colins

Play with the height setting. It should be a nice consistent 'no struggle' sound/pitch of the wheel down and back the blade. If the wheel is higher than it needs to be and putting more force on the blade you'll probably get more burrs. I get next to no burrs on my LS3 and regular StepSteel using a 1/2 radius ring. colins

Update - a.k.a Necessity is the Mother of Invention. I bought a cheap $70 grommet press off amazon and ordered some brass eyelets and washers from Blademaster. The only videos I could find on Youtube showed placing a washer on the bottom die in the press, and inserting the eyelet from the top of the eyelet hole. This would result in a poor quality roll of the eyelet barrel, with sharp edges on the inside of the skate. I watched some other videos of this particular machine in use for setting grommets, and it was done in reverse order - barrel and washer inserted from the bottom, and just the washer then placed on the top. The top die of this press is able to roll the small end of the barrel smoothly. Once I figured that out I was really pleased with the results. I'll have to see how they hold up now to real world abuse. Can't be worse than the CCM stamped aluminum eyelets - and now I can monitor and replace these as needed before any major damage is incurred. Pic of the machine which I mounted on some 4x4 posts to give me the clearance I needed to place the boot on it: The eyelets and washers from blademaster. Size 265 which are quite long: Eyelet and washer inserted in the eyelet holes. Another washer goes on top before pressing: Finished eyelets after pressing: And the inside: colins

Looks like Prosharp Home has the clear lead in cost per sharpening then. The missing piece for me is still the comparison of a single pass on the Sparx vs. a single pass on the Prosharp Home. Sparx have claimed to have measured the amount of steel removed per pass and said the Sparx machine removes more steel per pass than the Prosharp Home does. So if 3 passes on the Prosharp is removing less steel than 3 passes on the Sparx, but Prosharp claims 3 passes is on the extreme end, then the Sparx guidance of 4 cycles for a "normal" sharpening is very conservative, and the comparison is still apples and oranges. One is talking about regular routine maintenance by taking good care of your own edges after every skate or two, the other speaking to average joe sharpening his buddy's kids skates after 8-10 hours use with the regular nicks and abuse you see from folks that don't own their own sharpener. Nobody seems to have a benchmark to show them on a level playing field. Seems the Prosharp Home is going to be cheaper per pair, but to Marka's question above, what's the real delta between the two for cost of ownership? colins

The Prosharp math is different, but physically the wheels don't look to be much different in design than Sparx rings. Perhaps the ProSharp folks could comment on what makes their wheels last longer, if indeed they do. They are $99 USD for Prosharp wheel vs. $59 USD for a Sparx ring. Prosharp describes their wheel: Typical Sharpening 1-3 Passes per Skate Wheel Lasts approx. 500 pair of skates The Sparx rings are programmed to last for 320 passes. Based on a typical 4 pass sharpening, Sparx often states that's 40 pairs (4 passes x 2 skates x 40 pairs = 320 passes). 40 pairs at $59 USD is $1.48 USD per pair before taxes and shipping are factored in. If you change the 'typical sharpening' for the Sparx to be 1 pass, you'll get 160 pairs done at a cost of $0.37. But nobody should base their financial decision on this as anyone with experience will tell you one pass of any type of grinding wheel isn't going to be typical to properly sharpen a pair of skates. Back on page 29 of this thread, Russ from Sparx Hockey made this comment that I haven't seen refuted by an independent tester of both machines or by any of the ProSharp team (if I missed it, I apologize and would appreciate the pointer): If ProSharp could be a bit more specific on the math behind their statement of 'approx. 500 pair of skates' that would be a big help in the financial comparison. Does the ProSharp wheel keep going until you decide to change it out based on reduced performance (ie: wear) or is it coded to stop working in the machine after a fixed number of passes like the Sparx? colins

Any idea on sizing? They have sizes #60 through #66 in the brass ones. Not sure what die sizes my repair shop has to be able to properly set these and not sure if I should just go with the largest size or something smaller. https://blademaster.com/web/en/2606-eyelets colins

Ok, desperate times call for desperate measures. As stated, these 4 month old Jetspeed Control skates were denied a warranty claim. I was about 2-3 weeks outside the 90 day warranty period. So... to salvage a $500 pair of 4 month old skates I'l going for a complete eyelet replacement. I'll be the first to admit I don't know what I'm doing. But, the plan is to get the garbage CCM stamped aluminium eyelets out, and bring the skates to a reputable repair shop for a complete eyelet replacement, preferably with large brass eyelets as the brass eyelets (top 2 and bottom 1) on these skates hold up exceptionally well compared to the crap CCM stamped ones. Here's the state of the eyelets after 4 months (a couple of replacements were already done, one repair failed, hence my desperation at this point). Note the misshaped, stretched and dented eyelets - that's phase 1 before they start to move and eventually pop completely out: Drilling them out (looks sloppy as I'm holding the camera in one hand while drilling.. I was more patient and deliberate on the others): Then some snips to remove the heads and simple push the remaining eyelet out through the inside of the skate: All done and ready for repairs/replacements: I'll report back when I get the new eyelets installed. Hopefully CCM is ditching these junk eyelets in their next gen skates! Otherwise I need to seriously consider custom orders, eyelets simply should not fail this regularly after 3-4 months use. colins

