mnpucker

Yeah I preordered it.

Got the skates, baked them, new laces. 100/50 FBV, feel like I have been wearing them for 10 years. It is such a shame this skate no longer exists. Incredible comfort, Really cool to jump into a new pair, all that original life back in the boot, I can feel additional support and energy from the boot.

Meh young buck, 13 years for me. Still looks and runs like brand new.

OK so I just purchased a lightly used pair of Mako ll off Ebay. I had to, I tried True TF9 just could not get used to that big toe box, my heel slipped and I could not get the blades right. I tried 3 sizes, from wide to regular in my size one one size smaller.Sent them all back. So jacked to have found an exact replacement with literally new steel to get me through the next several years. I thinkI overpaid at $400 but I don't care, just happy to be back in a newer pair of makos.

I tried them but found I would kick them from time to time. Just didn't like the feel of them,

Holy crap my ADD (of which I did not think I had) has kicked in while reading this thread! HA! So my kid is in College now, which means he gets all his equipment and I don't have to stay on top of equipment advances like I once did. This weekend I saw the TF9 for the first time. The skate looked great and I liked the price point compared to other top of the line models. I have been in Mako II's and have been regretting any change. Unfortunately, I have about had it wit the lack of protection MII's offer. I have turned into a puss (sorry of that is not PC, cancel me if it is), I literally scream inside every time someone shoots puck my way in anticipation of the pain. Sadly, I can't stop myself from jumping in front of shots so I typically spend my day gimping on a sore wheel the day after games. So with that I have 2 questions, does anyone have a feel for how protective these are? the vest skate I ever had from a protective standpoint was One90s. Any feed back on TF9 protection? Next, as I said have been reading this thread for a day now but have grown tired. So I am just gonna ask, will I like them compared to my M II's? One concern I have is ai skate one night a week now. I now I will have to get on the ice more to get used to any new skate but how different will these feel from my Eastons? Thanks in advance!

Coming up on my 10th year with the X02, pretty sure if these were serialized I am between 1-10. My boy was 10 when I got it, now a freshman in college, time flies. 100/50 has suited us all fine over the years. His new home ice is very hard, 100/50 does not seem to give him enough bite anymore. I need to figure out the right FBV quick, season is started. I am considering 100/75 but wanted to get some opinions. Any thoughts on where to go to get more bite without sacrificing too much glide? The $40 shipping cost for small order is ridiculous, I haven't read every page of this thread so I am sure that is old news. He also has black edge steel. I see mention of leather homes and the black rubber hone by Blackstone, any input? been using leather but I am not sure if it is working. I kind of feel the lack of edge may be because I am not using a stone anymore. I may have to order more stuff just to get to the $150 free shipping and that rubber hone might get me there if it will be effective, cAn anyone comment on the effedtisvemess of the rubber hone? I continue to tell people the purchase of this sharpener was the single most meaningful purchase I have made. The benefits are many and the quality and convenience of sharpening are at the top.

Spend some your savings on shot blockers.

So i have been waiting for my kid to grow out of his Mako 2's he grew 3" in about 3 months so I got me some brand new Mako 2s. Pretty jazzed to try them out, my only apprehension was the protective level. I play D so I take a lot of pucks in the boots. My former One95's were amazing in all aspects but one in particular was protective level. I could take a lot in those things. First 2 weeks I loved the skate, I could definitely feel the agility the skate offers. I was having problem with Heel lock but thought a quick remake would take care of that. I lace one eye short too, just what I am used too, I went 2 short on my one 95's. So Tuesday my 3rd skate I took a firm saucer pass from the wide board that was intended to go cross ice crease. Great I blocked it right? killed the opportunity right? Frikin' KILLED Like I took a Chara blast to the ankle. If you are like me and do some blocking I suggest you get some shot blockers cut these skates have Zero protection.

"What did you do to my skates?" Is what I heard when my kid hit the ice with 95-75 vs his usual 100-50. They notice. This is exactly true 100/50 does not have as much bite as 95/75.

Sorry I have been following this thread but cannot recall anyone addressing rivets? Is anyone having issues with rivets not holding? Either premature corrosion or just pulling through the sole of the skate?

Here is my take on rust on skates. Based on the skates I have sharpened, 6 players about weekly or more since 2008ish. 4 of them all got Mako 2's at the same time. One kid has had to have rivets replaced about 5 times now. His holders have rust pouring out of the towers as well. The others, no sign of rust at all. I personally think every person has their own unique PH balance. Some peoples sweat is more corrosive than others. Now one other factor could be how you store them, 2 of the 3 others dry their gear in one of those turbo dryer bag things, no rust, less smell. My 2 cents.

