VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[z1ggy 81]

Hmmm okay. I don't have a local guy who does my profiling... He's 3 hours away back in my home town. I'm probably better off sending them out to No Icing Sports. And at that rate.. Maybe I'm better off just ordering the VH skates with out runners at all since it'll probably be cheaper to just order them through NIS.

Mimizk- You're essentially correct. Ultimately pitch is the angle of the ankle, but it can be due to many things. Changing the runner...Using custom insoles...Shims..etc.

[AfftonDad 88]

Hi Mike,

thanks for contacting us. Yes, if you put the CNX holder on the VH boot it should give you a similar pitch to that of the Mako. As far as I know both boots have a uniform thickness sole.

Please let me know if you have any more questions?

thanks

Scott

----

I had already had this reply from Scott, but since there could be some other factors that could contribute to the overall stance feeling (I would think less significantly than the runner and holder though) I was hoping that I might get lucky and be able to hear from someone who has worn both Mako's and VH's with CXNs and confirm that the overall stance feeling was similar.

[AfftonDad 88]

I replaced it from genuine to flexible one.

It is not softer as I thought though certainly move to back.

I'm getting closer and closer to deciding to get a pair of these. I love the way my Mako's feel and I want to keep as much of the upside of that skate as possible. Since I think the default assumption would be that Van Horne knows what he is doing and since the "normal" tendon guard is the non-flexible one, I'm curious as to what made you decide to go with a flexible one?

[AfftonDad 88]

The hockey gods must prefer VH. I was torn between another pair of Makos and VH. I wanted the supposed increased protectiveness of VH but was scared that I might loose something that I had gained when switching to Mako. I went back and forth and finally decided to go with the devil I know instead of the devil I don't know. So I was sitting in the shop with a hot pair of Mako IIs on my feet when I discovered they had a slight defect. One of the eyelets had a sharp edge on it that was shredding laces each time we would tie them up (we tried a new lace and it did the same thing). The store didn't have any more 9.5s so I had to leave without a pair of Makos. I could have gone down the street and gotten a pair from another location, but I took it as a sign from the hockey gods ;) and decided to get the VHs instead. I got them with CXN holders so it will take an extra 2-3 weeks for me to get the skates. So now I get to spend the next month and a half skating on a boot that the composite is beginning to separate from the toecap wondering whether or not I made the right decision!

Edited July 27, 2014 by AfftonDad

[flyers10 57]

I have both the mako 1 and VH and find protection to be the same. Felt hard passes on both skates. If you want protection buy skate fenders/shot blockers.

[AfftonDad 88]

I have both the mako 1 and VH and find protection to be the same. Felt hard passes on both skates. If you want protection buy skate fenders/shot blockers.

Oh sure... go and blow it for me. I have skate fenders (the compact ones) on my Makos and if I have to use them on these I will, but I'm going to hope that this guy

and several others that have posted in this thread are right about the protection being outstanding. I'm not talking about passes as much as very hard shots. But every skate is going to allow some shots to hurt. Shots would somtimes even hurt through my U+CLs every now and then and they were massive. It is my opinion that the Makos hurt more than most though. From what I've heard the VHs are more substantial than the Makos so I'm hoping for a little bit better protection. However, it probably has a lot to due with the lack of negative space in the Mako which of course if everything turns out right is going to be the case with these too, so it may hurt just as much.

Edited July 28, 2014 by AfftonDad

[Davetronz 109]

I've worn nearly every brand, and like i said, VH is by far the most protective in regards to blocking shots and passes.

With that said, you aren't wearing a steel bucket on your foot, and you're gonna feel some of the shot/pass. That's just hockey.

Do I jump in front of shots in adult rec hockey or shinny? No. But when I'm hit by one while playing, the VH has been much better than the alternatives.

[iceman8310 106]

I've worn nearly every brand, and like i said, VH is by far the most protective in regards to blocking shots and passes.

With that said, you aren't wearing a steel bucket on your foot, and you're gonna feel some of the shot/pass. That's just hockey.

Do I jump in front of shots in adult rec hockey or shinny? No. But when I'm hit by one while playing, the VH has been much better than the alternatives.

you can also have shot blockers built into the skates. most of the time taking a shot off the foot only hurts for a second or so then goes away. I agree with dave, these have the most protection in regards to shots and passes

[AfftonDad 88]

you can also have shot blockers built into the skates. most of the time taking a shot off the foot only hurts for a second or so then goes away. I agree with dave, these have the most protection in regards to shots and passes

Yeah, I saw mention of that. Does anyone here know what that actually means (in other words what/how they are doing that)?

Edited July 28, 2014 by AfftonDad

[iceman8310 106]

Yeah, I saw mention of that. Does anyone here know what that actually means (in other words what/how they are doing that)?

you won't see a difference. They would look exactly the same. The blockers make them a bit stiffer and a bit less heat moldable.

