Leif
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Posts posted by Leif
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Does anyone know how much steel one pass removes? I’m curious to know the lifetime of my runners compared to hand sharpens. Previously they (Step steel) lasted about 6 months. I currently have Bauer LS5 runners.
I have been doing one pass before each session, and noticed a slight tilt to the edges at the rear which was cured by an extra pass, so an occasional two passes may be needed. I still think this device is phenomenal.
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This is an interesting discussion. What I am taking away from it is that the VT tests will tell you which helmets provide more protection from certain kinds of impact, such as a puck to the forehead, but there are other significant kinds of injury that are not accounted for. Specifically they do not account for rotational forces which are a major cause of concussion. The danger of the VT tests (as stated by stick9) is that they could give someone a false sense of security, whereas in reality even with the ‘best’ helmet, you really do need to avoid certain situations.
I’m also quite shocked at the levels of brain injury in hockey, something I had previously only associated with boxing, a sport that I abhore for its brutality. Is it right to subject athletes to life changing injuries in the name of entertainment?
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5 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:No, I do not believe they are actually. And please do not take it as a "Hey I know more than you message in the last post". It's just we have been trying to figure out how to best test for rotational impact for the last 5 years and I believe. And we have still not come up with a conclusive test to get the measurements! When your playing with someone's brain you want to get it right and not second guess or use football head forms on hockey helmets.
Hence why nobody at CSA or HECC fins this study has any validity!
I’m not sure what you mean by football headform.
A quick search found this:
However, if I understand correctly, the above is saying that rotational forces are the ones that cause the most damage, and a helmet does nothing to reduce those. Was it an earlier link that said that ~124 out of 125 NHL brains studied had significant damage (CTE) from repeated traumas?
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oldtrainerguy28: Thank you for the response, you clearly have an informd viewpoint. Are the CSA test methodologies for hockey helmets online?
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15 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:They use football headforns. There tests are not at all relatable to present hockey helmet testing methods.
Not to mention a helmet does ZERO to reduce/prevent concussions
A helmet will protect you from concussion due to a puck, or even a stick, hitting your helmet. I’ve had a slap shot bounce off my helmet, and barely noticed it. Without the helmet I would have sustained a nasty head wound and possibly brain damage. I’ve also gone into the boards, and my helmet has protected my head from concussion. What you perhaps mean is that a major cause of concussion is due to the deceleration associated with the head coming to a sudden stop, as seen often in contact hockey, but rarely in the hockey I participate in. I am sure we can agree that a helmet will not prevent concussion in such circumstances, but I don’t think you have scientific data to prove that a helmet cannot mitigate concussion ie reduce the severity. And neither do I, but I suspect it can reduce the deceleration, and absorb some of the shock waves from the impact. I suspect brain damage can result from shock waves moving through the brain.
For my part I know from experience that the Reakt 200 is more protective than the 4500. Maybe not always, but enough to know that I won’t wear a 4500 again.
Don’t Bauer argue with the VT results, and say that they perform their own rigorous testing?
Sadly, a lot of this thread is “I think that” rather than “Studies show that ... “. You’d think governments would sponsor such testing on public health grounds.
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Sounds reasonable, a satisfaction guaranteed promise is a marketing tool, so you should take advantage of it. I returned Superfeet for a refund as I hated them.
My Bauer 2s Pros are wearing well, but my friends Trues are built like tanks.
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I had the basic Bauer bag with two handles, lasted two years. Corners split, fabric split. I have a higher end Bauer bag with wheels, after six months the corners show noticeable wear. Not a fan.
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I certainly would not transport mine on a regular basis without a solid case and the Pelican with foam is ideal. The original box is okay for rare use such as moving home. However the Sparx is heavy, easy to drop, so the ProSharp Home might be a better choice as a mobile machine. But the made in Sweden aspect makes it very expensive, and it lacks automation.
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The UK and European price is unreasonable IMO. The Sparx is also much more expensive here, but still worth it.
