glennda5id

I think I need a Sparx....

That is very encouraging! BTW, who sharpens your skates?

I am very picky about skate sharpening. When I lived on the east coast I did not have a difficult time finding a decent sharpening but since I moved to Los Angeles it has been very difficult. The only places that do a good job are in Orange County and 30-40 minutes away from me(Monkey Sports, a few others). I am currently using noicing sports mail in sharpening service. It might sound extreme but I keep a couple sets of steel, and mail in two sets at a time. The costs is still close to $15/sharpening when you include shippin but it is consistent and they offer every hollow type known to man (I prefer a FBV). I have been considering a home sharpening system for a while and I am very interested in the Sparx. The other option I am considering is the Blackstone X01 (which is cheaper now it seems). I don't mind learning how to sharpen but setting up a rig to collect dust takes up extra space and is a con compared to the sparx. I am an engineer and I am very interested in how long these machines will hold up as some of the previous posters have stated. Are there any expectations on total number of quality sharpenings you can get from the machines? Is the machine serviceable? On the topic of steel quality. Do you find that Step steel is generally straighter compared to something like Bauer LS2 steel?