[AfftonDad 88]

Ok thanks. I'll probably stick with the modability then... just men's league and pickup (although I do tend to stand in there when a shot is coming). I just want to avoid this a bit if possible http://i.imgur.com/B4CZNn3.jpg

Edited July 28, 2014 by AfftonDad

[kerr 1]

I took a hard shoot to the side of the boot. The guy was 6'4" probably 300lbs. The boot was damaged but I didn't feel anything. It is the standard boot, so AfftonDad protection is not a worry. Boot getting damaged might be be a concern, but I think it was probably the spot the puck hit which was right on the edge where the sole and side "meet". Scott did the repair for free. He’s a good dude.

Damage:

https://imageshack.com/i/pae8nPOGj

Repair:

https://imageshack.com/i/ey6u9XKvj

Edited July 28, 2014 by kerr

[AfftonDad 88]

That's great to hear that he can (at least in some cases) repair broken composite.

[ccarrigan 2]

Can anyone post what their volume is like in their VH skates. I sent mine back for volume issues and I think it's still an issue, but wanted to compare. Here are my issues. One is with the felt tongue and the other is with no tongue. Sorry about the black socks, I know it doesn't make it easy to view.

[Davetronz 109]

I stick out of my VH skates a bit, mostly above my high arch (where I have bone spurs from previous pressure). It hasn't caused me any issues, especially with the wrapping nature of the skate.

I actually had to get a thicker tongue to take up some of my volume because of my narrow foot, and use a custom insole because of additional arch support required.

You're definitely sticking out of your skates a bit. Have you showed Scott the pictures? What did he say?

Did you get customs or stock skates?

Are you able to take a picture from the side with your foot laced into the skate (with the tongue)?

[ccarrigan 2]

I stick out of my VH skates a bit, mostly above my high arch (where I have bone spurs from previous pressure). It hasn't caused me any issues, especially with the wrapping nature of the skate.

I actually had to get a thicker tongue to take up some of my volume because of my narrow foot, and use a custom insole because of additional arch support required.

You're definitely sticking out of your skates a bit. Have you showed Scott the pictures? What did he say?

Did you get customs or stock skates?

Are you able to take a picture from the side with your foot laced into the skate (with the tongue)?

I haven't sent them to Scott yet, I was trying to get a comparison. I've already sent them back once (and he completely redid them for me), and now they're better but I'm not sure it's 100%. I got custom skates, this is the second batch. The picture with the tongue in is with my foot in it and the tongue jammed in the skate as best I could get it. I'll try to snap one later of my foot in the skate with the tongue fully laced.

[Davetronz 109]

I'm not sure that the traditional pencil test rule always applies with the VH's.

I mean, if I'm sticking out of other skates I get major lace bite or pressure spots.

But with the VH skates, due to the wrap and the design, I can stick out a bit and not have any problems.

At the end of the day, I'd ask Scott for his opinion as the designer and skate maker. He's always been willing to help out his customers, fix problems and re-do skates to ensure satisfaction if there's a legit problem.

We can all make assumptions and conclusions based on our experience in the industry with other brands of skates, but the VH's are built differently. Not making excuses, mainly offering a differing perspective.

How do your skates feel? Have you baked them? Skated on them?

[z1ggy 81]

How does one end up getting volume issues in these skates? I assume if you take accurate measurements with pictures of your foot, you should get a perfect fit the first time, or need maybe some minor tweaks that you could work out yourself with some additional heat molding.

Is it common that people have to return these to him, or order different tongues, etc?

[iceman8310 106]

I found for myself when I took out my superfeet and went back to the vh foot bed, it improved the fit and less volume issue.

Edited July 29, 2014 by iceman8310

[laserrobottime 149]

How does one end up getting volume issues in these skates? I assume if you take accurate measurements with pictures of your foot, you should get a perfect fit the first time, or need maybe some minor tweaks that you could work out yourself with some additional heat molding.

Is it common that people have to return these to him, or order different tongues, etc?

This skate, and this forum in general, is attractive to "tinkerers" who have extraordinarily high standards for their equipment, which is why 1) these skates are so popular here and 2) why these skates get returned to Scott so frequently by forum members.

[z1ggy 81]

I see. I was wanted to try and get a sense of how good the fit is given the fact you can't actually try them on first (obviously) and that all he has to go with are a stencil of your foot and some measurements. Nothing more scary/annoying to me than spending a boat load of cash on skates, and having them make your game worse because they don't fit well.

[flip12 715]

I saw one person's custom measurements, and if I saw correctly, there are two for volume: around the instep and around the widest part of the forefoot.

[z1ggy 81]

You'd be correct flip12. Additionally, Scott suggests taking photos with a measuring take next to the foot if you have any foot imperfections, like bumps, bone spurs, etc. I'd take them anyway even if I didn't, just so he can have more data to go by when he builds the skate.

[Mimizk 114]

I consulted Scott about a boots last for bow-legs.

I told him that I want like these design boots for me.

But he said it's difficult to make a last like that by his currently shoe making.

Then he advised me a better way to oven my boots little longer than generally heat molding.

But already I've done heat molding 3 times so I'm worried about its durability and solidity.

And I felt it's so difficult and risky because there is a possibility that my boots can't keep its total shape if I put big power or weight when it became very soft by such long time heating.

So I think to heat outside around shin and ankle only by heat gun.

Then toward deep skating position and keep it until completely the boots will be cold.

[Hammy1757 1]

I finally ordered mine. I can't wait!