flashyprince

Live from Montreal, the livest one Representin' Eagle to the fullest

DRESSING THE WHEEL. okay, so i just received my Blackstone X02 yesterday (can't hide my excitement).... im horrible at manual tasks in general but so far everything seems pretty straightforward. im just wondering something concerning the process of "dressing the wheel". from what i understand, this is the process of shaping the grinding wheel using the spinner. i.e., while the grinding wheel is in full rotating motion, you slowly move the little spinner towards it so that they touch each other which results in the spinner giving its shape to the wheel. in the video on the X02 on their site, it seems like you have to let the spinner touch the grinding wheel for a about 3 or 4 seconds (which creates some dirt coming out of the little exaust) then you move the spinner back and you're ready to sharpen the skates. is there anything else to know about dressing the wheel? is it always that easy? how exactly does it have to be done? and am i in the right ball park when i say 3 or 4 seconds? also, it might seem a bit stupid but im wondering, do I need to dress the wheel every pair of skate? or every single skate? or do I have to do it only rarely, like when im starting to use a brand new wheel or a new type of spinner? thanks in advance, i have yet to try this FBV thing on real ice, but i can't wait!

Okay, so im in the market for a personal sharpener. (Strictly personal, im not gonna sharpen skates for anybody else...except maybe a few times for friends once in a while) I'm a hardcore hockey player but im also a hardcore newbie when it comes to sharpening. I have a few questions. 1- i'm very interested in the FBV technology (obviously) and im wondering if, from a personal use standpoint, the X-01//X-02 series will do as good of a job as the $2000-6000 heavier machines that Blackstone or Blademaster are selling for the "skate shop" market. Meaning; are these machines 5 times more expensive simply because they can handle way more volume? (i.e. is the quality of a single sharpening still the same?) Would an NHL player use an X-series? 2-Once we bought the sharpener itself, how often or how many accessory-type stuff do we have to buy? How costly would those add up to if im looking at 60 sharpenings per year? 3-im thinking of buying an X-02 in a few months. Do any of you have any information as to when or if Blackstone will upgrade their X-series? i wouldnt like to buy an X-02 this summer knowing that Blackstone is coming up with their X-03 in the fall or winter. Thanks!