strosedefence34

Not really sure why you quoted me I was mostly just saying for a home user that doesn't know how to sharpen with a manual machine and doesn't have someone to teach them how to do it I think it is a no brainer go with an automatic. Me personally I do know how to sharpen skates and while I have had my skates sharpened on a Sparx I still prefer the finish of a manual sharpener. Thats my personal preference.

While they are both skate sharperners they are two different animals. It really depends on if you know how to use a manual sharpener or if you have someone willing to teach you how to use one vs would you rather just get the thing in the mail do a quick setup and be up and running within an hour or so? Me personally I know how to use a manual sharpener so I'd probably go for the Wissota but that's just me.

I am glad you found a solution. That is just entirely too much work for me. For now while I work at the shop I will stick to the BladeMaster. When I quit I am probably going to buy the BlackStone X whatever for home use because I prefer that to a Sparx. I do think the Sparx is a great product and it has its place in the hockey community it is just not for me based on my tests. Plus I already know how to sharpen with a manual sharpener.

@Leif at the shop I work at we use the Blademaster version of the spinner system. We aren't using the traditional diamond and quill. Not that I think it really makes a difference in establishing a hollow on the finishing wheel.

To back this up I sharpen my own skates at 5/8 ROH on a blademaster double head machine. A friend of mine has a Sparx machine and I asked him if he would sharpen my skates at 5/8 ROH because I was curious to see how it did compared to how I do my skates. We did at least 8 passes if I remember because we did 6 and the skates were slightly out of level and then we put them back in for 2 more passes and I checked them again and they were dead on. When I skated on them for the first time the sharpening didn't have the same amount of bite that I was used to coming off of a manual blade master. It almost felt like I was skating on a sharpening that was a couple of skates old at that moment. It wasn't bad just wasn't great. If I were to do another "test" I would try a 9/16 ROH from Sparx. A factor that could play into this is that he said his ring was more than half way used up. When I sharpen my skates I dress the wheel so it is a fresh start. As the rings get used up since you can't redress them does the consistency stay the same? I don't see how it could but then again I really don't know.

ASU's new helmet design. I am not usually into flashy equipment but I think for ASU it works and I think they have one of the best setups in college hockey. Minnesota is now a CCM school

In the post it says "You can adjust length in the order submission but width is not an option as the custom last process shapes the skate to your individual foot (L and R). At any time during this process you want to make additional notes to your foot scan, you can." and that is coming from the Product Manager. I don't think anyone can say for certain you can request a AA heel. The best you could do is in the notes make a comment that you have a very narrow heel. In the past they have made C width retail skates. Like any other custom product you will probably have put a little faith in the process and give them as much info as you can. I would also recommend trying to find a shop that has experience in custom skates. At least with Bauer and CCM both companies have customer facing documentation that say they are making a 3D print out of your foot and building your custom skate off of it.

Did they mount them without steel in them? Someone else can correct me if I am wrong but I always thought you were suppose to mount holders with steel in them to help prevent the holder from twisting.

This will probably be the closest you will find. https://www.amazon.com/Zonas-Porous-Athletic-Inches-Yards/dp/B00N56V2HG I too do what @stick9 suggested and don't notice it. I always have the clean edge at the top of my knob.

There is a difference between "showing more wear" and breaking down prematurely. A friend of mine did a pair of full custom CCM Jetspeed FT1s right when CCM announced they were doing custom skates. I sharpen his skates for him and while yes they do mark up easily they are far from prematurely breaking down. They are still as solid as the day he got them. He skates about 3 times a week.

We have an area skating coach who swears by putting his students on 3/8ths to teach proper edge work. I get it for the real little kids since they aren't heavy enough to get the bite they need out of a shallower hollow. Where I have the problem is when his high school aged students ask for it I can only think of how much speed they are loosing by digging too much into the ice. Our shops "standard" is 5/8ths. We give that to people when we ask them how they want their skates done and they respond "I don't know? The regular?" I typically try to educate them even if they aren't listening. Tell them I am giving them 5/8ths and if they want it sharper next time come in and ask for 1/2. We have the ability to do 9/16 but I prefer to give them the option to experiment.

I agree with @psulion22 I work part-time in a shop and sharpen my own skates we use the spinner system to dress the wheel. I have been skating at 5/8ths for probably about 10 years. A friend of mine has a sparx and I was curious so I had him cut my skates at 5/8ths. I was there when he did it we did 8 passes on each skate. When I tried them out they didn't feel like they had the same bite as when I do them on the blademaster. The best way to describe what I felt was a 5/8th sharpening that had been skated on once or twice. For me when I no longer have access to a sharpener i'll probably buy the blackstone portable machine. This was mainly a test to see if I would buy a sparx over the blackstone.

