VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[IPv6Freely 2082]

16 minutes ago, GregHenn19 said:

Love the Skates, They Feel Unreal, Just a Question? Mine are extremely hard to get on and off. Like it hurts. They feel unreal when im out skating, just tough to get them On especially. Anyone else have this issue? 

For putting them on, I use a shoe horn. Taking them off I fully unlace 3 eyelets.

I also warmed them up, stuck a softball in the opening and tossed them in the freezer. That opened them up just a bit.

[greyskull 21]

11 hours ago, GregHenn19 said:

Love the Skates, They Feel Unreal, Just a Question? Mine are extremely hard to get on and off. Like it hurts. They feel unreal when im out skating, just tough to get them On especially. Anyone else have this issue? 

OHHHH YEAH!

 

You gotta put your foot in sidewise and rotate the boot, as opposed to just shoving it straight in like an off-the-shelf boot.

 

See Scott show you how.
 

 

[IPv6Freely 2082]

Hey @GregHenn19 looks like you tried to use photobucket. Don’t. It’s junk. Stick to imgur.com

[Sniper9 517]

Anyone have any success using the ratchet clamp technique for a better heel lock?  I want to do it for my right skate but don't want to potentially damage anything. I emailed true regarding how many times one can bake their skates and they said up to eight times which is a good thing, but obviously I don't want to keep hearing them to if I don't have to.

Right now I'm not sure if my mind is playing games on me or not. My right foot seems to be more sensitive in terms of sensory reception. Like I pay more attention to it than my left. Even when I walk in shoes it feels like my right heel moves more. Not sure if it's because my right ankle is less stable due to a previous injury therefore it feels more sloppy or if the heel lock does need to be a touch tighter. 

Anyways on another note, I ordered black tuuks and step black steel. I couldn't resist..... I regret not just getting the boot, but then again I wouldn't have gotten the heel cup :p

[Sniper9 517]

12 hours ago, GregHenn19 said:

Love the Skates, They Feel Unreal, Just a Question? Mine are extremely hard to get on and off. Like it hurts. They feel unreal when im out skating, just tough to get them On especially. Anyone else have this issue? 

If you haven't you need to watch all the YouTube videos for the skate on Trues page. They are helpful. If you aren't unlacing at least the first two eyelets, and loosening the laces completey, you need to be doing that as well. Don't be cranking on ur skate to try to get it off. I have a pretty tight wrap and I am able to put on and take of the skates without much issue if I do what i stated above. 

Oh, and remember to pull the tongue forward away from the boot when you put them on and off. 

Edited December 8, 2017 by Sniper9

[AfftonDad 88]

5 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Anyone have any success using the ratchet clamp technique for a better heel lock?  I want to do it for my right skate but don't want to potentially damage anything. I emailed true regarding how many times one can bake their skates and they said up to eight times which is a good thing, but obviously I don't want to keep hearing them to if I don't have to.

Right now I'm not sure if my mind is playing games on me or not. My right foot seems to be more sensitive in terms of sensory reception. Like I pay more attention to it than my left. Even when I walk in shoes it feels like my right heel moves more. Not sure if it's because my right ankle is less stable due to a previous injury therefore it feels more sloppy or if the heel lock does need to be a touch tighter. 

Anyways on another note, I ordered black tuuks and step black steel. I couldn't resist..... I regret not just getting the boot, but then again I wouldn't have gotten the heel cup :p

I've used the clamps on the heel. It works well. I made the clamps a little tighter than I would have really wanted them because it returns a little bit to it's previous position after you take the clamps off. I used it on insteps as well to get rid of a tiny bit of space there that was causing a bit of a sucking sound/feel when I would stride forward (maybe that's just the sound of me sucking so bad) . It was a really slight thing that was just messing with my head more than anything else. I do one skate at a time. I don't like being rushed and feeling like one skate has cooled down while i am working on the other one.

Edited December 8, 2017 by AfftonDad

[Sniper9 517]

53 minutes ago, AfftonDad said:

I've used the clamps on the heel. It works well. I made the clamps a little tighter than I would have really wanted them because it returns a little bit to it's previous position after you take the clamps off. I used it on insteps as well to get rid of a tiny bit of space there that was causing a bit of a sucking sound/feel when I would stride forward (maybe that's just the sound of me sucking so bad) . It was a really slight thing that was just messing with my head more than anything else. I do one skate at a time. I don't like being rushed and feeling like one skate has cooled down while i am working on the other one.

