Ahriman

it's just too bad there isnt one spot on 1/2" equiv. I haven't had the chance to try the 100/50 yet cause the shop doesnt have it yet.

*Shrug* It's just some people. I go forever between sharpening. I would go a month or more between them while being on the ice 5.5 hours a week during high school. If I didn't work in a shop and was able to just do my skates whenever I wanted I probably would still be on that relative schedule. The idea that steel would need replacing before the boot absolutely baffled me.

Most people I have put into the FBV say the 100/75 has more bite than 1/2", and I would agree. The 90/75 is right around 5/8 or 11/16 in terms of bite. Yup, mirrors my exact experiences, unfortunately I'm not comfortable skating on either of those, have you heard much about the 100/50? I'm hoping for more of "1/2" bite with more glide" otherwise I'm sticking with a traditional sharpening.

I wish I could say that myself. 90/75 felt like 1" or more glide and bite so I felt like I was going to lose it every turn. 100/75 felt like 5/8" bite and glide, too much bite and no "floating" super-awesome glide. 100/50 is not yet an option for me so I'm back to sharpening my own at 1/2"

different job, different tool. for me it's an open squared toe for defense, rounded toe mid blade curve for forward.

Well that's horribly disappointing. 90/75 felt amazing and got the whole "floating" feeling but the edges just didn't have enough bite for me to feel comfortable with (180 pounds, 6', 1/2" sharpening normally); trying out the 100/75 felt sharper, much sharper, too sharp even, I was catching my edges more than usual, enough to throw me off. I lost the floating feeling, and while I did feel that I glided better and for longer per stride, the discomfort of the harder bite just makes it a wash for me. End result, when I feel this sharpening has gone dull, I'll be back to sharpening my own at 1/2" til I can try out the 100/50 cut. Maybe that will be the ticket but for now, FBV just isn't for me.

Meh, the shop I was at to get it done was neither gigantic nor charging more per sharpening. $4 for hockey skates; no sign advertising or salesmen pitching the FBV either.

My blades looked dull, brand new out of the box dull, when I got mine done at 90/75, still peeled fingernail like a fresh sharpen but just looked flat and dull. That said I was on them for the first time just today at an open skate and wow the glide on them was nuts, I just felt like I could go forever on hard ice. I was actually worried about trying to test my speed without any of my equipment on for as fast as my casual skating felt. I think 100/50 would be ideal for me because I flirt with 5/8" or 9/16" generally when sharpening my own but my only options at the shop were 90/75 and 100/75 and at the time having something that is the equiv of 1/2" to 3/8" bite just sounded like too much but I might go give it a try because I'd rather skate on something too sharp then worried about my feet flying out from me.

I need a new pair of rocket runners for my skates so I'm using it as an excuse to drive up and get a FBV cut done today, I'm gitty like a school girl :P

Alright, well I'm finally curious enough to give up sharpening my own to try this new fangeled sharpening out, does anyone know somewhere in the twin cities that runs a FBV set up yet? Hell at this point I'm considering picking up a spare set of steel to mail out to.... somewhere... to try it out.

I love people that have to make sure you know how cool their gear is. Just in case you thought they just found somewhere that got an early shipment, telling everyone that it is unreleased just shows how utterly cool he really is. Actually, it's from work, but close enough :P EDIT: I realize I came off a bit smug in the first post, I'll edit that out. He's just jealous :P

I went with X02 just thinking that I would have more and more people wanting the FBV, and thus I would prefer the heavier duty of the 2 portables. I wasn't worried about breakeven or profitability. I do not charge people to try out the FBV, but if they like it, I'll charge $3-5 to sharpen depending on how much I like them. I knew how to sharpen skates, and since moving here I haven't been able to find a place I trust to do a good job. So I wanted to just do them myself for my family of 4 and some of the kids I coach. If sharpening other people's skates makes me enough money to pay for wheels and spinners, then it's all good. My experience so far, if you can do a good job sharpening, word spreads fast. Make sure if you are charging people that you have the proper city, state and federal business licenses, and report your profits to the IRS and your state. If you charge, you are no longer a home sharpener, you are a business. You don't want to get caught doing it under the table or without licenses. As soon as your LHS finds out you are, they'll drop a dime to the IRS, etc. You definitely don't want that. You're LHS is also run by the mob? Seriously yes these are possibly consequences but seriously I think that kind of caution is overkill. In that respect the dude who brings in cases of soda to work and asks a quarter a can is also running a business but I don't think the IRS is ever gonna ask for all the recipes for the transactions, even if someone did call them.

I want to follow you on this but I can't.... because the dude swung his stick around on a guy with no cage or visor on purpose. At that point I really don't care if he was being careless. I mean, really, who cares if his buddy was blameless, maybe he did it on accident, it would be extremely unlikely he did it on purpose, what the second guy did was premeditated, for revenge. Thats where "sports injury" becomes "felony".

You must have just missed the thread on correcting and criticizing grammar... Here's the short version: it's kinda a dick move. I don't intend on pleasing everyone. :shrug:

you should definitely do it to your U+ skates the ones that belong to the first guy who did it look sick excellent, I'm waiting on hearing on how they take abuse before they do it but otherwise, I'm totally down, gonna get a little more exact with it than the example blacked out U+ though, gonna leave the blue U+ logo on the heel, maybe another accent or two as well, those 70s posted more recently are a great example of how to do that well.

you must have just missed the thread on correcting and criticizing grammer... Here's the short version: it's kinda a dick move.

I like the look but everyone I've asked who doesnt skate/play seems to prefer the stock look of the CCMs and Vapor skates to the blacked out look; still seriously considering doing my U+ skates in that style as well.

++ on that one :(

Has anyone ever had luck finding college hockey equipment? I honestly would do unspeakable acts for a pair of Badger breezers though some general googling, ebay and craigslist searching I'm not turning anything up yet.

dude it's bad form to even ask to borrow a stick unless your in the middle of a game or something.

I think I was the only person there who took it personally enough. He seemed to know a lot of people there though, in passing at least.

wow. those are some dead sexy pants. I wanted to hold a small funeral when my 8 year old Supras finally broke down completely

And just to add to that... if you are bleeding profusely dont go to the bar and drink alcohol. It will act like a blood thinner and your blood will not clot properly. And this goes for everything in life and hockey. USE COMMON SENSE I dont think this guy would agree

I was 19 and a roll of tape was the same as half a 6 pack. guess which won....

probably the last decent picture taken of me on the ice, about 4 years ago now...