Leif

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?

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. 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”.

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.

The padding is there for a reason. I had the same issue with a cage, and I managed to stretch the cage with my hands and reduce the pressure. Can you find out what the visor is made from, and then research it’s thermomechanical properties? It may be that a few minutes in a warm convention oven will soften it enough to allow manual deformation. But it could equally ruin it, or make it hazy, hence the need to research the plastic.

Thanks all. You convinced me to go for mid range, so I ordered some Bauer x900 gloves at a decent price. At my age I need decent protection.

My current gloves have some holes in the palms and fingers so it's time to replace them. They've survived two years since I started leaning to play. I have top of the range pads as I want the best protection I can get, and having taken slap shots to the shoulders, legs and head, I'm glad I made that choice. However, is there any reason for me to get anything but low end gloves? I have Bauer x600 gloves which seem more than good enough for my level of play. I play non checking rec hockey, so not particularly rough and physical, I play 3 - 4 hours a week and I'm 55. I can afford mid range and high end gloves, but why spend money for no benefit.

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.)

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.

Be warned that customs tend to fit much closer, so there will be less room for you to add your own padding. Obviously you might be able to get the skate maker to add padding when they make the skate, but I suspect they only do that in the ankle areas. It is of course possible that the better fit will obviate the need for extra padding, but I'm guessing. I have Bauer Customs and I don't think I could insert padding anywhere, they are a tight fit.

Yes you are obviously right that taste is subjective, that said we really do completely disagree, I find the Supreme 2s Pro understated, just a few touches of yellow on black. The True skate has those ugly blingy stripes on the side. 🙂 But honestly, at the end of the day as long as they are not flourescent pink, with lime green laces ... it’s the function that counts. Cosmetic and aesthetic overlap. It is cosmetic in that it affects the surface, and maybe below too, and it is aesthetic as it makes it look poor. However, I will leave owners to give their feedback and views.

I don’t find CCM AS1 and Bauer 2s Pro garish, quite understated and tasteful actually. It is an aesthetic issue, and to me it suggests sloppiness, and makes me wonder how deep that sloppiness goes. My concerns could be completely unfounded, but IMO they should pay more attention to the first impressions. BTW Bauer Custom are handmade, and immaculately finished.

If his feet are unusual, he may have no choice. I know a relative beginner in customs for that reason. The only downside is if he gives up after a month or two. I started at age 53 and many people tell me I’m a good skater. I’m not a brilliant player, but I’m gradually improving, and having fun. Some say youngsters learn much quicker, but in reality I think how hard you work is more important than age. Friends admire a young skater. She is 18. I was talking to her recently and she said she skated for 8 hours on Wednesday. That level of dedication (and bruises) might have something to do with her rapid progress. 😂 You will never be as fast as some youngsters, but hockey is also about skill and thinking.

One option might be to buy a larger speed plate and remove more of the toe than usual, that way the arch moves forward. Of course this is expensive and it might not work.

A full sharpen is four passes each way. A refresh is one pass each way. An owner can of course do as normal, one full pass every 10-20 hours, if they prefer. But why?

The U.K./European price is £572. I can get a 1650 for ~£200 without foam, Peli foam is ~£60.

Beaten to the post!

I think the Sparx case is a Pelican 1650 with custom foam. They look identical.

I agree, I was giving an example that showed that different blades burr differently. And I happened to do one pass today. Black steel has brittle edges due to high carbon content. Four passes doesn’t create huge burring on my blades. Of course if the edges are dinged, you’ll need four or more passes. Luckily mine weren’t. As an aside, a sharpener I know deburrs by pulling blades across a piece of soft wood. I tried that and it removed a bit of the sharpness or bite, definitely not something I will try again.

I have Bauer LS5 which is a black steel. I’ve just done one pass, with a 7/16” wheel, and the burrs were very fine, and easily brushed off with a finger. Proper black steel has very hard edges, which probably create fine burrs as the black coating is brittle. I might try one pass per two hours. I marked the edges with a sharpie before the cut, and all of the ink was removed.

Out on the ice today at 8:15am for and hour and a half of hockey with newly sharpened skates, apprehensive at first, but straight away it felt good, as good a sharpening as I’ve ever had, and I love freshly sharpened blades. The BAT gauge showed zero error. I’ll try two passes every 6-7 hours on ice, and see how it goes. I wonder what other people do in terms of number of passes, and how often. I used to get them sharpened every 16 hours or so.

I believe you’d get the same reading from your BAT gauge on both sides of the blade, but reversed of course, if the blade sides were parallel and flat.

This might be of interest: https://blogs.sparxhockey.com/uneven-edge-checker-reading

Speedplates don’t break in, they’re rigid once cooled. Removing the arch supports defeats the purpose. Presumably you have unusual arches. Do you know if they are very low or very high?

There is an earlier post from Russ Layton CEO of Sparx in which he claims that the Sparx BAT gauges are each tested prior to shipping to ensure accuracy. I’m sure a LHS would allow a side by side check with their gauge if in doubt.

The first sharpen I did was accurate to about 1/1000” but not quite as accurate as my LHS. I threw in a couple more clicks of the adjustment knob today, and the edges are now absolutely perfect. When I bought new skates last year, I was shocked to see that the old blades were nearly flat, repeated hand sharpening had changed the profile, causing issues with my skating. The fact that Sparx preserves the profile is yet one more plus for this machine. It’s expensive for us Brits and Europeans though! As an aside, how do I hone black steel ie Bauer LS5? I know not to use a honing stone on the sides.