VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[Hammy1757 1]

I love them, and everyone at the rink is fascinated by them.

They are very comfortable. I've skated 6 pickups on them so far and I'm feeling a lot better on them.

The flexible tendon guards are still very stiff, even after flexing them a little, but it doesn't bother me. The tongue feels a little funny on the top of my toes at the start of each session, like a slight tickle/rubbing on top because of where it sits? But that goes away as I play. I know they are adjustable, but I can barely get my hand in there to adjust them and i don't want to mess anything up right now. I'm still using the stock laces even though I've always used wax in the past.

I'm very happy I got these. They exceeded my expectations.

[AfftonDad 88]

I popped some stitches where the vibram material covers the outstep (I think by dragging my leg on the ice to break up a pass from the corner to the slot). Does anyone know if the vibram stuff is glued to the composite as well as stitched? I'm going to be really sad if those stitches all start unraveling and the vibram stuff starts flapping around.

[Davetronz 109]

I popped some stitches where the vibram material covers the outstep (I think by dragging my leg on the ice to break up a pass from the corner to the slot). Does anyone know if the vibram stuff is glued to the composite as well as stitched? I'm going to be really sad if those stitches all start unraveling and the vibram stuff starts flapping around.

Yeah, it's glued on mine.

[iceman8310 105]

Hammy, just wondering how you liking your new VH skates? Are you getting more used to them now?

best skates ever

[Davetronz 109]

best skates ever

+1

I was looking down at my skates today while I was on the bench and couldn't help but think how happy I am with them (10+ mo in). Sure they took a bit of time to dial-in (perfectionist), but now they're golden.

I've worn my VH's longer than any skate I've tried in the past 3+ years. Before them, I was quickly becoming a serial skate purchaser - pulling the trigger on almost anything in an attempt to solve my foot problems and keep being able to play.

I have the least amount of foot pain, foot problems and alignment problems in the VH's compared to any other major top-end model/brand. I'm on the ice typically 4-5 hours per week, minimum without issues.

I don't care if my skates were pink with purple polka dots and unicorn graphics on them, as long as they fit well, perform and are durable within my personal usage. The VH's have kept me on the ice, pain-free, and I owe that to Scott.

[Hammy1757 1]

+1

I was looking down at my skates today while I was on the bench and couldn't help but think how happy I am with them (10+ mo in). Sure they took a bit of time to dial-in (perfectionist), but now they're golden.

I've worn my VH's longer than any skate I've tried in the past 3+ years. Before them, I was quickly becoming a serial skate purchaser - pulling the trigger on almost anything in an attempt to solve my foot problems and keep being able to play.

I have the least amount of foot pain, foot problems and alignment problems in the VH's compared to any other major top-end model/brand. I'm on the ice typically 4-5 hours per week, minimum without issues.

I don't care if my skates were pink with purple polka dots and unicorn graphics on them, as long as they fit well, perform and are durable within my personal usage. The VH's have kept me on the ice, pain-free, and I owe that to Scott.

This is how i feel! Except I'm still really new to these skates. I've now played 7 pickup games in them. I tried Vapor XXX, Vapor 5.0, APX 2, CCM U12, RS Stealth, Mako (my favorite of the big brands). Everyone thought I was crazy with all the different skates, because most of this took place over one spring and summer.

I play 5 days a week, sometimes 7 games (mostly pickup with one beer league night.) These skates are so comfortable, and there is no pain like I had before. These skates are def. it. Now I can spend my money on other things.

Just to be clear, I owned all those skates I mentioned (sold all but the Mako, and Vapor 5.0 since). In the store I pretty much tried on EVERYTHING. Bauer Supreme (NXG and MX3), Graf, CCM RBZ, etc.

[den_dp 0]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering - are VH skates similar to Bauer Vapor (specifically - Vapor X 100) in terms of acceleration and ankle support? Or they are completely different?

[AfftonDad 88]

OK... I finally love these things. My blister due to the bad (and replaced) rivet is finally gone and there is now no arch pain, I got my hollow dialed in (85-75) and I figured out that I was tying them too tight. I finally like them better than my Makos in all respects (and I loved my Makos).

[flyers10 57]

For those with broken tendon guards, anyone done what Scott suggested and cut a small hole in back of tendon guard and replace the rivet that holds it? If so, holding up better?

[Davetronz 109]

For those with broken tendon guards, anyone done what Scott suggested and cut a small hole in back of tendon guard and replace the rivet that holds it? If so, holding up better?

This works if the rivet/copper is what is broken. I had one that I needed to re-crimp/press because it was a bit loose after baking and on an angle and digging into my heel.

If the actual tendon guard is broken at this junction where the copper passes through, it's a no-go and Scott needs to be the one to fix it.

It's relatively simple if it's the first case. A small cut is all that's needed, and you can re-glue it after you've installed a new copper, or re-pressed it.

[mc88 160]

Now these are what I call some mutha... kick-ass tongues (my left foot is bigger than my right foot that's why they're two different sizes)!

Huge, huge, huge thanks to Scott and Rob for their hard work. Not only did they create these tongues, but they added some flexible tendon guards and they punched out a part of the boot that was giving me some issues. AND they gave me extra foot beds. This!... This... is what I call customer service for a high-end, top-notch product.