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The EU price is about £600 whereas a new or nearly new 1650 (no foam) can be had for ~£200.
I could take mine to training sessions and charge for sharpens, but it’s a heavy machine, and all too easy to drop and/or bang against something.
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Is there any advantage to black steels if you do a one pass sharpen before every session? From what I have read, the key advantage is keeping an edge longer. Also does anyone know if any particular blades are more or less prone to being tapered? My previous Step Steel blades were tapered so usng a BAT gauge was a bit tough. My Bauer LS5 blades are not tapered. However a sample of one set of each does not tell me much.
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6 clicks is quite a bit, I found the optical alignment tool got close (good enough to be honest) and 2 more clicks got it perfect according to my gauge. One pass is perhaps not enough as suggested.
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1 hour ago, marka said:Howdy,
Sorry to read that. It certainly seems like you might have suffered from some self inflicted wounds in your saga, but its unfortunate that True wasn't able to work with you to come up with a solution anyway.
Good luck with the CCM/other options.
MarkI find the responses to smu odd. Self inflicted wounds? How so? Yes his posts could be very repetitive and they became boring, and uninformative, but he seems to have had an appalling time.
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Last year I went from a Bauer 4500 to a Bauer Reakt 200. Whilst my views are subjective, and unscientific, I’m pretty damned sure that the 200 is far more protective. As an example I took a slap shot to the head, above the cage, and felt nothing. The helmet was able to absorb the impact and dissipate the force. I’ve hit the boards a couple weeks of times, and felt little. I’m sure the 4500 would not have absorbed the shock based on knocks I experienced when wearing it as the foam is pretty hard and dense. I don’t know if the 200 offers more protection from rapid deceleration were I to slam my head at high speed into the boards for example, but my experience is that it does offer significantly more protection against impacts. However, I suspect it does offer protection against deceleration, but only partially for obvious reasons.
As for the suggestion that a poor helmet is best as it makes you more alert, I had a headache for several days when a big player going at high speed skated directly into me head on whilst I was nowhere near the puck, and not expecting to be floored. I recently went over when chasing someone with the puck, and he deliberately stopped in a brace for impact stance, not a lot I could do about that.
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2 hours ago, NiCnoK said:I applaud anyone willing to put their product up to the ridicule of minutia-obsessed gear geeks like us. I'm also impressed at the civility of both the OP and all subsequent contributors. I like how you answered each question, Blade guy, and will give your tool a try. Thanks!
People here are reasonable, and it looks like a useful tool. I can imagine someone being away from home, and preferring to use this gadget rather than risk entrusting their edges to an untried sharpener who could screw them up. I suspect it is much better than competing products such as the Sweet Stick (which once ruined my edges).
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I used to sharpen one pair of skates every two weeks with a 50 mile round trip. It will pay back in 3-4 years. Throw in that I get sharp blades EVERY session, with perfect edges EVERY time, and no wasted mornings, and IMO it’s good value even at the sky high European price that we pay.
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12 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:You sound like a good candidate for one. If you can afford the expense, then do it 🙂
He certainly does sound like a good candidate.
The issue of longevity is an interesting question. The Wissota and other manual sharpeners have AFAIK only one component that can go wrong in normal use namely the motor. The Sparx has I assume two motors (one to rotate the cutting wheel, one to drive the wheel horizontally) and an electronic module. I have electronic goods that have lasted decades without issue, and electric motors can last yonks, so in principle a unit that is not abused could last decades. It also has some electronic switches to detect when the door and latches are closed, and some lights which I assume are LEDs. An LED should out last the owner and switches should be durable. That said, my well cared for Nikon D200 failed after 8 years due to an electronic module blowing.
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I don't see how you can ensure level edges without using a BAT gauge.
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2 hours ago, Nicholas G said:1/2" is pretty deep honestly.......
