Blackstone Flat-Bottom V Thread

[Ahriman 1]

Haha, you're supposed to give him the deepest, most "off" sharpening.

My daughter's boyfriend just started skating and this worked well for him.

See I would have gone for a 1.5" cut...

[Hockeyman11385 1]

Haha, you're supposed to give him the deepest, most "off" sharpening.

My daughter's boyfriend just started skating and this worked well for him.

See I would have gone for a 1.5" cut...

Crossgrind...

...and a little packing tape just to make sure.

Edited April 18, 2009 by Hockeyman11385

[top 1974 0]

Just got my 1st FBV last night. I normally skate on a 3/4" ROH on my Step Velocity. Went for a 90/75 FBV. For sure more bite than my 3/4" ROH, but more glide too. Will perhaps try the 90/50 next time. Only took a few laps to get used to the FBV. I'm sold after 1 skate and can't see myself going back.

Thanks to the poster who identified the Calgary location for the FBV.

[TBLfan 25]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

[jimmy 194]

Haha, you're supposed to give him the deepest, most "off" sharpening.

My daughter's boyfriend just started skating and this worked well for him.

Are you kidding, he's loving hockey so much he's spending his whole paycheck in my store. Plenty of opportunity to get rid of him later! :D

[Ahriman 1]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

While I agree with the second statement I dont see how well it stands up as an analogy.

Haha, you're supposed to give him the deepest, most "off" sharpening.

My daughter's boyfriend just started skating and this worked well for him.

Are you kidding, he's loving hockey so much he's spending his whole paycheck in my store. Plenty of opportunity to get rid of him later! :D

I dunno still seems like a shoot first ask questions later situation....

Edited April 18, 2009 by Ahriman

[TBLfan 25]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

While I agree with the second statement I dont see how well it stands up as an analogy.

Learning to skate and using your edges is a lot easier when you don't add additional speed to the mix. I've seen plenty of guys, in coaching, that get going fast and go in hard to the boards because they can't turn or stop... Let's add some extra speed to that, great.

[DevilsFan38 0]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

While I agree with the second statement I dont see how well it stands up as an analogy.

Learning to skate and using your edges is a lot easier when you don't add additional speed to the mix. I've seen plenty of guys, in coaching, that get going fast and go in hard to the boards because they can't turn or stop... Let's add some extra speed to that, great.

I hadn't thought of that, good point. I don't have that problem now, but I can definitely see myself doing that if I was going faster. I'll hold off on it for now.

[Grave77Digger 1]

Is there any place in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg that has the FBV?

[Chadd 916]

Is there any place in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg that has the FBV?

You mean, other than me?

[Ahriman 1]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

While I agree with the second statement I dont see how well it stands up as an analogy.

Learning to skate and using your edges is a lot easier when you don't add additional speed to the mix. I've seen plenty of guys, in coaching, that get going fast and go in hard to the boards because they can't turn or stop... Let's add some extra speed to that, great.

I hadn't thought of that, good point. I don't have that problem now, but I can definitely see myself doing that if I was going faster. I'll hold off on it for now.

Well there is a lot more to driving a high end car than "it goes faster" but I wont split hairs, I see your point but honestly, if they can go faster without putting as much effort into it I think that is a good thing, learning crossovers and other stuff harder IMHO when going slow than normal speed. By not putting as much effort into going a normal speed they can concentrate more on the maneuver's mechanics.

[TBLfan 25]

Question: how much do you think this sharpening would benefit a beginner player? I've only been playing a few months and I'm still not a great skater - solid going forwards and stopping, not so great going backwards or with fast changes of direction. Would it not do much because I'm not a good enough skater to really use my edges well, or would the extra speed give me some benefit?

I'd wait to change, get more used to the regular edges and later get FBV.

Start driving your mom's 1986 Corolla before you step up to your dad's Porsche.

While I agree with the second statement I dont see how well it stands up as an analogy.

Learning to skate and using your edges is a lot easier when you don't add additional speed to the mix. I've seen plenty of guys, in coaching, that get going fast and go in hard to the boards because they can't turn or stop... Let's add some extra speed to that, great.

