Bay Area, CA LHS

[IceBeans13 0]

Are there any LHS in the Bay Area with someone that has the expertise (breadth and depth) of knowledge as JR and OTG? I know of 3 LHS around here: Power Play, EWH and Hockey X.

I'm pretty much looking for someone to entrust with my ignorant and minutia questions who won't give me misinformation and so that I don't have to make a post here for every question that pops into my head.

I started playing 3.5 years ago and have been using my Bauer 6000's since I started and feel it's time for a new pair of skates. A lot of the threads here have opened up my eyes to things I've never even heard of like profiling, rocker, pitch, and boot/holder variations. Although I've learned a lot from hours of reading threads here, I would like to be able to also have someone local to "go to" and also to analyze my skating to see if profiling could help me improve. I feel pretty comfortable with my setup now, but I suspect that my skating may have adapted to never having gotten the optimal setup and having years of poor blade sharpenings and the changes in profiling my blade must have gone through by now.

Lastly, I'm looking for a good sharpener. Until about a month ago, I would get my skates sharpened at the rink and never realized how bad of a job they do until I got them done somewhere else. I'm satisfied with how my current place has been sharpening them, but seeing as how I have been so ignorant on most other subjects, including this one, I wouldn't be surprised if there were better options.

I patronize all 3 LHS when I need to buy stuff that I need semi-frequently and don't need help with, depending on which area I'm in and who's stocking what at any given moment, so I hope this won't be seen as me trying to find the "best" one or designate any loyalties; I'm simply looking for someone who knows a lot and doesn't just think he knows a lot.

Thank you in advance and I apologize for the length of the post.

[cbart 1]

Can't go wrong with Jason at EWH...I'm from Minnesota and have ordered from him online and have stopped by the shop when I'm in the Bay Area...

[gman 0]

How much of the bay area are you willing to cover? The "Bay Area" now seems to cover from Healdsburg in the North all the way down to Gilroy and then East to Concord and Walnut Creek. Where in the Bay area are you now?

[ramensandwich 1]

ewh, hockey x-sport in oakland

[x11x 0]

hockey x sport is great from my experience (2 pairs of skates, 2 sticks, shoulder pads) and answer all my questions.

[IceBeans13 0]

I'm in San Jose. I bought my entire set of gear from Jason at EWH when I started out a few years ago, he was very helpful. Does anyone know if he is good at profiling skates, if he even does it at all? I go to Hockey X semi-often because of their huge selection, but I have trouble taking the word of the 16-17 yr olds that are usually working there when I go.

Where do you guys get your skates sharpened? Thanks again.

[Aggie 9]

Ha, I know what you mean about X-Sport, with all those kids that work there. If you go around noon on a weekday, there are a few good workers that I trust. The owner is usually there too. For skate sharpening at X-sport, Ricky is one of the best there. I don't know how good they are at profiling, as I have never had it done before.

[wonderenzo 0]

Jason does profiling.