VH Footwear/TRUE by Scott Van Horne

[Davetronz 109]

Got a "not a problem" from Rob. Don't see why this wouldn't be an option considering it's practically on every retail boot you buy.

Rust-proofing, yes. I interpreted it as you were thinking like rubber or nylon coating of some kind. Interested to see what they provide.

Doesn't hurt to ask. I noticed there are about three types of boot designs:

First boot - older style.

Second boot - a bit of evolution, but still with the old tendon guard, closer in finish to the new JR side finishing style, but still with older (coated) CF toe cap and side walls graphic near toe box.

Third boot - new style SR.

[ryoichi 4]

what is the big difference between senior and junior in vh? just sizing or?

Edited August 26, 2015 by ryoichi

[Davetronz 109]

what is the big difference between senior and junior in vh? just sizing or?

With the new JR style boot using the new toe cap effective mid-late-september, the only difference is going to be the sizing and the area/shape in which color options are applied to the side of the boot. The junior boot has a much smaller and more trapezoidal shape where the color option is applied compared to the senior boot.

[Bbd94 26]

Just got my skates!

Have to say I'm kind of disappointed in the presentation. Lots of epoxy and material hanging off. They didn't even put it in a bag. Just threw it in a box and stuck a label on it. Was expecting more for this price point but as long as it's not structural I guess it'll be OK.

I did try them on before I baked them. Impossible to get the laces on because there is soooo much wrap, so hopefully the problem subsides when they are baked. It does say to bake them before even trying them on, so not surprised I can't get them on without it.

I'll keep you all updated and see if I can figure out how to post photos. When I did get them on without the tongue and laces I don't feel ANY pressure point on my haglunds which is absolutely fantastic.

Just a bag next time please lol

[Davetronz 109]

That's how they ship all pairs, even to authorized dealers. In boxes, with labels. They don't have VH bags as of yet, as far as I know. On the flip side, Bauer, CCM, etc don't put their custom skates in bags either. Graf "sometimes" does.

Re: epoxy - they are handmade, which leads to occasionally some epoxy remaining on the boot. Not sure what you mean about the material hanging off.

Glad you received your skates and that the initial feel seems positive!

Edited August 27, 2015 by Davetronz

[mc88 160]

Have to say I'm kind of disappointed in the presentation.

This has been well-documented. And is an unfortunate track record:

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/63437-vh-footwear/page-16#entry998686

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/63437-vh-footwear/page-18#entry998958

I can say after owning the skates for over a year and half that despite the poor presentation, the skates are worth it. If you want to remove any excess glue, the best solution I've found is to use some brown masking tape. It's tacky enough to remove glue, but not strong enough to ruin the materials underneath.

After a little elbow grease and some lighting, they came out pretty nice:

http://modsquadhockey.com/forums/index.php/topic/63437-vh-footwear/page-19#entry999417

[DRW1319 3]

I've got one of the early pairs and I've had to fix a few things. Tongue rivet came out and both tendon guards came loose. Not a big deal to me. They don't look super polished but again I don't care. What matters to me is no pain at all. In fact they are comfortable. I'll even sit after the game having a beer and forget that my skates are still on. I will be ordering one of the newer pairs soon.

As for the box... I just throw it away anyway.

[DRW1319 3]

I've got one of the early pairs and I've had to fix a few things. Tongue rivet came out and both tendon guards came loose. Not a big deal to me. They don't look super polished but again I don't care. What matters to me is no pain at all. In fact they are comfortable. I'll even sit after the game having a beer and forget that my skates are still on. I will be ordering one of the newer pairs soon.

As for the box... I just throw it away anyway.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I kinda like that the holders are mounted straight on both skates, and they are not warped. As for a little extra glue here and there?? I am sure if you got past the flash on some of the other skates you could find flaws as well. It probably has to do with the skate not looking as flashy!

I have fit 22 people this past month 7 NHL players every NHL guy has said the same as people here. There not much to look at but holy crap are they comfortable. I am betting there will be close to 80 guys wearing them full time this season.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

After a month and a bit in my VH goalie skates I will say this.. They're like tennis shoes. If I ever skate out again I will be buying a pair of player skates FOR SURE.

[flip12 712]

I personally really like the VH look. I find a lot of the other boots on the market to be pretty garish.

[Bbd94 26]

I definitely like the look. Just some loose stitching and glue which isn't THAT big of a deal.

I think with the JR sizing now in place though they should improve the presentation. Put it in a bag and "buff" it out for the kiddies.

@Optimus, that's the first thing I noticed when I put the skate on without it being baked even. Amazing.

Do you guys think it defeats the purpose to put in a SOLE footbed in the skates?