I hadn't thought of that, good point. I don't have that problem now, but I can definitely see myself doing that if I was going faster. I'll hold off on it for now.

Well there is a lot more to driving a high end car than "it goes faster" but I wont split hairs, I see your point but honestly, if they can go faster without putting as much effort into it I think that is a good thing, learning crossovers and other stuff harder IMHO when going slow than normal speed. By not putting as much effort into going a normal speed they can concentrate more on the maneuver's mechanics.

Really? High-end sports cars have other differences from older economy cars? Really? No way. You shouldn't drive cars on ice either.

I see new classes of beginner skaters every season and the last thing they need is increased speed with less effort. They need to learn how to put out effort to gain muscle strength and endurance needed for hockey. Go ahead and compare a beginner's skaters endurance on the ice, at a slow speed, to someone who has played longer, at a higher speed. STILL, with the slow speed, the beginner is going to be tired a LOT faster. Letting them be lazy isn't going to help. Now you want them to learn how to do crossovers when they can't maintain "normal" speed without help? Basically you're wanting them to run when they can barely walk, actually no... you want them to run with crossovers before they can walk... oh and they still have trouble stopping... Again, good idea.

[Ahriman 1]

Is there a reason you're picking a fight about this? Because I'm just voicing a different opinion.

[TBLfan 25]

I'm not picking a fight, I'm telling you why it's a bad idea for beginners to be on FBV. Someone that is playing low level but can use their edges and most importantly STOP... by all means, hop on it.

[Chadd 916]

Anything that makes it easier for someone to play the game can't be a bad thing. Chances are they aren't going to be going all that fast and if they crash on an FBV, they probably would have crashed with any other hollow.

[TBLfan 25]

Yeah but now they'd be carrying more speed. I've seen soo many guys go in head/shoulder first into the boards very hard and had to help too many guys and girls off the ice that I don't think adding any extra speed to the equation would help. Not everyone starts young, and not everyone starts with classes. I've coached guys that literally step on the ice for the first time, for a game. Add that to other people that can't stop and you have a bad mixture, speed and inability to turn/stop is a bad thing.

[sarmalidu 1]

Maybe it's just me but it seems like the value of FBV is being grossly overstated here. Using FBV is not going to cause beginners to go so much faster that they end up flying into the boards, mangling themselves. It may provide improved glide, but the difference is definitely marginal, especially for a beginner that's just going to be working on learning proper skating technique. I would say that FBV is not going to help nor hurt a beginner. It's not like it's THAT different. I can switch back and forth with no significant adjustment. I will admit I prefer the FBV, but it's not like it's going to completely change your skating experience. So, based on my experience I don't think FBV will make much difference, positive or negative, for a beginner. Obviously FBV tends to cost more, so I think standard hollows are probably best for beginners until they have a hang of the basics.

[Too Old 1]

Maybe it's just me but it seems like the value of FBV is being grossly overstated here. Using FBV is not going to cause beginners to go so much faster that they end up flying into the boards, mangling themselves. It may provide improved glide, but the difference is definitely marginal, especially for a beginner that's just going to be working on learning proper skating technique. I would say that FBV is not going to help nor hurt a beginner. It's not like it's THAT different. I can switch back and forth with no significant adjustment. I will admit I prefer the FBV, but it's not like it's going to completely change your skating experience. So, based on my experience I don't think FBV will make much difference, positive or negative, for a beginner. Obviously FBV tends to cost more, so I think standard hollows are probably best for beginners until they have a hang of the basics.

Agree 110% with this. And what's even more bizarre is that I switched runners for a public skate yesterday and the fresh 100/75 set felt horrible for some reason vs. the old 100/75 I believed was due for a tune-up. I am considering a 90/75 or 100/50 after being on the 100/75 as it sometimes feels like I have too much bite. Since I play today I wanted to find a local to do a 5/8" ROH to get me by for a game but nobody around here is much interested it seems. It sucks to only have 1 LHS that is open at sporadic times (not even at the times they even post on their door/never return calls). So, the older runners are going back on for now and I'll probably send both sets in tomorrow for a 90/75 or 100/50 and pray they're back by Saturday.

