Sweet-Stick

[mxpowder 1]

They do not ruin your edges if used properly. A single light pass with barely no pressure is enough to lightly sharpen an edge. Like other hand helds, they cannot restore edges, just perhaps extend the interval of a blade that still has edge. Many people use them with great success.

Jimmy, I have a stone for the sides of my blades for nicks etc.. My question is the other hand held sharpeners that also "sharpen" the hallow, do they work. I dont want to sharpen the entire hallow, just knock off the nicks and duled edges from playing center.

It seams like every time I sharpen my skates, the very next game I have several nicks and duled spots from metal contact. I dont want to re-sharpen the skates, just knock off the nicks and resore a little edge to the spots that have been duled in between sharpenings.

Also do you recomend any of the hand held sharpeners? Thanks

[Slapshot25 0]

I've got a Miraclestone and it definitly helps

[odp 0]

The Canucks trainers mentioned the Sweet Stick when they were on After Hours during holidays. They didn't explicitly say they used it, but that's close enough for me to believe that it could be a useful tool when used properly.

Of course they might be getting kickbacks from mentioning it on tv and it's all just one big conspiracy.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

NHL equipment managers use them on the bench. They do not slide it down the middle, but use them sideways along the blade as a hone stone. It allows them to hone the blade without touching the skate...much easier in a confined environment like a team bench.

[jimmy 194]

They do not ruin your edges if used properly. A single light pass with barely no pressure is enough to lightly sharpen an edge. Like other hand helds, they cannot restore edges, just perhaps extend the interval of a blade that still has edge. Many people use them with great success.

Jimmy, I have a stone for the sides of my blades for nicks etc.. My question is the other hand held sharpeners that also "sharpen" the hallow, do they work. I dont want to sharpen the entire hallow, just knock off the nicks and duled edges from playing center.

It seams like every time I sharpen my skates, the very next game I have several nicks and duled spots from metal contact. I dont want to re-sharpen the skates, just knock off the nicks and resore a little edge to the spots that have been duled in between sharpenings.

Also do you recomend any of the hand held sharpeners? Thanks

A honing stone is all one really needs to remove nicks (nicks meaning curled edges, not missing chips). I've found that the hand helds that claim to put in hollows do not work, especially on stainless. Unless of course you can move your hand at 3800 rpm. We use to be able to lightly sharpen carbon steel with stones, but stainless is just too hard a metal. The ceramic of the sweet stick does sharpen the outside of the edge but not the inside. Honestly, going to a sharpener is the best method to restore edges.

[Laars 0]

Guys,

I've been using the Sweet Stick for the last 5 months, and I wouldn't be caught without one. Other then a fresh skate sharpening, nothing is better. In all honesty, I like my edges better then a fresh sharpening.

I use it by "lightly" running it from front to back down the blade once or twice. I'm not rolling the edges over with excess pressure, just lightly down the blades. My edges stay sharp longer.

I only use one guy to sharpen my skates (tired of getting my edges butchered) , and I skate 5 days a week, sometimes two times a day. I'm able to go two weeks between sharpenings, and I like my skates sharp.

[skarbro 0]

Guys,

I've been using the Sweet Stick for the last 5 months, and I wouldn't be caught without one. Other then a fresh skate sharpening, nothing is better.

Wow post from 3 years ago!

In all honesty, I wouldn't be caught dead WITH one of these things. They ruin your edges.

I only use Miraclestones now. They work perfectly, and PROPERLY. The don't change the angle of the outside of the edges like the Sweet Stick does.

[Laars 0]

Wow post from 3 years ago!

In all honesty, I wouldn't be caught dead WITH one of these things. They ruin your edges.

I only use Miraclestones now. They work perfectly, and PROPERLY. The don't change the angle of the outside of the edges like the Sweet Stick does.

Sorry about the 3 year post... I'm new to the sight and happened to read the post.

I here that from some people, others swear by it, but after using it, and then skating without it, I'm hooked. Guess its just difference of opinion. I like sharp edges, others like dull...... I'm getting to the point where I'm thinking of getting my own sharping machine. Can't go to a rink anymore and get your skates done correctly. Sorry but "joe 16 year old can stay away from my skates". So when you find someone who can actually sharpen them correctly, your at the mercy of them being there.

I'm not using it to "replace" my sharpenings, but I sure see a huge improvement on the ice when I use it. Plus, when you've got a game, and there is no one to sharpen your skates, its nice to hit the edges twice and be able to play without having to deal with dull skates. Its not like a hand held skate shapener, it just hones the edges. Your not removing anything from the blade.

[TBLfan 25]

It's really more of a "Some don't know any better" kind of thing.

[Laars 0]

It's really more of a "Some don't know any better" kind of thing.

Ouch! I'm hurt.....

Hey TBLfan, you the same one on Icewarehouse that helped me with my AG 7100 to OPS stick question?

Seems both these are great sites.