Yes, I agree this video is somewhat informative but also has terrible misinformation. You should stay within the retail line that best fits your foot shape. Just because it's a fully custom skate does not mean you can choose any skate in the CCM line like the video suggest.

They are on the CCM website I'm willing to be they are also in the CCM Catalog too which means any shop with a CCM account should be able to order them.

sideline is referring to the website www.sidelineswap.com it's similar to eBay but its mostly for sports equipment.

Thanks, @JR Boucicaut as it turns out it's not my shop and I don't make the decisions so I just get to work with what I have. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Question about setting up new steel on the CAG. Do I cross grind then put the steel in the CAG and set my desired profile then finish it on the blademaster or do I cross grind put an edge on it put it in the CAG and then finish it on the blademaster. The latter of the two seems a bit redundant. I just want to make sure I am doing it right.

If your LS2 holders are in good shape keep the holders and just get new steel. Have the LHS check and make sure the holders are just aligned properly.

@smu I think you were trying to quote @CigarScott

The silicone sleeve doesn't bother me except when it gets messed up when I am putting my socks on sometimes. It would be great to not have to use it though. Maybe I will try the washcloth method with the sleeves on my pond hockey skates and see if its worth it with my other ones.

@CigarScott have you tried re-baking with those silicone sleeves? I recently within the last year have developed the same issue with my skates (Supreme 190). I thought about trying to bake the skates while wearing them just haven't yet. I will say that one day I lost the one sleeve and I had to skate without it and the issue seemed to be okay on my left foot where I have been wearing the sleeve for a year. It's possible that area of the skate stretched out by wearing the sleeve for a year again I haven't tried not wearing the sleeve again maybe one skate this week.

My thing is though in your expert opinion which I value you certainly have the credentials to back it up (close to 1,000 fittings for True) if the shop is not communicating the information to True correctly. Why isn't True reaching out to the shop and saying "hey guys we certainly have an issue here. What is wrong with the skates what needs to be done to make the customer happy?" Maybe the shop doesn't know the proper way to communicate the issues. This could be the first time its ever happen. Again we don't have all of the info about the shop and how many pairs of True skates they have sent out. This could be the first pair. I know from asking the manager at the local Pure hockey they have only done 2 pairs so they don't have the same experience as you do with True. This could be a learning experience for the shop. I look at it like this. Let's say this is the first pair of True skates this shop has ever put out. They have never put out any other custom options, but they have the resources for CCM and Bauer to do custom skates. They are having such a tough time getting this pair of skates right that another person walks in off the street and wants customs as a shop I'd be pushing the other two because I had such an issue with True the first time. True could lose customers from this shop over this. Regardless of who has the better skate and the best process. Again will the sales of one shop really effect True. Doubtful, but something to think about from a customer service standpoint.

I'm not going to get into a keyboard war with you but at this point, it's on True. After @smu got his first pair of skates back and they were horribly wrong he was rescanned and the shop added notes to the second scan about what was wrong with his skates. Yet the skates came back stuffed in the toe cap and the sides squished in to make them narrower. True seemed to completely ignore the notes that were put in. The skates were sent back they made a new pair still not the right size still disregarding any notes put in by the shop after the second scan. It's great that your shop has had such great success with True customs. I know people who have had great success with CCM and Bauer customs. No one in my area skates on Trues. The only experience I have with them is this thread plus seeing the display model at Pure hockey. If there is a disconnect between a 3D scan of a customers foot and the shop and the company the company needs to stand behind their product and make it right.

I don't get how you guys are putting this entirely on the shop? If he has now had 2 pairs of skates made for him that are wrong why is someone from True not contacting the shop to try and get to the bottom of this? To me, there is clearly something different between the scan and the player's foot. I'm not saying True is closing their eyes and making the skates, but if they are having this much of an issue with this particular skate there is an issue. Makes me wonder how many pairs of True skates this shop has put out that were wrong and the other skaters thought they fit fine or good enough. It's great that your shops have had almost zero returns of skates, but something is going on at this shop that True should try and resolve. If I was @smu i'd move on from True now with Bauer and CCM offering customs based off of 3D scans. The shop should just allow him to put the money he has invested in these skate to something else. Like @Vet88 said if this was a retail skate that a shop just said here this is the closest we have it will work that's on the shop.

@JR Boucicaut and the MSH Pro Shop