VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[mc88 160]

Been a busy beaver as of late. I wanted to restore my backup rusty VH buckets into working condition... with a few modifications (This is not intended to be a tutorial! There's a lot of missing information!)...

Forgot to take a before picture, but these pictures give you an idea of the amount of rust/corrosion:



I had to remove the tongue to get to the inside of the outsole, but I wanted an easier way to place it back in. So, I decided to take a piece of fuzzy-side Velcro and glue it's backside to the underside of the overhanging Velcro on the tongue, thereby locking in the nut. Then I took a second piece of fuzzy-side Velcro and glued it to that piece of Velcro so that it would be flush with the tongue AND more comfortable against the top of my foot:



Then I had Hockey Giant replace the eyelets for me. Turns out the eyelets that Scott supplied me wouldn't work with their machine, so they used some of theirs instead (I prefer theirs, as it has that black anodized coating)


I was having some issues with rivets coming loose, so I began the process of switching over to T-nuts and Socket Cap screws--I used socket cap because they're super easy to start threading with your thumb & index finger). I also decided that since I was having some rust issues, that I would at least coat the T-nuts and washers with some rust-preventative spray:
- Scuffed/sanded each T-nut (28) and washer (28)
- Soaked them in denatured alcohol and wiped them down with a lint-free rag, twice
- Laid everything out on parchment paper and primed with 3-4 light coats on each side for both sides (24 hours to cure)

-Then top-coated with a high-gloss enamel by spraying 4-5 light coats on each side for both sides (5 days to cure)


Then installed everything together (didn't coat the screws because I didn't want to mess with the interior thread diameter)...

Edited December 6, 2015 by mc88

[Solo_man11 9]

Been a busy beaver as of late. I wanted to restore my backup rusty VH buckets into working condition... with a few modifications (This is not intended to be a tutorial! There's a lot of missing information!)...

Forgot to take a before picture, but these pictures give you an idea of the amount of rust/corrosion:

I had to remove the tongue to get to the inside of the outsole, but I wanted an easier way to place it back in. So, I decided to take a piece of fuzzy-side Velcro and glue it's backside to the underside of the overhanging Velcro on the tongue, thereby locking in the nut. Then I took a second piece of fuzzy-side Velcro and glued it to that piece of Velcro so that it would be flush with the tongue AND more comfortable against the top of my foot:

Then I had Hockey Giant replace the eyelets for me. Turns out the eyelets that Scott supplied me wouldn't work with their machine, so they used some of theirs instead (I prefer theirs, as it has that black anodized coating)

I was having some issues with rivets coming loose, so I began the process of switching over to T-nuts and Socket Cap screws--I used socket cap because they're super easy to start threading with your thumb & index finger). I also decided that since I was having some rust issues, that I would at least coat the T-nuts and washers with some rust-preventative spray:

- Scuffed/sanded each T-nut (28) and washer (28)

- Soaked them in denatured alcohol and wiped them down with a lint-free rag, twice

- Laid everything out on parchment paper and primed with 3-4 light coats on each side for both sides (24 hours to cure)

-Then top-coated with a high-gloss enamel by spraying 4-5 light coats on each side for both sides (5 days to cure)

Then installed everything together (didn't coat the screws because I didn't want to mess with the interior head diameter)...

Whooah! Nice job and those skates look sick. I love the white on the tendon guard and prefer the look of the carbon on the toebox.

I have never needed to go the custom route because my feet are pretty standard and have always found skates that fit. I never knew about these skates until I joined this forum and now starting to notice people wearing them. Everybody always says great things about them.

I am usually the guy on the bench who stares at these skates when I see them. I had a drop in game last week with strangers because I got an email from my buddy and was just staring at this guy. He probably thought I was weird but I started to talk to him and he said they are really stiff.

I am at a point where I am contemplating a stiffer skate and after reading almost this whole thread, I am really thinking about it. I only play twice a week all year long but sometimes 3 when I get a call to be a sub.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1-piece goal skate. Holder can be custom to whatever hole pattern you like, apparently. These make a lot of sense, and are pretty innovative.