About 5'11 190. One pair a season I could live with. He only got 3 months out of these. I'm buying a second pair now, and planning to get more intensive repairs on these so he'll have a spare. I'm going to get my local repair shop to drill out all the stamped eyelets and replace with brass. Should last the season then. Also going to get them to fill in the stretched eyelet hole with some extra reinforcements. colins

I didn't get to see this one myself as he's away playing Jr A now and not at home but he does tie them tight. And as soon as corrosion and contact starts deforming the stamped/painted eyelets they break up and pull out. The significant stretching looks to me like it came after the eyelet was repaired, and the new eyelet didn't grab enough material (smaller diameter than the CCM eyelet maybe?) and now the replacement eyelet has stretched the hole a lot. The first two images above are dark but they show the eyelet hole after the original eyelet popped out and before the repair was made - maybe a little bit of stretch there from using them for a practice or two before he realized the eyelet was giving way. Certainly he doesn't check each individual eyelet before lacing up, that's for sure... and once the failure starts it just takes one tightening/skate on them to begin to mess things up. On his first gen Jetspeeds, just a section of the eyelet cracked off (about 1/4 of the circumference), and after that he tied them up tight and ripped the lace through the boot mid-practice once things started flexing. I wasn't expecting this to happen just over 3 months in on a $500 skate. Here's a closeup, the missing eyelet on bottom, you can see the two above it are missing paint (corrosion) and the one above the missing one is deformed and on it's way towards failing like the missing one did. This is after just a little more than 12 weeks use. The brass eyelets do not suffer this same issue at all, they retain their shape and are good as new (both on his old first gen Jetspeeds and these new ones). colins

My next move is to probably get him a new pair so I can take these somewhere else for more repairs (he skates every day with his team so can't have any downtime), and I'm considering drilling out all the CCM stamped/painted eyelets and replacing with Blademaster #65 brass eyelets. Is that crazy? Probably still cheaper than going for another skate that fits him as good as the Jetspeeds do. Anyone ever do a complete eyelet swap on new skates? Is brass the way to go, or overkill? Any downside? colins

Warranty claim has been denied. Skates were ordered online May 13th, received around May 20th. Eyelet popped out just a week or two after the 90 day warranty period (late August). We tried a repair on our own dime (from Doiron Sports Excellence - Saint John NB) but that failed too so I submitted a warranty claim to see if CCM could help out. Skates are less than 4 months old. CCM has a problem with these eyelets for anyone that has sweaty feet. My son's feet (hyperhydrosis - extremely sweaty) caused them to fail in 3 months. Average person would no doubt get more use from them, I guess depending on how acidic your sweat is and how much volume of sweat your feet produce. We haven't found a maintenance strategy to deal with the problem, his skates are dried / hung up after every session, never left in the bag wet. Boot and runner and steel are all still in practically brand new shape after 15 weeks use - but if you can't lace them you can't use them. @BelangerJS - I don't know what your failure rate is at the factory, maybe cases like mine are rare and not worth pursuing from a business perspective. However, if the failure rate is a concern and CCM is trying to address it, I have here a candidate for testing any trial fixes that you can suggest, and provide you some great real world use case. Hyperhydrosis affects an estimated 2-3% of the population, and I imagine the vast majority of players produce ample amounts of sweat per hour to strain these particular eyelets towards failure, it's just a matter of how long before they fail once exposed to sweat. Off to buy more skates... <sigh> colins

Yes, that's what we did with his Jetspeeds (add extra material). You can see how his sweat eats away the stamped/painted eyelets, while the stronger brass eyelets hold up fine: colins

Me again and another case of eyelets problems. Three month old CCM Jetspeed Control (Source for Sports SMU based off FT380 with upgrades - $500 CDN skate). Eyelet popped out. Took it to a repair shop, they replaced the missing eyelet plus two others that were damaged and about to give out. Unfortunately, the repair hasn't held up, the hole is stretched and the replacement eyelet is about to pop. The skates were baked once and to the recommended temperature for the recommended duration. Laces were pulled away from the skate not straight up when tightening after baking. Not our first rodeo - zero percent chance the damage was due to improper heating. You can see other eyelets are flaking (paint coming off and corroding) after just 3 months. Skates are always hung up to dry after every use. CCM - please change your eyelets. CCM skates are great, my son tried to go Vapors X900s (previously had first gen Jetspeeds that also had eyelet issues) but the fit just doesn't work for him. The Jetspeeds fit perfect, if only the eyelets didn't fail so quick! The brass eyelets at the top and bottom hold up great, even after a full season of use on his original Jetspeeds - the CCM stamped/painted eyelets are weak and do not hold up. My son's feet sweat a lot. But I'm sure he's not the only one - the CCM eyelets simply can't hold up to normal use on his feet. I've filed a warranty claim. Unfortunately, until the eyelet material changes I feel this is going to just reoccur. The failed repair: colins

