The things sharpeners do

[hehatemefrisbee 0]

Every time I get my skates sharpened there they come out worse than when I brought them in...i'll learn one of these days. <_<

make the drive over to mount pleasant. i will make sure they get done the right way

[Powerfibers 8]

From Great Skate on my brand new Flexlites. Good thing I was all set to swap the blades for my Step Steel when I got them home.

[MR MIZUN0 0]

Great skate is a joke at sharpening skates. The last pair of skates i bought from them, i decided, why not get them sharpened there for free (cause i just bought them) The next day I laced them up, and fell right on my ass, they forgot to sharpen the left skate.

[almack 0]

The main problem is the fact that they dont take the time and check there job before they give it to the customers, guys that have sharpened for years get a bad one now and then bad felt loose diamond etc but they have a routine and check there edges every time wether its 2 pairs a day or 80 thats what I do and so far it has proven to get alot of repeat customers and happy players.

[Jordan 13]

My son once got a new pair of skates and they sharpened one skate twice...and didn't do the other one.

[skarbro 0]

Some of those pics are just crazy.

On a related note...

What are those level-measuring tools called? I would love to get my hands on one.

[Gummer12 134]

The Simplest philosophy for sharpening skates...Treat Every Skate as if it were your own.

[BenderHockey 127]

The Simplest philosophy for sharpening skates...Treat Every Skate as if it were your own.

Good theory, but wouldn't help the guys who still think they are doing a good job, even though a more informed person might know otherwise.

[hehatemefrisbee 0]

Some of those pics are just crazy.

On a related note...

What are those level-measuring tools called? I would love to get my hands on one.

Probably the best simple level is the Blademaster, due to the amount of lines on it for measurements. You can get them from blademaster.ca

[skarbro 0]

Thanks. I'll e-mail them to get a quote.

Can that kind of bad levelling happen with FBV? I can see how it happens with regular, but I can't picture in my mind how it might happen with FBV.

[VakarLajos 5]

yes, the FBV can be off. If the holder isn't perfect and it's an older model with no angle adjustment, you can definitely get the FBV off.

The Simplest philosophy for sharpening skates...Treat Every Skate as if it were your own.

I've seen guys who sharpen their own skates like morons. It's a good philosophy, to a point.

[Gummer12 134]

True..And Ive seen guys who care for their skates like a red headed stepchild. But for those of us who do take care of their skates, and do good work sharpening..it's a solid philosophy.

[cptjeff 0]

True..And Ive seen guys who care for their skates like a red headed stepchild. But for those of us who do take care of their skates, and do good work sharpening..it's a solid philosophy.

Yup. I manage to confound coworkers sometimes when I'm sharpening up rentals and making multiple checks to ensure they're level. Just get into the habit of doing a good job, especially if that's the only sharpening the skate will get that year.

[VakarLajos 5]

Yup. I manage to confound coworkers sometimes when I'm sharpening up rentals and making multiple checks to ensure they're level. Just get into the habit of doing a good job, especially if that's the only sharpening the skate will get that year.

when i worked at skate rental i saw some of the worst abuses ever...it was like Gettysburg.

[santiclaws 0]

Never touched a sharpener, but guarantee i cant do worse than the guys here in louisville.

But this was after the last time i sent them out. Felt like my FBV was round on my inside edge. Thought my groin was going to explode during the game...

If you live in a place like Louisville, you need to get t'blades. It's just that simple. A godsend for those of us without a decent shop around.

[dsjunior1388 81]

what are some effective ways to check the edge without an edge checker? any rules of thumb or tips other than eyeballing it?

[Jordan 13]

any rules of thumb or tips other than eyeballing it?

The only rule of thumb is the "eyeballing it" does not work. ;)

[Race4LastPlace 31]

If you live in a place like Louisville, you need to get t'blades. It's just that simple. A godsend for those of us without a decent shop around.

haha most people around here are going back to those. My teammates have had several bad mail order sharpenings,as have I, so unfortunately that's about the only option. I personally refuse to use them, I can't stand that god awful sound, and prefer to stick with FBV

[Gummer12 134]

Ok... A Great one at the rink tonight. The new management of the rink just hired this Amish looking kid..Hasn't been working there more than a week. I'm just standing around waiting for our game.. and the opposing goalie brings his skates up to get sharpened...He hands them to the kid and the kid replies..."OH GOOD!, They've Already got a hollow in them, that's gonna make it Easier!" I had to save his life and tell him to get his skates out of the kids hands ASAP

[Law Goalie 147]

Haha - I would like to think I'd have been so charitable in that situation, but depending on the opposition, I'm not so sure... :)

[dsjunior1388 81]

The only rule of thumb is the "eyeballing it" does not work. ;)

Well the last sharpening I had I held them up and could see the substantial difference in the edges on the right skate, basically one was about the height of a flat penny higher than the other.

[JKranz24 1]

what are some effective ways to check the edge without an edge checker? any rules of thumb or tips other than eyeballing it?

You can use a quarter and see if the edges are level...or if you can find a small, thick, flat piece of glass, that would be better.

[Jordan 13]

Even with the coin trick..it is very hard to tell. It's just way too difficult to keep the skate absolutely plumb.

For example, say that you looking at a 90/75 FBV. The entire edge is 75/10,000ths. If one edge is put of level with respect to the the other, it could even be a fraction of that...either way you couldn't see it with the naked eye.

[Ivan 1]

Even with the coin trick..it is very hard to tell. It's just way too difficult to keep the skate absolutely plumb.

For example, say that you looking at a 90/75 FBV. The entire edge is 75/10,000ths. If one edge is put of level with respect to the the other, it could even be a fraction of that...either way you couldn't see it with the naked eye.

Technically yes. The good thing is that the FBV is still forgiving, maybe not as much as ROH. Common sense, practce and experience is the key here.

Sure we can address a lot of tecnicalities like how the spinner dresser is sitting on the spindle, disbalanced wheels, the list can go on.

The bottom line - the FBV IS forgiving. And it does work.

[VakarLajos 5]

eyeballing it works to an extent. You're not going to get as accurate as using a (correctly calibrated and applied) edge checker, but you're not going to end up with your left edge a skyscraper and your right edge a townhouse.