Leif

Nah. I was sent a torch/flashlight to review. It was excellent and said so. I was sent another, it was pretty good, so I said so. I was sent a third, and a I thought it was potentially dangerous, so I said so. I was not asked to do any more reviews. in all cases I gave the lights away to colleagues, who would use them. I had too many lights already. So it’s not always a blatant case of “wowI got this free, it’s great”. If reviewers are not ‘compliant’, they might not get more items to review, and the review for some is a source of income. That said, wine reviewers with big UK newspapers can be honest because they get paid a salary, and the prestige of the paper means everyone sends them stuff to review. I suspect duff items are just not reviewed. So we might think homely online reviews are more honest, but the reality might be different.

Okay, thanks, appreciated. I’m not sure how my original comment sounded like an attack, it sounded like you were saying Chris does reviews for payment, which was a rather strong statement, so I asked for clarification. I can see that this is a grey area, he clearly has expenses, but I’m not sure I am happy with the idea that he charges you, and others, for a review. In my view, he should not charge you, and he should make the money from people viewing his review. Maybe this is rather idealistic, and not how internet reviews work. As an aside, I was once sent a pair of binoculars to review. I did the review, which was honest, then asked for the return address. I was told to keep them, so I gave them to a charity shop to sell on. I felt uncomfortable keeping them, as it would indicate corruption, or bias. I know many binocular reviewers are sent on paid trips to nice places to do the review. Maybe that is the ‘way of the world’.

Hi, no you’re not being grilled, but I would appreciate some clarification as what you wrote could mean several things. Your comment suggested that he will ‘review’ a product for a fee, unless I misunderstood you. I have always assumed his reviews are not paid for ie they are trustworthy. I believe in Canada and maybe America a web site must declare any financial sponsorship, not sure about the UK. Chris has loads of videos, so there’s no way I can know which is yours. Was it a product review for a product that you make or distribute? As I’ve said, you’re not being grilled, or attacked, just being gently prompted for some details. Thanks.

I don’t see what justified the insulting icon on my post. You made an accusation, so it’s reasonable to ask for evidence. Why does that justify an insult? What was the video you asked him to make about/for?

Do you have evidence to back up that statement?

Mmmm. You sure you're not trying to knock the skate? Seriously, leaving some masking tape in is not such a big deal, a trivial error.

Okay, might take a day or two as I have skating this evening.

The problem is that you’d have to pay shipping both ways which could be expensive. Obviously Sparx would honour the warranty in all other respects.

They don't yet ship to Europe, and I doubt they ship to Australia. Maybe you have someone who can do that for you, but you'll have issues with the wwarranty I guess.

I bought a ProSharp BAT and I’m surprised that it is out by 2/1000”, and that the grid is a sticker. Kinda turns me off other ProSharp gear.

Once I got good enough to justify VH skates, the presence of the logo would be neither here nor there, it’s the performance that counts. But given a choice, I’d lose the logo.

I’m with you on that, all black would be better.

I used to use Powerfoot inserts on my stock Bauer skates, as I found the empty space in the toe caps disconcerting especially when doing edge drills. However, since then my skating has improved markedly, especially my edge control, and I find that I no longer need them, and I do not notice the empty space in the toe caps. It is possible that more advanced skaters than me would get some benefit, my skating is nowhere near the level of the coaches who teach us.

Using an oil/wax on the final cut is commonplace among good manual sharpeners. That said, the finish I've had from a ProSharp machine has been excellent.

I’ve had mine since May last year, I skate typically six hours a week, and there is no sign of any cracking. I take mine out of the skates when I get home as trapped moisture can cause the skate rivets to rust. My understanding is that cracking was an issue with early ones, though I might be mistaken, that said, even if they only lasted a year I’d buy another set, they are just so damned good.

It is a good idea to repeatedly remove the runner? Or put another way, is the Bauer mechanism robust enough? I read too that there is a small spring that can get lost if you are not careful when taking runners out.

I heard yesterday that Skate Station near Woking are to become a True skate dealer. They will also have the Bauer 3D foot scanner.

Can the Sparx deal with a curved blade/holder? I will explain why I ask. Apologies for the length of this post! A few weeks ago I had my skates sharpened on a ProSharp automatic sharpener, the large pro one with a normal grinding wheel that is dressed with a diamond, but the only adjustment on the skate holder is sideways as it automatically does the alignment. Anyway, one skate was perfect, the other was perfect except at the back which was out by 2-4 thousandths of an inch. I asked her to do a few more passes, but there was no change, so it wasn’t due to not taking a deep enough cut. Anyway, yesterday I had them done on a BladeMaster machine, and both blades were almost perfect. But the sharpener mentioned that one blade had a slight variation that he could not remove. We checked that blade and it was slightly but noticeably curved. The blades were almost new, and he reckoned the holder was bent, due to incorrect attachment to the skate. I found this interesting as it suggests that the large ProSharp machine cannot cope with a curved blade, whereas a manual sharpen can cope better. However, it might be that the correct solution to this problem is to have the holder rivets redone, as suggested by the sharpener. It’s annoying, these are Bauer S160 skates, so not cheapies. But the more I think about it, the more I think it is a good idea. Sadly it will cost. As an aside, I discovered that my ProSharp BAT gauge is out by 2/1000” when compared to my cheap Canadian eBay gauge, and the BladeMaster gauge used by the sharpener. The sharpener is buying a Sparx gauge, when they get stock in, as the BladeMaster needs regular taping to prevent wear. It will be interesting to see how the Sparx gauge is made, although I am less than impressed with my ProSharp one.

Blimey, you are not far off drawing your pension. BTW I'm impressed with your progress. I started learning to play hockey one year ago when I was 53. One lad I sometimes play with is in his early seventies and has been learning for a couple of years. Sure he doesn't have the speed and agility of youth, but he does well. I doubt someone of our age could ever be a top rank player, but I'm hoping I can turn myself iinto a solid player in a rec team.

That’s my home rink, I’ll keep an eye open for your skates. I’m one of the rink rats, albeit with very grey hair, and wrinkles.

It was at Gosport during a weekend public session, I'm pretty sure he was a hockey skater.

Do these skates provide any benefit over a pair of standard skates that fit well? A friend has a pair on order, as he was unable to find skates that fitted his large and wide feet. He was in pain, so custom skates are worth the money for him. In my case my Bauer Supremes are very comfortable. I've seen a pair of VH skates at a local UK rink, worn by a young lad, and a good skater. But they are fairly rare in the UK, no doubt in part because to get them fitted you have to go to Sheffield, which for some of us is a 5+ hour car journey each way.

http://www.sports2k.com/forum/index.php?/topic/31793-sold-pro-stock-vh-skates/ Maybe it’s the old style.

I find them a bit ugly due to the over the top white whoosh graphic on the sides. That said, I've seen some in the UK, once on the feet of a young lad (good skater), and they look fine. In fact checking recent images they look quite good, and the large whoosh graphic has gone. For me the fit and performance come first, the aesthetics are secondary, unless they are pink, or covered in long fake fur ....

Can’t you put some marker pen ink on the hollow, and make sure it is all removed by the grind?