Speedz98

Warrior Gionta, Pro Kovalev and pro Kovalchuk. Maybe p28 with lower lie.

Actually, literally, breathtaking.

I'm also very interested in purchasing a stick with this curve, wondering if it's closer to the warrior W10 gionta or the E28/ Giroux p28.

One of the reasons I wanted to take a chance on VH hockey skates was because I admired the innovation and philanthropic endeavor from SVH. Low cut boot with a skatng-stride in mind with fully moldable materials for max control. I'm all about that philosophy. Certainly I wanted to be part of that first wave of VH users just to get the experience in and further support VH Footwear's mission. Regarding getting an even stiffer boot, maybe that's something I'll consider, I just want to squeeze another year out of these skates. I'll have to find a way to send them in for repairs, I don't mind the costs - it's just very difficult finding a period of time that I don't have to be on ice for any reason or another. I could use my old skates and put steel back into them but it's been so long I'm fearful of struggling to skate and I need to be accountable for my technique as I demonstrate many power skating drills and am counted on to do so at my rink.

Not just material surrounding eyelets and stitching but an actual hard piece of material coming off the boot. and when I first got them, unscathed, for comparison. Certainly I had the option to send them back to Scott Van Horne for repairs but I can't even be two-days without my skates because of how much my job depends on them. Still, if these are the same skates being made for NHLers I'd expect them to stand up to the grind of coaching travel hockey and playing mens league.

It's been 10 months since I've been using my VH footwear skates. I put in a consider amount of use with them between coaching, lessons, mens league, summer camps. I may average between 15-20 hours a week on my skates. During the time I've had them I've had to nearly replace all the rivets and I've had material falling apart near the toe cap and eyelets. Also the stiffness is rapidly waning and one eyelet on my left skate is starting to show signs of failure. I always remove my footbeds on days where I skate 2+ hours and hang my skates to dry. Originally I wasn't so concerned and dismissed some of the wear as cosmetic and non-performance impacting but comparing the wear to other skates the coaches I work with have and for a longer period of time as well as my last pair of skates that I had used for 3 years it seems my VH skates are breaking down far too quickly. This past month I've encountered trouble with getting heel lock in my left skate which hadn't been a problem for the previous 9 months as well as lateral stability. Skates that originally fit like a sock with zero negative space are starting to take effort to keep tight. I never used to have to put much effort into tying my VH skates but now it seems I working hard to keep them fitting like they used to. I am a huge fan of the performance as well as the fit - I simply don't know how I could ever go back to a boot that didn't fit like my VH skates. I'm just terrified of the wear and what appears to be the inevitable doom of my favorite skates. $850 is a lot of coin to drop on a new pair of skates every year. I'll post pictures shortly of some of the wear my skates have endured.

It's funny to me that they give him a new pair of skates every Fantasy Camp. He skates once a year, only during his camp, he barely has enough time to break them in!

Could be, I don't recall such a particular event but I know during mens league I find myself getting obliterated by goonery at times so it's not unlikely. In which case, pretty scary to think about.

It's not really the toecap, its right before it, more so by the eyelet. I definitely have the option to return the skates to SVH for repairs but the only problem is I can't afford to take that time off from work and not be on ice. Since I'm in NJ I assume it's going to take nearly two weeks to get the skates repaired and back from Canada.

Some shots of the wear I've encountered through 4 months of use and ownership. Near the toe cap some of the material is coming up and appears strictly to be paper-like decals kind of rising. Once again, something I hope to be strictly cosmetic and not structural. Fourth photo I'm not really sure how to describe. It's at the top of the boot where there appears to be a small separation. Not sure if that has to do with the stitching or not.

I'm not really sure. I imagine it would add to the weight though. I'm not really having a hard time with the carbon toe cap though. Every one should be mindful of the tongue screw as it does have the potential to get loose and is a pain in the neck when trying to reassemble it. I should be back from the rink in 3 hours. I'll post a picture of some of the cosmetic damage I have.

