Holy the Goalie

Easton EQ50 Skates Sorry, couldn't figure out a better way to insert the picture. Haven't had a chance to try them out on ice; unfortunately, they had a bent blade out of the box, so I had to take them back and get that repaired. Hopefully, I can get over to the rink and give them a go tonight.

JR and Rachel, thank you so much for your quick replies! I'll keep that in mind tonight as I give another pair of skates a go.

Can anybody shed some light on this question? I'm looking at the EXACT same issue as TLF (same machine, even), and am having troubles initially getting the blade centered. I end up having to "eyeball" my results and guess as to how much I need to adjust my holder to get good, even edges. Thanks!

Thanks for the info, Law Goalie. Gerard from Blackstone contacted me the other day, and actually recommended one of their professional portable units. One question regarding the F-02 Spin, if anyone has any experience with that machine; the description on the website says that it accepts the Blackstone Shaping System, which I understand is their way of applying a rocker to the runner. Since the portables don't have a cross grind wheel, how is that done? Using the horizontal grinding wheel? Wouldn't that drastically reduce the life of your grinding wheel?

Hi everyone, I've been following this thread with great interest for the last couple of weeks; it seems like a great place to get information and swap techniques for getting the best possible sharpening. Thanks to everyone that has taken place in the discussion; I've learned more about skates and sharpening in the last couple weeks than I ever knew previously. I've been looking pretty seriously at getting a full size machine in order to start a (VERY) small scale sharpening business that will go who-knows-where, and I've got a couple of questions. I apologize if they've already been answered, as I haven't had time to review the thread in its entirety. 1. What kind of training, if any, does Blackstone provide when you purchase one of their machines? 2. Where should I be looking for used machines? 3. How long does it take to "get the hang" of sharpening? Are the difficulties related to technique similar between ROH and FBV? 4. (Slightly off-topic) What resources are available for learning to apply a radius? Again, apologies if this has already been covered, and thanks for any info you guys can provide me!