Leif

I compared my ProSharp and ebay BAT gauges against Sparx and BladeMaster ones at my LHS. Three out of four agreed with each other. Yes, check it when you get it. Be aware that the aluminium plate will wear from contact with the skate blade. My ebay gauge has a steel contact plate, it’s altogether better albeit rough looking. I returned my ProSharp gauge, the US company head said it was fine. Hi ho. I never did get a refund, one reason I bought a Sparx machine rather than a ProSharp, as I did not trust them. The ProSharp hollow gauge is expensive and a piece of cheap xxxx.

I have no idea how common your experience is. I have 7/16”, 1/2” and 5/8” rings. I can swap between them and get perfect edges every time. I have an edge checker. I do agree an edge checker is desirable, I got to about two clicks away from perfect using the optical tool on its own. It is probably good enough but I like perfect. However, not all edge checkers are perfect, my ProSharp BAT gauge was out by a few thou. My cheapo one is dead on.

Several people at my local rink, which is very humid, use the Gy hybrid visor. I spoke with them and they said they’ve had no issues with fogging. I have the latest Bauer gold fish bowl, and water streams down the inside surface after ten minutes in the rink. I only used it once. I prefer to wear glasses instead of contacts, and I assume condensation on glasses would be even worse with a hybrid visor rather than a cage which I normally wear.

Your grinding wheel is probably carborundum which is softer than diamond. You use a diamond tool to dress (shape) it. Sparx rings are I believe made from diamond particles embedded in a matrix and hence they wear much more slowly than your wheel. In fact Blackstone are now selling spinners to dress the wheel which are like little Sparx wheels but with a hollow, and they claim they are better than the traditional method, which to my way of thinking validates the Sparx wheel: https://blackstonesport.com/technology/history-of-skate-sharpening My 7/16” wheel produced level edges when nearly used up, and the blade surface still felt good. I have no way to know if the curve changed noticeably, but subjectively it felt the same and very different to a 1/2” hollow. Maybe Sparx can comment.

I thought they stabilised my heels as said earlier but they also raised up my heels which I hated. So I tried speedplates and loved them. They too stabilise the heel, but with less lift, and the arches are thermoformable. I’ve started skipping the top eyelet. The skates feels less precise but I get more knee bend.

Great, yet another reason for us to complain about the poor training of low paid staff in our hockey shops. 🙂

I assume it is even pressure over most of the blade in order to preserve the profile? And from your comment it sounds like to does more of the heel and toe than the Sparx. Your comment on the finish surprises me since the Habs use one. I might naively think they are a wee bit fussy!

You can register for the free trial period. Be aware that doing so will register you for the paid subscription once the trial period runs out and they will then debit your account. So make sure you unregister your subscription ASAP. You’ll still get to read the article for free. I thought it an okay read. The one piece of information that was new for me was that some teams are now using a large automated grinding machine, not unlike a Sparx but much larger: The company owner has a very strong Quebec accent. He was saying how the blades are automatically centred, and the pressure is even. AFAIK no team is using a Sparx for routine sharpening. This looks more robust. Not sure how they change hollow, or what the grinding surface is (diamond impregnated steel?). I suspect the Habs don’t need to deal with bent blades, they have the money to bin them. My LHS got rid of their Cag and Prosharp sharpening machines, they prefer Blademaster.

This thread has gone a bit wonky. Changing the subject slightly, I tried switching between 1/2” and 5/8” hollows, and vice versa, using a sharpie to mark the blade hollow before the grind. It looks like one pass is enough to change the hollow on the basis that all of the sharpie ink was removed. Any relevant comments? Any reason I might be mistaken? I now use the honing stone on my black LS5 blades, so much easier to remove burrs, and the black finish has no use for me.

I must have read most if not all of this thread prior to buying a Sparx machine, and I don’t recall any such comments. My sharpens feel must like ones from my local hockey shop. Maybe if you quote the posts you refer to.

FWIW I used a stone to hone my Bauer LS5 blades today, and I noticed on ice a marked improvement when compared to honing with leather. It feels smoother too when I run a finger along. Maybe I hone badly with leather, but I will use the stone now as I don’t care about the black finish, and I’d rather have a good sharpen.

They claim that these finishes improve glide, but any improvement must be insignificant. I believe that the hardened edges reduce wear and increase the interval between sharpens, but that is my impression based on experience, and not scientific testing. I’m tempted to hone mine with a grit stone given that I sharpen them every few sessions. Any reason not to? In fact I’m also tempted to remove the coating.

Is the black coating on Bauer LS5 worth preserving? I’ve had several people mention that my blades have burrs on, even after a scrimmage. I hone the sides with leather. As I sharpen my blades myself, I don’t care about a coating making a sharpen last longer.

I don’t know if you can get that done without committing to a purchase, maybe the shop that did your skates has a Bauer scanner?

A Bauer scan would tell him for sure how his feet compared to others. It measures arch height, ankle width etc and gives the results in a clear way. Bauer did not allow me to choose width or length, I guess I could have asked for a bit extra length, but they are perfect in that respect.

That is a very good question. smu’s experience suggests True can struggle with odd feet. Clearly Bauer start from a given stock model, but how far they can accommodate differences is unclear. Maybe shop owners can chip in.

I haven’t seen much about Bauer customs. I know four people with them including myself, and all are happy. However, that does not tell you much since the sample is small. Customs do well with feet that are a bit odd such as having weird lumps on the heel but otherwise not far off stock. I have flipper shaped feet with narrow ankles and wide shallow forefeet. I would probably fit stock Bauer 2s Pro skates okay, as I fit Bauer s160 skates okay. You sound like an outlier which means you are a severe test of the custom process. I suspect you would be closest to Bauer Vapor and perhaps they could fit your width. Maybe one option is to chat with the shop staff explaining your issues, and get a Bauer or even CCM scan to see how well you match their stock and custom skates.

It’s purpose is to absorb shock from an impact, it wouldn’t prevent lace bite. I think the main reason it’s rarely used in skates is cost, as it is expensive. And it’s a bit bulky, fine for heel pads though. You’re better off with traditional protection.

I wasn't suggesting the Sparx grind is as rough as sand paper, it isn't, it's pretty damned good but not quite as smooth and mirror like as the shop grind. I wonder if it makes any real world difference? Probably not.

I tried a 5/8” from the LHS and the surface did look smoother than the Sparx machine’s cut, almost mirror like. I do wonder what if any difference that makes.

Thanks all, time to try 3/4”. 🙂

What weight are you? I will try 3/4”, conversations here have made me curious though I suspect it’s too shallow for me.

Bizarre.

A side effect of taking skating lessons to improve my technique has been that I can move to a shallower hollow. I was on 7/16”, and went to 1/2”. It seemed easier to skate, less tiring, and faster. So I tried 5/8”, and it feels even slippier, albeit without quite so much grip on tight turns. I am 5’10” and 160 pounds. What are opinions on speed in relation to hollow? Is there really a noticeable and worthwhile increase in speed, and reduction in effort associated with shallower hollows? And does it improve with each shallower hollow, or is there some optimum depth? I ask as I only have subjective impressions with no measurements.

I’m only 5’10” and 11 stone 6 (160 pounds), and not an expert skater, but going from mid range to top end (Bauer 2s pro), the biggest differences were comfort (no lace bite) and more control. I can skate for three hours no problem.They certainly don’t restrict my ankles, quite the opposite. Maybe they are beyond my abilities, others may know better. It is possible the construction of top end boots has become more sophisticated since Laura Stamm made her comments. Your comments relating to older players border on the offensive.