I don't doubt that a good experienced operator can offer a great sharpening, but some of us just don't have that guy locally available. Having personally experienced the inconsistency of many "average" operators out there, I'd rather get a good-to-great sharpening that's exactly the same every single time versus gambling on the guy at the rink. Only time will tell in the long run, but I think these guys (Sparx) have done an exceptional job here. If you haven't given it a try, find one to test out and see what you think.