Blade Barber

Thanks for question. Just match the Blade Barber to your chosen skate radius of hollow. The Blade Barber works the same on any profile.

Send me a message if you'd like to sell the Blade Barber. Minimum blade height - 3/8 inch or 9.5mm Sorry for the confusion, I am learning from talking to hockey players from around the world that when you just say "radius" some people think hollow and some think profile/rocker. I'll stick to using hollow, and ROH.

There seems to be some confusion with our Australian retailer we are looking into that and will send you a message to update. Sorry for the hassle. We are working to come up with better international shipping rates.

Thank you taking on a chance on the Blade Barber. For a quick refresh I'd start with two passes per edge and see how you like it and then you can adjust from there. Watch the video above and take your time on your first sharpen and you'll be happy. I look forward to reading your update. Yes we are in Ottawa! I'd be happy to meet up and give you a demo or better yet if you are playing spring/summer hockey we could come and sharpen your team's skates.

Thanks Nick, educated early adopters like the folks here at Modsquadhockey are going to make or break this product. We all know guys like that and I don't understand how they can skate on those edges. Those tools ruin an edge just as often as they "freshen" or "extend' one. Pretty excited about a message we got last night from a coach in the Swiss National League and thought I'd share "I am thoroughly impressed!. The edges feel wonderful! Just like a real sharpening"

Close Up of Cutter Blade Hopefully that link above works, I couldn't figure out how to insert images into here. It does have multiple cutting surfaces like a broach. It works really well and I can't imagine anyone on modsquadhockey having any problems.

Recycling? - Not as of yet we are looking into that, but the plastic handle and aluminum guide plate could be recycled locally. Others have asked about replacement blades, as of right now the blades are by far the most expensive part of the product to manufacture and it would not be cost effective to offer replacements and it could introduce blade alignment problems. Many people do use it as you describe when they don't have time, pro-shop isn't open, or are too busy and they are able to stretch out the time between sharpens significantly. Downsides? - It is not idiot proof, it is a manual tool - it takes 5 min to learn the right pressure (start very very light) and to keep it flat on the side of the runner, 95% of people have success with their first sharpen. We have had some testers use the tool exclusively for three years (on ice twice a week) and we saw no increased wear as compared to a machine sharpen. If you use the same number of passes on each edge you will be fine. But yes it is a manual tool and if you used it exclusively an edge checker is a good idea or just periodically get your skates machine sharpened.

The Blade Barber only removes material in the hollow just like a standard sharpen. It absolutely will not round off the edges, the tool does nothing to the sides of the runner. When an edge is really worn those fresheners are only going to round it off and make it worse. After you try the Blade Barber you'll be comparing it to your favourite pro shop sharpen and you'll throw your edge fresheners out. Many customers are happily using the Blade Barber on polished and coated steel runners. Thanks for your questions.

Great Questions Mark. The finish is very similar to a traditional sharpen, with perhaps a little less uniformity. The cutter is designed to match exactly the bite angle of your desired hollow. However, you are right as noted in the video it does taper up ever slightly as it goes past the middle of the hollow, this allows the tool to accommodate different width runners. It is really not even noticeable to the eye. On the ice it does not feel like a flat bottom sharpen but a traditional one. The Carleton Ravens University men's hockey team did some blind testing of the tool and their players could not tell a difference between the Blade Barber and their traditional machine sharpen. You should get 25 pairs of skates sharpened. It will still work beyond that but it is like shaving with a dull razor it will require more pressure and passes to do the job. Hope that answers your questions. Happy to answer any more you have.

Hi Folks, I just wanted to introduce the Blade Barber to the ModSquad community. It is a hand held skate sharpener that uses a tungsten carbide blade to shave steel from your skate. Each cutter blade is precision CNC ground to match the bite angle of your desired hollow. It has been in development for over 3 years and has been tested by novice players, all the way through to NHL players. This really sharpens skates, it is not just an edge touch up tool. I'm sure many will be skeptical so please ask any and all the questions you have. There is a 5 min learning curve to find the right amount of pressure to apply but after that you'll be sharpening your skates anytime or anywhere. We are now shipping worldwide and it sells for $50 CAD and will provide about 25 sharpens before dulling. I've linked some videos below. Thanks for your time Peter