Larry54

Exactly! Even when the Canadian dollar was equal to the U.S. dollar, hockey equipment that was made in Canada at that time was sold at a higher price in Canada than in the U.S. because they went by what the market can bear. It's refreshing to see a Canadian manufacturer not exploit this.

If they did that, U.S. customers would be paying 10% less than they were 3.5 years ago, and Canadians would be paying 15% more than they did 3.5 years ago when the skates came out and when the dollars were at parity. As it is now, you're paying the same price that you were 3.5 years ago for a skate whose model has been continuously upgraded over that time, and shipping is now free (and the price hasn't gone up due to inflation, either). And Canadians are also paying the same price they were 3.5 years ago but still have to pay shipping and GST. So what's the problem? You're sad because Canadians aren't paying 25% more than you? And you're now getting free shipping to boot!

Larry Coryell

No problem. I assume the quote was your own response. I'm happy to see that the orthotics allowed you to get back to normal hollows. I'm always pleased to hear stories of how people succeed in overcoming problems that were preventing them from enjoying the sport that I love. Cheers!

^^^ I didn't write the above quote. ^^^

When I went from Bauer Flexlites to VH both on LS2 steel, I went from 1/2 to 5/8 and kept that for 3 years. With my new pair of VH skates with Step steel, I recently went to 11/16 and it's working very well for me. I don't know yet if I'll try 3/4 at the next sharpening. And for reference I only weigh 140-145 lbs.

Now you just have to find an eBay seller with exactly the same feet shape as you who is selling VH skates cheap and you'll be all set!

So do I, two different versions. The original version has a tongue that's stiff and becomes soft and pliable when it's heated, and hardens to the shape of the top of the foot when cool. That's thermoformable. My new pair has the felt tongue that's always soft and pliable whether it's warm or cold. That's not the definition of thermoformable.

Where did you get that information? The VH website says, "There are two tongue options with an adjustable position. The regular tongue is a traditional thick felt model, the custom tongue has a metatarsal guard consisting of formable plastic – either can be embroidered."

I initially baked the skates with about 3/4" of the tongue's velcro showing beyond the attaching strip . Afterwards I tried attaching the tongue further in so the end of the velcro strip is even with the end of tongue's velcro. I prefer the feel of the latter since it takes up some space in that area. I didn't re-bake anything after the adjustment since I'm using the standard felt tongue which I don't believe is thermoformable. I also attached the tongues on my 3-year-old VH skates in the same way except that I baked them in that position since they are thermoformable. Which tongues do you have?

If you mean the skate that VH now has on their online order form, the skates I received in early October have the same screwless toecap but the tendon guard is different from my plastic one. And the VH holder was not yet available when I ordered mine. Out of curiosity, what's the story on the new tendon guard oldtrainerguy28? Is there an advantage over the previous plastic one? Flexible? Lighter? More comfortable? Thanks.

I find it a bit difficult to lace the eyelets with the skate on my foot too but it's only the top 2 eyelets that need to be unlaced to get the skate on or off, so it's not a big deal to me. I've also gone to lacing the top eyelet out-to-in for other reasons and that seems to make it a bit easier to lace.

You probably meant the posts starting here in the Gear Sightings thread.

I guess so. For some reason, I don't remember seeing the custom color on Hull's skates when I noticed the skates around the ceremonial face-off. I must be getting old. Is that the silver option or is it grey like on my pair? Here's the full version of the above photo. It's a nice action shot especially for an alumni game. https://nhl.bamcontent.com/images/photos/285213770/1024x576/cut.jpg

Brett Hull is wearing VH in the alumni game, too.

I also like my skates laced like what's bolded. After you try my tip above for baking, when you go skating you can try this simple lacing technique. I start by lacing the typical way from in to out until the top 3 eyelets where I switch to lacing from out to in. I have small skates with 9 eyelets so it might be the top 4 eyelets for bigger skates with 10 eyelets, and you can experiment for what feels better to you. I've discovered that this creates a sort of lace lock where the lacing pattern switches. The laces stay tight below the switch and tightest at the switch promoting good heel lock, and I lace them progressively looser above that point to allow forward flex. I also use Elite Premium unwaxed laces. They have virtually zero stretch compared to regular waxed or unwaxed laces so they stay tight. I hope these tips will help.

For some reason, I had less forward flex on my left skate. So I re-baked it and after tying my skate, I flexed forward so my knee was even with the toe of the skate like they explain in the video. Maybe you could flex a bit more forward for your particular case but I wouldn't over-do it. But here's the key to the process: while you're flexing forward, push into the boot on the back of the skate right beside the achilles tendon on both sides above the heel. That will help to fill the space behind your ankle to maintain more support when you're flexed forward. It's pretty much what he's doing from 3:00 to 3:25 of this video. I was alone so I just used my thumbs and fingers to push while the skate was still warm. I also recommend that you bake one skate at a time so each skate gets your full attention.

In the online order form for player skate, on the second page, you select holder type, holder size and steel. On the last page they even ask what your current holder size is. If you're talking about goalie skate, I have no idea.

