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There's no adjustment called tension, but moving the skate blade up or down in the clamping mechanism or adjusting the wheel height up or down both affect the tension on the wheel when it contacts the blade (Hooke's Law - the amount of stretch on the spring which applies force on the wheel/blade changes). That said, on the Sparx you don't really want to apply more pressure than necessary as you'll cause the wheel to chatter or drag on the blade and you won't get a perfectly smooth mirror finish pass. As I've stated before, for very tall new LS3/4 or Step I prefer to use the goalie risers so I don't have to lower the wheel too much and I find that allows both a high contact point on the toe and a nice light pressure on the blade for a perfectly smooth pass. The Sparx seems to be dialed in from the factory for "standard" height steel, and is easily adjustable to handle well worn steel. But I find new "tall" steel to work best with the goalie risers installed. YMMV colins

I like the adjustments - both length and width can be adjusted independently, which is unique or at least not common on hockey helmets. Also I think I just learned Swedish 😉 colins

Keep in mind the sizing has changed since the original Jetspeed. You need to go up half a size in the current and previous gen to match the size of the original gen Jetspeed. Other than that, you should find the FT line has a similar fit to the original Jetspeed line. colins

The latest line is significantly different. In the FT2, FT1 or FT490 you're getting a one piece composite boot. That's not like the original JetSpeed. You might like it - but it's not like the skate you are coming from. If you are really married to the idea of finding a skate like the original Jetspeed, you have a couple of options. The FT390 and FT385 have the Speedcore 3 formable core - which is a bit stiffer than the Speedcore 2 in the original Jetspeed. The FT380 has the Speedcore 2. It's probably the most similar feeling skate you can find to the original Jetspeed. The Jetspeed Control SMU is the FT380 with upgrades from the FT390 and FT1 - it's a great value if you can find any before all the stock runs out. colins

China doesn't recognize copyright laws or trademarks. When companies like Bauer or CCM shift their manufacturing to China, the factory sells the gfx/design specifics out the back door to another factory down the street. Same for jerseys/apparel. They clone whatever is popular and will sell. If you order these you are getting a composite stick from a factory that probably makes sticks for other top tier manufacturers, but the shaft/blade construction can vary a lot from the original stick. It's a roll of the dice. colins

Saw these at my local Sportchek on the weekend. $399 in Canada. Nice feeling stick but it felt like a typical 400g stick to me. If I hadn't read that it's 360g I wouldn't have said it was that much lighter. I'm all for pushing the envelope and new technology and all that but this price point for a stick that a lot of guys won't get two months out of is trending in the wrong direction. colins

Yes, I could use the height adjustment knob, but the spring tension and the sacrifice you make for toe/heel coverage - I find tall steel is easier to dial in with the risers in place. Using the risers vs. using the height adjustment knob are not equivalent, because of the spring tension. I only have StepSteel Black, CCM +2mm and LS3 in my house at the moment so I just keep the risers in all the time unless I'm sharpening someone else's skates that have worn or "not tall" steel. colins

They are heavy but also sturdy, the plastic casing is strictly for cosmetics as explained in one of Sparx's videos that covered the development of the unit. The glass viewing door is probably the main weak spot in terms of something that may get busted if you toss the unit around. In the travel case it is nice and secure. Sparx published this video of them testing the cases when they first got them: colins

I use the risers for tall steel. The machine was designed and calibrated for the large majority of steel that existed before the recent LS4, CCM +2mm, StepSteel taller steel trend. I just leave the risers in and find I have no issues with heel/toe or getting that sweet spot for pressure on the blade that way. colins

I don't recall seeing the promotional material that claimed pro shop professionals suck. The Sparx advantage is consistency, and for a very large portion of the average consumer base in need of skate sharpening service, consistency is hard to achieve. As is convenience. That was the Sparx value proposition. I can see how that could be seen as a threat to the traditional established pro shop model, with heavy investments in equipment, processes and skills developed over decades. But I still don't see then how Sparx would have gained any traction in the pro shop market during the initial launch of the product. For the first year or two, even when I first had my machine, most established pro shop commentary was skeptical trending towards negative towards the company and the product. It took a mountain of evidence and happy customers to overcome that. It's taken 3 years to establish the credibility they have now, and from my perspective at least - I don't buy into the idea that pro shops would have jumped on board and helped shape the product had Sparx just approached them early in the cycle to get them on board. Just my personal opinion oldtrainerguy28, and I'm strictly speaking to their business model, not the value that pros like yourself can or could have added to the product. But better late than never - and I'm just glad the path they chose was successful in bringing this to market, with a healthy business model that allows them to continue to support and grow the product. colins

It's a logical place to take it to the next level. But if they had started with that business model, where's the money coming from to create yet-another-skate-sharpener to compete with the Blademasters and Blackstones of the world? It was the folks that put money up for the kickstarter that believed in the concept enough to bring a consumer level skate sharpener to the market. I don't disagree with your points, but it's a chicken vs. egg thing - the Sparx wouldn't exist today had it not been a consumer focused model that got funded by home users. colins

I've never seen a PS100, but other than the extra filtration that allows Sparx to sell/support the cross grind rings on it (and not on the consumer ES100), there's also two other key differences listed on Sparx's website: Consumer Grade Safety Features (ES100) Unlimited Cycle Warranty & Service Plans (PS100) So if you want warranty on the machine to cover >1000 sharpenings per year you'd want to go with the PS100. Then again, if you'll have kids and parents potentially using the machine themselves, it sounds like he safety features on the ES100 would be a safer choice. Again, not having seen the PS100 I don't know what specific differences in safety features it has, but it may have modified firmware that has less lockout situations to make it more efficient to use in a commercial setup. If Russ doesn't chime in you would probably want to contact their sales and verify exactly what those differences are just to be sure you're making the best choice. colins

