Please explaing sharpening to me....

[Andoy 5]

Does anyone here skate on 9/16s? I've tried both 1/2 and 5/8. 1/2 bites a bit too much for my liking and i have way too much glide with 5/8 . I feel that with the 9/16s i have decent bite but will allow me to skate with little resistance.

[biff44 0]

Yes, they actually have to change the shape of the wheel to go between different hollows. That is why they charge a little extra sometimes, because they chop off a good chunk of the wheel twice (getting set up, and going back to the standard). The wheels are not too cheap. Eventually, you blunt the diamond wheel dresser too and that need to be replaced.

But that should not stop you from getting the hollow radius that suits you the best!

[ktang 34]

I like 1" radius, but the sharpeners at the LHS usually try to give me 1/2" instead (and don't say so).

My son likes 3/4", or 5/8" for colder rinks, but whenever my wife asks for that the sharpener at one LHS usually insists "you mean 3/8, not 3/4 - there is no such thing as 3/4" and then gives her a 3/8". Then I have to go back when he complains.

There is one sharpener at one rink who always gives us exactly what we ask for, but this sharpening costs more and there is no season-long card plan.

I never considered that they are losing life off the wheel because of the redressing to our unusual requests! I thought they redressed before every sharpening, but now I get it: if they are changing to our flatter hollows, and then going back to the deeper hollows for the next pair, they are cutting off a lot more from the wheel and dulling the diamond dresser a lot more.

So, I should offer to pay more for our sharpenings so we can get what we like. But, how much more? How much does a wheel cost, and how much additional wear is it when I ask them to switch from 3/8" (or whatever is "normal") to 1"?

[Chadd 916]

I leave my goalie wheel at 1" or 3/4" depending on what the last request was. There is a lot less demand for those types of hollows and much less wear and tear on that wheel than the one I use for 1/4-5/8 hollows. Wheels are not that expensive, $15-$25 while diamonds cost a little more, $20-$35

[Andoy 5]

No wonder why they always have a funny look when I ask for 9/16....i should offer to pay more next time!

[sogaduch 0]

we do 1/2 for players and goalies mainly 3/4. we have a few people coming in for 9/16th, 19/32nds

[biff44 0]

Going from 1/2" to 1", and then back, you lose around 1/4 inch of wheel radius. You lose most of it going from 1/2 to 1, and a little more going back to 1/2.

[Irbe1 0]

Is it just me or does having overly sharp skates majorly affect your game? A few weeks ago I played with my friend and a few of his friends, with the exception of his one friend who played in the WHL I dominated them. So today I got my skates sharpened and played with them again, minus the WHL guy. I was really struggling, I could barely skate backwards, I had no acceleration and my crossovers were brutal.

It's not the first time this has happened, but it sure does kill a guys confidence. I'm just wondering if this was normal, because it is really discouraging, especially since I start my first season in mens league next month and my first skate with the team is next week.

One more thing, what hollow would you recommend for me? Normally I just use whatever the guy gives me, but I'm getting pretty sick of getting my skates WAY too sharp. I weigh 230 lbs so I am guessing 5/8 would probably be best?

[biff44 0]

The hollow is a personal thing. In general, you want to go with the flattest hollow that you can still do tight turns with. My kid, 206 pounds junior, experimented around a lot and likes the 5/8" hollow best. With 3/4" he would lose and edge every once in a while in a critical game situation, like going end to end on a breakaway and trying to do a high speed deke at the end.

If you have strong ankles, and know how to use your edges, my guess is that you can get away with the 3/4" hollow due to your extra body weight.

Anything less than 5/8" will probably add significant drag.

As you can see from the above posts, 5/8" is probably NOT the standard grind, you have to ask. Most seem set up for 1/2" or, gasp, 3/8"!