the drop in league I was in from the pain and being basically unable to skate

 

Does anyone know what is going on? Has anyone else experienced  this kind of delay? 

 

I ordered True customs through PHL a couple years ago, and the process was not smooth at all.  PHL does not do things the same as other True fitters, and getting info about your order is difficult.  You basically have to hound both PHL customer service and True customer service.  Eventually someone will find out where your order is.  The one good thing about going through PHL is when True royally screwed up the sizing on my order, PHL just gave me a refund right away.  Any other retailer would not refund your money.

[Tucker16 37]

18 minutes ago, althoma1 said:

I haven't bought custom Trues, but I do know that True has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on the TF9s and TF7s. You could buy wide and see if those will work for you. You can use them for a couple of weeks anyway - if your customs come in then you can just return them for a full refund. If somehow your custom order wasn't processed properly then perhaps you can get a refund on that if the TF7s or TF9s in W work for you feet (they're fairly wide in the forefoot, but still provide good heel lock...they aren't Nexus EE wide though). 

Oh that’s a great idea. If I don’t have them by Thursday (my only day off, I will go to the PHL that I ordered them from and pick up a pair and try it. It’s an hour and half away or id do it today. 

 

3 minutes ago, boo10 said:

I ordered True customs through PHL a couple years ago, and the process was not smooth at all.  PHL does not do things the same as other True fitters, and getting info about your order is difficult.  You basically have to hound both PHL customer service and True customer service.  Eventually someone will find out where your order is.  The one good thing about going through PHL is when True royally screwed up the sizing on my order, PHL just gave me a refund right away.  Any other retailer would not refund your money.

Good to know. But yeah if I don’t get them by Thursday I am going to drive down there. I’m not impressed at all. Sigh. Still on the fence about playing Sunday. The pain is just awful. I wish there was a solution so I don’t have to do this for a few more weeks. Any suggestions on what I can do to make my nexus work for a couple games?

[Sniper9 530]

You should be able to track the process online. You get an email sent to you by true confirming your order and the actual process and when they are shipped etc. If not, then it's on PHL. 

[Sniper9 530]

4 hours ago, althoma1 said:

I haven't bought custom Trues, but I do know that True has a 30 day satisfaction guarantee on the TF9s and TF7s. You could buy wide and see if those will work for you. You can use them for a couple of weeks anyway - if your customs come in then you can just return them for a full refund. If somehow your custom order wasn't processed properly then perhaps you can get a refund on that if the TF7s or TF9s in W work for you feet (they're fairly wide in the forefoot, but still provide good heel lock...they aren't Nexus EE wide though). 

This is a good idea

[boo10 323]

43 minutes ago, Sniper9 said:

You should be able to track the process online. You get an email sent to you by true confirming your order and the actual process and when they are shipped etc. If not, then it's on PHL. 

Nope, PHL does not follow the normal ordering process so you can't track your order online.  I found this out when I ordered customs through PHL a couple years ago.

[Tucker16 37]

Yeah I got no emails in any box period 😕 god I wish I knew about the true TF9 trial period a month ago. But I assumed 2-4 weeks they’d be in my hands. 

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, Tucker16 said:

Yeah I got no emails in any box period 😕 god I wish I knew about the true TF9 trial period a month ago. But I assumed 2-4 weeks they’d be in my hands. 

Personally I'd go to your card company and get a refund. Hopefully u bought with credit card. It'll be easy to get your money back. If they cant prove the skate is in production. And not even an order number etc to follow-up with is Busch league 

[Tucker16 37]

19 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Personally I'd go to your card company and get a refund. Hopefully u bought with credit card. It'll be easy to get your money back. If they cant prove the skate is in production. And not even an order number etc to follow-up with is Busch league 

Yes I did that for the exact reason. If I don’t have any contact by Thursday (my only day off) I’m getting a refund and going to my fave local shop and ordering CCM customs. Reason I didn’t was price and how good I heard trues were. 

[Sniper9 530]

1 hour ago, Tucker16 said:

Yes I did that for the exact reason. If I don’t have any contact by Thursday (my only day off) I’m getting a refund and going to my fave local shop and ordering CCM customs. Reason I didn’t was price and how good I heard trues were. 

Or you can try the tf9 for 30 days lol. Custom ccms may not solve ur fit problems. 

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

A custom skate, by nature, should solve fit problems.

[Sniper9 530]

8 hours ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

A custom skate, by nature, should solve fit problems.

