How bothered are you by a bad sharpen?

[Canadiens1958]

Figure Skating Sharpening

Yes, yes we do Which is why I've been having trouble finding a new person to commit to. Back when I competed, basically got a grind I liked that was done by same person who did my coach's skates. Since then I've taken it to a couple different people, one who I was worried had permanently ruined the blades, one who fixed it up reasonably well and now I'm finally settled in a city again and trying to figure out who gets theirs done where.

Very few in Montreal and Quebec do both hockey and figure skating. less if you factor out dance. None if you include all skating - short track and speed. Usually niche figure skating shops offer sharpening or will direct to an area niche sharpener.

 

[Caeldan]

Very few in Montreal and Quebec do both hockey and figure skating. less if you factor out dance. None if you include all skating - short track and speed. Usually niche figure skating shops offer sharpening or will direct to an area niche sharpener.

Oh sorry, yeah I'm currently taking my figure skates to a figure skate guy. Does them in the local arena and is a coach for some of the competitive skaters.

The hockey skates are done elsewhere. Didn't realize before this thread though that it might be possible to want to get a goalie skate guy as well as a player skate guy though.

 

[Wilch]

There's only one guy who knows how to sharpen skates properly in Taiwan. And he's AWOL from his shop half the time.

There are machines available, but I don't know how to work it - otherwise I'd do it myself and pay them an usage fee.

 

[roffleburger]

Oh sorry, yeah I'm currently taking my figure skates to a figure skate guy. Does them in the local arena and is a coach for some of the competitive skaters.

The hockey skates are done elsewhere. Didn't realize before this thread though that it might be possible to want to get a goalie skate guy as well as a player skate guy though.

I go to Figure 8 on Industrial, in 3 years they've only gotten it wrong once, and it was a new guy who got reprimanded by his boss after my first game on the wrong hollow. You can get goalie skates, regular skates, and figure skates done there.

 

[blackout44]

anyone in socal have a go-to guy for sharpening?

still haven't found anyone consistent

I hate to revive a semi-old thread, but I went through several horrible sharpenings in SoCal until....

Eric at Yorba Linda Ice. Hands down awesome guy and great sharpener. He's a perfectionist when it comes to even edges. I won't go anywhere else now.

 

[nystromshairstylist]

I recently got my holders replaced and when I tried skating on them I felt like I couldn't do anything. Finally after another coached practice and a stick and puck where my skates kept feeling worse I had a different skate sharpener look at them to see if they'd missed an edge. Turns out my edges were all different heights and my inside edges were 1-1.5mm taller than my outside edges.

1mm doesn't seem like it should make that big of a difference, but if that's all that's wrong, it made a huge difference in my skating ability.

Do people here skate through a bad sharpening or does it really effect your performance? Does it get easier to ignore a bad sharpening as you become a stronger/better skater?

I had a game monday where i played in skates that were uneven (inside edge on left skate was .01 inches higher than outside edge) which made stopping on that side difficult. No worse feeling than realizing in warm-ups for a critical game that you were going to have issues stopping on one side

That is why I bought one of the Quick Squares from here:

http://www.maximumedge.ca/

which measure edges to within 1/1000th of an inch, and check each skate before walking out the door after getting them sharpened. 99% of the time, my LHS does an excellent job, so this was the first time they botched it in like 40 sharpenings.

 

[nystromshairstylist]

I kind of expect it. A really good sharpening is the exception in the D.C. area.

If that is the case, then you should seriously consider purchasing your own machine. I strongly recommend the Blademaster SPB850 as it is a steal for $995, and the service for it from NESSI (the US-based company that distributes on behalf of Blademaster Canada) is superb.

 

[nystromshairstylist]

Anyone own one of those $1000 Blackstone home sharpening machines? Are they as good as the pro shop machines?

The current lineup of Blademaster, Wissota, and Blackstone portables are just as good as the ones used in LHS. The Blademaster SPB850 is the one I chose, as it is an excellent unit for under $1,000, highly recommended.

But if you do buy a unit, make sure you get fully trained by someone very knowledgeable in your area before using. I'd also make sure you have an adequate exhaust system in place as the dust/debris can be problematic.

That said, a properly trained individual like yourself using a $1,000 portable/home unit can sharpen skates as well as anyone with a $10,000 "pro" machine with three heads on it.

 

[Terry Yake]

I hate to revive a semi-old thread, but I went through several horrible sharpenings in SoCal until....

Eric at Yorba Linda Ice. Hands down awesome guy and great sharpener. He's a perfectionist when it comes to even edges. I won't go anywhere else now.

great to know. i think i'll have to give it a try one of these days then. i'm getting tired of going to places around OC and never knowing if i'll get a good or bad sharpen

 

[steevdeadman]

If you are in NYC, Westside Stick and Skate is the best place to get a sharpen. Expensive, but always on point.