Edited April 20, 2009 by Too Old

[TBLfan 25]

Maybe it's just me but it seems like the value of FBV is being grossly overstated here. Using FBV is not going to cause beginners to go so much faster that they end up flying into the boards, mangling themselves. It may provide improved glide, but the difference is definitely marginal, especially for a beginner that's just going to be working on learning proper skating technique. I would say that FBV is not going to help nor hurt a beginner. It's not like it's THAT different. I can switch back and forth with no significant adjustment. I will admit I prefer the FBV, but it's not like it's going to completely change your skating experience. So, based on my experience I don't think FBV will make much difference, positive or negative, for a beginner. Obviously FBV tends to cost more, so I think standard hollows are probably best for beginners until they have a hang of the basics.

You don't get it. They are ALREADY flying into the boards and other players. By the time they have the ability to stop and turn, by all means put them on FBV.

If you can't skate while not riding your inside edges, you shouldn't be on FBV.

Edited April 19, 2009 by TBLfan

[Grave77Digger 1]

Is there any place in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg that has the FBV?

You mean, other than me?

Well, ya know, your a Flyers fan and all...

Joking, honestly I havnt been in Harrisburg in quite a while and am still over seas for another week or so (fingers crossed). I didnt even know you did sharpenings. Are you talking about Twin Ponds or somewhere else?

Edited April 19, 2009 by Grave77Digger

[SolarWind 23]

If you can't skate while not riding your inside edges, you shouldn't be on FBV.

unless you're saying that beginners overuse inside edges on the forward glide I'm not sure I understand what it means as experienced skaters are always on (even slight) edges - pretty much never on the flats.

even in the forward glide the pattern changes from a slight outside rolling into the inside edge (see Stamm).

[TBLfan 25]

I mean only using your inside edges, an inside edge on the ice at all times, barely moving your feet. Beginner skaters. I mean this:

but worse and anywhere from 105lb girls to 320lb men on the same ice, with players that are at different levels of ability(maybe their first time on ice after playing 5 years of roller to never stepping on the ice before)... a beginner league of hockey.

Edited April 20, 2009 by TBLfan

[Chadd 916]

Is there any place in Pittsburgh or Harrisburg that has the FBV?

You mean, other than me?

Well, ya know, your a Flyers fan and all...

Joking, honestly I havnt been in Harrisburg in quite a while and am still over seas for another week or so (fingers crossed). I didnt even know you did sharpenings. Are you talking about Twin Ponds or somewhere else?

Actually, I'm a blackhawks fan but most people just think I'm against their team.

I told Steve (my old partner who now has the shop at twin ponds) to check out the FBV, but he has told other people it's a gimmick without ever trying it. I now sharpen skates for a couple dozen guys that I know and all of them now get the FBV.

[Too Old 1]

Well, after another week on the 100/75 Step runners I've come to the conclusion it's just too much bite for me without any doubt. Chatters like crazy on stops and turns. It's only gotten worse as time's gone by as I've picked up the pace somewhat, albeit slowly, lol. I've made the decision to send them in and get a 100/50 on them, and bought another set of Step with a 100/50 too. I'll keep the original set of Cobra runners and have them done locally in a 1/2" ROH. That way I'll have a beater set that can be sharpened here locally if needed.

[mnpucker 33]

A few weeks I sent in a review of 100/50. My conclusion was that the added edge woudl make this the perfect winter (hard ice) edge for me. Last week I was happy to find some good solid winter ice in the spring. I was coaching on one of the original 4 rinks at Schwans Super Rink. The ice was hard adn 100/50 felt great.

Since I have coached on the 4 new rinks and the ice is noticeably softer, not unsafe but soft nonethless.

I am beginning to think that anyone that tries to evaluate the effectiveness of FBV in the off season (when Ice is not quite at its hardest) will likely not appreciate it as much as those that pick the right FBV the first time in the winter.

I have concluded that I will sharpen 90/75 summer and 100/50 winter. Ahh but I own a XO2 so I can do that.