colins

Update - went back on tried on a 9D FT380. As far as we can tell, this boot is pretty much identical in fit to the 8.5D Jetspeed my son is wearing now. Both have 280 holders. The 8.5D FT380 has a 271 holder, so it's definitely a shorter boot vs. the JetSpeed at the same size. Based on this, I've ordered a pair of CCM Jetspeed Control skates in a 9D. It's a custom SMU for Source for Sports, based off the FT380 but with upgrades from the FT390 (outsole and liner) and FT1 (tongue). For $499 cdn (same price as the retail base model FT380), it's the best deal I can see for achieving a fit and quality level today similar to the Jetspeed he skated in previously. Thanks for the advice - hope the above info is helpful to anyone else skating in a Jetspeed and looking to get a new similar fit this season. colins

Same issue with his feet and mine - high insteps. Thanks everyone for the feedback - back to the shop we go to try on some more skates/sizes. colins

I get that, but it was an instant 'no this one can't work' when he tried the same size/width of FT1 vs. Jetspeed. I'd be interested in hearing from others who are in Jetspeeds and have tried on the FT1 to compare. I'm definitely going to have a look at some other models in the FT1 lineup and maybe try on the FT1 again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke.

I've been looking - not the case in Canada at least for an 8.5D based on my searching.

His feet are still perfect in the 8.5D Jetspeed he's wearing, it's just that they are falling apart (literally). Ideally I'd like to get a replacement that is an identical boot volume wise / heel / toe, the FT1 didn't seem to be that when he tried on the same 8.5D. We didn't try the other skates in the FT lineup. Perhaps that's what we need to try next. colins

Wait - is this confirmed? Is the Tacks 9080 the same boot dimensions as the previous Jetspeed? My son needs new skates, the old Jetspeeds fit him perfect but the new FT1's don't seem to... not sure if it's because the ones he tried on weren't baked/broken in or if the FT1 boot is slightly different than the Jetspeed was. If the new Tacks 9080 is the same as the previous Jetspeed boot, that changes everything and gives me a new option I hadn't considered. Does anyone have definitive info on this? 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

I tried moving myself and my two boys from 1/2 to 5/8th as well. Depending on the ice conditions, it was either fine or not enough bite if the ice was particularly hard. I tried 9/16's and it seems ideal for us for any ice condition. We've been skating on 9/16th all season (since September). colins

I think it's getting hard now to find a big tournament where you won't see a Sparx in the hallway. I saw the same thing last year at Bantam and Midget tournaments like the Monctonian (Moncton, New Brunswick) and Icejam (Halifax, Nova Scotia). The portability, ease of use and lack of mess make it a no-brainer for travel teams that have budget for such things.

The Kickstarter and pledge levels are still all online here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1223281555/sparx-skate-sharpener-pro-skate-sharpening-at-home colins

That's a good point - and correct. Once Sparx hit their funding goal, there was no getting money back. Either they shipped product or flamed out. If they hadn't hit their funding goal, then nobody would have been charged the pledge amounts. I had forgotten that aspect of the Kickstarter model -so far Sparx is the only Kickstarter I've been part of. Thx, colins

Sparx first shipped units to Kickstart backers around April 2016. The Sparx guys are no dummies. They have done extensive testing of the product - to the point they even took the sharpener, put it in their Pelican carrying case, and dropped it like 200 times to see how durable the case was (https://youtu.be/j4eARLGSu3A). They tested freezing the unit to see if it still operated fine (https://youtu.be/DJ6qq86mALA). I invested in the Kickstarter early because I wanted my own sharpener and I had some extra cash on hand. They stumbled on execution - they shipped months later than they had planned. There were constant excuses as to why the product was going to be later than they thought. For a while I was wondering if I was going to need to get my money back from Kickstarter escrow. But they did ship. And they obviously worked really hard to build a product they were very satisfied and proud of before they shipped. And for me, its been everything I hoped it would be. Four hockey players in my house (my wife recently started playing too!) and our two kids and myself haven't skated on a non-perfect set of edges since I got it. We're totally spoiled. The worse it gets now is when the boys have a 4 or 5 game road tournament out of province, and for that I sharpen their skates and their spare blades and they can swap them out if necessary. Anyone that wants to criticize the Sparx should consider whether they are talking from facts and hands on experience with the unit, or whether they are just using conjecture to throw out reasons why they think some other solution is better for certain scenarios. For anyone who sharpens 1600 pairs or less a year, so far I've seen zero evidence that the Sparx is anything but a really solid solution. colins

I run my Sparx in my rec room. I don't so much as need to put my coat on to sharpen my boys skates as they are packing up their bags to go to practice. No manual machine I'm aware of can match that convenience. I don't have an unfinished area in my basement to deal with the mess that a manual machine creates. If I bought one it would have to be out in my garage. That's a major part of the appeal for me - I did consider an SPB850 like my buddy has, and I'd have no concerns about learning to operate it. colins

I think OP was referring to this one: I recorded the unboxing/setup and first use of my Sparx here: colins

Sparx has a commercial offering now with a beefed up motor for additional volume (>1600 sharpenings a year). Less than that and the consumer model is deemed sufficient. They also offer an extended warranty for repairs if you need that type of assurance. https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/commercial-homepage Although the Sparx is skinned in plastic to make it visually look like a consumer product, it's shipping weight is just about 50 pounds. There's nothing flimsy or cheap feeling about it. A grinding ring lasts 320 cycles, which if you average 4 cycles per skate, equates to 40 pairs. colins

Ok, I sized up the alignment ring and a 1/2 sharpening ring. One flaw in this idea is that the offset of where the alignment ring hits the mating surface on the threaded holder is different than the offset of the grinding ring. They are not molded from the same form - the alignment ring is all metal. It appears to be the same height as a grinding ring, but the inner hub on it is shallower than on a grinding ring. So - I don't have any tools to accurately measure the difference. But by closely eyeballing it, I can say that the alignment groove on the alignment ring is going to correspond very very closely with the very end of the stone material on the grinding ring. So if you eyeball it in the magnifying tool, you need to be aligned to the boundary of the edge of the stone material and the black plastic on the grinding ring. If that's what you are seeing now, you are probably good. If not, I'd wait for the alignment ring to show up before sharpening your skates. colins