Why we wrap

A walk through of wrapping a true hockey skate and how it gives you a True Fit
experience.

[@brenthotham9610]

Another great video Joe

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

Nice video. I replaced my Bauer customs with TF9s. Only then did I realise why I couldn’t do many edge drills. Now I can do really nice forwards crossrolls, powerpulls and three turns, and my backwards crossrolls and powerpulls are coming on. Skate fit is critical. Even Bauer customs won’t fit some feet, like mine. Comfy, yes, supportive, no. Bauer customs as sold in the shops are really just stock skates, sized to each foot, with a bit of heat and pressure moulding. With a wide foot and narrow ankle like mine, the ankles won’t be supported laterally. The TF9s fit so well. I don’t need to really tighten the laces, honestly they feel almost loose, and yet I can feel and control the edges. I also skip the last from top eyelets. The only negative, they are hard to get on and off. One tip. Before wrapping, for each skate insert a shim between the top three eyelets and the tongue. Do this on the outer eyelets, not the inner ones. It helps a lot, at least with my foot shape. Without the shims, putting them on and taking them off is very painful.

[@TheBrad605]

I had a sick idea. Vacuum bags. I worked for the Dallas Stars in the 90's. We used to use a heat gun for about 15 minutes on the Vacu-Tacks. We put a rubber sleeve over the boot and a high powered vacuum would suck the rubber super tight around the boot molding it to the players foot. An Amazon vacuum bag would work, put a soaker on the blade, put foot/skate in bag and use the shrink wrap the help seal the top. Use your shop vac to suck the bag around. It worth a try for $25.

[@guru2899]

The Vacu-Tacks was and still is the most comfortable skate I've ever had.

[@upload638]

I know nothing about True custom skates, but my old feet are so bad I have no choice but to try them and if they don't work, I am done skating. I have access to Bauer custom skates for very cheap, but I keep hearing that True customs feel like shoes or something so if they are they best, I will buy True.

[@ethanbrocki5979]

Do they wrap it at every shop like pure hockey in the USA. I’ve always had problems with my heel lifting up a bit when skating if my skates weren’t really tight. Any suggestions on which skate I should get? I have a bit of a flat foot with an arch and toes are pretty wide and I’ve been wearing vapors and determining on what to get now for a new skate? Was looking at custom trues but there so pricey

[@bsharpottawa]

The True’s are pricey, but they’re worth it. If you’re in a Vapor, you should be able to get away with a pair of Catalyst 9/Pro skates without going full custom. The carbon one piece skate allows for the boot to be stretched wider and taller without compromising the structure of the skate. You’d be getting a W(wide) for sure. If you get the Cat Pro/SVH Custom, you’ll get the Genetx insole, which is super nice too.

[@ethanbrocki5979]

@@bsharpottawa alright thanks I appreciate it

[@maxwelln7296]

so I have a flat wide foot and have tried high end Bauer and ccm with nothing but pain. would these be a better option, or even the custom trues?

[@bsharpottawa]

The Wide would be a better option for you. And I’d say the Cat9 over the Cat7.

[@MTSLFilms]

Any recommendations on sizing for the TF9s and what width to go with? I've been hearing that the TF9s in particular fit about a half size larger than equivalent Bauer/CCM models. I normally wear a Ribcor 78K or Tacks 9080 in a 9EE and everything fits well except I could use a bit more depth on my in step as I often find myself have a hard time tightening down my laces there. Thanks!

[@bsharpottawa]

You would want a 8.5W in the TF9 most likely. If you download the True Hockey App on your phone, and scan your feet, it will give you the recommended size.

[@Paul-sq7lw]

@@bsharpottawa I think the app has been updated to reflect the Catalyst sizing.

[@bsharpottawa]

@@Paul-sq7lw it has. Because the TF and Catalyst skates fit differently

[@GianWang]

We use the same skates, i used to wear the tacks 9080's in EE, just got a pair of Catalyst 9's in a size 9.5 wide fit, the catalysts seem to run half a size bigger than the Ccm and Bauer counterparts

[@Chanmantroop10]

Can u do a review on the genetix insole. I don't get how the arch system works on them. It is moldable like speed plates?

[@bsharpottawa]

We can!

[@Chanmantroop10]

Do you heat the catalyst skates for about ten minutes too? The instructions for those only say 6 mins but it doesn't get anywhere near as pliable as ten minutes like it was for the tf customs

[@bsharpottawa]

It depends on the skate oven. If it’s a triangular “hockey skate oven” they get too hot after 6min and start melting the holders. A traditional skate oven is about 10min on a Cat9/Pro to heat the carbon properly. A little more if you need to give them some love in a spot or two

[@Chanmantroop10]

@@bsharpottawa would you say a convection oven at home it would be like a non triangular skate oven and 10 mins would be fine? I did 6 mins at home with the cat pros and the eyelets were only a bit pliable but nothing like your video here and nothing like my tf customs when I did them in my same oven for 10 mins

[@Anatoli8499]

I never seen any other skates but True wrapped. Do you guys example wrap Bauer's or Ccm's, or do they benefit been wrapped afrer heated?