Seriously? That’s pretty much the default hollow for hockey skates in this country. Go to a LHS and ask for a sharpening, and you’ll get that or 5/8”, unless they are knowledgeable then they might match it to your weight. I know plenty of people on 3/8”, a few on 7/16” including me, lots on 1/2” and some on 5/8”. I’ve never met someone on shallower than 5/8”.
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1/2” is not deep, but 3/8” is deep in my view.
Curious about the edges. One person I know does a manual sharpen that grips more than sharpens of the same depth from elsewhere. Quite why I know not. The 7/16” on my Sparx is similar to that from my LHS. Is there perhaps a difference in technique between sharpeners, assuming correct alignment of the blade relative to the wheel?
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I’m surprised people go from 1/2” to 3/8”, that’s a big change. Good point about the ice, a few months back I tried 7/16” as a 1/2” grind meant my blades were slipping sideways on the hard winter ice, and I much prefer it. A year back I accidentally tried 7/16” and couldn’t handle it, I think my skating technique was not up to using it then.
3 hours ago, psulion22 said:Maybe it's because the Sparx doesn't apply as much pressure as a human on a regular machine would, but I find the bite of my Sparx lacking compared to a manual sharpening at the same hollow. When I have to buy a new ring, I'm going to step up to 7/16 or 3/8 from 1/2 to get a little more bite.
It might be that you are not getting a true 1/2” but a bit deeper when you get them done by hand, perhaps due to the way they dress the stone. In my case the Sparx 7/16” compares with a manual sharpen, in fact the last manual sharpen felt a bit dull so maybe it was actually 1/2”.
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Having owned this unit for two weeks, I can say that it is incredible. Being able to do one cycle before every skate means that I have sharp edges, and I really notice it on the ice, I get a better grip and control. And I don't have to worry about dinging an edge on exposed concrete in the rink, as I can touch it up at home.
Has anyone changed their radius of hollow as a result of using a Sparx? I do wonder if I could go to a 1/2" from the 7/16" I currently use. Also, does anyone use different hollows for hockey and public skating? My hockey gear weighs a tonne, which means much more grip with a given hollow, so I could go to a shallower hollow for hockey sessions.
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47 minutes ago, BenBreeg said:The thought is that 1) today's skates aren't as easy to modify like old leather ones were (and the shoemaker has since passed away) 2) with a better fit the padding wouldn't be necessary 3) I think the CCM customs have options for additional padding
I would also love to have a bigger toe cap, my pinkie toe is always numb even after just an hour on the ice
FWIW I have Bauer Custom skates and I get some soreness on the outside toes on my right foot. Oddly enough the boot seems to mould itself to my foot while skating and after 30 minutes or so the rubbing goes, and the fit is perfect. However, we don't know how the CCM and Bauer processed compare. (You would hope that both are first rate.)
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10 hours ago, bunnyman666 said:It is overlooked to a degree because of the methods used in manufacture. This is a one-at-a-time method; now made several in a day most likely. You can “purty up” hand-laid and multi-piece composites; it just takes a LOT longer, and would weigh more. If there were moulds for every size and pieces were not interchangeable, the finish quality would be better. I suspect that there has been zero evolution in build method since buying the process. My power skating coach has a pair of speed skating boots built very similarly, and they are not what you would call beautiful, but speed skates are most likely covered by a skin made of lycra coated with some aerodynamic treatment.
It sounds like Scott started out making very small numbers of custom speed skates, and then scaled up the process, whereas Bauer and CCM have decades of experience making large numbers of skates, including custom, and they have methods to do a good job AND make it look good. Perhaps as you say making them look the mutts would add significant cost.
Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener
in Ice Hockey Equipment
Posted · Edited by Leif · Report reply
I skate at least six hours a week, lots of sideways slides, lots of sprints with deep cuts, generally before the Sparx I liked to get them sharpened every two weeks to maintain the edges. I'd have done more but it meant a morning driving. I have a 7/16" hollow. With the Sparx I can do one pass before every session, as I really like the feel of fresh edges.