I pre-ordered mine.....So Mine is from the initial run of X02's. So somewhere around page 10 of this thread! or December 2008 No real mechanical problems, but you do have to dress the wheel to insure it is fully dressed and round. Once i had the upgraded holder all my problems went away. December 2008! my kids were mites, now in High school. I have saved enough on sharpenings to have paid for 2 of these things. Moreover, My kids have fewer hockey trinkets, shirts and all the other stuff you get roped into buying for them when you walk in a pro shop....Sorry Pro shops but Ice time is expensive enough and you get my Dough for sticks and gear.....2 broken APX2's in one weekend 2 weeks ago. You ask me, a sharpener is one of the first things any hockey dad should buy. Great invest meant and I can probably sell this for almost what I have into it.

I had a similar problem when I first started using my X02. Turned out I needed to apply more pressure on my passes. More pressure eliminated it for me.

Similar story different direction it sounds like told me it didn't really matter either but pretty sure he said up Oh well maybe when I get new spinners I will go markings down and see what happens. Or maybe they will have deeper better stampings. I pretty much have mine set up to do Mako's now. All of the skates I sharpen at Mako 2's. Kind of nice I don't have to really change anything other than spinners. So it remains level all the time.

I was always told stamped markings side "up" on this board and by Blackstone. There is a difference when it is flipped. I have to adjust the holder settings when the spinner is flipped, stamp down. This brings up an observation I have always wondered about. It seems when I sharpen with marking UP my sparks seem to be very near the top edge of my dressing wheel. The spark line is definitely not in the middle of the wheel. That said, my edges are completely level every time as well so I am confident in my sharpening. Curious if you notice the same thing? perhaps by flipping my spinner to markings down my spark line would be more centered on the wheel? Not that it matters, I am getting a great sharpening, just something I have been curious about.

So do you take your spinner out every time u are done sharpening? Cuz that is the only way this works out. I know how to organize myself. I have my ways but on occasion in the heat of switching spinners or going for a time without sharpening it is ez pz to lose track of spinners. I don't think the stampings should wear off at $60 each. It may seem simple to organize them but once you lose track one time you are basically screwed out of $120 if you confuse 2 of them......I have used color with a sharpie and i have marked a magnetic plate on my sharpening bench with FBV #'s. They adhere fine to the plate.

Has anyone else had problems with the FBV Stamping wearing off one the spinners? The stamping wears off and I have no idea what each one is. I have tried color coding them which works for a while. I installed a magnet based tool holder on my bench and have spots for each spinner to keep them organized but sometimes they get mixed up, like when I travel. They are too expensive to have to guess if you have the right one. Blackstone's advice was basically just don't mix them up.....that was not from Liam or Mark.....

the guys I sharpen for and myself use 2 FBV's. All over 6', all nearing 200lbs. They like 100-50 for softer ice conditions, specifically spring summer early fall when there is more humidity. This time of year they are 100-75. Not gonna say that is what it should be for everyone, just what they/I landed on. I can actually say that the 100-75 eliminates that "tail slide" feeling some mention after migrating to FBV. I thought 95-75 felt "sharper/sticky" than 100-75 though.

Far from new technology at this point. I have had it for 6 years. Where is your evidence of "it doesn't save on wheels"? As in hard evidence? I have gone through few heels in 6 years, not sure but no more than 4(?). I sharpen 3-5 pairs/week. I switch from 100-50 95-75, and 100-75. No real concern for life of the wheel. Why do I need to see the spinner dress? Curious why this matters at all. Since you mention it, do you HAVE to see the dressing with a diamond stylus? Easier? How can it be easier? I turn a dial on my XO2 and poof, dressed. Complicated? I think not. I trust Blackstone because they developed technology that has revolutionized skate sharpening and skate performance. They created a technology that has impacted skate sharpening/hockey like nothing else. They have done so and have been successful with it. I commend them on this and feel they deserve credit for being the company that did not sit on its laurels and just keep pumping the same old tired technology into the market. FBV was so limited 6 + years ago when I purchased my XO2 that I decided I had to buy a sharpener for myself. Never would have bought a traditional had I not desired to try FBV. Owning this sharpener is the single best thing I have ever purchased. Reliable, revolutionary (VS me too copy cats), efficient and in my opinion affordable. I have more than paid of it but by not going to the pro shop as often. I can't argue on the price of spinners, they have an expense but the spinner dressing system provide flexibility I would not want to be without. In my opinion if you buy a machine that does not give you both ROH and FBV you are buying a product that will be worthless to any potential buyers if you ever want to sell it Also you may not be able to sharpen some team mates skates. Very happy I can do both ROH and FBV......Someday I might even go back in time and try the ancient method of ROH since it is soon old.

Just my opinion but I believe edge level to be more critical with FBV than ROH. Just ask the sharpener to show you the edge level on the front and rear of the blade prior to accepting them OR by an edge checker yourself.