Thanks for the reply. I know there are video clips out there but you can't really see exactly where it is clamped except "not on the ankle bone". Are you able to post a pic and point out exactly where you clamped?

[Vet88 673]

3 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

Thanks for the reply. I know there are video clips out there but you can't really see exactly where it is clamped except "not on the ankle bone". Are you able to post a pic and point out exactly where you clamped?

You want to clamp in the area that is directly under the ankle bone, half way between the bottom of the ankle bone and the bottom of the foot. 

[Sniper9 517]

My issue may not be a heel lock issue then. It is snug and doesn't move side to side but for whatever reason it "feels" like it slightly lifts off the bottom of the skate by the heel when I push off. Like I said I don't know if it's in my head or actually the spring effect of the super feet insole.  When the skates are on, I don't feel any negative space at all. 

I am going to try a session out with the true insoles. Anyone still using the stick true insoles and like them?

 

[Reddevilpara 152]

Mine arrived here today. Ordered on 7 November and made it all the way to Doha, Qatar today. I've had my eyes on VH for a couple years now but didn't know how I'd get a pair since I work in Qatar and live in Thailand. I didn't trust the "tracing" method, but I guess it was meant to be. One of our Goalies in the League here is good friends with True's Pro Rep Jorg. He came out in early November to fit us. 13 guys bit and ordered. Most of the skates arrived this week. 4 guys have skated in them and were really happy. They echoed what everyone said, they fit great but feel different but in a good way. I'm really impressed with the build quality for what is pretty much a hand made product. Can't wait to bake them tomorrow, and skate in them in Tuesdays game. And as everyone has said, there is no way you'll get your foot in these things without baking them!

[chocks86 82]

15 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

My issue may not be a heel lock issue then. It is snug and doesn't move side to side but for whatever reason it "feels" like it slightly lifts off the bottom of the skate by the heel when I push off. Like I said I don't know if it's in my head or actually the spring effect of the super feet insole.  When the skates are on, I don't feel any negative space at all. 

I am going to try a session out with the true insoles. Anyone still using the stick true insoles and like them?

 

What you described about the heel lifting off the footbed slightly is a heel lock issue. That means that possibly the heel of the skate is slightly too wide on that foot. Try the True insoles and if that doesn't make a difference, try what Vet 88 suggested, which you will probably have better luck with. 

Edited December 9, 2017 by chocks86

[Sniper9 517]

3 hours ago, chocks86 said:

What you described about the heel lifting off the footbed slightly is a heel lock issue. That means that possibly the heel of the skate is slightly too wide on that foot. Try the True insoles and if that doesn't make a difference, try what Vet 88 suggested, which you will probably have better luck with. 

Thanks!

[Larry54 243]

I have a little tip for later VH skates, and True skates if they stayed the same as the VH skates. The velcro under the strip that attaches to the tongue extends into the toe cap all the way to the tip of the toes. My liner socks would get snagged by the velcro hooks and would probably eventually get runs and wear out prematurely. So I got some thick felt insoles at the dollar store and cut out some pieces to stick to the velcro on the ceiling of the toe cap. They stick well enough to the velcro so no glue is required. They also sort of act like powerfoot inserts and make the toe cap nice and comfy.

Edited December 11, 2017 by Larry54

[xfrost11 0]

Does the vh holder have a forward pitch or is it relatively neutral? I've got a pair on the way and I want to get a set of runners profiled in advance. I'm skating on a 8'/12' combo radius with a 0.5 degree forward pitch on com jetspeeds right now.

[Sniper9 517]

5 hours ago, xfrost11 said:

Does the vh holder have a forward pitch or is it relatively neutral? I've got a pair on the way and I want to get a set of runners profiled in advance. I'm skating on a 8'/12' combo radius with a 0.5 degree forward pitch on com jetspeeds right now.

It has a slight forward pitch. I would suggest getting it profiled while it's mounted. I had a quad zero profile while mounted and it didn't feel much different than when I had my old Bauer's profiled to that. 

I did however, go and order black tuuks and step black steel 😁

[xfrost11 0]

13 hours ago, Sniper9 said:

It has a slight forward pitch. I would suggest getting it profiled while it's mounted. I had a quad zero profile while mounted and it didn't feel much different than when I had my old Bauer's profiled to that. 

