mnpucker

Better yet they showed the sharpener at a couple commercial breaks on ESPN!

You call that skating? I am on 3 times a week 2 hours coaching plus 1 hour playing. I was kidding the pontoon furniture was the way to go.

Some guys run their house, some guys run around their house, I run my house........hahaha How about a couple lawn chairs and an X01? I never siad the 90/75 had more glide, I did say I could not discern a difference between the 90/75 and 100/50. I can also say this to those of you that feel the need to resharpen more regularly with FBV, try using a stone on the edge first. Last week I felt I needed to sharpen and simply ran a stone to freshen the edge and they felt like new.

I heard Letterman's is adding a Blackstone soon.

100/50 review. X02 sharpener. 6'1 235 lbs. Previously skated on 90/75 and liked it but wanted to try a bit more edge. The timing is not what I wanted due to the seasonal temp changes(spring) and thus softer ice. 100/50 definitely has a sharper feel and great glide. I canot tell you if it is a notably different than the 90/75. I have been skating on 90/75 since early January and I am a huge fan. Initially the sharper feel is evident but not as much when actually skating. Stopping was noticeably different, the edges are sharp and they do have quite a bit more bite that 90/'s For me, I am pretty certain 90/75 is the way to go in the spring/summer (and for many in the winter not excluding me) but in Minnesota when the temp drop and our indoor ice hardens I will likely really enjoy the increased sharpness of the 100/50.

Anyone know if Blackstone will be carrying stock of FBV's while in Minnesota at the Expo? Might want to get the 100/50

Make sure you properly dress the wheel. also make sure your spinner is spinning when you dress the wheel. I have the X02 and I found that the spinner can tighten to the point that it does not spin on new machines. To fix you need to take the spinner nut off and break in the spring washer on the under side. I simply took a pliers and clamped down on the repeatedly for a few minutes. Re-install and try it again. I think you will find that the wheel was not dressed consistently (not perfectly round) which causes the waves you were talking about. Since I did this I have gotten an amazing finish.

IF this is true then my x02 was shipped with the spinner installed incorrectly. I have been sharpening with the imprint up because that is the way the first one came off. This will probably explain some of the centering issues I have had from time to time.

You have some of the same q's I have. I too am sharpening youth to adult. I have more issues going from Nike/Bauer to Mission for example. Bat Gauge is different every time I look at it, seems inconsistent.

5.5 hp, 5 gallon. It is available at most stores, different color depending on where you go. You might be confused about the hose diameter? This vac has the lock on hose and the stock hose is 1.5". The threaded connector however is 2.5"! Huge bonus, I was looking for connectors and adapters everywhere and there is not one. The 2.5 inch hose threads directly onto the vac and I hose clamped it for good measure. This picture shows it pretty well, if you click it you can see a larger image.... Oh one other thing, I did not install a blastgate at the big mouth. I did not want to add weight and bulk so I just use a plastic ball my kids had laying around to toss in there. This allows me to have max suction at the exhaust tube when I dress the wheel. It is the red ball...works great, it is a ball out of a ball pit. Hey i have a question, how often do you dress the wheel? After my last coat the wheel blackens, is it necessary to dress that off ?

THIS makes me drooooool, The start of our man cave, me and my boys. Received the X02 and decided to take the equipment room to a new level. I added a vacuum system to the Kobalt work bench I got from Lowe's. The bench is great 3 drawers and an over head storage that I use to hold my, "next ups". I bought Dust control fittings from Rockler wood working. I have a suction gate at the wheel dressing exhaust. This controls the amount of suction I get at the wheel or while dressing. The other fitting that catches skate dust is called a big gulp, it is 10" w x 16" wide. The vacuum is a 5.5 hp, 5 gallon Shop vac. I reworked the tubing to 2.5" from the standard 1.5". I have an electrician coming to work on some electrical then I will be done. Pretty sweet set up for the house.....PIMP my X02. The boys are going to use the table as a place to put all the hockey decals they get.

In 2007 the Labrador retreiver bit more people in the USA than any other dog. FACT - the Lab is also the most popular dog. Labs might be the most friendly dog (debatable and I am generalizing) so would people believe that they bite people? No, there are just so many more that statistics play a huge part. Good point on the volume of Bauer's sold Chadd.

What was that stuff you said about the junk regarding the thing?????? You do know you are on a hockey website right? haha Ok I think I have a valid response but will curl up into a ball if you challenge me by any sort of a reply that requires me to develop an educated response..... Here it is. Wouldn't any discussion involving rpm's depend on where the rpm's are measured? Probably a better question, are rpm's the same if they are measured at the edge of the wheel or at the axle of the grinder? I know more about boat motors and over the years the Horse power rating has change from measuring at the power head to measuring at the propeller. Again probably a worthless question because I own a X02 and my conclusion is it has all the rpm's you would need. It does a great job.

