How bothered are you by a bad sharpen?

[TieClark]

The inside edge is a completely different edge from the outside edge. It's called the "A-trap" system by Blackstone, I believe. It's like the goalie version for Flat Bottom V, which I use for my player skates, as well.

Never heard of that... must be an entirely separate machine then no?

 

[Shaun Bisson]

I've only ever had my skates sharpened at 1 place my whole life. Micor Sports in Sarnia. Bill Abercrombie was a whizz with the sharpener and now Andrew Abercrombie is as well.

 

[tetra]

I purchased my skates at National Sports in Scarborough since there was a wicked deal going on there. They baked them fine, but the sharpening was so bad. I brought them to Just Hockey on Steeles and they fixed em up good!

 

[Badger36]

Im not sure that Im anywhere near a good enough skater where I could tell the difference between a good sharpen and a bad sharpen...

 

[vapor11]

I may be lucky because hockey is big here but I have never really had a sharpen that was noticebly bad.. Been skating over 20 years.. 10 years of organized hockey

For beginners I would not think too much into it..

If I step on a rock, stick etc and lose an edge then I notice it.. Keep your blades protected

 

[intangible]

Never heard of that... must be an entirely separate machine then no?

Uses the Blackstone machine, but has a specialized, metal sharpener instead of the typical grinding stone. Basically because FBV has a, well, flat bottom, you can put two different edges on your skates. With a typical sharpening because it has a hollow, if you tried doing it the hollow might be off center (which I used to do back when that was trendy for goalies).

 

[TieClark]

I may be lucky because hockey is big here but I have never really had a sharpen that was noticebly bad.. Been skating over 20 years.. 10 years of organized hockey

For beginners I would not think too much into it..

If I step on a rock, stick etc and lose an edge then I notice it.. Keep your blades protected

I can't recall a really bad sharpen I've ever had either, but working in a proshop I hear about and see a ton of bad sharpens. Just had a new pair of skates come in that weren't ground down and had a hollow way off center... the kid must have never been trained to mess(mod edit) them up that bad but in that case why do them at all?

 

[SacredPetra]

Im not sure that Im anywhere near a good enough skater where I could tell the difference between a good sharpen and a bad sharpen...

I didn't think I'd notice either, but I couldn't hardly do a two foot glide. Granted, my skates also had the holders mounted poorly, but just getting them sharpened correctly made the difference between being able to stop or not.

 

[Caps2Fan]

I've seen that No Icing Pro Shop has been mentioned a few times on this thread. I just sent them a "skate profile questionnaire" so that they can recommend a profile for my runners. Has anyone ever done this and what did you think?

Sorry to bring up a new topic, figured it was better than starting a whole new thread about sharpening.

 

[PS12]

I've seen that No Icing Pro Shop has been mentioned a few times on this thread. I just sent them a "skate profile questionnaire" so that they can recommend a profile for my runners. Has anyone ever done this and what did you think?

Sorry to bring up a new topic, figured it was better than starting a whole new thread about sharpening.

I did it and am extremely happy with it. They recommended a more pitched profile with a combination radius. Also a fbv. Not sure how much is placebo but i felt i skated better. Fbv was amazing for spring and summer play. Winter time i went with a deeper fbv cut.

I have 3 sets of steel that i do in rotation. When 2 need sharpening i mail them off. Theyre very quick in their turnover.

Before noicing i had problems with consistent sharpens. I wasnt as good a skater then but i could still tell when my blades didnt feel right.

I may have them redo my profile because i have my own thoughts as to how to tweak it after using their suggested profile for a year but their initial assessment was great. I feel it helped my skating a lot.

 

[Ace88*]

I find that yes, a bad sharpen just makes me not want to play anymore because it hinders me from making certain plays. I'm a fairly aggressive skater so i need a sharpen that will bite and bite well, even when cornering hard and leaning at ridiculous angles. For me, a good sharpen is the difference between a really good game and a downright awful game. You can't play well if you don't have confidence in your abilities and a bad sharpen just kills your confidence in your skating.

Often it's not even a case of going to a pro shop for a good sharpen. There are Canadian Tires, Sport Cheks, Sport Marts, etc littered around the GTA that have guys that are mostly terrible at sharpening, but then once in a while you get a total sharpening wizard who really knows what he's doing. Thankfully for me, there two such employees at a local Sport Chek here in Mississauga. I call ahead to make sure one of them is there before i actually go there lol.

 

[SillyMe]

Noicing is around 1.5 hrs north of me, so I am considering ordering a new/ extra set of Elite runners (I have RS skates), so I can keep a spare set always sharpened, and not have to worry about hacks doing an awful job.
They don't just sell steel though, you have to order a custom radius, and tbo I don't know anything about that....emailed them for the questionaire.