Like I've said in a recent post, when I got my first pair 3 years ago, they were too narrow in the forefoot near the toe cap because when I made my tracings and took the circumference measurements I barely put any weight on my feet. They suggested a way to stretch the width but they also offered to do it for me if I marked the spot and sent them the skates. I managed with difficulty to stretch the width on my own but really compressed the foam so there was no more cushioning in that spot. It ended up not being an issue and they served me well for 3 years but for my new pair I made sure I traced and measured correctly. And trace and measure barefoot whether you wear skate socks or not so they don't end up too big, either. I also posted how I felt that my first pair was longer than I wanted. The holder size that you select might affect the length of the boot. Seeing how the holders barely fit my boots, I figured they made the boots longer than I needed in order to fit the holders. So this time not only did I select holders one size smaller but I also really REALLY made it clear in e-mails before ordering my new pair that I wanted absolutely minimal space ahead of my toes. So to be sure, it might be a good idea to know before ordering what holder length you need for your ideal boot and also make it clear by e-mail what you want. If you don't mind space at the toe, or even desire it as a buffer against puck impact, that's another thing, but just be aware that the holder length that you select might affect boot length. Being in Montreal, I assume you won't be scanned and measured by a rep but will be doing the tracings yourself. If you went through a rep, you could hold him responsible for the fit, but doing it yourself, you want to be as precise in your tracings and measurements as possible.

I e-mailed about sharpening before ordering mine. They said they didn't have the facilities for sharpening but could outsource the sharpening for a fee of $10.

JJP2222, here's another thing to consider. If you selected a holder length that's sized for the skate of your bigger foot, the length of your shorter foot's skate may have been made as long as the other skate to accommodate the holder. So while it would mean more space in front of your toes, there shouldn't be more space width-wise or above your foot than the other skate though.

Have you tried attaching the tongue as far forward as possible so that the skate's velcro tab attaches to the top end of the velcro on the tongue? There are a couple VH videos on fine adjusting the fit:

Before removing the ice blade holders, mark the center points front and back on the boots so you won't have figure out how to align the chassis on the boot. And I like to have the front wheel and rear wheel stick out by the same amount. All the chassis I've ever used have had less pitch than ice skates so I've always added a shim on the heel to replicate the feeling. Will you be using rivets or T-Nuts?

Here's an update to my post from a couple of months ago where I was considering ordering a new pair, and felt like my 3-year-old pair was a bit longer than desired. After badgering Rob with a bunch of questions and making it really clear that I wanted minimal space between my toes and the toe cap, he came through and fulfilled my wishes with an awesome pair of skates. This is actually my first experience with having skates where my toes feather the toe cap. One small note: I did notice however that the toe cap is lined with a thin layer of red foam similar to the red insole liner. So I guess it would be possible to gain a mm or so of space by removing it if really needed. I was inspired to choose grey trim by a photo that Syinx posted. I wanted something personalized without being too flashy. Grey is not one of the choices offered in the online order form, but Rob told me to just select any color other than black, and indicate in the order notes that I want grey instead of the selected color. The photo below is what resulted. I've had them for over a month now. It took me around 5 games/practices to get used to them, mostly because of the new blade profile. It's 254mm Step steel whereas the old one was 263mm LS2. Having less rocker at the heel was the biggest issue at first since it would sometimes catch on the ice during forward to backward transitions and other maneuvers. Sharp turns felt a bit strange at first. The 10' profile might have had a bit to do with that, but I felt more like it was due to the flatter heel. I wanted to give the stock Step profile a chance before messing with profiling and I've totally adapted. I'm not missing the extra 9mm of the 263mm blade at all, though the Step steel seems to extend slightly further past the ends of the holder than a LS2 blade so the difference may effectively be less than 9mm. BTW, I went with the LS2 holder over the Edge because for my needs the single advantage of the Edge did not outweigh its known problems. The boot feels a hair "bulkier" than my old pair. I think the foam behind the Clarino lining is slightly thicker overall making it more comfortable and probably improves impact protection. That and the new toecap seem to add a bit of weight, even if I exclude the weight of the extra metal in the taller Step steel, but if it improves overall durability, it's a good trade-off. I noticed an interesting refinement on the "outsole" which seems to have some added structural component compared to the original model as you can see in the photo below. The original VH had a basic anatomic shape of a foot sole. The new VH has some kind of "beam" integrated into the outsole connecting to the platform onto which the rear tower rests. I'm using the stock footbeds as they feel better than I expected on my flat feet. The only thing I might be missing is support under the transverse arch just behind the ball of the foot. The Sidas molded footbeds in my old skates filled that small void. For now anyway the stock footbeds with the red foam liner are feeling pretty good. One tip I have for people ordering without the help of an authorized fitter is to put weight on your foot while you're tracing it and while measuring circumferences. Otherwise your tracing will be too narrow and you'll end up with the problem I had on my original pair. And I had a hell of a time stretching the skate width near the toe cap. For my new pair I put some weight on my foot and my tracings were a whole 3mm wider than the old ones! In the VH video Scott even mentions something like "semi-weight-bearing" when tracing the feet. Rob also told me to trace and measure my bare feet whether I wear socks or not with my skates because VH adds a "fudge factor for socks" in the design.

Maybe they did but some notable Graf goalies like Carey Price have switched to VH. The number of NHL goalies in VH skates has surpassed 50% this past season, so I don't know what that means for Graf goalie skates.