colins

You can buy a replacement alignment ring here: https://www.sparxhockey.com/collections/sharpener-accessories/products/alignment-ring Do you have the tool - the magnifier piece? If so, maybe you could make a small mark on your grinding ring with a sharpie at the same offset of the alignment ring mark. That would get you close in a pinch. Still, there's no substitute for an edge checker, to really dial it in. You should really get one. I can measure my alignment ring when I get home tonight to tell you where to make the mark if you want. colins

Unfortunately, you have created a credibility problem for yourself which is why there's this back and forth on your review. Readers know (or can find out) who Russ Layton is and what his credentials are. They are public here: https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/team. But your identity is not clear. It seems you hadn't ever posted here before but showed up a few days ago to share an opinion for the first time. You say you're an engineer and a professional skate sharpener. But you also in the same breath you said the sparx edge checker is crap because the lines are too far apart. I needed to confirm you were speaking about the same edge checker I own because the one I have has lines close enough together to get a very accurate reading. So I couldn't make any sense of your comment. I have to question your credentials once you put out a nonsense statement like that. I hope you understand, its not personal. But when you make comments about a product and you don't have an existing reputation in the forum to be judged upon, you should expect to be challenged on the points that people can't make any sense of. Sparx's business model is an obvious threat to some guys with >$10K investments in traditional Blademaster and Blackstone stations. That's fine, there's a time and place for both setups. But play fair - if you want to point out any shortcomings in the Sparx product, base it on facts instead of opinions that don't hold up under scrutiny. colins (Hockey dad to two boys, rec hockey player and Sparx owner. I'm not an engineer. I do have a B.Sc in Computer Science. I'm not a professional skate sharpener. My edges are perfect, and I would put them up against anyone's).

What do the non-magnetic ones look like? colins

I think 2 to 3 clicks on the Alignment Adjustment is .001", as per Sparx documentation here: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0932/7770/files/Sparx_EdgeChecker_Instruction.pdf?8101190776335265406. That means 1 click is in the range of .0004"-.0005". How fine then is very fine? I've got the home unit, not the commercial one, but I used my edge checker to dial in my alignment so it's dead center consistently on the Step and Bauer steel I'm sharpening. I did find that polished CCM steel throws the edge checker off - my alignment was still fine, but the sidewall inconsistency of the polished CCM steel throws the checker off. As far as I know, Sparx has only one edge checker, and it's one of the nicer edge checkers on the market that I've seen. If there's a knock on it, maybe it's that it's over-built and more expensive than it needs to be. You described it as "The edge checker is crap. The lines are very far apart, and the general construction is not good." - are we talking about the same checker? colins

If you don't need the adjustability of the Super Tacks girdle, the 7092 girdle is every bit as good, at $40 less. There are two features I like better on the 7092, and 2 from the Super Tacks: Better on the Super Tacks: Padding on the back of the thigh is segmented, and thicker than on the 7092. Not a huge deal, but a chop or a puck to the back of the leg would be better on the Super Tacks. Adjustable thigh and hip pads, and spine protector. If you like to play around with the positioning of these pads, or if you're growing and want the girdle to grow with you - nice feature. Better on the 7092: The velcro across the front doesn't extend up over your belly like it does on the Super Tacks. Personal preference here, but I had to modify the Super Tacks to be like the 7092 because my son didn't like that extra padding in the front. No crotch/leg section. It's a pure wrap, the way the Super Tacks probably should be too. Find that a lot more comfortable. I had to cut the crotch/leg section out of the Super Tacks girdle as my son found it too restrictive. Both girdle's sizing runs small - if you are a medium in a pair of Nexus pants, I'd try on the Large CCM girdle. colins

My son's had some time in the Super Tacks girdle. And I've been comparing it to the NXG and Dynasty girdles which we also have. My summary after a month or so is... mixed. Good: Kidney protection, fit around the kidneys, Lower back/spine protection, hip protection, light weight. Bad: The groin piece that makes it more of a 'pull on' instead of a wrap girdle, the thigh protection which seems to want to twist towards the outside leaving the inner thigh exposed, the high belly pad which sits a bit uncomfortable above the waist. Tailbone protection is also somewhat questionable. I've already taken the scissors to the girdle, trimming the belly pad above the velcro so that it's level with the velcro (and re-stitching the trim), and cutting out the groin leg/butt piece. So now it's a wrap girdle, and other than maybe some concern the tailbone pad could shifting upwards, it feels a lot less constricting and more mobile with that cut out. Overall it's at least as good as the Dynasty, but they are very different and have their own appealing features and drawbacks. The NXG is comfortable but I would still rate it less protective than either of the other two. One thing I would say about the Super Tacks girdle is that the sizing runs towards the small side. If you comfortably wear medium mens in a typical pant like the Nexus, the medium Super Tacks girdle might be too small for you. Part of my problem with the groin area of the girdle and the thigh pads shifting might be related to the sizing. My son is 5'10 175lbs, 32 waist, which depending on the height or the waist is at the top or bottom of the sizing guide (he's at max height, but minimum waist size). Really recommend trying these on in-store before purchase to confirm you get the best fit. colins

I was sharpening SB Stainless on my son's Jetspeeds when I first got my Sparx. I didn't have the burr issue, but I was annoyed that the SB Stainless measured very different front to back and back to front on the edge checker. Sidewall thickness consistency seems poor on these blades, or at least the two pairs I had (I had a backup set as well). I've since switched to StepSteel and haven't seen any issues since. colins