I did however, go and order black tuuks and step black steel 😁

Thanks! I live in SoCal and it's hard to find a shop that does custom profiling, so I've been having it done mail-order. The big box shops don't do it (and I don't think I'd trust them anyway) and most of our rinks don't have proshops anymore.  How do you like the quad radius?

[Sniper9 517]

8 hours ago, xfrost11 said:

Thanks! I live in SoCal and it's hard to find a shop that does custom profiling, so I've been having it done mail-order. The big box shops don't do it (and I don't think I'd trust them anyway) and most of our rinks don't have proshops anymore.  How do you like the quad radius?

I like it. It gives you are best of both worlds in terms of a forward pitch, easy turning, and I feel a lot more stable skating backwards. All without really sacrificing the other as with traditional profiling. 

[Reddevilpara 152]

Played a game in mine last night. What an awesome skate! Took me about half the first period to get used to them. Amazing how stable they feel.  I'm happy with the Step Holder and Steel.

The skate goes exactly where you foot goes. In all my years of Hockey I've never had a skate remotely close. I'm pretty happy!

[Sniper9 517]

After rebaking the right skate and using the clamp method, my issue is still there and has improved only minimally. I even tried the true insole as well. Not sure exactly what to do next.

I emailed True to see what they suggest. I have a feeling they will tell me to double up on the red footbed. I don't have a problem with that if it works, but the only issue with that is my left is fine and I'm hesitant on thickening only one footbed and not the other. And if I do the left it may alter the fit of the left negatively.

Overall it's still a very comfortable and high performing skate and fits way better than any other skate I have worn in the past. But because the skate is so responsive, you tend to get a lot more sensory feedback from your feet, so you notice the smallest things. 😶. 

Anyways, still pretty happy with the purchase. 

Been on a total of two stick and pucks so far, and even though there's no real "break in" necessary for the skates in terms of comfort. There definitely is going to be some adjustment time just for the overall feel for the skate. 

Next post will be when I get the Black ls2 edge holders and step black steel mounted 😁

 

Edited December 13, 2017 by Sniper9

[KennyWu 23]

Delivery date first -- Ordered mine and received in 3 weeks and 6 days.

Sizing

I only got the boot, so it did not come with the heel cup. Also opted for the classic tongue (all black) with no options. Scan and questionnaire was great, the lovely lady had a pair and got a lot of detailed information.

Baking

Once they arrived I ended up going to Skater's Performance in Newmarket (A+++) and mounted Tuuk Edges with regular Step Steel. Profiled 9' ft with 1/2 inch. Fitted and baked following Hillsy and True's video instructions, no issues. Randy at Skater's Performance did a number of True skates before and knew a lot. There was another pair of Trues in that the user was looking to remove the Step holder for an LS and his boots were looking pretty good despite all the scuffs on the holder.

I did end up going to 96" laces because the stock True ones were way too long. Went with cotton laces for the first time in decades based on user experiences in this thread.

I think I had a 270 before and these ones are 262.

The build was a little messy, there was extra glue spots and drips. There is some hardened thread sticking up. Did not look as polished as the one in the store or summerjam. No complaints as long as it doesn't fall apart.

Putting them on

The first skate was at a shinny where no one showed up except myself and a goalie. It took a lot longer to put on the boot because the tongue kept on pressuring a bone/nerve on my right foot. I had to adjust the tongue a bit. May take out the red footbed for tonight's game to test.

The foot goes in easily if you slide it in sideways. The last 3 eyelets take some work to get the laces through. I barely had to tie the skates because it's so snug.

Initial impressions 

I'm 5'9" and wear APX2 13" junior shins so there was almost no overlap between the tongues and the shins. A little concerning so I will have to move the tongues up or play with my 14" shinguards.

The skate required 0 break in, fit like a slipper on ice. It was more snug than my Supremes (190 and 180s). No heel lock issues. No noticable differences on the 4 edges for the entire skate. Stops, crossovers, pivots and mohawks all felt good. I found the skate very reactive, so if there was a human error in a technique the response was instantly felt -- a little wobble, minor toe pick for example. I'll probably go to 5/8" cut next.

I had to get used to skating backwards/backward crossovers, similar to what another user observed a few pages ago.  Also had to get used to kick passing the puck.

These do not feel like new skates, they feel like they are broken in already.

After the skate no pain. The right foot was a little sore, especially in the area where the bone/nerve got pinched by the tongue.

