How often do you sharpen your skates?

[hockeymom 2]

I know this is largely PP – but how often do you sharpen your skates?

Remember, a game is about 10-15 mins of ice time… call it 15 minutes to make the math easier.

On Mission steel, my daughter went about 8-10 hours, with the Bauer steel she feels they need to be sharpened about 4-6 hours. But as that is with heavy edge work, and a shallower hollow than she’s been used to…I’m hoping they’ll extend a bit once “regular†skating starts happening.

[kosydar 0]

I'm not a good example but I had mine done for the first time in a year and a half last week. I haven't been playing at all, only reffing. I'm on the ice for the whole hour when I ref, and I think I've reffed 50 games within that span, if not more. I get 1", and I usually don't skate that hard when reffing so I can make a sharpening last a long time.

[LetsGoWings13 0]

Before every game.

[hockeytim18 0]

Before every game.

:o That's alot compared to me in which case is when they start to feel dull and I can't turn any more.

[Chadd 916]

Ideally, every three skates. I don't have my own sharpener right now so I go a lot longer.

[cobrAA 0]

since i skate so hard in a game(and you know you get nick easier etc..)... one game equal to like 2 1h30 pratice!

[DamnLocust 0]

With my Vapor XXs I was going anywhere from 3-6 hours between sharpenings. I just got a pair of Missions that I've only used 3 times so I don't know how long they'll last. I've heard and red on here, though, that Pitch steel is some of the best at retaining its edge. I'm not sure what holder your daughter had on her old skates, but this could be a contributing factor.

One way to extend the time between sharpenings is to stone the blade before each skate. A lot of times I've played back to back nights without the chance to get to my sharpener, and I can really tell the difference between the first night when I don't stone the skates and the 2nd night when I stone the skates.

[Storm 0]

I personally feel a difference after one skate and if I had my own sharpener would sharpen them every time. I'm hoping somebody will come out with an affordable home machine one day. In the mean time I sharpen them after every 4hrs.

I've used the sweet stick to bring back the edge but try to avoid that since the feel is a little different.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

I personally feel a difference after one skate and if I had my own sharpener would sharpen them every time. I'm hoping somebody will come out with an affordable home machine one day. In the mean time I sharpen them after every 4hrs.

I've used the sweet stick to bring back the edge but try to avoid that since the feel is a little different.

A sweet stick doesnt bring back the egde. It folds over the edge you had to give you a false edge. In most cases people press way to hard and damage the steel.

They are good if you need an mergency fix in an important game that a stone wont fix.'

They should never be used in replacement of sharpening.

[Miike 1]

I personally feel a difference after one skate and if I had my own sharpener would sharpen them every time. I'm hoping somebody will come out with an affordable home machine one day. In the mean time I sharpen them after every 4hrs.

I've used the sweet stick to bring back the edge but try to avoid that since the feel is a little different.

A sweet stick doesnt bring back the egde. It folds over the edge you had to give you a false edge. In most cases people press way to hard and damage the steel.

They are good if you need an mergency fix in an important game that a stone wont fix.'

They should never be used in replacement of sharpening.

Funny you mention that they shouldn't be used as a replacement sharpening, but a few guys on my team last year all they did was use the sweet stick on their blades, and did that most of the year. Needless to say they were some of the worst skaters i've seen.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

well when you have no true edge how can you skate you would just fall.....

[Storm 0]

I personally feel a difference after one skate and if I had my own sharpener would sharpen them every time. I'm hoping somebody will come out with an affordable home machine one day. In the mean time I sharpen them after every 4hrs.

I've used the sweet stick to bring back the edge but try to avoid that since the feel is a little different.

A sweet stick doesnt bring back the egde. It folds over the edge you had to give you a false edge. In most cases people press way to hard and damage the steel.

They are good if you need an mergency fix in an important game that a stone wont fix.'

They should never be used in replacement of sharpening.

I didn't know they actually made a new edge. But I believe you cause my blades felt different even if I pressed ever so lightly with the sweet stick.

And yes they are good in an emergency. I was a non believer in the sweet stick.

But one day I was playing two games and my skates needed to be sharpened before the second game. ( I didn't trust the guy at the rink that day ) So a friend lent me his stick and even if it was a false edge it was one none the less.