I've been girdle shopping recently (I've got two sons both in girdles - one wearing a Bauer TotalOne NXG and the other a Warrior Dynasty that need to be replaced) and wasn't impressed with Bauer's S190 girdle. It looks a lot like the HP Pro on TotalHockey's site. Not enough protection for my liking - compared to the NXG girdle my son was wearing previously it seems like a downgrade particularly in the kidney protection area. Based on Internet info I thought I was going to be leaning towards CCM's 7092, but I had a closer look at the Super Tacks girdle in the store and it's lighter and less bulky than I was assuming it might be. It seems to offer more protection than the others. They didn't have my son's size in stock so I'm waiting on a medium to ship in and will be comparing it in detail with the NXG and Dynasty once I get it. colins

Yeah - I thought I had mine dialed in pretty good with the alignment ring, but when testing with the Edge Checker I was still off by about 1 tick mark. I'd recommend anyone with a Sparx to get a good Edge Checker, and use the instructions Sparx provides with theirs to really dial in your alignment so that you know you are getting perfect edges every time.

Just as another data point - I've been using mine since July 2016 and have not encountered any durability issues. I'm on my 4th grinding ring.

It's certainly not necessary, I just use them to reduce the pressure so I don't get stalling and still hit as high up as possible on the heel and toe. At the moment I prefer keeping my height adjustment fixed at 7 instead of playing with it for each pair I'm sharpening. I typically only sharpen 3 pairs in my house, and this approach with the risers is more convenient to me for taking care of my Step and LS3 steel.

What was your height setting on the orange height adjustment dial?

Mine was Kickstarter and had them. Check your accessories - they look like this:

I always use the goalie risers (the orange plastic pieces) when sharpening new LS3/4 and Step Steel on my Sparx. Since those blades are taller than most steel, I find the ring has a bit too much pressure on the blade unless you use the risers, or raise the skates up higher in the clamp (taking the weight off the holders - this is tricky because it's harder to level then). I still put the height adjuster at 6 or 7 to hit high up on the radius - the risers work great for tall steel in general not just goalie steel. colins

Any theory on what caused the abrasive coating to strip off the wheel so quick? Was it a manufacturing defect I wonder, or did the wheel come in contact with a set of steel it didn't like? Sounds like you got off to a rough start which always sucks with a new product. I'm on my 4th wheel now, and so far so good - haven't run into anything like that yet. colins

Well, I've seen much worse. One line off is probably not noticeable, you're at about a line and a half. A few clicks should get you dialed right in - just follow the instructions that came with the edge checker. colins

Have you tried the Sharpie test? You can use a Sharpie to blacken the hollow, and then do as many passes necessary to completely remove the marker from the blade.

I received the email on Jan. 29th. It was only for X-Grind ring customers: Replacement Filter Offer for Existing X-Grind Ring Customers For those customers who had previously purchased a X-grind ring, we extended to them an offer for a free filter as a courtesy and reminder of the importance of Removing and Emptying the Dust Tray and Changing the Air Filter. (If you had not previously purchased a X-grind ring, you were not on this list… we love all of our customers but this offer is limited to this select group). colins

I think Sparx has shipped over 3000 units now. If you look at the volume of questions/issues on their online forum, as a percentage of users it has to be some very low number. Imagine 3000 Blademasters or Blackstones going out, the majority to folks who've never sharpened a pair of skates before...

You are well covered with that result kadayo. colins

I don't have a xgrind ring, but after about 7 or 8 passes it was pretty respectable: These were inexpensive skates just being used for some outdoor casual family skating. Still though, I don't know if you could trust turning or changing direction at all on those edges as they came out of the Canadian Tire sharpening. colins

Sharpened these blades last night. Worst I've seen so far. These were apparently done on a DupliSkate machine at a local Canadian Tire store. I don't blame the machine, obviously there must be some adjustments on it the kids who operate it aren't familiar with or just don't care about. Here's what they looked like when I got them. I also learned that the Sparx is compatible with Disney skates. Ground breaking... colins

Yes, and some higher quality steel like polished CCM Hyperglide and Speedblade Black will exhibit the same issue - sidewall inconsistencies in the steel/coating will throw off the Sparx edge checker (and any edge checker that relies on a good flat sidewall in order to establish a 90 degree angle between the sidewall and edges to measure against). I know they point this out in the manual/instructions for the edge checker, but who reads those?? :-) Great feeling though when you get those edges dialed in to measure bang-on the line heel to toe and toe to heel isn't it? Everyone who has a machine should have an edge checker of some type that they trust so you're not just relying on the calibration tool that comes with the Sparx to get it 'close enough'. colins

From an older post in another thread: Interesting that back in 2009/2010, 13 players (leaving out goalies) were on 1/2 or deeper. Fast forward to this year, and only 4 remain with that much bite or more. It's seems like the EQM default shifted from 1/2 to 5/8ths for the players that 'don't care'. What's the 'SS' mean on the current year chart after 'LS3' on Kunitz and Coles blades? Step Steel maybe? Or do they have a Stainless Steel coating on their LS3? colins

lol! I'll try the next best thing - let's see if the Oilers twitter account will reply if I ask them. I can't find any of their EQM's on twitter - Jeff Lang, Brad Harrison and Shane Olmstead. colins