[art-71 0]

MC - where did you get the t-nut and socket cap screws? I had the same issue and had to salvage the old MLX screws. I'm waiting for my new pair to arrive and the FedEx tracking is making it very slow since its already in my city on a truck....... for 2 days now. sigh.

[methosb 5]

Can you feed the t-nuts much under the footbed?

Edited December 4, 2015 by methosb

[flip12 714]

Mike Cvik

[mc88 160]

MC - where did you get the t-nut and socket cap screws? I had the same issue and had to salvage the old MLX screws. I'm waiting for my new pair to arrive and the FedEx tracking is making it very slow since its already in my city on a truck....... for 2 days now. sigh.

I got the screws & washers from grainger.com:

Screws (316SS)

Washers (316SS)

I got the 6-32 x 1/4 T-Nuts (18-8SS) from a California-based company called Mesa Fastener, Inc I actually found them by going to this FastenerClearingHouse website and doing a fastener search. I wanted the T-Nuts to be as close to 316SS as possible and PLAIN coated (nearly all of T-Nuts in local hardware stores will be coated with Zinc, which I recommend avoiding)

Can you feed the t-nuts much under the footbed?

No. I use a custom insole that has a hard bottom.

[malcb33 97]

Mike Cvik

Those are the most extreme lifts I've ever seen. On Cobra's as well

[laserrobottime 149]

I really feel that taller skaters need a very aggressive forward pitch to maximize knee bend. I put lifts on my CXN rear towers to help get me in a proper skating position. Cvik is 2" taller than me so those ridiculous wedges are probably proportional given the length of his holder.

Of note, his old Grafs had the 322mm Cobra 2000 molded holder. These must be 306mm.

[flip12 714]

I really feel that taller skaters need a very aggressive forward pitch to maximize knee bend. I put lifts on my CXN rear towers to help get me in a proper skating position. Cvik is 2" taller than me so those ridiculous wedges are probably proportional given the length of his holder.

Of note, his old Grafs had the 322mm Cobra 2000 molded holder. These must be 306mm.

These also look like 2000s, and possibly still 322's because I imagine 306 would look really short on his boots, but the size is really only a guess.

[BRUINS_FAN_74 19]

Wasn't there a photo of those on VH's twitter?

[laserrobottime 149]

These also look like 2000s, and possibly still 322's because I imagine 306 would look really short on his boots, but the size is really only a guess.

On second glance, those are indeed 2000s. Was looking on my phone.

[malcb33 97]

Placed my order last Thursday and asked to receive them by Christmas if possible. Just got word that they should be finished production by the end of the week. Amazing!!

I asked for,

Plain black boot

New toe cap

Clarino liner

Oversized 280mm Edge holder with LS4 steel

Full foam on inside of tendon guard

Tongue with metatarsal guard

Top 3 Eyelets forward from standard position on VH skates- Top 8mm forward from centre, 2nd eyelet to top 6mm, 3rd eyelet to top 4mm

Rust resistant eyelets

Extra cooper rivets (front and back of front tower, back of back tower)

Extra thick comfort edge

Also if anyone is wondering about the Maltese tongue, it's not something they're doing anymore. They found while the gel worked well, it was heavy and the new metatarsal guard tongue is as good if not better to relieve lace bite.

I'm really excited to get these on my feet!

Edited December 9, 2015 by malcb33

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Welcome to the club! :)

[flip12 714]

Placed my order last Thursday and asked to receive them by Christmas if possible. Just got word that they should be finished production by the end of the week. Amazing!!

I asked for,

Full foam on inside of tendon guard

Top 3 Eyelets forward from standard position on VH skates- Top 8mm forward from centre, 2nd eyelet to top 6mm, 3rd eyelet to top 4mm

Cool to see you're trying a different angle for the top 3 eyelets. How did you arrive at those values (8, 6, and 4 mm) forward from normal?

Did you consider having the heel more aggressively pitched forward as well?