[almack 0]

great thread I have told customers that a miracle stone works better and the other stone isnt worth dropping 22 bucks on, I really never had a great reason for them all I knew is after a religous sweet stick user brang me his skates I would have to cross grind the steel to get the sharpening back to my standard, I use a stone before sharpening to bend the steel back over I have had good luck with this on big chips and flattened edges. Im not sure if this is the proper way but it seems that I can get the steel back to square easier when I stone them prior to sharpening, if that is a bad thing can someone elborate? I cant see any negatives other than time and if the sharpening comes out perfect time is not my biggest concern.

[Chadd 916]

two similar topics merged.

[TBLfan 25]

Ouch! I'm hurt.....

Hey TBLfan, you the same one on Icewarehouse that helped me with my AG 7100 to OPS stick question?

Seems both these are great sites.

Most people just don't know what a good sharpening is and therefore wouldn't notice or care what they're using on their blades. There are a lot of bad sharpeners out there, so it's likely that it won't hurt most players and if it works for you, that's fine :) ...but I'd be weary of offering advice to others about a product without disclaiming the side effects.

I am on IWMB, so probably. :)

[Laars 0]

Most people just don't know what a good sharpening is and therefore wouldn't notice or care what they're using on their blades. There are a lot of bad sharpeners out there, so it's likely that it won't hurt most players and if it works for you, that's fine :) ...but I'd be weary of offering advice to others about a product without disclaiming the side effects.

I am on IWMB, so probably. :)

TBL-

I hear what your saying. I could see where if you use it incorrectly, it could make it worse. No different then sharping a knife. Some people can, some make the knife duller. I use very little pressure and run it down the blade. Almost polishing it, not sharpening it. For me, its great......

The guy grinding my skates says its not doing anything bad to them at all. Then again, I'm not putting 200 lbs on the blade as I use it.

[hamstercaster 2]

Most people I play with that use the sweet stick don't even know how to use it properly and like to think that it sharpens their skates. When I show them how to use it, as per the instructions on the package and tell them that it doesn't sharpen, most say that I'm full of shit while others will listen to what I have to say. Of those who listen, half end up not giving a shit and going back to their old habits of using it wrong and thinking that it sharpens while the other half does it. I used to use one until I lost it and now certainly don't miss it. I prefer getting my skates sharpened every second game or so.

[skarbro 0]

It boggles my mind that people don't think that it mangles their edges. I mean the outsides of blades are vertical |_| and parallel. How can one think that using a V-shaped tool would not ruin the edges?

They don't even try to hide on their website how it ruins the edges. They actually say that it's good:

[RussianDangler15 0]

I used this a few times and if felt very weird and now i know why. I always though it wasnt really doing anything because skating afterwards just didn't feel right

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

It boggles my mind that people don't think that it mangles their edges. I mean the outsides of blades are vertical |_| and parallel. How can one think that using a V-shaped tool would not ruin the edges?

They don't even try to hide on their website how it ruins the edges. They actually say that it's good:

Been saying it for years.

They provide all of the proof you need.

[zebra_steve 11]

There is no doubt that this thing "refreshes" the edge by rolling, beveling or whatever you want to call it... I can see where it would potentially create more work for the guy sharpening your skates just to get them level again (hence the x grind)....

Here's some food for thought for you guys that love them..... How do you know that you are keeping the "V" of the tool perfectly square to your edges and not working one more than the other - giving you an uneven edge as a result? And just to really stir it up.... any of you FBV guys ever use one of these things?

Seems to me, it would be something that could be an emergency repair tool... but then again I carry a slip stone and three different grits of round India stones...Yes, I've used them to rebuild a blown edge but it was a long tedious process. I've also been known to carry a set of pre-sharpened runners with me if I were heading somewhere that I knew I would not have access to a machine to resharpen them myself, or a competent "blade smith"....

[jimmy 194]

Don't some NHL equipment managers use it?

[hamstercaster 2]

Don't some NHL equipment managers use it?

I believe so but as it's been said earlier or in another thread, not the way the stick was intended to be used.

[dolomaster83 0]

I sharpen my skates every week but I use the sweet stick in between the sharpening. I know it messes with the edge but I go through a bunch of steel through out a year. so it isn't to much of a big deal to me

[RadioGaGa 162]

I was wondering this the other day...then I saw this thread bumped back to life...

A FBV looks like this: |/----\|

A SS'd edge would look *something* like this \/-----\/

Is SS as "bad" to a FBV skate as it is to a trad. Hollow?

[zebra_steve 11]

Probably worse because there is less metal actually forming the "edges"...

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

i used one when i didnt have anything else and lived to far away to make it to the shop on time. i'd use it when my skates were sliding out, good edge or not, at least something was biting.

for those that seem to like their edges after using the sweet stick, over a fresh sharpening... go to a deeper hollow or soemthing, get the bit you desire, it might surprise you.