It doesn't always. 

[stick9 892]

10 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

It doesn't always. 

But it should. That's the point. If customs don't fix fit issues, its likely not a fit issue or the user has some misconceived notion that custom skates feel like Air Jordan's. 

[mojo122 535]

On 8/15/2021 at 4:23 PM, Buzz_LightBeer said:

A custom skate, by nature, should solve fit problems.

And I see those who fit just fine in a retail skate get customs and those that really should go custom get retails.

6 hours ago, stick9 said:

But it should. That's the point. If customs don't fix fit issues, its likely not a fit issue or the user has some misconceived notion that custom skates feel like Air Jordan's. 

Problem is there are way too many that have no clue as to how a skate should fit and feel.

[Sniper9 530]

On 8/16/2021 at 8:26 AM, stick9 said:

But it should. That's the point. If customs don't fix fit issues, its likely not a fit issue or the user has some misconceived notion that custom skates feel like Air Jordan's. 

It depends how the "custom" boot is made. If it's made inside out then yes it should fit.  But if it's a stock boot thats high pressure moulded onto your foot last, there still may be issues esp where there's connection points where toe cap meets quarter package etc. Lots of variables. 

[stick9 892]

On 8/17/2021 at 12:34 PM, Sniper9 said:

It depends how the "custom" boot is made. If it's made inside out then yes it should fit.  But if it's a stock boot thats high pressure moulded onto your foot last, there still may be issues esp where there's connection points where toe cap meets quarter package etc. Lots of variables. 

This is where the term custom gets muddy. The latter isn't really custom. It's a retail skate that's put through a better, more advanced baking process.

[Tucker16 37]

Sorry all I have is instagram

I broke my arm so I can’t play hockey yet with them but I’m going to public skate this weekend. They fit like a glove I. The store. They just slipped on so nice with the shoe horn and for the bake. They used the Saran Wrap too so I’m confident in the fit. Real excited. 

[Miller55 333]

Glad it worked out for you, nice update.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

On 8/25/2021 at 12:22 AM, Tucker16 said:

Sorry all I have is instagram

I broke my arm so I can’t play hockey yet with them but I’m going to public skate this weekend. They fit like a glove I. The store. They just slipped on so nice with the shoe horn and for the bake. They used the Saran Wrap too so I’m confident in the fit. Real excited. 

The finish looks so much better now, from the 1st gen True skates.

[Tucker16 37]

On 8/26/2021 at 1:56 AM, shoot_the_goalie said:

The finish looks so much better now, from the 1st gen True skates.

Oh 100%. There is no glue or defects I can see anywhere. I have put them on so far. I’m going to public skate tomorrow to see what they are like and get used to the pitch. I can even tell just standing in them it’s different. My arm is doing better so I may try to play Sunday and see what happens. I’m real excited.  

[Tucker16 37]

Ok sorry for another post but initial public skate impressions:

Pros:

-the amount of dog the DLC blades have with a less sharp hollow

-the control you have. It’s almost instinctive 

-I like the forward pitch. It’s strange feeling but I think I’ll really like it

-the wrap is unreal  hard to get on but it’s really form fitting 

 

cons:

-the arches are causing a blister on both feet in the same spot. I’ve removed the red footbed and it fits way better but I haven’t skated yet. 
-I felt my foot moved around more then it should. If I had the laces too tight my feet would tingle but loosening them wasn’t good either. Again red foot bed is gone to try In a game tomorrow

If the footbed removal doesn’t work I may have to spot heat them there. I am slightly concerned about my heel still kinda lifting but maybe it’s in my head 

[Leif 161]

On 8/17/2021 at 5:34 PM, Sniper9 said:

It depends how the "custom" boot is made. If it's made inside out then yes it should fit.  But if it's a stock boot thats high pressure moulded onto your foot last, there still may be issues esp where there's connection points where toe cap meets quarter package etc. Lots of variables. 

Regarding the second kind of custom skate, it’s not quite a retail skate as you can have different lengths and widths on each foot. Also we don’t know what slack they have in the width, it’s possible they can go wider or narrower than stock. But as you say, they use heat and pressure to mould to a custom last. In principle there could be feet that don’t suit this process as they are so far from stock.

