Sharp or Dull Skates?

[Hockeyfan68]

Okay I thought of this today because I have always taken the time to dull my skates a little after a sharpening. I do NOT like a razor sharp blade edge .... do you?

Do you prefer sharp or dull skate blades?

What I do is a trick that I read about in the New England Hockey Journal which had an interview with the Boston Bruins equipment guy who uses a real copper penny (not them new ones that are not even copper) to dull a fresh sharpening per Bruins player requests.

I guess there are a couple of players who prefer that. If I remember correctly it was Savard who does that.

Anyhew what he does is gently slide the penny face on both edges and runs it up and down the blade 2 times. The soft copper takes the razor sharp edge off without damaging the blade at all. The skates are still sharp but do not grab as much when using them.

Great for indoor ice especially this time of year when there may be softer ice. I blew a hamstring out one year and was on crutches for 2 months after that happened was when I started dulling my blades a bit. I had hooked an edge while stooped over doing a sweep check on soft ice with freshly sharpened skates. I felt the dreaded "pop" and immediately it could not support any weight and I was carried off the ice. The next day I was a solid purple down the back of my leg and could not use it unless I used a heating pad first in the morning.

On outdoor ice I do not dull them as the outdoor ice does a nice job on its own to do that for me.

Anyway that is what I do, I used to just scrape the blades when I got on the ice a dozen times to take some edge off the blade before playing but now i no longer have to do that.

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[BadHammy*]

Yeh, real sharp on mushy ice is a bad, bad idea. Then again, too dull isn't great either. Preference based on weight and how hard of a skater you are is my best guess.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Yeh, real sharp on mushy ice is a bad, bad idea. Then again, too dull isn't great either. Preference based on weight and how hard of a skater you are is my best guess.

What do you do?

 

[BadHammy*]

What do you do?

I get 'em sharpened normally, and then go to a few pick ups or stick times before a game and unsharpen them a little before a real game

 

[Devil Dancer]

I just go ahead and play with 'em. That oversharpened feeling doesn't last more than a couple of shifts in my experience, and I'd feel like I was throwing away money if I dulled them intentionally.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I get 'em sharpened normally, and then go to a few pick ups or stick times before a game and unsharpen them a little before a real game

I think we will be surprised by how many prefer a duller skate than freshly sharpened blades.

I just wanted to see if others do the same thing or similar. I started this about a dozen years ago when that terrible hamstring injury happened to me I described above.

I ... like yourself, prefer a little duller than freshly sharpened blades for a game.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I just go ahead and play with 'em. That oversharpened feeling doesn't last more than a couple of shifts in my experience, and I'd feel like I was throwing away money if I dulled them intentionally.

The penny trick doesn't dull them tremendously, they give you that couple of shifts edge you described. It may be something you may like to try maybe sometimes for giggles.

I used to feel the same way about the price thing for sharpenings but after missing 2 months of work because the soft ice in the summertime grabbed and edge and ripped my hammy i decided nothing was worth that stuff.

Outdoor ice is fast and very hard ice so i do not do that for outdoor ice. I even go as far as to sharpen the skates every 3 or 4 hours worth of outdoor ice because outdoor ice is so brutal on the edges you almost have to in order to have a good edge.

I was skeptical about the penny trick until i tried it for myself, I was pleasantly surprised that the trick doesn't dull the blade, it only takes the oversharpened feel or razor edge off of it. You do need an old penny though that is a soft real copper and not the ones they have now.

 

[cptjeff]

I love to have mine sharp as can be. But for the guys who feel the need to take the edge off, it might be worth trying a shallower hollow.

I skate on a 3/8 though, and like them sharp. I don't like slipping around any, especially on a sharp turn or stop. And I get a better push for acceleration.

 

[noobman]

I really dig into my edges when I'm turning. I definitely prefer sharp blades!

 

[Grittzkey]

I prefer sharp, but resort to dull because sharpening add up

 

[nyrangers10]

I really dig into my edges when I'm turning. I definitely prefer sharp blades!

same here

 

[Dan Cloutier]

After I get them sharpened I usually dull them out on the locker room bench and that seems to do the trick pretty well

 

[GuitarAwesome]

I do something similar, I hate freshly sharpened skates, they have to be dulled. I usually sweep the blades on rubber once or twice, just to take the edge off a little. The penny sounds like a good trick, I'm gonna do that next time.

 

[FLYLine27*]

Prefer them sharp over dull but I dont run out and get them sharpened every week.

Probably get them sharpened every 15-20 games. (Play about 100 games a season on average). I'll get them sharpened before the playoffs as well.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I do something similar, I hate freshly sharpened skates, they have to be dulled. I usually sweep the blades on rubber once or twice, just to take the edge off a little. The penny sounds like a good trick, I'm gonna do that next time.

