colins

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

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

Is it also a certified neckguard? All levels of minor hockey in Canada require the use of a neck guard - I would think trying to wear both is going to be a problem. I figured this would be the first question under the FAQ but it's not. According to the 'How to wear' section, laceration guards are supposed to be worn over top. Neck guards are uncomfortable at the best of times, let along being worn over top of something like this. I don't think there's a chance in hell this product sells unless it's proven to be a definitive concussion prevention device. What was Bauer thinking?

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'd chalk that up more to Mario taking the high road. Embarassing someone even needs to ask him his opinion on it. Disrespectful to a legend from a kid who hasn't even proven he can show up on time for his first crack at an NHL roster spot.

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:

Ok ok we're not making any progress on this one. Everyone can just google their way to the CCM catalog if they'd like to see it, and CCM can go on thinking they're making a good decision telling JR not to post it for registered modsquad members. I appreciate your no compromise approach to defending your side of the argument - well played sir.

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

Store had the Super Tacks girdle only, and in a Large, not my size to even try on... they had no 7092 girdles in stock. So you can't find them on the website either hey? But the website is a suitable substitute for the catalog? Or we should all spend time & gas money travelling around trying to find the products in store, even though many of us don't live in big markets where every product is stocked in a store near us? colins