Also in on the Kickstarter - at $549 USD. Mine shipped May 26th 2016. Been using it multiple times a week since then with no issues. colins

I'd second that. My wife wears a Warrior Dynasty girdle. It's lightweight, it adapts to your body shape better than traditional pants, and the hip and tailbone protection are quite good for preventing bumps and bruises from falls. The overall protection is not really top tier for full contact or shot blocking, but for hip and tailbone protection and overall comfort I think it would be a great option for her. The current Covert QRE girdle would be the one I'd look at. Get her the right size and a shell to match and I think she'd love it. colins

2-3 clicks on a 1/2" Ring will adjust the edge height by .001" which is about half a line on the Sparx edge checker. 6 clicks would be a full line difference. You should make adjustments in 2-3 click increments, then do at least 4-6 passes to ensure a full new hollow is created before measuring and making further adjustment. Or, use a sharpie, and mark the entire hollow and do enough cycles to completely remove the marker before measuring and readjusting. colins

I've thought about this a bit. We know CCM has some excellent resources in their skate department, so it's not a case of them not recognizing the issue. They could correct it easily if they wanted to and avoid the warranty and customer complaints that come from customers like me. But we must be low percentage enough that it's not a business decision they've cared to make. The reason for them continuing to use the stamped, less durable eyelets must be one or a combination of: 1. Marketing guys wanting the CCM logo on the eyelet. Sounds lame, but branding is obviously a big deal in this industry. 2. Cost (both material cost of the eyelets and the tooling to install them?) & weight savings. Probably a few pennies and a couple grams per boot, but it's a factor in a profit driven business. 3. Planned obsolescence. The days of a pair of skates lasting a player (who plays frequently) 5+ years are behind us. They make new models every year, and they'd like for players to have a reason to buy the new models every year. Pay the premium for a custom build and you can spend your way around this and request all brass eyelets from the factory. But not for the retail price point. colins

My son got home from the end of his Jr. A season tonight. Unpacked all the gear and had a look at the skates. For some more context, he played 24 games during Jan/Feb/Mar, plus practicing nearly every day. So spitballing, I'd estimate 80+ hours of use in the 3 months since my last update. The eyelets are holding up great - here's the pics: Overall, I'm extremely pleased with how this has worked out. While there's a bit of structural damage from pucks and bangs, none of the eyelets have moved or appear to be at any risk of pulling out. And now that I've replaced them once, I can easily drill a damaged one out to replace it with a new one. It seems the material in the Blademaster eyelets are much more immune to his sweat, but there is still an element of corrosion at play as you can see in this closeup: But... it's more just on the surface and not affecting the strength of the material yet. I was able to scrape the salty like corrosion/tarnish off with a screwdriver. I bought him a new pair of FT385's as backup - they haven't been used yet, but before they are, I'm going to drill out all the stamped CCM black eyelets and put in the brass Blademaster ones. I've seen pictures of custom FT1's with all brass eyelets (same as they use on the retail skates in the top 2 eyelets and the bottom most eyelet). If we ever spring for a full custom pair, I'd definitely go with that option from the factory. Overall these skates (Jetspeed Control - a SMU based on the FT380 with FT390 and FT1 upgrades) are still in excellent shape. Boot, tendon guards and holders are holding up very well. The rivets are starting to rust a bit , but that's expected with near daily use. colins

If you aren't concerned about protection to your hands from pucks or sticks, then it doesn't really matter from a protection point of view. But I'd never skimp on comfort when it comes to gloves - after all, next to your skates and the connection to the ice, your hands are the connection to your stick and you want gloves that give you a high level of comfort and mobility. Often the higher end gloves have better materials and construction for a higher level of comfort as well as protection. Bottom line is - try on a bunch and buy the ones that feel best to you. When you know, you know. colins

Ordered and received these Jofa classic shoulder pads from Pro Hockey Life. Size Large was just big enough for me at 5'11 185bs. I had to loosen the back laces in fact to get a comfortable fit. The velcro straps aren't overly long - they'll work OK for me especially once I break these in and the stretch a bit. But the Medium wouldn't have come close. Compared to most other modern shoulder pads, I'll call the Medium in these a Small, the Large is like a Medium, and so on. colins

He doesn't even mention eyelets options, yet his skates have all brass eyelets not the stamped logo ones. colins

What are they doing with McDavid's? I've only seen McDavid skating in the original gen Jetspeeds (at least based on the gfx)... are they actually original gen JetSpeeds or something else? Or have I missed the pics where they are trying to dress his JetSpeeds to look like FT1/2 now? colins

Sorry, my mistake - the case you need is the Pelican 1650. I didn't lookup the model number that the previous poster quoted, but I just double checked mine and it's a 1650. I had previously seen this confirmed as the exact model Sparx sells, but theirs has the custom foam inserts so you don't have to make your own. colins

Certification? The VR24 is HECC certified for players at the Junior and above level. colins

I have a 1510 1650 for mine but I didn't try using the shipping foam. Pelican makes pick-and-pluck foam for the 1510 1650 and other models - making it very easy to customize a perfect fix for your Sparx. colins

They did happen to announce it on Feb. 7th on their Facebook page. Glad to see them finally make it overseas. colins