First conclusion

I'm happy with the purchase. I don't think it will make me faster or better but the heel lock issue is gone. They do take a while to put on so be advised no more arriving at games when the Zamboni has only 5 laps left.

[Buddy 7]

1 hour ago, 02m3smg said:

Delivery date first -- Ordered mine and received in 3 weeks and 6 days.

Sizing

I only got the boot, so it did not come with the heel cup. Also opted for the classic tongue (all black) with no options. Scan and questionnaire was great, the lovely lady had a pair and got a lot of detailed information.

Baking

Once they arrived I ended up going to Skater's Performance in Newmarket (A+++) and mounted Tuuk Edges with regular Step Steel. Profiled 9' ft with 1/2 inch. Fitted and baked following Hillsy and True's video instructions, no issues. Randy at Skater's Performance did a number of True skates before and knew a lot. There was another pair of Trues in that the user was looking to remove the Step holder for an LS and his boots were looking pretty good despite all the scuffs on the holder.

I did end up going to 96" laces because the stock True ones were way too long. Went with cotton laces for the first time in decades based on user experiences in this thread.

I think I had a 270 before and these ones are 262.

The build was a little messy, there was extra glue spots and drips. There is some hardened thread sticking up. Did not look as polished as the one in the store or summerjam. No complaints as long as it doesn't fall apart.

Putting them on

The first skate was at a shinny where no one showed up except myself and a goalie. It took a lot longer to put on the boot because the tongue kept on pressuring a bone/nerve on my right foot. I had to adjust the tongue a bit. May take out the red footbed for tonight's game to test.

The foot goes in easily if you slide it in sideways. The last 3 eyelets take some work to get the laces through. I barely had to tie the skates because it's so snug.

Initial impressions 

I'm 5'9" and wear APX2 13" junior shins so there was almost no overlap between the tongues and the shins. A little concerning so I will have to move the tongues up or play with my 14" shinguards.

The skate required 0 break in, fit like a slipper on ice. It was more snug than my Supremes (190 and 180s). No heel lock issues. No noticable differences on the 4 edges for the entire skate. Stops, crossovers, pivots and mohawks all felt good. I found the skate very reactive, so if there was a human error in a technique the response was instantly felt -- a little wobble, minor toe pick for example. I'll probably go to 5/8" cut next.

I had to get used to skating backwards/backward crossovers, similar to what another user observed a few pages ago.  Also had to get used to kick passing the puck.

These do not feel like new skates, they feel like they are broken in already.

After the skate no pain. The right foot was a little sore, especially in the area where the bone/nerve got pinched by the tongue.

First conclusion

I'm happy with the purchase. I don't think it will make me faster or better but the heel lock issue is gone. They do take a while to put on so be advised no more arriving at games when the Zamboni has only 5 laps left.

Great to hear. Keep us posted as you skate on them more and if you come across any issues.

Awaiting on my pair still, hopefully arrive soon. Ordered on 11/3/17

[KennyWu 23]

Buddy: Where you located? Should get them soon I hope!

 

Update:

Before the game my foot was still a little sore so I played around with the right boot -- removed red sole, tried different socks/no sock and moved the tongue up and down to no avail.

Ended up playing the game with 1st to 5th eyelets super loose and top 3 tied 50%. Not ideal and it took away from the responsiveness of the skate. I would have switched back to my old Bauers if I brought them.

After the game I had pain where the bone/nerve got pinched by the tongue. The tongue is the low profile one which is "thinner and stiffer than our standard model and ideal for higher volume feet".

I contacted True to see if they have any suggestions, i'm guessing the standard softer tongue should resolve this. Hopefully just a minor blip.

 

[Buddy 7]

2 minutes ago, 02m3smg said:

Buddy: Where you located? Should get them soon I hope!

 

Update:

Before the game my foot was still a little sore so I played around with the right boot -- removed red sole, tried different socks/no sock and moved the tongue up and down to no avail.

Ended up playing the game with 1st to 5th eyelets super loose and top 3 tied 50%. Not ideal and it took away from the responsiveness of the skate. I would have switched back to my old Bauers if I brought them.

After the game I had pain where the bone/nerve got pinched by the tongue. The tongue is the low profile one which is "thinner and stiffer than our standard model and ideal for higher volume feet".

I contacted True to see if they have any suggestions, i'm guessing the standard softer tongue should resolve this. Hopefully just a minor blip.