I have custom Bauers, and I get minor pain on the side of my big toes where they rub against what I assume is the join between the quarter package and the toe cap. Or maybe the toe cap is a tad narrow. The discomfort goes after a few minutes skating, possibly because I go into a hockey stance and the feet pull back. The problem might be because I have flipper shaped feet. That said, the skates are amazing, the best I’ve ever worn by far. A friend has custom Trues, and his feet go numb. He has problem feet and says the Trues are the best skates he’s ever worn. 

I’ve had two Bauer scans, a few years apart, and the results were noticeably different. The second was for off the shelf inline skates. Of course with stock skates you can try on several pairs to check the scan. Would this make a difference with customs? No idea.

[Tucker16 37]

After 5 skates:

i am NOT happy at all

-these don’t feel custom. Extreme pain pushing on my arch so bad I can’t skate more then 5 min. 
-feet going numb but if I loosen then they almost  fall off. 
-very bad pain up the sides of my ankles towards my shin

after skate 4, I went back to PHL and they sold me on new super feet and he pulled the eyelets out. He said the super feet should stop the arch pain and the eyelets the numbness

skate number 5 and the numbness is just replaced by pain in the arch and the leg pain. It’s so severe I can’t skate. Even my awful nexus skates didn’t do this. I still have little confidence in turning or going   Fast due to the pain and when I loosen Then it’s just like my nexus’s. 
they said go one eyelet down. It was even worse 

 

I don’t even know where to go now. I’m going to go to my local shop instead of driving over an hour again today to spend more. $1300 and counting now. 

[dasuchin 20]

17 minutes ago, Tucker16 said:

After 5 skates:

i am NOT happy at all

-these don’t feel custom. Extreme pain pushing on my arch so bad I can’t skate more then 5 min. 
-feet going numb but if I loosen then they almost  fall off. 
-very bad pain up the sides of my ankles towards my shin

after skate 4, I went back to PHL and they sold me on new super feet and he pulled the eyelets out. He said the super feet should stop the arch pain and the eyelets the numbness

skate number 5 and the numbness is just replaced by pain in the arch and the leg pain. It’s so severe I can’t skate. Even my awful nexus skates didn’t do this. I still have little confidence in turning or going   Fast due to the pain and when I loosen Then it’s just like my nexus’s. 
they said go one eyelet down. It was even worse 

 

I don’t even know where to go now. I’m going to go to my local shop instead of driving over an hour again today to spend more. $1300 and counting now. 

That's a bummer. What you're describing with the arch pain is the whole reason I went with a pair of custom Trues. I couldn't find retail skates that didn't do that to my feet. Now I have no issues.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

39 minutes ago, Tucker16 said:

After 5 skates:

i am NOT happy at all

-these don’t feel custom. Extreme pain pushing on my arch so bad I can’t skate more then 5 min. 
-feet going numb but if I loosen then they almost  fall off. 
-very bad pain up the sides of my ankles towards my shin

after skate 4, I went back to PHL and they sold me on new super feet and he pulled the eyelets out. He said the super feet should stop the arch pain and the eyelets the numbness

skate number 5 and the numbness is just replaced by pain in the arch and the leg pain. It’s so severe I can’t skate. Even my awful nexus skates didn’t do this. I still have little confidence in turning or going   Fast due to the pain and when I loosen Then it’s just like my nexus’s. 
they said go one eyelet down. It was even worse 

 

I don’t even know where to go now. I’m going to go to my local shop instead of driving over an hour again today to spend more. $1300 and counting now. 

Just a suggestion before you give up:

-take the super feet out (they could just exacerbate the problem).  Take the red insoles out and just use the blues.  Wear super thin socks and have them rebake the skates.  Have them bake them good (I mean the boot should be soft, not just warm) and then have them put on your feet and laced up about 90%.  Tie them like you would when skating, so if you keep the bottom laces loose, top laces tight/loose, etc. and tie to top outlet.  Do not Saran Wrap this time and do not have them mold it by hand either.  Just sit there and let your feet do the work.  Then after baking, don't skate on them for 48 hours.  Finally, change out the laces with waxed laces.  PHL should do the re-bake for no charge, and the most this would cost you is a new pair of waxed laces.

It's very possible, from what you're describing, that they are wrapped too much around your foot and causing a bit too much friction/not enough give in spots.  Switching to waxed is so your wrap stays in place, when you "loosen up" the current wrap.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

Sorry for the double post, but also keep in mind Trues still need a break in period.  For me, it was much quicker than retail cause of their malleability when baking, but they are still very stiff skates and don’t feel really comfortable until about 3-4 hours of hard skating imho.