Vaughn V9 full set - initial impressions and long-term review

[creasecollector]

Great looking set, best of luck when you hit the ice. Once every piece is broken in nicely, you're going to love these.

[AdamL]

2 hours ago, creasecollector said:

Great looking set, best of luck when you hit the ice. Once every piece is broken in nicely, you're going to love these.

I appreciate it!

[seagoal]

Hey @AdamL

can you do me a favor?  On your pads, can you let me know if it is possible to connect your toe ties and then loop them over that bottom piece with jenpro edge so that it would stay put when walking and carry the pads? 

On my VE8 pads I just tuck the velcro tabs of my Pro Laces into the boot strap housing so the toe ties don't dangle when I am carrying my pads .  On my V9 pads though I ordered them with no boot strap so I assume the housing won't be there and I am wondering about how I can get the toe ties to stay put somewhere and not dangle.

The piece I am talking about on yours is black with white jenpro at the bottom and has your boot strap housing. I know that piece is loose and disconnected from the larger calf wrap pieces and I think it might work.  

Thanks man and bonus points for you if you snap a pic

[AdamL]

59 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Hey @AdamL

can you do me a favor?  On your pads, can you let me know if it is possible to connect your toe ties and then loop them over that bottom piece with jenpro edge so that it would stay put when walking and carry the pads? 

On my VE8 pads I just tuck the velcro tabs of my Pro Laces into the boot strap housing so the toe ties don't dangle when I am carrying my pads .  On my V9 pads though I ordered them with no boot strap so I assume the housing won't be there and I am wondering about how I can get the toe ties to stay put somewhere and not dangle.

The piece I am talking about on yours is black with white jenpro at the bottom and has your boot strap housing. I know that piece is loose and disconnected from the larger calf wrap pieces and I think it might work.  

Thanks man and bonus points for you if you snap a pic

It works with the stock Vaughn toe ties, if the ProLaces are close to the same length it should work.

[seagoal]

Awesome, thank you for doing that.  Much appreciated.  Overall length should be similar plus the Pro Laces have the long velcro tabs so I think it should be fine.  

[bildeer]

@AdamL Could you tell me what you had put on the order form for the reinforced sidewall of the blocker? My V5 is on its last leg after nearly 8 years of use. (best $175 I've ever spent!)

[AdamL]

53 minutes ago, bildeer said:

@AdamL Could you tell me what you had put on the order form for the reinforced sidewall of the blocker? My V5 is on its last leg after nearly 8 years of use. (best $175 I've ever spent!)

I actually didn’t fill out the order form myself. I let Dennis and Mike at Goalies Plus know I wanted a firm sidewall and they took care of rest.  Probably not the most helpful answer, but the conversations about what kinds of options I went with were back-and-forth, rather than me just filling out an order form without feedback.

[seagoal]

1 hour ago, bildeer said:

@AdamL Could you tell me what you had put on the order form for the reinforced sidewall of the blocker? My V5 is on its last leg after nearly 8 years of use. (best $175 I've ever spent!)

It's not a specific,  standard custom option so it's not really something they can qualify and offer gradients of reinforcement like they now offer on pad thigh rises.

You'd probably just write "reinforced, stiffer sidewall" then they will inevitably ask you to explain what you mean.  Most likely there will be an upcharge for this too since it's not a standard option.

[AdamL]

16 minutes ago, seagoal said:

It's not a specific,  standard custom option so it's not really something they can qualify and offer gradients of reinforcement like they now offer on pad thigh rises.

You'd probably just write "reinforced, stiffer sidewall" then they will inevitably ask you to explain what you mean.  Most likely there will be an upcharge for this too since it's not a standard option.

Others’ experiences may vary, but I was going to be charged nothing extra for the options I chose until I opted to go with the SLR2 layering in the face of the pad.  That was an extra $100 or so, but that was it.

[bildeer]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

It's not a specific,  standard custom option so it's not really something they can qualify and offer gradients of reinforcement like they now offer on pad thigh rises.

You'd probably just write "reinforced, stiffer sidewall" then they will inevitably ask you to explain what you mean.  Most likely there will be an upcharge for this too since it's not a standard option.

Yes, I understand that, which is why I ask. I order my custom stuff from the same retailer that the @AdamL's set was ordered from so I wanted to know what to tell the person sending my specs to the manufacturer to get the same thing. I had quite a few non standard modifications on my last two pairs of V4's and that made them cost an obscene amount of capital, but I got exactly what I wanted, although with a lighter wallet. I know that sending a picture of the modification works too, which is what I did with my leg channel specs, which is what I did on my last two pairs in addition to specifying something along the lines of "extra large outside calf protector moved to the outside edge of the pad"

[seagoal]

1 hour ago, AdamL said:

Others’ experiences may vary, but I was going to be charged nothing extra for the options I chose until I opted to go with the SLR2 layering in the face of the pad.  That was an extra $100 or so, but that was it.