 

I'm located in Mass, but I purchased them through TSR Hockey in Salem NH. Today (12/15/17) marks 6 weeks from the scan date

[Sniper9 517]

2 hours ago, 02m3smg said:

Buddy: Where you located? Should get them soon I hope!

 

Update:

Before the game my foot was still a little sore so I played around with the right boot -- removed red sole, tried different socks/no sock and moved the tongue up and down to no avail.

Ended up playing the game with 1st to 5th eyelets super loose and top 3 tied 50%. Not ideal and it took away from the responsiveness of the skate. I would have switched back to my old Bauers if I brought them.

After the game I had pain where the bone/nerve got pinched by the tongue. The tongue is the low profile one which is "thinner and stiffer than our standard model and ideal for higher volume feet".

I contacted True to see if they have any suggestions, i'm guessing the standard softer tongue should resolve this. Hopefully just a minor blip.

 

I had some pinching from my tongue on my lower shin right above my inside ankle bone where the edge of the inside of the tongue ended and met the inside of the boot. It caused some rubbing but nothing major. One way to resolve it is to take a heat gun and gently decrease the wrap at the eyelets around your ankle area ,assuming that's where you are having the problem.  I since rebaked my skate and made sure I didn't crank on the wrap in the eyelet area on the top part of the skate, but just made sure it was snug around the ankle bone. 

FIRST GAME PLAYED 

I played an actual game and the skates are so responsive. I didn't even feel tired after each shift and after the game. I felt my stop and go was effortless.  I felt a bit clumsy a couple times but nothing major. 

RIGHT SKATE ISSUE

I did notice my previously mentioned right skate issue still. Although when I take strides and skate I don't really feel it. Mainly when walking in them, and if I focus on it on certain movements like putting my weight down on the skate. Best way to describe it is it feels a bit spongey. I ended up going home and re baking it a third time. This time I wore thinner socks during the molding so it would create a snugger fit. Also, instead doing what Scott briefly does when ensuring the wrap and fit, I actually pushed the sides of the boot upward to make the boot mold more narrow, especially on the inside part of the skate.  I figure this will provide a narrower fit as opposed to pushing the boot on the sides and top etc. I basically pushed in on the sides from the bottom, and kept pressure on it and moved up towards the eyelets as if I was trying to draw air bubbles out from the bottom of the boot to the top, if they makes sense. 

I tried it on again this morning and it feels better but still noticed some play in the inner arch. I then started to really analyze my feet and BINGO. My right foot is noticeably more pronated than my left but only when weight is placed on it.  There is some pronation with my left foot but the pronation  stops at a certain point even with all my weight placed on the left foot. With the right foot, it will pronate with some weight, and then my ankle and arch will completey collapse when all my weight is down.  I then realized that the sloppy feeling is because my right ankle pronates more. I did a bunch or lunges and put pressure on my foot as if I was pushing off for strides and it was interesting to see that while my left foot was more or less stable and the weight distribution was fairly even, when I did the same movement on my right foot you can see the arch collapse and the ankle really fall inwards. That's the exact feeling I was getting in the right skate.  The "loose feeling was actually the inside of my arch/foot turning over. 

So I don't know if the skates are so custom that it would account for something like over pronation to my extent. The 3d scanning is done in a static position and I would assume depending how I was positioned with my right foot when the scan was taken, it could be the reason for the fit issue I am having. I am going to see if my latest bake minimized the issue so that it doesn't play with my head, if not I have extra red footbeds on its way from true. I may be forced to use those to make a diy wedges to prevent my arch from collapsing. Mind you I do have the superfeet carbon pros in the skates already. 

Sorry for the long post but in the event that someone encounters something similar to me, at least this could be of some help. 

I also ordered a pair of Powerfoot for the toes. I know I could slide the tongues down more to minimize the space in the toe cap, but I like the height of my tongue right now. 

 

Edited December 15, 2017 by Sniper9

[Zac911 317]

On 12/12/2017 at 11:57 PM, Reddevilpara said:

Played a game in mine last night. What an awesome skate! Took me about half the first period to get used to them. Amazing how stable they feel.  I'm happy with the Step Holder and Steel.

The skate goes exactly where you foot goes. In all my years of Hockey I've never had a skate remotely close. I'm pretty happy!

This is exactly what I experienced as well.  In all my years of playing I have been trying to get this feel from my skates-  Comfort,  Fit,  Balance and Range of Motion-  You just point them where you want to go and they GO.