Here is the next biggest advantage (sorry to you pro shop guys for this one) I can promise you I saved $1,000's in add on sales by not spending time in the pro shops awaiting my skates to be done.....Specifically when 9,10,11,12,13 year old kids looks at you and asks for the newest jersey, t shirt hat, jacket, mini stick, knee hockey net etc.... Cha Ching !

Previous POST for your review....... A quick sharpening story. I own a Xo2, might have one of the first ones out, I am a Blackstone FBV thread viewer since page 1! Anyway through the years I respond to people about the positives about owning a sharpener vs taking to a pro shop. The reasons are plenty. Recently I was reminded of maybe the most important reason....accuracy. I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to gear (hockey or fishing). I bought a sharpener and became pretty good at it. I never let a pair of skates leave my sharpening table without absolute level edges. I live in Minnesota, we have pro-shops on nearly every corner. On occasion I sharpen my boys teammates skates. I always do one thing prior to sharpening, check the edge for level. I am always shocked at how out of level the edges are. The boys have their skates sharpened at very reputable shops in the area. I am not exaggerating when I say the edges are usually out of level by more than 3 marks on the BR edge checker. Sometimes off several bars from the back to the front of the same blade! The leveler sometimes is nearly vertical. Off level so bad I inspect for nicks in the blade or long scrapes. I guess this is not necessarily a knock on the people that are profiting by sharpening skates, rather a warning for customers to be more vigilant. If I were to do this youth hockey thing all over again. The very least thing I would do is invest in an edge checker so I can keep my pro shop honest. If you want to do it right, by all means buy a sharpener as soon as you know your kids will be in it for the long haul....Keep in mind these things hold their value like nothing else. You will always get your money out of a sharpener. If you are considering it, just do it you will never regret the decision. Edit for accuracy it was page 3 when I decided to buy a Blackstone funny thing about that is FBV is still considered new technology. Initially I was going to buy the X01 then changed my mind. This thing is 6 years old!! holy crap time flies. It looks and runs like it is brand new. I have probably sharpened 1000 pair of skates. I have used about 4 wheels and gone through 2-3 spinners. one thing I noticed, kids feet grow. I started out sharpening size 3-4 and now I am doing 9-10's. One friend of my kid has a 14......SKATE!!! takes half a stone to sharpen those things. Anyway Kudos to Blackstone, you make a great product. I too am in Minnesota, my brother has a Wisota, quality product with limited flexibility. He has admitted he would much rather have the ability to shape the stone as FBV or ROH. My X02 has been flawless. I have landed on a hard ice FBV 100/75 and a soft ice FBV 100/50. I have NEVER used the ROH. Actually the last time my boys or I have skated ROH was 6 years ago right around page 3 of this thread.

A quick sharpening story. I own a Xo2, might have one of the first ones out, I am a Blackstone FBV thread viewer since page 1! Anyway through the years I respond to people about the positives about owning a sharpener vs taking to a pro shop. The reasons are plenty. Recently I was reminded of maybe the most important reason....accuracy. I am somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to gear (hockey or fishing). I bought a sharpener and became pretty good at it. I never let a pair of skates leave my sharpening table without absolute level edges. I live in Minnesota, we have pro-shops on nearly every corner. On occasion I sharpen my boys teammates skates. I always do one thing prior to sharpening, check the edge for level. I am always shocked at how out of level the edges are. The boys have their skates sharpened at very reputable shops in the area. I am not exaggerating when I say the edges are usually out of level by more than 3 marks on the BR edge checker. Sometimes off several bars from the back to the front of the same blade! The leveler sometimes is nearly vertical. Off level so bad I inspect for nicks in the blade or long scrapes. I guess this is not necessarily a knock on the people that are profiting by sharpening skates, rather a warning for customers to be more vigilant. If I were to do this youth hockey thing all over again. The very least thing I would do is invest in an edge checker so I can keep my pro shop honest. If you want to do it right, by all means buy a sharpener as soon as you know your kids will be in it for the long haul....Keep in mind these things hold their value like nothing else. You will always get your money out of a sharpener. If you are considering it, just do it you will never regret the decision. Edit for accuracy it was page 3 when I decided to buy a Blackstone funny thing about that is FBV is still considered new technology. Initially I was going to buy the X01 then changed my mind. This thing is 6 years old!! holy crap time flies. It looks and runs like it is brand new. I have probably sharpened 1000 pair of skates. I have used about 4 wheels and gone through 2-3 spinners. one thing I noticed, kids feet grow. I started out sharpening size 3-4 and now I am doing 9-10's. One friend of my kid has a 14......SKATE!!! takes half a stone to sharpen those things. Anyway Kudos to Blackstone, you make a great product.

Check to see if the outsole on the left skate is contacting your holder. Contact will torque the boot up a bit taking it out of level. Wider skates do not play nice with the holder. I have to mount the skate instep down on wider or bigger skates to avoid contact.