CCM Rocket Runner VS T'Blades

[Beflar 54]

CCM used T'Blades on there skates two years ago now they go half way with the Rocket Runner.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Must you use the word "redneck?"

[Beflar 54]

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[li7039 0]

Must you use the word "redneck?"

How about "sureño reaccionario de la clase baja rural"

"southern reactionary of the rural low class"

a kid i go to school with uses Tblades on his G35s and he loves them because he is always traveling and likes having the same feeling each time he "sharpens" them ( changes the runner )

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Must you use the word "redneck?"

How about "sureño reaccionario de la clase baja rural"

...pero lo que tu no sabes es que yo hablo español perfectamente...

In any event, I still don't understand why you need to go there in a post. It has absolutely no place in the thread at all. But judging by the grammatical errors in your post, I'm not surprised.

[Spreedizzle 1]

I have been on both T blades and Rocket Runners.

Main difference for me is the feeling for the ice and my edges. My #1 complaint with T blades was that when hard on your edges, they would cut great, but the edges were VERY VAGUE when you aren't trying to cut deep on the ice. Very uneasy feeling. To me, the Rocket Runners give me all of the ice feel of traditional steel at a fraction of the weight. Do I notice a huge difference between traditional and RR's in regards to speed? No....not at all. But I'll give them a shot and take all the little advantages I can get. ;)

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

t'blades torqued way too much - and it just felt artificial. Not to mention that you can get a much better sharpening/defined edges (if your sharpener is very good) as opposed to t'blades.

[LkptTiger 1]

Liberals suck.

And so does the Rocket Runner. We've got a handful of guys on the team skating in the U+ - all of them either swapped holders entirely or put solid steel into their E-Pros. The marginal weight benefit doesn't justify the relatively fragile nature of the blade (though I haven't seen one break, my teammates who took 'em for a whirl ended-up warping them pretty badly, pretty quickly....and, working in a shop, I'd have to say roughly 65-70% of the RR steel I've sharpened has been bent considerably).

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

I actually like it. Very light (and you DO feel it on the ice) and sharpens VERY well.

I have a feeling the warping is coming from those overheating it. I'm pretty sure I weigh more than your teammates and mine aren't warped.

[LkptTiger 1]

But they do backcheck ;)

It's actually got to the point where I don't even bother putting the skates in the holder when people bring 'em in, JR - the very first thing I do after tucking the tongue/laces is check to see if they're warped. More often then not, they are (to one degree or another).

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

I think the downfall of the RR will be because CCM just gave sharpeners TOO MUCH CREDIT.

But they do backcheck ;)

It's actually got to the point where I don't even bother putting the skates in the holder when people bring 'em in, JR - the very first thing I do after tucking the tongue/laces is check to see if they're warped. More often then not, they are (to one degree or another).

I'm sure.

[Rustyhole 1]

I think the downfall of the RR will be because CCM just gave sharpeners TOO MUCH CREDIT.

major hockey manufacturers should know by now the unfortunate reality of good sharpeners even on standard steel

a sales person can look up & recite specs on demand with a lesser level of repercussion saying "this the the best because ... xyz"

a sharpener needs to back it up. no one uses a sharpener that says "i'm the best" and then proves they're no where near

if you're that person, go to CanTire and use that auto skate sharpener (lol :))

i'm in a major hockey market/city and good sharpeners are hardly a dime a dozen... though stores are well represented

well, wouldn't the new sharpening methods from Blackstone further muddle the situation

edit: next idea

[LkptTiger 1]

Although I'm sure there are a lot of sharpeners out there who are just physically unable to put two good, level edges on a blade without cooking it or turning it into a banana, I'm under the impression that a lot of it is just plain indifference. I know of one shop in my area that actually tells its employees to avoid using the level, as it wastes time. Then again, this is the same shop that throws guys onto the sharpener within their first week of employment. Another rink in the area has instructed its guys not to make any adjustments to any of its equipment (including their beat-up scissors-style holder which probably needs semi-constant monitoring). If the skates come off wrong the first time, dress the wheel and assume that was enough. It's just laziness.

Personally, the one question I ask myself after I take the skate out of the holder, check the level, stone it, wipe it and check the edges is "Would I skate want to skate on this?". If the answer is "no," they get re-touched until they're right. I think there are a lot of sharpeners out there that just don't care - they just want to get the skates done and move on to the next pair; they're not concerned with the fact that somebody is going to be skating on them. I want to gain the customer's trust - especially since, as a younger guy, I have to be perfect to get it.

Working at a shop and...after awhile...doing the job myself has definitely brought me to a new level of respect for "my guy" who was the only one allowed to touch my skates for the better part of my life.

[Beflar 54]

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[LkptTiger 1]

Presenting an argument to the limits of your intelligence isn't to be expected?

How do you get a good sharpen from a kid making minimum wage?

If your sharpener actually cares about what he/she is doing, age and paycheck are usually irrelevant.

*gender edit* - Sorry, forbs02

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Exactly right - that's the approach I took with every sharpener I have trained.

I've always lived by the "I want to out-do the last skate I sharpened."

Soon enough we'd have straight-up competition amongst the employees; they'd do a pair and they'd be like "Yeah, this is better than yours."

I've pissed off quite a bit of employees over the years when I don't turn them loose on the machine right away. With me, the standard wait is about 3 months, depending on ability. Some pick it up quicker, most don't.

[DarkStar50 679]

Sharpening skates isn't that difficult. The difference in sharpeners is a pride thing. You either have pride in the job you are doing on the wheel or you don't. And it will show up on every pair you ever sharpen.

I have been sharpening skates since 1979. My partner in the shop has sharpened since 1975. A few years ago we estimated our total sharpenings. I was over 40K and he was over 50K in all those years. We worked in separate shops for a long time where we were each the primary sharpener.

[Ngo_35 1]

Sharpening skates isn't that difficult. The difference in sharpeners is a pride thing. You either have pride in the job you are doing on the wheel or you don't. And it will show up on every pair you ever sharpen.

I have been sharpening skates since 1979. My partner in the shop has sharpened since 1975. A few years ago we estimated our total sharpenings. I was over 40K and he was over 50K in all those years. We worked in separate shops for a long time where we were each the primary sharpener.

haha Thats pretty crazy, I never knew you were that mature. You must have all these "I remember when stories."

As for sharpening rocket runners, I'm surprised that CCM came out with their how to video. Sad thing is young guns probably learned more from that video than their actual training. I've had a customer who's own son sold him a pair of rocket runners and told him that he did not know how to sharpen them. He even went to say go somewhere else and not to do it in the store (retail place). I thought it showed class in the kid admitting that he did not know what to do rather than slam it in the jig and hack away.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Sharpening skates isn't that difficult. The difference in sharpeners is a pride thing. You either have pride in the job you are doing on the wheel or you don't. And it will show up on every pair you ever sharpen.

And an understanding of the final result and what it's supposed to end up like. The actual motions are easy, if you know what you're trying to do, you'll be a better sharpener.

CCM did put on a very good presentation, I must give them that.