jimmy

Most who changed to bulky steel like Step and LS5, etc, hate it at first. (also other steel as well if the old steel ends are banana shaped) But, the answer is simple, if these areas are bothering you while skating and you have given your muscle memory time to adjust to the new skates, holder and new steel, then by all means have some of the metal in those areas removed. Don't hack it all off at once, do it in small steps until you feel comfortable. Removing too much may "feel" better because that was what you were use to, but it doesn't always mean it's the best for performance.

All magnetic checkers are inaccurate. They are not consistent or precise. One should never set up their machine using one of these.

65mm is a large flat spot for a 272 blade, a 40mm would be more appropriate for a North American skater.

I heard some Pure Hockey are going with Sparz because they just can't hire quality sharpeners. There is a rink complex in mass that has many of them. Personally i just can't see how a shop could use one, the stone does 40 pairs at best, even less considering the shop won't know what hollow is in the skate to begin with, which means more passes are required.

What you experienced is what most who are on FBV and then try a BFD or Fire will say. When we are closed or our customers can't make it here, they will go to other shops (who lie and say they do FBV but that's another story). Anyway,they think they are getting the fBV. But after they skate on it they come to our shop as soon after and tell us they hated it or it wasn't as good as our FBV. Totally blind test, I can't even count how many times this has happened.

Depends if edges are just dull or damaged. One, two pass cycle on the diamond wheel can sharpen nicely. More might be needed if there's deep damage. This is one area over the Sparx where the SP has an advantage, with Sparx you could burn up a lot of wheel life trying to get out damage. Yes, they have a so-called crossgrind wheel to remove deep nicks, but it takes out all the edges so even when the finishing wheel is put back on, you'll have to do many passes to get the hollow back in, so either way, lot's of wheel use. The Sparkx wheels are their weak link.

The Home is a Skatepal too . I think they are on sale for like $1500. May seem more than the Sparx which is $900 but Sparkx case is another $400, Skatepal comes with case and a wheel that will do 500 pairs of skates vs 40 for Sparx. To do 500 pairs on the Sparx, the wheels needed to do that would cost additional $500. So, the price difference isn't really what it seems.

Yes. The Prosharp Skatepal is an excellent machine. Not a cheap imitation like the Sparx, which basical copied proshops design. The Skatepal is a very durable machine and they've been making them for over a decade. They are the same Swedish quality as their proshop versions, just scaled down and simplified for the home user. Their diamond wheels can sharpen up to 1000 skates, as opposed to 40 for the Sparx. I would strongly recommend the Skatepal.

The BFD which the Sparkx copied is nothing like FBV in terms of performance. Not even close.

There is no fire ring "close" to the real FBV. The fire is the same old BFD that was pulled out of mothballs when the FBV hit the market. But try the Fire and compare it to the FBV, see which you like better.

I installed CCM lace locks on a broken eyelet for a customer, seems to wirk good. Put one on the opposite good side just so laces were even

I have a bunch of D1college players on FBV, is that high enough level? I also did Doug Weight (NHLHOF) a couple of years ago ,he just got his machine and wanted me to do the first one for him. His son was using it too. Over the years I've done other former NHL players and Olympic skaters so they're out there for sure.

You can't see the FBV edges with the eye. When looking at the blade you can see it's flat, but that's about it. As for Noicing wanting to know, it's more since there is no measuring tool to ensure the FBV is in a blade, a blade that doesn't have FBV already on it will need more passes to establish the FBV. It just helps if customers lets us know.

The scum part is running a business under the table. I have no problem with home sharpeners who do it legally.

Yup,their always will be scum that do this. Still, I'd love to be there when one of their "customers" comes in with a huge nick or destroyed edge and they have to use up their whole $50 wheel to get it out.

I dispute that. If it's DLC, it's crappy. All one has to do is compare Step and Blackedge real DLC with those. I can scrape off the paint so easy.

First, what do you mean by carbon coated steel? Black coated diamond-carbon coated? Second, if you are getting a lip, you're putting way to much pressure while crossgrinding. Black steel doesn't have a lip created if done correctly. Regular steel shouldn't either unless it's cheap chinese crap.

CCM runners have a 10' stock radius, no pitch. You LHS can't trace a different runner and profile off that

This is true, older guys love them. Kids don't because of marketing, they refuse to even try them on. Sad, but true. As for new materials, the Ultra G75 was basically same construction as the One90, yet with a better comfort package. No marketing/NHL exposure equaled no interest.

That's odd that one would need lace locks, just the opposite is what most people find. They fit so snug that laces are barely needed. I ditched the wax laces, and just snugged the cloth laces up. Later I went to the Skate strap velcro system. If the skate size is correct, I don't see lace locks needed.

For a moment there, thought you were talking about Bauer.

I really dislike that illustration because the FBV really only looks like that magnified many times. In reality, the flat spot is almost the entire width of the blade with only about .005" or so of edge on the sides, ... that's about the thickness of a piece of paper. And the distance from the point of the edge to the flat area is way less than the illustration shows. From reports from my customers those who've tried the BFD almost unanimously like the FBV better, even those who were lied to and told they were getting the real FBV. They just knew something wasn't the same. Crisper edges and more glide is the common comparison. As JR said, there's prob some threads on this for more info.

FBV is patented, Sparx is using the old BFD which is a hollow with a flat spot in the middle. BFD patent ran out so anyone can use it, FBV is still protected and is exclusive to Blackstone Machines. A lot of places that do BFD will lie and say it's FBV, but it's not.

Sparx does not do Flat bottom V. It's more like the BFD.

CCM coated steel is nothing like Blackedge or Step DLC coated steel. Both should not be honed after sharpening, but the CCM coating is more like a paint and comes off real easy. As for sharpening, it sharpens just like the other CCm stainless steel, nothing extra has to be done. With Blackedge, the coating on the bottom has to be removed first, then the sharpening does take more passes to establish the edges the first time. After that, it is sharpened like any other runner.