Yeah, it varies from retailer to retailer.  I was told by my retailer for my V9 set they would "eat" the uncharge as a courtesy for the leather/buckle wrist strap on my glove, which was a nice touch.  Same for embroidery....although I'm not certain Vaughn is still unchanging for names on custom gear like they used to 

9 minutes ago, bildeer said:

Yes, I understand that, which is why I ask. I order my custom stuff from the same retailer that the @AdamL's set was ordered from so I wanted to know what to tell the person sending my specs to the manufacturer to get the same thing. I had quite a few non standard modifications on my last two pairs of V4's and that made them cost an obscene amount of capital, but I got exactly what I wanted, although with a lighter wallet. I know that sending a picture of the modification works too, which is what I did with my leg channel specs, which is what I did on my last two pairs in addition to specifying something along the lines of "extra large outside calf protector moved to the outside edge of the pad"

Very smart with the pics.  Reducing the likelihood of error is always good.

[AdamL]

1 hour ago, seagoal said:

Yeah, it varies from retailer to retailer.  I was told by my retailer for my V9 set they would "eat" the uncharge as a courtesy for the leather/buckle wrist strap on my glove, which was a nice touch.  Same for embroidery....although I'm not certain Vaughn is still unchanging for names on custom gear like they used to 

Very smart with the pics.  Reducing the likelihood of error is always good.

Didn't help with my knee strap.    Thankful they owned up to the error and fixed it quickly with no expense on my end, though.  Folks around this place seem to poo-poo Vaughn a lot, but my experience was pretty great.

 

[AdamL]

Hybrid Pro Laces are on with just a bit of slack, and I removed the boot straps.  I played around with a couple different setups and this was my favorite, at least as much as I can tell imitating crease movements on the carpet in skate guards.  First game is Sunday, LFG!

Edited May 19, 2021 by AdamL

[seagoal]

3 hours ago, AdamL said:

Hybrid Pro Laces are on with just a bit of slack, and I removed the boot straps.  I played around with a couple different setups and this was my favorite, at least as much as I can tell imitating crease movements on the carpet in skate guards.  First game is Sunday, LFG!

Nice set-up, well done.  Looking just like mine will, minus the slack, with different colors.  I think you'll love the no-boot strap with snug toe-tie setup, it's simpler with the exact same effect just more efficient.

I'm excited to hear about your first impressions and experiences on the ice.

Edited May 19, 2021 by seagoal

[AdamL]

19 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Nice set-up, well done.  Looking just like mine will, minus the slack, with different colors.  I think you'll love the no-boot strap with snug toe-tie setup, it's simpler with the exact same effect just more efficient.

I'm excited to hear about your first impressions and experiences on the ice.

Thanks, and yeah, it feels nice. It feels like I have more ankle mobility both in a stance and down in the butterfly, and just makes moving easier.

I forgot to mention I took the glove to get baked today. It freed up really nicely, especially that reinforced tee, and opens nice and wide now and snaps shut much easier.  I wouldn’t call it “fappy” just yet, but it’s totally usable and I’ll keep working on it.  Some sweat and heat from my hand I’m sure will help too.

I’m excited to have some impressions to give on the whole set. I’m hoping to sneak out to a public skate tomorrow or Friday if the work schedule allows, but we’ll see.

Edited May 19, 2021 by AdamL

[seagoal]

45 minutes ago, AdamL said:

Thanks, and yeah, it feels nice. It feels like I have more ankle mobility both in a stance and down in the butterfly, and just makes moving easier.

I forgot to mention I took the glove to get baked today. It freed up really nicely, especially that reinforced tee, and opens nice and wide now and snaps shut much easier.  I wouldn’t call it “fappy” just yet, but it’s totally usable and I’ll keep working on it.  Some sweat and heat from my hand I’m sure will help too.

I’m excited to have some impressions to give on the whole set. I’m hoping to sneak out to a public skate tomorrow or Friday if the work schedule allows, but we’ll see.

Nice, I bake mine too but do so at home.  It's either 175 or 180 degrees for 6 minutes i believe is the sweet spot they told me years ago.  Works wonderfully and then I usually wet my hand with water as hot as I can stand and play around with it after baking.  

Perfection on day 1 every time. It's amazing how shapable they are.

Edited May 19, 2021 by seagoal

[AdamL]

Well that was rough.  Last night was my second time on skates in 16 months, and it showed.  My skating was terrible.  I try to keep up with conditioning off-ice, but nothing I do can replicate the stresses of this position and my legs didn't seem to do what I wanted them to do starting around the middle of the 2nd, and I'm totally wiped out today.  It didn't help that the team I subbed for last night absolutely stunk, but I didn't hold up my end, either.  

As far as impressions go, I'll start with the easy stuff with the glove and blocker.