I was surprisee that it worked in the first place.

[jjtt99 0]

I sharpen every about 300 minutes. That's based on counting a practice as 60 minutes and a game as 30. For league games I know I'm not on the ice for 30 minutes but for shinney that's a bit more accurate.

I keep a small dry erase board beside where my skates dry so I can keep track of the number of minutes. I hate dull skates! For me the best time is the second and third time I'm on the ice after a sharpening. Ahhh heaven.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

I sharpen them every time I skate. Sometimes I'm lazy and go the 2nd time.

[sherwood21 0]

I sharpen them every time I skate, our team has a sharpener so it makes it a lot easier to do.

[DamnLocust 0]

I sharpen every about 300 minutes. That's based on counting a practice as 60 minutes and a game as 30. For league games I know I'm not on the ice for 30 minutes but for shinney that's a bit more accurate.

I keep a small dry erase board beside where my skates dry so I can keep track of the number of minutes. I hate dull skates! For me the best time is the second and third time I'm on the ice after a sharpening. Ahhh heaven.

Have you tried a slightly shallower hollow? I thought that I liked dull blades until I got a sharpener who knew what he was doing. Turns out my hollow was too deep and I needed to dull the blades in order to get closer to the sharpening I needed. Now that i'm getting the right hollow, they're perfect from the first skate.

[jjtt99 0]

I sharpen every about 300 minutes.  That's based on counting a practice as 60 minutes and a game as 30.  For league games I know I'm not on the ice for 30 minutes but for shinney that's a bit more accurate.

I keep a small dry erase board beside where my skates dry so I can keep track of the number of minutes.  I hate dull skates!  For me the best time is the second and third time I'm on the ice after a sharpening.  Ahhh heaven.

Have you tried a slightly shallower hollow? I thought that I liked dull blades until I got a sharpener who knew what he was doing. Turns out my hollow was too deep and I needed to dull the blades in order to get closer to the sharpening I needed. Now that i'm getting the right hollow, they're perfect from the first skate.

Until sharpening depths go metric I'll stick to the default. Fractions drive me nuts!

[ktang 34]

The default in Vancouver seems to be 3/8", which was too deep for me for the year-round soft summer ice in most of the rinks there.

[CardinalHcky19 0]

Normally every week which consists of 2 practices and 2-4 games.

[Dougie8 0]

I like to sharpen my skates before the weekend, so they're sharp for the game(s), then I use them for my two practices in the week...Then Sharpen before weekend.

So i probably tend to go two or three ice times per sharpening.

[DarkStar50 679]

The older I get, the less I sharpen my skates. I will sharpen more often between September and April. I sharpen maybe twice between May and August, unless I have a bad nick in the blade. Now I am at the point where I tape my stick more often than I sharpen my skates!

[forsberg91 0]

I sharpen mine once a week. We have 5-6 ice sessions a week so i typically get em done every friday for the games that we have on saturday and sunday

[BK 0]

The older I get, the less I sharpen my skates. I will sharpen more often between September and April. I sharpen maybe twice between May and August, unless I have a bad nick in the blade. Now I am at the point where I tape my stick more often than I sharpen my skates!

I'm the same way. I don't sharpen my skates that often. I like a nice shallow cut which tend to last a bit longer. Even then, I prefer the feel of my edges after a good week or two over a freshly sharpened edge.

[biff44 0]

I personally feel a difference after one skate and if I had my own sharpener would sharpen them every time. I'm hoping somebody will come out with an affordable home machine one day. In the mean time I sharpen them after every 4hrs.

I've used the sweet stick to bring back the edge but try to avoid that since the feel is a little different.

Skip the gimmicks. Clean off the blade, get a flat stone, wet it with a little water, and lay it flat on the side of the blade and clean up the edge. You can do wonders with a stone, and you are not losing blade height, so the blade lasts longer.

[yvan12 0]

I sharpen my skates about 1 in 4 outings depending on ice and blade conditions and the amount of ice time I get (I normally play oldtimers twice a week), I use a 7/8", 1" double hollow and I weigh about 210 with bum knees. I find the sweet stick to be too aggressive in the 'edge' it gives.