It works for me ... I use an old wheatback penny. The rubber thing sounds cool that you do, whatever works I reckon.

 

[Saved*]

My skating technique is kind of a... gallop. It works well for me, and I find it works best with nearly sharp skates. 1 hour of skating on my blade and it's absolutely perfect for about 2 or 3 hours.

I find with really sharp edges, I can't transition into backward skating without a risk of a tumble etc.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

I love to have mine sharp as can be. But for the guys who feel the need to take the edge off, it might be worth trying a shallower hollow.

I skate on a 3/8 though, and like them sharp. I don't like slipping around any, especially on a sharp turn or stop. And I get a better push for acceleration.

The guy that does mine does the skates for a QMJHL team and is very knowledgable about things of this nature. He has my hollow around the 1/2" - 5/8" mark. I am not sure how he measures it honestly but he told me for my style of play, weight etc that what he used was perfect and my skates always feel perfect. NOBODY touches my skates but him.

I keep my edges on the area that contacts the ice all the time that gets the dullest the fastest with a Pro-Filer handheld sharpener. it doesn't oversharpen and keeps a good edge BUT is not a replacement for sharpenings as it only brings an edge good enough to use. Saves a lot of money in sharpenings and for me who does not like an overly sharp edge it is perfect. http://www.pro-filer.com/

Overuse however will change the blade hollow angle so sharpenings are still required by a "pro", this being said though the handheld maintenace tool is super. I've used one since maybe around 1992-93 (?) I swear by it.

 

[Stefan It Up]

Why don't you just ask for a shallower hollow for your next skate sharpening?

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Why don't you just ask for a shallower hollow for your next skate sharpening?

Explain please ... that doesn't tell me much. Why would that change how grabby the blade would be with a fresh sharpening?

I have a hollow that is for my playing style and weight and it is perfect.

EDIT ... NEVERMIND I didn't know who you were talking to because you didn't quote them. Sorry lolz. Forget what i mentioned as it obviously does not apply to your discussion.

 

[Dr Acula]

Why don't you just ask for a shallower hollow for your next skate sharpening?

+1

It seems very counterproductive to purposely dull your just-sharpened skates.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

+1

It seems very counterproductive to purposely dull your just-sharpened skates.

Well .... Marc Savard of the Bruins isn't very counterproductive and he dulls his skates.

This is something common among many hockey players. Some prefer it and some don't .... obviously you are one who doesn't do it.

 

[Saved*]

Why don't you just ask for a shallower hollow for your next skate sharpening?

Because I have a history of ankle problems and I've found a comfort level doing what I'm doing? It costs me not a cent to sharpen my skates, so what's the big deal?

 

[Dr Acula]

Well .... Marc Savard of the Bruins isn't very counterproductive and he dulls his skates.

This is something common among many hockey players. Some prefer it and some don't .... obviously you are one who doesn't do it.

Actually, I used to skate on a 3/8" and it would take a couple of sessions before I am totally comfortable again. I've since switched to a 7/16" and it has completely eliminated the "break-in" time.

 

[Hockeyfan68]

Actually, I used to skate on a 3/8" and it would take a couple of sessions before I am totally comfortable again. I've since switched to a 7/16" and it has completely eliminated the "break-in" time.

I suppose I might try something like that on a spare pair of skates here. It wouldn't hurt I guess .... never too old to learn new tricks I reckon.

My guy does a custom in between 1/2" and 5/8" somewhere. Not sure exactly what he does but my skating comfort increased for me when he changed what I was using about a year ago. I've known him for years and he knows me as he has played with me and just knew what I needed.

Hard to explain here I guess. I know i have the correct hollow for my height and weight and skating style.

 

[cptjeff]

I suppose I might try something like that on a spare pair of skates here. It wouldn't hurt I guess .... never too old to learn new tricks I reckon.

My guy does a custom in between 1/2" and 5/8" somewhere. Not sure exactly what he does but my skating comfort increased for me when he changed what I was using about a year ago. I've known him for years and he knows me as he has played with me and just knew what I needed.

Hard to explain here I guess. I know i have the correct hollow for my height and weight and skating style.

There's no set chart for it though. The guy who does your skates is just guessing. It's probalby a very informed guess, but it's still a guess. And he's probably still giving you the same thing because he thinks it's perfect for you because you haven't ever said anything to him about it.

A shallower hollow gives you less grip. That's the point of the different hollows, to adjust the level of grip you get. If your edges seem to grippy, ask to try a shallower hollow.