VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[AfftonDad 88]

Took my first skate. The boot is extremely comfortable. I had not realized how much pressure my Makos placed on my mobile flat feet until I got into these. Took a bit of getting used to, I couldn't get any bite on my inside edges (though it might be the sharpening) and felt like I was on my heels too much. Gonna get them profiled with a slight forward pitch and see if that helps any.

If you liked the Mako pitch you should have had CXNs put on. That's what I did.

[syinx 139]

If you liked the Mako pitch you should have had CXNs put on. That's what I did.

I preferred the feel of Bauer holders, and in my area, replacement steel for Makos are not as readily available in my size. Coupled with my preference, it was logical to to this route and tweak the pitch with the profiling

Plus this way I'll be able to carry extra steel for a quick change, rather than have to unscrew the CXN bolts.

[syinx 139]

So, a forum member PM'd me regarding my experience with Makos, Mako IIs, and the VH Skates I recently got. I thought it'd be helpful to post this information here for whoever would like it.

"I was incredibly comfortable in my Makos and Mako IIs, to the point where I actually bought an extra pair of Mako IIs just in case my skates went kaput and I could have a pair on hand immediately. The reason I made the switch was really just because my girlfriend had pre-paid for a pair for me as an anniversary gift as she knew I really liked the way they looked and the concepts that Scott was pioneering.

I have a flexible/mobile flat foot, and it makes it really difficult to make a pair of skates for me because I do technically have an arch - it just collapses whenever I put a significant amount of weight in it (such as lifting, skating, running, etc.). The Makos fit me perfectly, but did require a bit of tweaking. I also have a whole host of different foot/stance issues, so that was factored in as well. As with my mobile arch, I did need a stiffer form of arch support that the boot was unable to anticipate as it interpreted my arch as flat, so I put in a pair of Superfeet Blacks and they were perfect (though this is a personal decision and you may not need it).

The transition from Makos to VH Skates was interesting, but brilliant. The Boots aren't as "tight" a wrap. I felt minor toe cramping in the Makos, but the VH Boot fits like a sock, with no pressure point, but just the right amount of tightness. I prefer the feel of the VH Boots because it matches my foot shape perfectly (as a custom skate should). The boot is taller, and thus offers an amazing amount of lateral (side to side) support in turns. I did have to drop an eyelet though, because I was used to the shorter boot of the Mako and lacing them all the way up was too stiff. Please make sure you tie all the eyelets up during the bake regardless of whether you are dropping one. This really helped my boot wrap and made me feel like I had all my laces done up, except with an enhanced forward flex from the tongue.

If you want a similar range of motion to the Mako, order the flexible tendon guard. It is much less flexible than the Mako Extendon, but I like it. I treat it like a springboard - if you have enough strength in your legs in your stride, it will flex the tendon guard, which will proceed to "snap" back into position, giving your stride a "kick". The flexibility is comparable to the tendon guard of the Bauer MX3. I have been told by Rob that the tendon guard does "break in" a bit, as it was really stiff when I first received my skates. I thoroughly enjoyed this as I could lean back on my skates more during a turn, which supports me where I need it most.

The boot itself is significantly stiffer than the Makos and Mako IIs, which I enjoy. I took a hard run from behind into the boards once, and my skate was kicked toe-first into the boards, leaving me with a pretty significant bruise on my big toe. I took a shot off the inner side of my right VH Skate the other day, and didn't feel a thing.

Now, I made my own life a little more difficult with the holders. I live in an area where it's difficult to buy replacement Mako steel in my size, and I can't afford to keep shipping in pairs when they break. With Vancouver being a very Bauer-centric city, I chose to go with the LS Edge Holders. They made for a very convenient switching, but I had to get a +2 heel lift installed, and a +1 pitch in my steels to mimic the Mako stance. I have, however, been told by Scott that putting CXN holders on the VH Boot will provide a very close, if not identical feel to that of the Makos.

After all my tweaking, they finally feel exactly like my Makos, with no pressure points; a stiffer, more protective outer; and a gorgeous, sleek skate to boot (pun!). I love them to death, and they are spectacular.

Three things of note though:

- They are incredibly responsive, and thus using your usual hollow may feel too sharp. I dropped a 1/16th from 1/2 inch to 9/16ths.

- Probably due to the incredible wrap, I need a lot less lace than I do for my size, so I dropped down one lace length size. (e.g. 108" to 96" laces for skate size 8)

- Waxed laces work really well with the customizability of the boot, but baking with the original laces means your wax doesn't melt out and flub everywhere."

Edited March 3, 2015 by syinx

[JaniV 9]

Great skate, but I hate that srew on top of toebox

[ibeck 38]

Great write up, the more I read the more I want

[ChrisB 3]

Hey Guys,

I was the member who PM'd syinx. Syinx, thank you for such a great reply ! Very appreciated.

