pgeorgan

I got a buddy out that way looking for a knowledgable skate guy. Any suggestions?

Looking for good Sparx home setup ideas. Anyone care to post pics of theirs?

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't very curious as to the goal of this project... As far as disassembling one, I doubt there is any way to do so without causing damage. My guess is plastic permanently bonded to the cutting ring. Seems like a lot of hassle for little return. You'd be better off finding yourself a highly qualified hacker...

Not sure what the wax and wrap have to do with one another, but I use wax laces on non-True skates and yes, it does flake off and eventually you do need new wax laces for the same effect.

Forgive me, but if you don't trust that Sparx are being honest when they say 320 passes/ring, I don't see the point in having them publish their own "studies" to confirm this claim. You're only option at this point is to trust peer reviews, and so far, it seems most (if not all) Sparx owners on this thread are quite content with their purchase. This complaint is analogous to the time Apple changed their iPhone signal strength display from 5 dots to 4 bars after customer complaints. Customers were happier as a result, and thought they were getting a better product, despite not a single piece of hardware being altered whatsoever...

When I was mulling over whether to purchase a Sparx, I remember using their cost breakdown calculator. I think it came out to 2-3 years for me - I have two sets of skates, btw, as I play both goalie and forward. The problem with that analysis, and I use this analogy often, is that getting your skates sharpened is like getting a haircut - at least for me. We try to prolong it as much as we can because, well, money just doesn't grow on tress for most people. Even if it did, humans are inherently cheap, always want some sort of deal, make irrational financial decisions all the time etc... Point being, if I owned my own barbershop, I'd be getting a beard and hair trim every morning. That's just a fact. So, what actually happens once you finally purchase a Sparx, and as every Sparx owner knows, suddenly you're sharpening your skates between every session. In the interest of not droning on, I only need 1 pass/hour of skating to reproduce the same quality of sharpening as the only "LHS" around that I trust. I put that in quotes because said LHS is about 40 minutes one way through crazy commuter traffic. Thus, while my original breakeven calculation was 2-3 years, and for OP it's 8, upon purchasing an actual Sparx, my breakeven cost suddenly dropped to under one year, because to replicate what I'm achieving now would require daily 2-hour roundtrip excursions to the LHS + sharpening at $6/hour of skating (with a punch card). Please note, this analysis holds even if the LHS were inside my local hockey rink. It's just not economical to get my skates done everyday at a pro shop. Right now, I'm getting 1 hour/pass from my Sparx, or well over 1 hour/day of skating on freshly sharpened skates with just one grinding ring. That's less that one grinding ring a year I would need to purchase. I understand there will be some pushback here on how getting skates done everyday is ridiculous or whatever. Fine. I don't really care. Hockey gear costs and arm and a leg, especially if you're a goalie. The cost of a Sparx is a drop in the bucket, comparatively, for the knowledge that I have consistent, fresh edges every skate. And even though the dollar breakdown makes sense, it's irrelevant because it's a user's *utility curve* that matters. You can't put a price on peace of mind. P.S. - As of writing, having finally gotten my skates dialed in, I'm able to skate on a 5/8 Fire, and if I really want, I can get 2-3 hours per single pass. At the rate I'm going, it won't be long before I'm at 3/4...

So, you're sharpening your teammates' skates, but they always come back in very bad shape? I must be missing something, because I contribute to beer on my team, and even if it were as frequent as every few weeks, and even at American prices, I don't think swapping beer for grinding rings would be a trade I'd want to make (off the top of my head...)

Averaging 6 cycles per skate is absurd. What kinds of skates/steel are people bringing in? Is everyone exclusively playing pond hockey? Honestly, this sounds like an economic issue. Taxes in the EU are high, there are import/export dynamics out of Sparx control, etc... On a normal distribution, it sounds like your usage is at/near the very tail end. Like another user pointed out, surely after a while, your customers will start to show up with a regular amount of usage, rather than outright abuse, which should ultimately ameliorate your frustrations.

Sounds like the problem you're having, then, is one of economics. Demand in your area is high, supply is low. Charging more should get you covered.

This might be a bit radical, but perhaps this individual should consider charging on a per pass basis. I'm sure they'll be able to understand that if they come in with rarely-ever-sharpened skates that take 6 passes, it'll cost more... YMMV.

Hmm. Not for everyone I guess. To be fair, I skipped from 1/2" regular to 5/8" fire. Didn't try regular 5/8".

Personally, I'd like to see aftermarket rings come out. It would probably be a boon to their business instead of the opposite.

Every time I do the marker test, 2 roundtrips is enough for me when changing hollows. Am I missing something? In other news, tried out 5/8 fire ring and now I own a 5/8 fire ring.

Went to the store and tried out new elbow pads because why not? I have to say, I love STX even more now. Nothing seemed to fit right. The Jetspeeds actually were halfway decent. The Bauer 2S have some insane slash protection. Probably over the top unless you're playing full check. Can't justify buying another pair, though they didn't have the new 3-piece Warriors, so I have yet to try those out.

I can't find the actual study from this link.