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

No point doing that with Bauers, they barely heat mould.

[@lefertheloafer]

Hello! Is it procedure necessary for new Catalyst Pro or other Customs skates?

[@bsharpottawa]

All of the True skates, Stock or Custom, get wrapped.

[@lefertheloafer]

@@bsharpottawa , thanx for answer!

[@john808welk]

unfortunately these don't work for my narrow heel. I tried wrapping as tight as possible, clamps on the heel, and I never got a decent heel lock. Seems like they would be good for bigger heels though.

[@bsharpottawa]

They didn’t heat them enough for you then, or they for you too big. Which model did you try?

[@john808welk]

@@bsharpottawa I wish that were the case! 200 for 10 minutes in my convection oven, tried three sizes. Measured the heat and it stayed around 200 to whole time. Only size I could get anything remotely close to a heel lock was a size 7, and my toes were crunched. I am a size 9 in bauers! Tried to make them work for the last six months with rebakes, clamps, different socks, and nothing worked. For sure the most uncomfortable skates I have ever worn, but it is probably just my weird foot shape.

[@Paul-sq7lw]

@@john808welk Indeed. And they've got a massive toe box. The adjustable tongue of the TF might not have been working out the way they had hoped and it sounds like the Catalyst now have a smaller toe box off the shelf.

[@holy.mackinawww]

Do they have aggressive stance compared to other brands?

[@bsharpottawa]

Nope.

[@gwp1ohio]

should discuss sizes

[@AndrewAndZz]

What kind of wrap/tape do you use? Where can I get it?

[@bsharpottawa]

We buy stiffer than normal, 60 gauge stretch wrap from U-Line, in cases of 36 rolls

[@AndrewAndZz]

Got it, thanks@@bsharpottawa!

[@jasoncrown6023]

Do you know what the largest skate True can do a custom on? I'm currently wearing a Graf 705 and have worn 705's for better part of 15 years. I have a VERY flat foot. like, no arch. I also pronate a bit. Really wanting to move to something that is a bit lighter and also something that will likely breakdown much slower; though the leather construction of the Grafs is comfortable once you have it broken in.

[@bsharpottawa]

I’ll find out and get back to you

[@Paul-sq7lw]

In one of their videos, the guy said size 17.

[@TheBrad605]

An Ace bandage work great too. You can make the cloth bandage super tight and get a great fit. Back in the day CCM had Vaccu-Tacks, you used a heat gun to soften the skate than a bag went over the entire skate and a reverse air compressor suck the bag so tight your toes in the skate went purple. The best fir ever.

[@bsharpottawa]

That's been tried. They do not give you a snug enough fit for the proper molding of carbon boots. The wrap works better.

[@TheBrad605]

@@bsharpottawa All I know is I got VH sktaes a few years ago and the fit was off, Scott called me personally and he talked me threw using the ace bandage and it work perfectly. Plastic wrap has to much give.. Peace!!

[@Chanmantroop10]

@@TheBrad605 plastic wrap had literally no give if you'd wrap it around a good number of times. I challenge you to even try to flex your ankle with 15 rotations of wrap on the boot

[@koehlerjets]

Can you reheat skates if the fit isn’t to your liking?

[@bsharpottawa]

You sure can

[@joeroncettimusic]

Does anyone know where to find the wrapping materials? Thanks

[@bsharpottawa]

We buy ours bulk from a vendor, and we buy a stiffer material than what you get in a store, to get a better fit. Normally, you can find rolls at Staples or the Dollar Store that will work

[@andreylukyanov685]

How long do you warm up true custom skates?

[@bsharpottawa]

10-12 depending on the size

[@APar2008]

The TF was the most uncomfortable skate I’ve ever worn

[@bsharpottawa]

It’s a great skate

[@shaneepps2315]

@@bsharpottawa would you still recommend getting the TF9? They are on sale for 399 right now

[@bsharpottawa]

@@shaneepps2315 we have them on 25% sale(or if they aren’t on our website, they should be) as they are changing the TF line next year. They change designs every 2 years to update the look of their skates. Do i recommend them, for sure! The TF is a stiffer boot than the Catalyst, so keep that in mind

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

Must have been way off your size, or badly heat moulded. Mine are more comfortable than my Bauer customs, and my skating has improved markedly.

[@hockeyvideostudy3806]

Useless

[@tarasbelan6966]

Why so many people replace true holders with tuuks?

[@bsharpottawa]

Lack of knowledge about what the holders are, and because most of the time the people changing them are on a team. The team will usually be sponsored by CCM or Bauer, as True is kind of new to the market. Because of these sponsorships, there is usually a stock of the other holder steel so the players can have multiple pair. If it’s an individual, usually they have a number of spare steel they want to be able to use.