I've had VH skates since November '13. Some things I have to say: I baked them for about 8 minutes at a proshop before checking and seeing that they were heated up and moldable to my satisfaction. In retrospect I wish i would have kept them in the oven for at least 12 minutes because I had a hard time getting the heel to open up to really accommodate my foot and I'm debating wether or not to bake them again after all this time because my heel on my left skate doesn't always sit flush. I should probably by a heat gun and address that issue individually but I'm open to any advice. I also didn't realize I could have stood while they molded to my feet, I think I should have done that because I do have flat feet that expand when I stand and it makes the boot feel a bit narrow (since the wrap is really terrific) so perhaps standing while letting the Skates mold and cool down would have been more beneficial to me and I wouldn't hesitate to tie my skates tighter around my feet to avoid discomfort. When I did the tracing of my foot I did it barefoot but it may have been a good idea to measure the circumference while wearing the socks i use for hockey. I've had a few troubles with the rivets being loose by the toes of my skates and have taken them to my local proshop to get corrected. At the same time I do work as a coach and am on my skates for nearly 25+ hours a week wearing my skates for long periods of time. Regarding performance I am more than satisfied. I think any one who plays a lot of hockey and is done growing should invest in a pair of VH skates even if not the full-custom route just for the mold-ability alone. The coaches I work with are waiting for me to have a full year with the skates to monitor the durability before they choose to invest in VH themselves just because they are intrigued and impressed with the build quality, stiffness, weight, and custom fit. The graphics have been mired and worn with as a result of a mix between mens league and working with small children. I'll take pictures tomorrow of some damage the boots have taken where it appears that surface layers are peeling off. I pray this is strictly cosmetic.

I had some one trace my foot for me while I stood on a table and placed weight on the foot. I scanned the image and then e-mailed.

I feel like I'm a little bit more on my toes. I'm using the same type of holder that was on my Bauer One100s, but I don't think it's any thing too dramatic.

Anyone know if I can Bake the Red foot bed exclusively? I got my skates baked and they fit great but I have flatfeet so when I stand my feet expand and I don't think I got that good of a molding from my foot bed because there's no pressure when I'm sitting and waiting for the skates to cool down. I want to heat up the Red foot bed for a short while and then place them in my skates while I stand.

Let's say I got my skates baked at 11am would they be ready to go by 2 or 3pm? Would sticking them in a cooler or freezer help them after molding?

Mine shipped this morning after having just ordered a week ago. That is fast! I'm so excited I can't stop checking the tracker. Any one have any tips for baking at home? I read the information on the website and watched the videos. Also, how long should I wait after baking until I can skate in them? Any one use a shoe horn like suggested on the website? Thanks

http://www.eaglehockey.com/Eagle_PPF_X905i_customizer.php

Was it very difficult to put the skates on and tie them up at first? If it was tough, is it an endurable inconvenience for you? Any pain breaking in a new pair of skates? What discomforts did you find if any? Thanks for enlightening us.

How was the protection? Do the skates feel light? Did you get full customs or just ordered in your size? What process did you use for baking?

VH Footwear updated their website and added a section for hockey. Looks like they're ready to accept custom orders. I expected a more high-tech process but it appears they'll do with just foot tracing.

Any idea if a pair of Eagle X844 custom gloves (standard 14'') with minus half an inch off the fingers would fit anything similar to Warrior Franchise Narrows? I know that 13'' Franchise are a tad roomier than other companies 13'' glove lines.

I have found that 13'' Franchise are slightly bigger than 13'' in Easton and Bauer gloves. I have 13'' narrow and I almost wish the fingers were a tad shorter. Also the effect of Narrow fingers slowly begins disappear the more you break in the gloves.

one pair of my custom franchises is just starting to have holes in the palm (top hand glove) after 2 years of use. Though my other pair that I've only had for 7 or 8 months has rips in the palm on the thumb area . The rest of the palm is still pretty solid. Seams are good on both gloves. There is no smell in either gloves and I play for the most part 3-4 times a week.

Eagle tweeted at me this morning informing me that the customizer should be done sometime this week.