 

[Kale Makar]

I try to only get my skates sharpened by one guy who always does it right, but I can only find him Friday nights. Really needed them sharpened so I went to a local shop and I hated it.

 

[SillyMe]

As far as ordering new runners, the Easton Elite runners are supposedly a high grade SS(according to noicing description), and they cost more $ than the step steel.
Should I order the same Elite runners as I have now instead of Step steel?
They will feel exactly the same if I order the Elites, but if the Step is better (AND cheaper) I don't see the point.

Thanks

 

[FiveHole23]

This maybe a stupid question i have played roller for like 8 years but recently just completed my first season of Ice.

Is there a way to tell when my skates need sharpened just by looking at them/feeling the blade. I can tell when I get out on them and I am failing down but I would like to know maybe a game or 2 advance of that point. I only play/skate once a week. For the life of me no matter where I get them sharpened or when they are dull I don't notice a huge difference in how sharp they are when running my finger down the blade. So how do you guys tell?

 

[CanucksSayEh]

If the blade still easily shaves my fingernail, I assume it's good to go. Also good to have a sharpening stone, for the in-betweens.

 

[LarryO]

This maybe a stupid question i have played roller for like 8 years but recently just completed my first season of Ice.

Is there a way to tell when my skates need sharpened just by looking at them/feeling the blade. I can tell when I get out on them and I am failing down but I would like to know maybe a game or 2 advance of that point. I only play/skate once a week. For the life of me no matter where I get them sharpened or when they are dull I don't notice a huge difference in how sharp they are when running my finger down the blade. So how do you guys tell?

I can go up to around 10 games or so on the same sharpening as long as I don't get a dull spot on an edge from contact with someone elses blade or a goal post or something. Holding the blade up and looking at how the light reflects on the edge reveals the dull spots. If, as CanucksSayEh says, the blade doesn't shave my thumbnail where the dull spot is located, then I know I'll probably lose an edge when that spot comes in contact with the ice so it's time for a sharpening. If the dull spot happens only 1 or 2 games after sharpening, I have to get them sharpened.
Lastly, it can happen that you not feel a dull edge at the end of a game since the ice is rough by then. But when you start the next game on fresh ice that same dull edge will be more apparent

 

[mistrhanky]

Very frustrating but very limited options too. I take mine to the same place each time, and the same guy(I always choose day shifters to avoid the rush time jobs). I also use a 95/75 which a lot of shops in my area don't cut, so I am dependent on a good cut from one source. I did have my blades profiled by NOH though, and they did a great job on them. So, I bought a spare set and got a matching profile, so now if I know I get a bad sharpen, I just swap out the blades until I can get it fixed.

 

[mzm119]

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

 

[Puckstop40]

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

still haven't found anyone consistent

Go to Monkey Sports and ask for Adam or Jared. They have always done very well for me and they take their time making sure the edges are even.

 

[TieClark]

If the blade still easily shaves my fingernail, I assume it's good to go. Also good to have a sharpening stone, for the in-betweens.

That's a pretty common belief, but is also a myth.

A skate with literally no edge (completely flat) will feel sharp because it's the edge of steel. The 2 main things is looking down the length of the blade on both the front and back and making sure the groove is in the middle of the blade, not more on one side or the other. The second is looking at the bottom of the blade and making sure there are no burrs or nicks left on the blade and that the blade doesn't look off in any way.

 

[Terry Yake]

Go to Monkey Sports and ask for Adam or Jared. They have always done very well for me and they take their time making sure the edges are even.

thanks for the tip

i'll be sure to do that next time i go in for sharpening

 

[Caeldan]

I don't know who is working there - but I know that myself and quite a few people I've played with all seem to be happy with/recommend National Sports in Cambridge (ON) for sharpenings for player skates.

I also got my goalie skates done there (bought used, used them a while - decided to get a sharpening finally) and have been happy with how it feels to have edges on those.

I'm still trying to nail down who I like to go to for my figure skates though. The guy I've gone to the last couple times seems to do them a little too sharp for my liking, but I've been out of the sport long enough I forget exactly what grind I used to like so it's still a bit of an experiment.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Figure Skating

I don't know who is working there - but I know that myself and quite a few people I've played with all seem to be happy with/recommend National Sports in Cambridge (ON) for sharpenings for player skates.

I also got my goalie skates done there (bought used, used them a while - decided to get a sharpening finally) and have been happy with how it feels to have edges on those.

I'm still trying to nail down who I like to go to for my figure skates though. The guy I've gone to the last couple times seems to do them a little too sharp for my liking, but I've been out of the sport long enough I forget exactly what grind I used to like so it's still a bit of an experiment.

Figure skaters tend to gravitate to their favourite niche sharpener specializing in figure skates.

 

[Caeldan]

Figure skaters tend to gravitate to their favourite niche sharpener specializing in figure skates.

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.