Edited September 5, 2014 by mc88

[flyers10 57]

Though the customer service is good if you have to ship back a couple times it starts getting expensive fast.

[mc88 160]

When you think about it... it's actually not. When you have something wrong with your retail skates, what's the average turn-around time? At least 1-2 Months, if not longer? All those games you've paid for... gone (unless you have a back up pair). With Scott, average shipping for me has been $35 there (he hasn't charged me return shipping, yet). And I get the skates back in... a week to a week and half?

So...in the long run, it's been a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a bunch of retail skates which have not even come close to fitting me like these have.

The guys over at VH Footwear do a bang up job with just a tracing. I can say, without a doubt, these guys have a customer/fan for life.

My babies...

Edited September 5, 2014 by mc88

[chippa13 1844]

Not really, most tweaks needed to my skates bought locally are done in at most a day and all it costs is a couple bucks of gas money.

[Mimizk 114]

When you think about it... it's actually not. When you have something wrong with your retail skates, what's the average turn-around time? At least 1-2 Months, if not longer? All those games you've paid for... gone (unless you have a back up pair). With Scott, average shipping for me has been $35 there (he hasn't charged me return shipping, yet). And I get the skates back in... a week to a week and half?

So...in the long run, it's been a hell of a lot cheaper than buying a bunch of retail skates which have not even come close to fitting me like these have.

The guys over at VH Footwear do a bang up job with just a tracing. I can say, without a doubt, these guys have a customer/fan for life.

My babies...

So cool...!

I want to ask him for next time to buy my new skates or make tongues like these black felt one.

Now mines are silver colored.

Then I also want to ask all of you how is the weight of your VH boots'?

Mine is over 850g.

Little heavy...

[mc88 160]

So cool...!

I want to ask him for next time to buy my new skates or make tongues like these black felt one.

Now mines are silver colored.

Then I also want to ask all of you how is the weight of your VH boots'?

Mine is over 850g.

Little heavy...

Left - 852g

Right- 844g

Even though MX3s are around 760g and VHs are around 850g, the 90g difference is nothing to sweat about. Heck, a cup of yogurt is 100g!

Edited September 6, 2014 by mc88

[IslandRyhno 0]

I get closer and closer to going this route with every game, I have horribly haglunds bumps and the pain is becoming almost unbearable. Anybody with Haglunds (Bauer bump) have these and if so how have they worked out for you?

[jonwalker36 4]

VH seem like a good solid skate. I haven't skated in them yet but have sharpened a few pairs and even done rivets on one as well. Seem's like a good product I think.

[iceman8310 105]

If you are on the fence about buying these, buy them. You won't regret it. Fantastic product, beyond fantastic customer service and a smile on the face when skating.

[mc88 160]

Just wanted to update: Skates are still going strong. No volume issues and the tongues feel great. I'm happy I went with these skates. A few snags here and there, but overall I'm just grateful that I found a pair of skates that fit my feet without excruciating pain. In the near future, I plan on buying another pair... as a back up... just in case!

Edited September 18, 2014 by mc88

[uclaman 6]

Just wanted to update: Skates are still going strong. No volume issues and the tongues feel great. I'm happy I went with these skates. A few snags here and there, but overall I'm just grateful that I found a pair of skates that fit my feet without excruciating pain. In the near future, I plan on buying another pair... as a back up... just in case!

Yeah. I bought a second pair as "back up." The all black pair was my second pair of VHs. The fit once you get it dialed in is incomparable.

[Speedz98 15]

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.

[Speedz98 15]

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.

[flyers10 57]

Anyone had rust start showing on their eyelets? I remove insoles and hand upside down to dry every time. Plus live in very dry climate.

[mc88 160]

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.

As was pointed out in a page 21 post, it seems like you got the early model that wasn't stitched down the bottom part of the toebox. You mentioned the problem back on page 19 and you should have sent them in when it fell under the 6 month warranty!!!! But anyway, I've noticed that on my skates, it's definitely a high wear area, where the down stitching is showing signs of wear and tear (still holding up though!). Looking at some Bauer skates, it looks like they run three, four, or even five stitches down the side of the boot! Perhaps, something worth mentioning to Scott.

Also, it seems like you'd benefit from an even stiffer boot (for durability/longevity). I'm not sure if Scott does what Bauer does when they add +2 or +3 stiffness, but it may be worthwhile to ask.

Unfortunately, your options are a bit limited now that you've waited so long: Either send in the skates and pay for repairs and buy a cheap pair of backups in the meantime... or buy a new pair of skates and ask for the above... or buy a pair of custom Bauer, CCMs, Eastons, etc. The unfortunate downside of buying a pair skates that are still in the R&D phase is that it's going to fail sooner than other established products.

Anyone had rust start showing on their eyelets? I remove insoles and hand upside down to dry every time. Plus live in very dry climate.

Looking at my skates, I noticed very small signs of rust on the eyelets. After every single usage, I wipe them down with a terry cloth or old t-shirt from tip to toe (runners & holders included!). I've been doing this since my CCM 1152 Tacks and noticed that it keeps the skates very clean over a long period of time.

Edited September 26, 2014 by mc88