So here is my dilemma: I have tried all of the "traditional skates" over the past 2 years; Bauer NXG's, Reebok 11 and 20k's, RBZ's, etc... in search of the perfect skates. I though I had it with the 11k's = no pain and great performance. Then I tried the Makos. Wow. The performance was incredible. Like going from a honda accord to a Ferrari. The only problem is that they started to cause great pain to my feet. (let me first state that I have completely flat feet). I was able to punch out a few hot spots, but the main problem is heel pain in the form of haglund bumps. (Bauer bumps, heel spurs, whatever). I couldn't give up the performance of the makos, so I put bunga gel pads on each foot. Felt good while skating, but the pain would come after the game, And even worse the day after. The makos were literally destroying my feet, even with thick gel pads. I was getting red swollen bumps on each heel.

My thought was that the makos are so forward pitched and my feet so flat, that it was the holder making my feet uneven in the skates. So when skating, on the balls of my feet, my heel is raised and rubbing the back of the boot. ( my own hypothesis, I could be wrong).

I had to recently go back to my trusted 11k's ( bought a new pair for $200 from ebay). No pain whatsoever but limited performance vs what I know I can do in the Makos.

So I found VH skates in my quest to merge Mako performance with no pain comfort. The problem is, how do I know that I will not get the same heel pain/Spurs that I get from the makos ? I love the forward pitch, but I can't risk spending $1000 and have the same problem as the makos. Can anyone shed some light as to why I am getting heel spurs from the makos ? They fit perfectly length wise, I mean my toes are right up against the cap (perfect for me). If I put a CXN holder on the VH, wouldn't I have the same pain as the makos (if my hypothesis above is correct) ? My 11k's have e-pros, which I thought were forward pitched, but I have zero pain. I've searched the posts, but I've never read of anyone with makos having heel pain/spurs problems with them.

Any insight you guys might have is greatly appreciated.

I think I may e-mail VH direct with the info above and see what Scott thinks.

Thanks

Chris

[mc88 160]

Updated 3/12/12: Due to new details coming to light, I no longer support this company.

Edited March 12, 2015 by mc88

[IPv6Freely 2094]

Holy crap. That post FTW. Thanks!

I hear you can also get custom tongues made from maltese gel foams. That would probably be awesome.

[chippa13 1844]

I know I can't wait to spend $800 on skates I have to tape together.

[mc88 160]

I know I can't wait to spend $800 on skates I have to tape together.

Tape is not needed anywhere on the boot (if you're referring to the Velcro, then you can get it replaced a year or so down the line when it stops sticking together)

Edited March 3, 2015 by mc88

[mojo122 535]

I know I can't wait to spend $800 on skates I have to tape together.

You forgot to factor in return shipping charges...

[chippa13 1844]

Extreme optimism.

[bthompson1286 5]

Extreme optimism.

why are you so against this company? Don't you have more important things to worry about. Grow up, you act like a child

Edited March 3, 2015 by bthompson1286

[chippa13 1844]

"bthompson1286 said:

for someone who uses easton skates, you should shut up. are you a bender that needs to get back at someone. how old you are? looking at your picture, a washed up old man. Stop being a prick"

Yeah, really looks like I'm the one who needs to grow up.

[bthompson1286 5]

"bthompson1286 said:

for someone who uses easton skates, you should shut up. are you a bender that needs to get back at someone. how old you are? looking at your picture, a washed up old man. Stop being a prick"

Yeah, really looks like I'm the one who needs to grow up.

Do you need to tape together your RS skates? I ask again, why are you so against this company? i use graf skates btw

[lohnman 0]

I continue to believe these are the best skates out there. After 4 months of junior hockey, skating 6 days a week my sons pair are still in great shape. He continues to believe they are the most comfortable skates he's ever used. We have yet to have an issue with a single rivet, it was always a problem with his custom Bauers X60, APX and APX2s. I would recommend getting the protective coating over the toe cap, and the double stitching when you order. His skating has improved significantly with these has well. Most people have gone to less bite with their edges he has asked me to give him more bite which is interesting.

[Davetronz 109]

I'm also one who went up from a 5/8 or 11/16 to a 9/16 or 1/2.

[chippa13 1844]

Do you need to tape together your RS skates? I ask again, why are you so against this company? i use graf skates btw

Since you ask, twice in the last 2 weeks I have had guys look at my 1 1/2 year old RS skates and ask if I got new skates.

[MountainKing 10]

Since you ask, twice in the last 2 weeks I have had guys look at my 1 1/2 year old RS skates and ask if I got new skates.

I'd be curious what you're doing when you're playing to keep your skates looking so new.....

[laserrobottime 149]

Why don't we pull this thread back on track?

I'm back in my VH skates full time now, just got the felt tongues and will re-bake next weekend.

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

I'd be curious what you're doing when you're playing to keep your skates looking so new.....

He holds the record for most shots blocked with skates at Winterfest/Summerjam combined! Plus his shot blocking CORSI rating at MSH events is through the roof.

[MountainKing 10]

He holds the record for most shots blocked with skates at Winterfest/Summerjam combined! Plus his shot blocking CORSI rating at MSH events is through the roof.

Well I was just put in my place.....

[chippa13 1844]

I'm starting to think I'm not blocking them so much as I'm a target.

[iceman8310 106]

sometimes the puck finds you, not always for the right reasons

[Hank_33 9]

Does anyone know if the skates cost 900 CAD or 900 USD? It only says dollar on their site