You didn't mention what kind of player you are or what you consider your strengths and weaknesses. But, assuming you're like most players who excel at one or two aspects of the game but need to work on one or two other aspects, I think the decision should always be about which of the two choices gives you the best opportunity to work on those weaknesses. Let's assume you're a skilled forward but haven't really put up point totals to get your noticed as an OHL prospect yet. If moving up to Jr. B means you can play top 6 and get some time on a first or second PP unit, that sounds like a great opportunity. However, if you're going to be a 3rd or 4th liner and see limited minutes and maybe some PK time - you're not going to advance your game that way. If a year in MAA means you get those top six minutes playing with other skilled players, and are put out there on the PP and in the final minutes when your team is pressing for the tying goal... that's going to be huge for your development. You'll get to experience that game in and game out and learn to carry that responsibility and expectation from your coaches and teammates. But if you've already done that at the MAA level and have nothing left to prove or to learn there, then look to move up against older/faster kids to keep challenging yourself. Again, I don't know what type of player you are, but these are the kinds of questions you may want to consider when you make this decision. Hockey development is a marathon not a sprint - continue to play at the level that best advances your skillset and game, don't get caught up in jumping up a level too early just because you can - it can result in a lost year of development and slow you down from reaching your goal. Development is not just about practicing skills during practice time - it's about using those skills with confidence in game scenarios consistently. That's what makes a good player into a great player that teams want to draft. You have to build that reputation one step at a time. It's impossible to build confidence from the bench. You need to be getting ice time during important moments of big games. colins

Wow - check out that sweet girdle. colins

I find that listening to the pitch of the sound made by the wheel contacting the steel is a great way to tell. If it's consistent and not chattering or changing pitch as it travels left to right and right to left, it's at a good height. Of course very damaged blades are going to cause pitch variations, but for touch ups or final passes the machine should make a nice consistent sound the length of the blade. Also, for tall steel like LS3 or Step, I still prefer to use the goalie risers. I just find they make it easier to use the height adjustment to hit the toe where I want and not have too much pressure to vary the pitch of the sound... I may be crazy but that's my preference after a year plus sharpening the 4 pairs in my house every couple of skates. colins

Couple of commercial options around Richmond listed here - maybe contact them see if you can drop in and use your own grinding ring and share Sparx info: https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/skate-sharpening-near-me

I put the toe towards the right on mine. Sparx documentation showed toe left, so I imagine most new users follow that advice. colins

They did. It's called the PS100. It'll run you $1100 more than the home version: https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/sparx-ps100-commercial-skate-sharpener colins

I believe the issue was with the amount of steel dust it produced in a short period of time. Sparx was sending out replacement filters for people who ordered the cross grind ring before they discontinued them. colins

I'd like to hear Russ's view on 3rd party grinding rings. Would Sparx ever consider licensing the info/tools necessary to allow a 3rd party to produce rings? My guess is no, for obvious reasons like the rings being a key part of the profit/income for Sparx as a going business, and quality control (your machine gets a bad rap because of poor quality 3rd party grinding rings). That said, w.r.t technology nearly everything these days that hits critical mass has some factory in China pumping out 3rd party accessories. Apple certainly hasn't been able to stop this. At some level of volume, it would be odd to think there wouldn't be an attempt to reverse engineer the rings and offer 3rd party options. I would imagine Sparx has thought about this and has planned for it. colins

If you're using the same blades that have already been freshly sharpened (but ever so slightly off center), I would say 2 or 3 passes after adjusting the alignment would be sufficient to do another edge check to see if you prefer the new results. As others have said, this is a great scenario for the marker test - just put a new strip of marker down the blade between adjustments and make sure it's all removed before you use the edge checker to measure your results. Since dialing mine in this way, using the Sparx edge checker, I haven't had to readjust it. I've probably sharpened 80+ pairs since then. colins

Foam was with it. It was the Pick n Pluck stuff, so I just pulled a few rows of cubes off to fit the Sparx in. colins

I happened upon a Pelican 1650 deal I couldn’t pass up. Here’s my Sparx in it for a test fitting. colins

Great find. The same Husky box is also available from Home Depot in Canada for $117 (not on sale at the moment). colins

As far as I can tell, the Sparx option is a Pelican 1650 with a custom cut foam insert. Pelican offers 'Pick N Pluck' foam with their cases - you can remove small pre-cut squares to make your own insert shapes/dimensions. I can find the Pelican 1650 for as low as $285 CDN or $243 USD on Amazon. Used cases are also pretty common on ebay, and replacement foams are available too. Just FYI - please confirm sizing before ordering a case. If you compare the Exterior Dimensions of the Sparx Pelican cases to those on Pelican's site, it looks like the 1650 with the exterior dimensions rounded up a half inch or so, that's what I'm basing the above info on. I think Sparx is offering a great value for their pre-configured case, but if you wanted to roll your own maybe this info is helpful to you. colins