What do you mean full foam on the inside of the tendon guard? Is it the original VH tendon guard, or the new one with added foam for padding?

Can't wait to get your impressions of the boots with the requests that you made.

[malcb33 97]

The eyelet placement was an estimation from pictures of the old Mission roller hockey skates I owned which had the Past Vert eyelet configuration. I've been using 55 Flex for the last while, but found those a little to aggressive, so I wanted to tone it back a touch.

I actually did ask ask VH about adjusting the pitch of the boot, but they weren't very keen on doing this.

The full foam is on the new tenon guard. They have a foam on the inside of the plastic which doesn't cover the corners, so I wanted the whole thing covered.

[flip12 714]

The eyelet placement was an estimation from pictures of the old Mission roller hockey skates I owned which had the Past Vert eyelet configuration.

You had my like already there!

I loved that boot cut from Mission as well. I've been curious about the positioning of the eyelets from that and from seeing Cruikshank's OG Van Horne prototype boots. I'm as happy with my MLX for their forward angle as I've ever been in any ice boot. My only issue is the quarters come up a bit too high for good ankle rotation. I've considered, if I can eventually afford customs, asking for a slightly lower cut, but without altering the position of the eyelets. I found I could get really good forward positioning with the standard MLX eyelets after swapping out the stock tongue with a Graf 703 tongue. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on the setup :)

[malcb33 97]

I've been curious about the positioning of the eyelets from that and from seeing Cruikshank's OG Van Horne prototype boots.

Have you got pictures of these? I'd be interested to see and hear more about the prototype boots.

[flip12 714]

I've only ever seen it in "Art of Speed: Journey to the Easton Mako Skate," one of Easton's Mako promotional videos:

You can see it from many angles in the video starting at that point, 1:41. I find it helpful to use the slow-motion afforded by the HTML5 video to analyze it more thoroughly, too :)

Edited December 12, 2015 by flip12

[Cosmic 178]

Tons of vids on Yo

Have you got pictures of these? I'd be interested to see and hear more about the prototype boots.

A few of the vids on YouTube about MLX, if that's what you are looking for:

MLX Skate Review:

MLX vs Mako:

[malcb33 97]

Thanks for the pic Flip12

Cosmic- I've owned MLX and know their story. I was interested in seeing the prototypes and what grew to become MLX as Flip mentioned the eyelet placement on them.

[flip12 714]

It'll be great to see how your top eyelets line up malcb33. Cruikshank's look very close to the past-vert alignment. But if anything, the heel looks almost as aggressively pitched on both the MLX and VH as on the Cruikshank special. I love that about my MLX. Just the top-front could be a little more aggressive. I also like how the boot's upper edge cuts downwards, just like Fedorov's White Nike's where he had the top eyelet removed. I think that would improve the ankle abrasions that I get when I form them closer to my ankle at the top.

[Larry54 243]

If the top eyelets are more forward, and the back of the skate remains at the same angle, won't you just get more wrap at the top eyelets, maybe even too much unless you like to keep the laces really loose at the top or have humongous shins? With my VH skates laced up, the wrap is pretty even from bottom to top. If the eyelets were leaning at the top, the two sides would get really close to each other at the top.

Edited December 13, 2015 by Larry54

[flip12 714]

That's how it was on the Past-Vert Mission boots, with more of a ( ) shaped wrap than | | ... it also looks like that might be the wrap shape (tighter on the top and the bottom) of Cruikshank's prototype boots: there's definitely more wrap at the bottom--the first eyelets above the toe cap almost touch each other. On my Missions, this felt amazing. But those weren't stiff at all at the top. They were also higher cut than a VH boot, so if the Missions had been stiff, I think it would have been too much.

I don't really know how the differences in wrap shape affect one's skating.

[malcb33 97]

I don't find the wrap at the top eyelets really effects me either as I typically have the laces fairly loose anyway. I've been skating with the 55flex system and the extenders came very close to touching each other and never found it a problem.

I find having the past vert eyelets allows more forward range of motion with compromising the lateral support, like what happens when you skip the top eyelet completely.