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I use an SSM TT-3 as the primary machine for the store. The sled and jig are attached on ball bearings so that sled is limited on the X and Y axis. The operator cannot rotate the jig like they can with a Blademaster or Blackstone machine. However, the amount of pressure and speed is regulated by the operator and as mentioned this means the profile over a long period of time does get modified. It just takes a much longer amount of time compared to a fully manual machine. Machines like CAG, ProSharp, Elite, and Sparx all sharpen very well and also do a good job maintaining profile shape better than any manual or semi-manual machine. This is fact. The problem is the public perception that automated machines are not good. This is primarily because they have had a bad experience at one point from someone who had a semi-automated or fully-automated machine and once bitten, twice shy. Usually, this is due to the operator or calibration or general failure to maintain the machine properly. Not an issue with the machine itself. As a professional, I can tell you emphatically that I would prefer a semi-automated or fully-automated machine over a manual machine 100% as long as the person operating the machine is competent. At the end of the day, the operator is the weakest link regardless of the machine. I have literally watched a pro shop employee launch a figure skate through a wall because the toe pick in a ProSharp machine made contact with the wheel. Had anyone been in front of that machine they would have been maimed.

Every team is now running automated sharpeners, they are a no brainer for an EQM as they make the daily job of maintaining edges and profiles just so much easier. Each player will have 3 or 4 sets of blades, these are rotated regularly so the height is relatively consistent across the sets. If a breakage / edge failure occurs then it's a quick swap out between shifts and business as usual. Checking profiles is up to the EQM, there are some who do it weekly whilst others might only do it monthly or longer. However technology is continually changing this, automatic sharpeners provided the first real tool for EQMs to change the traditional way they were doing things, Multi profilers like the Elite profiler that will do 4 blades at a time is another tool to make the job easier. But the real game changer atm has been the Elite sharpener (2 years ago it was just the Canadians, now 10 NHL teams have them and I'm told most of the league is catching up). This tracks the profile across each sharpen, besides the fact that the profile shouldn't / doesn't change, the machine will tell you when it has changed beyond a defined tolerance. Now the profile is continually checked and consistent across sharpens and you can do 2 blades at a time. Profile once and then just sharpen for the life of the blade, the EQMs job has just got significantly easier. My source is a family connection who isn't an EQM but does have some involvement in this area with an NHL team. I was discussing this with him a few years ago and just recently in July.

Pretty excited as I really like the flex profile of this line, but nothing fits my foot like AS3 Pros. My basic history is that I have two replacement hips as of 6/2018. I skate 4-6x week playing and coaching, so I rotate skates. Currently AS3 Pros and 2xPros (fit2). I started with AS1, added 2xPros (before there was a fit choice), added 80k's. Sold the 2xPros and 80ks when I tried the AS3 Pro...that was perfect. I ended up missing being able to rotate so...2xPros again. Anyway...the 80k's were nice but just didn't fit like the Tacks.. comfortable but the performance was not there in comparison. Fast forward...100k...regular fit...hopefully that will be perfect. It's so much fun trying gear! I played D3 in the late 70's early 80's. Used the same equipment from about 15 until I was 25 or so. This level of variety didn't exist and if it did...I wouldn't have been able to afford it anyway 🤣This era is like hockey Disneyland! Of course...pro sports has gone to shite...that's a whole different discussion 😑. I'll let you know hey these new ones slide...if you are interested.

Thanks. With Labour Day sale prices, I got the 9090s all in for sub $175 CAD, so if they don’t work out, it’s not the end of the world.

The F60 I´ve seen in the past had the same cut/boot as the 703/704. They also had pretty much the same felt tongue as the old ones but I think they have been released with that short, thick, black, hideous tongue as well at some point. The other thing that (I felt) didn´t seem as nice on the F60 were the black airnet-liner and it also seemed to have less padding around the ankle and forefoot.