[flip12 712]

But what kind of a bag are we talking about? Wouldn't it just be several additional kg's of plastic material VH would have to source annually just to give another minor sense of reveal on arrival? If the bag serves no practical purpose other than presentation, to me it sounds like just the kind of trimmings that we as a global society could much better do without in order to improve on our sustainability.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I don't care so much about a bag but at least a shipping box that hasn't already been used three times would have been nice. LOL. No, honestly I couldn't care less.

Jeez Bbd94 I couldn't even get the boot on until it was baked. Not even close.

You can use other insoles, but you'll want to rebake. I put my Superfeet in mine but then I had a LOT more room in the toe box, so I trimmed my red footbed and put them back in. Still need to trim my yellow a bit.

[Davetronz 109]

I definitely like the look. Just some loose stitching and glue which isn't THAT big of a deal.

I think with the JR sizing now in place though they should improve the presentation. Put it in a bag and "buff" it out for the kiddies.

@Optimus, that's the first thing I noticed when I put the skate on without it being baked even. Amazing.

Do you guys think it defeats the purpose to put in a SOLE footbed in the skates?

I had SOLE super-slim in mine for a while to give my arch a bit more support. I ended up not liking the skating feel and went to a Black Superfeet where I get less heel lift, less arch support, but better foot feel.

[Bbd94 26]

I had SOLE super-slim in mine for a while to give my arch a bit more support. I ended up not liking the skating feel and went to a Black Superfeet where I get less heel lift, less arch support, but better foot feel.

I have the SOLE Thin Sport footbeds which I actually haven't tried much on ice, but while standing on them feel really comfortable.

Do you recommend I put them in my skates on the first baking, or use the footbeds they provide? I think I may stick with their footbeds since its already traced on my foot. I feel like if I put a footbed in that gives me more arch support, wouldn't it alter how my foot sits in the boot and decrease some of the customization? May be a dumb question. I'm really looking just to add shims to decrease my pronation.

I don't care so much about a bag but at least a shipping box that hasn't already been used three times would have been nice. LOL. No, honestly I couldn't care less.

Jeez Bbd94 I couldn't even get the boot on until it was baked. Not even close.

You can use other insoles, but you'll want to rebake. I put my Superfeet in mine but then I had a LOT more room in the toe box, so I trimmed my red footbed and put them back in. Still need to trim my yellow a bit.

I actually had to have another person help me try and get it on. Just wanted to see how it felt pre-baking, so I can see the difference it makes. I'm getting them baked on Monday

[Davetronz 109]

I have the SOLE Thin Sport footbeds which I actually haven't tried much on ice, but while standing on them feel really comfortable.

Do you recommend I put them in my skates on the first baking, or use the footbeds they provide? I think I may stick with their footbeds since its already traced on my foot. I feel like if I put a footbed in that gives me more arch support, wouldn't it alter how my foot sits in the boot and decrease some of the customization? May be a dumb question. I'm really looking just to add shims to decrease my pronation.

I'd recommend trying them with the VH footbeds first. They are quite nice. The SOLE may take up too much volume and change how your foot sits in the boot. If you feel like you need a bit more material under your arch you can add a bit more of the material under the VH insole, or try something like the SOLE insole. I'd also recommend re-baking them if you change insoles.

[Bbd94 26]

I'd recommend trying them with the VH footbeds first. They are quite nice. The SOLE may take up too much volume and change how your foot sits in the boot. If you feel like you need a bit more material under your arch you can add a bit more of the material under the VH insole, or try something like the SOLE insole. I'd also recommend re-baking them if you change insoles.

Sounds good! Thank you!​

[Monty22 831]

I didn't care for the VH yellow insoles< as they felt too "spongy" . I switched to the CCM insoles and have been happy. Did not need to rebake. See how they feel before possibly unnecessarily baking again.

[flyers10 57]

I didn't care for the VH yellow insoles< as they felt too "spongy" . I switched to the CCM insoles and have been happy. Did not need to rebake. See how they feel

before possibly unnecessarily baking again.

Did you leave the red insole underneath the CCM one?

I didn't care for the VH yellow insoles< as they felt too "spongy" . I switched to the CCM insoles and have been happy. Did not need to rebake. See how they feel

before possibly unnecessarily baking again.

Did you leave the red insole underneath the CCM one?

[mc88 160]

I also went with some custom insoles. I was getting some serious pinching on my instep (couldn't punch it out) and the insoles managed to alleviate about 95% of the discomfort. Due to the thickness of the custom insole, I took the red insole piece out as well. Thankfully, I didn't have any volume issues.

[Monty22 831]

I left the red part in.

[Monty22 831]

Thought this was interesting: I was at the HHOF in Toronto last week and came across these. Haley Wickenheiser VH's, with Total One heel pieces to make them look like Bauers.

[Davetronz 109]

Very interesting!

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Ha, awesome!