GTA - Best and Worst Place to get your skates sharpened

[BlackIce 1]

For all the greater toronto people, where do you find you get the best sharpening for your skates and the worst.

Best

Powerade Centre - Brampton

Just Hockey Source for Sports - on Steeles

Worst

Hockey Experts - Mississauga

[team50 20]

Best

Sports Unlimited-Georgetown

Worst

Canlan Ice Sports-Oakville

[automorph 0]

^ why Hockey Experts Mississauga? I get my fbv done there past couple times

[althoma1 574]

The sharpener you get at each place is key, but some places generally train their staff better than others.

BEST (or places I've had good results with):

Just Hockey - Knowledgeable well trained employees and the closest place to my condo. I primarily used them for years until I got hooked on FBV.

National Sports - I used them for the occassional sharpening years ago with good and not so great results, but in the past year I've used them exclusively since they added the FBV and have received good sharpenings. I've mainly went to the Markham location, but have also had them done in Concorde and Oakville. The training programs oldtrainerguy has implimented seem to be working well.

WORST:

Canadian Tire - Not exactly their specialty...you may find someone who knows what they're doing, but bringing your skates there isn't generally a good idea.

Canlan Icesports in general (York and Vic Park are two that I've experienced poor results at and have had team mates get bad sharpenings at. I will never get my skates sharpened there again). There may be some great sharpeners at Canlan, but unless you know who they are I'd say to avoid the Canlan rink sharpenings as there seem to be several not so great sharpeners.

Sport Check is a crap shoot - you can get some people who really care and know what they're doing and other times not so much

[vek 0]

Best - National Sports - (Markham/Vaughn locations for me). Never had anything less than a great job/service. I go there exclusively now.

Worst - Play it Again Sports. Not sure if it was a one-off, but haven't been back to find out. My skating is bad enough with perfect edges, let alone what I left the store with.

[aarondevera 0]

Black, any idea of who did your skates @ HX Mississauga? I worked in the pro shop for two years before moving to the UK last month. Mike and Kirk haven't had anyone come back on them, but the other guys aren't as experienced yet.

I think calling someplace the "Best/Worst places" is kinda unfair, because it's usually never the place, but rather the person doing the sharpening. Places like Canadian Tire or Sport Chek are usually never the best places to take your skates because they never deal specifically with just hockey, or they rarely have people who play hockey in their shops. They're also prone to having younger kids who aren't experienced with the machines, and they don't tune or clean those machines as well as a LHS would.

[pbrik 0]

Best -

Just hockey on steeles.

Majer hockey on dufferin.

Worst -

Sports chek.

:)

[Law Goalie 147]

Best: Duke's Source for Sports (especially Ken), The Goalie Crease Main Store (they'll sharpen anything) Just Hockey (Mike Jacobs is the man other stores hire to train their guys), Majer Hockey (unlimited CAG re-profiles until you're satisfied, and for only $15, including sharpening), and Toronto Hockey Repair (aka Goalie Heaven).

Honourable mention to National Sports & co., who have really but in the work to get good on the new Blademaster technologies.

Worst: Brown's Sports on Bloor, Ward & Patch/The Goalie Crease on Annette (used to be great, but yeesh...), and amazingly, the St. Mike's Pro Shop. If you're lucky enough to catch one of the team trainers, you'll get a great cut; if you get anyone else, you're in for a big surprise.

Honourable mention: Varsity Arena, for not offering the service when they very easily could, but we'll see what happens after the renovations.

[duch 0]

Good Places To Have Your Skates Sharpened:

Sports Unlimited ( Brampton) , National Sports (Brampton) , Hockey LIfe ( Mississauga), Dukes (Etobicoke) , Powerade Center ( Brampton) Toronto Hockey Store (Bloor St.)

[DarkStar50 679]

Somehow bad skate sharpenings and Canada should not be in the same sentence! Oh well, it ain't the tool, it's the carpenter...............

[Law Goalie 147]

You'd think not, but I've had some jaw-droppers.

Frankly, I think the ubiquity of the sport has bred a lot of complacency. We're gradually getting out of it (and many of the better shops are leading the charge), but there's still a lot of "inherited wisdom" that's little better than a old wives' tale.

I still get the odd guy who thinks "the goalie cut" is the only way to sharpen my skates. That seems to mean anything from a flat cut to cross-cutting to raping the blade repeatedly until it turns red and screams for mercy.

[mrusse01 0]

I really like the guy at Just Hockey on Don Mills.....it's the same guy EVERY time I go in there, and he always does a great job. One time I was even a buck or two short to pay him in cash, and rather than use debit he just told me what I had in cash was fine, and to catch him next time. I thought it was a really cool move on his part, and I think I've taken my skates back there every time I've needed a sharpening since.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Thanks for all the feedback guys.

Were trying hard to improve each month. I would bet by December we will be up there pretty close to a Just Hockey.

But working there I know if you have the same guy all the time its hard to beat!!!

But we are trying!

[farhanshak 1]

Best:

Hockey Experts (mississauga), Majer Hockey, Sports Unlimited (brampton)

i usually get the skate card from hockey experts, and a season skate pass from majer hockey.

i will make the 25 minute trek to either of the stores above than go somewhere nearby.

i have also heard many great things about Duke's from alot of friends.

Worst:

Canlan Ice Etobicoke (pro shop), sport chek (square one area).

[grp 0]

I would never take my skates to crappy tire, sport check, etc.. But most places if you get a bad sharpening alot might have to do with the way they have the stone setup, being someone who is extremely picky, as long as they give me 5/8" I am usually happy....But Dave at Just Hockey Steeles dont even know if he works there, as the store is way too pricey for a sharpen. I have been going to hockey experts on kennedy and no probs and 4.50 and do Flat bottom which I am thinking of trying tommorow same price

Lates

[Zamboni 6]

Best In The East:

Pro Cut in Oshawa

Worst has to be Crappy Tire. Saw the machine jumping around in there while a terrified kid wrestled with it trying to slide a skate across the spinning wheel. Mid aisle, machine's not even in a back room in Whitby North C Tire.

[BlackIce 1]

Time to chime in again on this thread. I went to Pro Hockey Life at Vaughn Mills. One of the worst sharpenings in my life My outside edges were totally messed up for two games! Could have been a newbie. Great sellection, but too much of a department store feel.

[pops04xx 2]

West Star Athletics in Mississauga is the only place I get any work done to my skates.

They also have the FIT system which I think works great.

Their equipment is a little over priced but a very knowledgeable staff.

http://www.weststarathletics.com/

[W.Heinle 0]

Another vote for Weststar in Mississauga.

Another great place is the proshop in Thornhill Community Center.

[shifter 0]

Canlan Ice Sports Scarborough does a really well job sharpening! Always have gotten my skates done there

and previously mentioned Just hockey source for sports - steeles Definetely another place to go to!

[BlackIce 1]

Sports Unlimited (Brampton) does an excellent job. Just thought I would add them to the "Best Category"

[k13 0]

+1 for Powerade Centre in Brampton

[bubber27 0]

Sports Unlimited (Brampton) does an excellent job. Just thought I would add them to the "Best Category"

Ask for Aiden, that's my boy. Only guy I trust with my skates.

Phil