My Sparx is just over 5 years old. It shipped Jul 2016. My two boys were in minor hockey at the time and they now play Jr A and NCAA. I play beer league a couple times a week. I've never had a single problem with the Sparx in that time. I routinely do 2 passes every couple of games/practices to keep our edges always 'like new'. I very rarely do more than 2. I've sharpened everything from Step Steel to stock steel and the Sparx handled them all equally well. When coming home from Jr A seasons my boys' steel was usually destroyed from a profile perspective because of their team equipment managers sharpening on BladeMaster machines. The toe and heels were significantly rounded off from the manual machines. Sharpening on the Sparx (which I have done for my own skates exclusively) has never affected the profile on my steel, so my blades last a lot longer than theirs do. But then again they are on the ice practically ever day vs. twice a week for me. I don't have any experience with the ProSharp unit so I can't offer any comparison head to head. Yes, it would be great if Sparx wheels were cheaper but honestly at the current prices and the way I use my machine, it's simply incredible value to me and our family and has been since the first day it arrived. Russ owns the company so yes take his words with a grain of salt as everyone has their own biases, but Russ is an engineer not a business or marketing guy. Everything I have read or watched (lots of great Sparx history on youtube) from Russ was logical, fair, balanced and very much what you would expect from an engineer with a background in industrial design. I was in on the Kickstarter like many others here, and for that first year or so when timelines kept slipping I'm sure we all wondered whether Sparx was ever going to deliver on their promise of a revolutionary home skate sharpening machine... well 5 years later after their first launch I can say from my own experiences with the product that they exceeded my expectations, and pretty much nailed it right from the first revision of the machine. For a small company like Sparx, that's pretty impressive when you consider what went into getting the first units out the door.

Humans are the biggest variable and even the best equipment manager or pro shop individual has bad days. I would love to think I never make mistakes, but that would not be factual.

We've had our Sparx just over two years... I bought it while we were still in the US when my oldest boys were playing Squirt AA. My youngest two also skated, albeit with nowhere near the frequency of the other two. I also played a little old man hockey in the summer. We were a good hour to our "home" rink pro-shop or any of the big box hockey shops - the Sparx saved so much time and allowed me to avoid the crap shoot of who is actually doing the sharpening. Now that we're in the NL the Sparx is a godsend. Throw in COVID, goofy shop hours or even trying to track down a reliable person to do the sharpening and the Sparx has been worth its weight in gold. I honestly don't care about crunching the numbers - the reliability and convenience were worth every penny.

Trying out some retail skates since my custom VH are pretty old now.

Love how the players owe so much money to the owners, and yet expansion fees aren't counted as Hockey Related Revenue so all of the money that came from Vegas and Seattle went straight to the owners pockets while they cry poor over player salaries and that they now need ads on jerseys and helmets. Terrible part on the players' lawyers to not put that into the CBA.

Not surprising. AHL teams already have advertising on their team jerseys.

Sometimes I use the same stick for several games, sometimes I switch 3 times per game. Either way, I'm still shitty!

Howdy, Maybe its because I'm a motorsports guy, but the idea of jersey ads (and such small ones like these particularly) doesn't bother me even a tiny bit. If its a way for the cap to increase again in the next five years... Sweet. Mark

Why not just get the forefoot punched out to fit your foot better? If the heel works, I'd probably stick with it and try to adjust the boot to your liking.

I think the most overlooked and underrated option is Eagle. I have an eagle girdle and pants and they're unreal, they will definitely be the way to go if you're coming from older Tacklas, they are exactly the same imo. And the eagle Aero shoulders are exactly what you're looking for, I also used Supreme classics once upon a time and these are even lighter and the protection is about the same. You can order them directly from Eagle too. Fit should be the same as what you're wearing now in terms of sizing. All the other options mentioned are great too, but if you're looking to not even notice a change, you're probably gonna be happiest with Eagle. Obviously this is all my opinion, so try it on yourself too