The blocker is just awesome - it presents really well, the board has a ton more pop than my XLT did, and felt really light and natural on the hand.  Nothing to nitpick at all, it's perfect.  I had one decent snap shot come from my glove side but he went far side on me, I just extended to meet the puck and the rebound went out completely out of the zone.  The glove is similarly great, I had ton of confidence in it, made some nice catches, and playing the puck with that reinforced tee was really nice.  I do think the seal when flat on the ice may not be perfect.  I had one moment where I had to reach behind me to cover the puck and pulled it back toward the center of my body to cover it with both hands, and the puck flung out from under the glove.  Might just need some more break-in time so it has a flatter seal, because when I put it face down on a flat surface with enough pressure it doesn't seem to have any holes.

The pads.  Whoah boy - these are going to take some getting used to, but I think most of that comes down to quickslide.  I was ALL over the place, especially when we first got out there and the ice was still wet.  I didn't get a chance to skate in them first before this game and it was way too much to adjust to in 3 minutes of on-ice warmups.  I'd try to move to a spot and be set as much as possible, but inevitably I'd end up out of position for the shot while dropping down without having completely stopped my momentum.  Not having skated much in 16 months played a big part in this, because I didn't feel as quick and stable as I used to, and so I wasn't in position as early as I should have been.  Still, I wouldn't have been as out of control in a pad that didn't slide so quickly.  

All of that is user error, though, and otherwise the pads are phenomenal.  The seal is fantastic, post integrations and exits are far easier in these than in my X28s, they kick out rebounds fairly well, although nothing Bauer level, and overall just play unobtrusively.  Moving in them felt extremely natural even though I'd never skated in them before.  I'm in love with the Ventus style professor straps.  The pads stay right where they are supposed to be and give me that connected feel I'm looking for while still allowing the pads to rotate quickly.  The boot break was soft enough to get me leaning forward and the pads sit high enough to allow enough attack angle for pushes from my knees.  Between the slightly taller knee stack, the calf pillow, and the new toe ties, my butterfly is a good 3-4" wider than in the X28s as well.  It's gone from slightly narrow to more of an average width, which is awesome.  

Overall I'm quite happy with the set top to bottom, it'll just take some time to get back into hockey shape and really take advantage of the performance of these pads.

[seagoal]

Awesome review, thanks for the update.  I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the gear....and sounds like you need an epsom salt bath today.

Oh, here, I summarized your first experience for you:

"The Quick Slide is great.  It's Quick and it Slides, yep."

*Dang, I was hoping those showed up in the post. Oh well, you get the point. *

[AdamL]

6 minutes ago, seagoal said:

Awesome review, thanks for the update.  I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the gear....and sounds like you need an epsom salt bath today.

Oh, here, I summarized your first experience for you:

"The Quick Slide is great.  It's Quick and it Slides, yep."

https://media.giphy.com/media/fYYpNdX624AAU/giphy.gif

https://media.giphy.com/media/uos5sW7pBy5W0/giphy.gif

*Dang, I was hoping those showed up in the post. Oh well, you get the point. *

That was 100% me every time I went to my knees early in the first period.  

I did start to get the hang of things as the game went on and the ice got a bit more scuffed up, at least.

[seagoal]

2 minutes ago, AdamL said:

That was 100% me every time I went to my knees early in the first period.  

I did start to get the hang of things as the game went on and the ice got a bit more scuffed up, at least.

Even Vaughn haters have had great reviews and praise for their Quick Slide. They seem to have gotten that right. Can't wait for mine.

[seagoal]

@AdamL

I spoke to the Sales rep at Vaughn today.  Glove is done.  Blocker parts are sewn and it is at the assembly table.  Pad are at the sewing table now.  So. Close.

[southpawtendy48]

33 minutes ago, seagoal said:

@AdamL

I spoke to the Sales rep at Vaughn today.  Glove is done.  Blocker parts are sewn and it is at the assembly table.  Pad are at the sewing table now.  So. Close.

They send you pictures of that stuff? I wish which sales rep are you talking to?

[seagoal]

21 minutes ago, southpawtendy48 said:

They send you pictures of that stuff? I wish which sales rep are you talking to?

Ha, no.  I didn't say pictures.  But I did in my mind scream: "PICS or it never happened!!!!!"

I just called to inquire about shipping outlook.  They refuse to give tracking numbers so I like to know when to expect stuff so I don't have giant boxes sitting on my front porch for too long.

But seriously, it was VERY difficult to not ask for pics.  It'd be really neat to see my blocker colors and pieces all disconnected and layed out and see my pad fragments being sewn.  I feel like I'm a bit pushy of a customers with them as is and I didn't want to push my luck.

Oh.......ask for Scott, he's the best.  Super friendly, always willing to chat and answer questions, and he discloses a lot of insider info if you ask and get him talking.  We had a whole conversation about how the Kraken need to get a Vaughn goalie

[Chenner29]

I ordered some new pants direct from Vaughn last week. 

Going to copy the Varlamov spec pants i have now, but size down to a Large with Medium length.

[seagoal]

1 minute ago, Chenner29 said:

I ordered some new pants direct from Vaughn last week. 

Going to copy the Varlamov spec pants i have now, but size down to a Large with Medium length.

Whoa, how'd you skip a retailer??

Also, this thread has been hijacked as a general Vaughn thread.  We should all be ashamed.