I think it takes more than one skate to completely appreciate the performance of FBV skates. I am now at the 4 week mark and skated again today. I coach A LOT (2 traveling winter teams and a AAA summer team) and play 1-2 times a week. I am on thei ice 6 out of 7 days a week some days for 3 hours. I coach 8-11 year olds so skill development is primarily our curriculumr. As most of you know the player that learns how to effectively use his outside edges will advance quicker than those that do not, well good hands never killed anybody eithe. We work on outside edges constantly. Today while warming up during an afternoon lunch time pick up skate I decided to push the limits of the fbv edges. I was shocked at how deep in a turn I could get, deep enough that the outside of my one95's were scrubbing the ice. This is no exaggeration, a guy that coaches a skating treadmill was there and he saw me working the edges during warm up, he came over and asked what was up, he noticed how deep I was getting. I explained and his immediate response was, "when can I come over?" As far as glide goes, I continue to believe it is true. The ice feels smoother and it is just easier to skate. I am 40 yrs old but still have the ability to play at a high level. I have either been receiving terrible sharpenings my entire life or this is the real deal. I am in Minneapolis and have had the best guys around working on my skates I am pretty confident they have been doing a good job.

My 2 week review of X02 with 90/75 FBV I have resolved my skate holder balancing issues, it just takes practice although I do still have to learn more about the rear control, pitch and when to use it. My boys and I continue to skate on the FBV and enjoy it. I have asked them if they care to switch back and their response was absolutley not. So last week I began sharpening skates for one of the best female high school hockey players in Minnesota. The first sharpening happened 4 days prior to the biggest girls tourney shy of the state tourney. She skated on them for 4 days 2 hour practices each day then played one game. I had to sharpen them for her prior to her second game. Her review, a little fishtail when she woudl glide wiht straight legs but did notice enough performance difference. Enough positive difference that she wants to continue using the FBV sharpening. My review, I would not mind trying a FBV with a little more bite, I just think that might prolong the time between sharpenings but also give me more room for error on each sharpening. I still feel like the skate holder setting is more critical with FBV than normal radius. Would you agree? Over all I continue to believe the FBV does have a positive impact on skating, speed and edges. I do believe it will require more frequent sharpenings that standard but hey for LHS that only means greater revenue, this is only my opinion.

Well prior to forking over the dough I bought this concept hook line and sinker. I received my X02 last week and my FBV yesterday. Today was set up day. I am working on my own personal skate work shop so when I am done I will post pictures. I have never sharpened skates before so I admit I was nervous strapping my One95's on the holder the first time. After testing my hand with my Flex lites I finally sharpened my 95's. I noticed immediately that the holder slid very easily on the table top. I was concerned about my ability to keep a steady hand but the holder slid effortlessly and seemed to almost be propelled by the wheel. I am having difficulty setting up the holder. I am not sure if I am over adjusting but I do need to adjust the holder when I switch to my sons One 70's or Vapors. I guess I will work on that but it takes me too long in m opinion. I had 2 skates tonight, a practice for 9 year olds and a bar league game. I am highly technical when teaching edges. I perform every skill for the boys, extreme outside edge work. The X02 is all that it is billed to be. I thought the One 95's were special but the FBV takes that feeling to new levels. Outside edges lock in and I find myself gliding around one footed outside edges with ease. The glide is all it is billed to be for sure, starting at the blue line, two strides to red line and I glided all the way around the net to the far blue line before I just stopped the glide to jump out of the way of one of my players. To add to a previous post regarding the feel of the blade, i definitely think they feel smoother over rough ice. During my game I split the D with little effort, there is not doubt the FBV improved my performance. I have the 90/75 and was previously getting a 9/16 or half in the summer. I did not find the FBV to be overly sharp. I want to thank Steve for his assistance and patience with me while I was making my decision. You were very helpful.

I decided to buy a sharpener for financial reasons, 4 pair of skates to sharpen at $5 each is killing me. I have been waiting since November to order an X01 and they are not shipping until January (originally November). I have spent over $100 on sharpenings since I decided to buy so each week I cannot get one the actual cost goes up $20 for me. I realize the benefits are great but is it seriously worth the wait, I can have a Wissota or EZ sharp in my hands with in a matter of an hour because they are local. I have 3 friends that have sharpeners and I coach 2 teams and run an association. The dads are chomping at the bit for me to get the X01 so they can decide what to buy. Every practice someone is asking if I got it yet.....my answer, nope not shipping yet. Bummer and frustrating. Every day I check this site, I get a bit more disappointed.

Perfect, what a simple system. The video answered all my questions but now I have one more. I noticed the residue from dressing the stone blows out the back tube and also a bit came out of the right side of the motor housing. Suggestions on setting up a vacuum system for home use. This is in my price range but I will not be using it as portable as others might. I basically want to try and keep the area clean. Thanks a lot.

Finally decided to buy a sharpener and based off this post I am going to buy the X01.....Where can I buy one? Also I would like to see a video of the spinner and exactly how it works... I am a picture guy, I think I understand but want to know exactly before I buy. Thanks