Toronto Sportchek (Eaton Centre) - anyone have their skates done there

[NuggyBuggy 0]

I'm finding it harder and harder to drive to get out to my regular LHS and was thinking about taking my skates to the Eaton Centre Sportchek on my lunch hours.

Does anyone have any experience with them, people to ask for, etc ? Should I just flat-out avoid them like every bone in my body tells me to do ?

[Ewhitz94 0]

I'm finding it harder and harder to drive to get out to my regular LHS and was thinking about taking my skates to the Eaton Centre Sportchek on my lunch hours.

Does anyone have any experience with them, people to ask for, etc ? Should I just flat-out avoid them like every bone in my body tells me to do ?

Yeah i wouldnt trust getting my skates done there. I went there and was just looking at hockey gear and the people that came and talked to me had no clue what they were talking about. Id just wait til you find the time and drive to your LHS

[skarbro 0]

That's my regular spot for sharpening. I get FBV there.

However my last time there was not so great. I asked for my regular 90/75. Came back 10 minutes later and they gave me 100/50 instead because the 90/75 spinner was busted. They guy said they are all the same. I told him that they are not and 100/50 has too much bite. Now I have to go somewhere else to get them re-done.

[tro 4]

I have wondered about the sportcheks in calgary as well, I can't remember the last time I went to a location for a sharpen, I know it was brutal.

I have a location that is 5 mins away, they have the FBV, but I never know who I am handing my skates over to, the shoe salesman who was taught how to sharpen if the other guys aren't in and may do 5 a week?

so I drive 25 mins to a hockey experts(yes its a sportchek), but the guys do sharpens all day and seem to do a good job, haven't had a problem yet.

[KC83 2]

sports chek in vancouver don't have flat bottom V

not a chance...

hockey shop in surrey and scoffs just off of hastings are the only places in vancouver that have FBV...

[Ewhitz94 0]

That's my regular spot for sharpening. I get FBV there.

However my last time there was not so great. I asked for my regular 90/75. Came back 10 minutes later and they gave me 100/50 instead because the 90/75 spinner was busted. They guy said they are all the same. I told him that they are not and 100/50 has too much bite. Now I have to go somewhere else to get them re-done.

Really? Are the sharpenings fine most of the time? Wen i went there, their so called "hockey guy" didnt have a clue about anything

[skarbro 0]

Really? Are the sharpenings fine most of the time? Wen i went there, their so called "hockey guy" didnt have a clue about anything

I have had only one other problem there when they gave me 100/50 and tried to tell me it was 90/75. Since then I can tell the difference just by feeling the blade and I would catch them if it ever happened again.

[Shayno 1]

Went to Sportcheck the other day to get my skates baked, or at least get some info regarding, maybe kinda feel them out for info..................Well i have to tell ya, this guy I dealt with was not a kid maybe late 40's-50's and he told me all skates have 5 min bake time? I asked him about my skate bake time and he went and looked at a list on the wall and came back with this puzzled look on his face and told me " All skate sare 5min bake time" I said really? Is this correct guys? I have heard here, that skates have various bake time's no?

Thanks!

[althoma1 574]

Shayno Posted Today, 08:15 PM

Went to Sportcheck the other day to get my skates baked, or at least get some info regarding, maybe kinda feel them out for info..................Well i have to tell ya, this guy I dealt with was not a kid maybe late 40's-50's and he told me all skates have 5 min bake time? I asked him about my skate bake time and he went and looked at a list on the wall and came back with this puzzled look on his face and told me " All skate sare 5min bake time" I said really? Is this correct guys? I have heard here, that skates have various bake time's no?

Thanks!

There are definitely different bake times for different skate models. 5 minutes does not apply across the board.

[SolidifiedPenguin 0]

sports chek in vancouver don't have flat bottom V

not a chance...

hockey shop in surrey and scoffs just off of hastings are the only places in vancouver that have FBV...

Metrotown has FBV. And theyre not gonna put them into sportcheks, because starting this summer, theyre building Hockey Experts in several Sportchek locations so they are putting FBV into those instead.

Went to Sportcheck the other day to get my skates baked, or at least get some info regarding, maybe kinda feel them out for info..................Well i have to tell ya, this guy I dealt with was not a kid maybe late 40's-50's and he told me all skates have 5 min bake time? I asked him about my skate bake time and he went and looked at a list on the wall and came back with this puzzled look on his face and told me " All skate sare 5min bake time" I said really? Is this correct guys? I have heard here, that skates have various bake time's no?

Thanks!

That sounds kind of sketchy to me because our skate oven has an updated chart of all the different skates and their bake times. The chart pretty much covers all Bauers, CCMs, Eastons and Reeboks.

I am actually a Sportchek employee and i hate it when people say "dont go to sportchek, those kids dont know anything etc etc". I learned a lot from this forum and put that knowledge into what and how i sell. But the stuff they teach us at the store themselves are pretty good in my opinion, for the average sales associate. They do have the reps from the different companies come, and give us tests and assessments based on the catalogues of the brands as well.

As for sharpening...At my store at least we only let those who are properly trained do skate sharpening and even touch the machine. And those people are our store are the Shop Techs, and several experienced associates who are also hockey players. So we understand what people want and what they hate too.

PS: They are moving me over to Hockey Experts once it opens as they think i am one of the more knowledgable people in hockey + gear. Which i would attribute a lot to this site =P And also condemn this site for making me an equipment whore. Its a curse

I cant speak for all stores, but i hope this clears some things up about Sportcheks.....generally.

[KC83 2]

if you work at the metrotown store i'll bring my skates in!

cause i dont' trust sport chek with my step steel velocity...

[arfax 0]

How much does sport chek charge for skate sharpening anyways? I bought skates there and it was free but it wasn't good at all. The service/selection ain't bad though. This was the metrotown location.

[skarbro 0]

How much does sport chek charge for skate sharpening anyways? I bought skates there and it was free but it wasn't good at all. The service/selection ain't bad though. This was the metrotown location.

$4 or

$30 for 10.

[Cove 38]

I have a friend who works at a sport chek and I was with him talking while he was sharpening and I notice him skip a few steps and he said he didn't care and just handed this lady her figure skates back. Chances are she wouldn't know the difference, but I was quite worried.

[skarbro 0]

After my last "incident" with the Eaton Centre Sport Chek, I am now going to Hockey Experts at Kennedy Commons for FBV. I bought a $30 for 10 card there. They always have the same guys sharpening and seem to be a lot safer.

[b e r t 0]

sports chek in vancouver don't have flat bottom V

not a chance...

hockey shop in surrey and scoffs just off of hastings are the only places in vancouver that have FBV...

Sportchek on Marine Way, in Burnaby, has it.

Not sure I would trust them, tho.

Anyone tried that location?

[Ewhitz94 0]

I just flat out do not trust Sportchek with my skates.

[koedur 0]

I'm sure there are some Sport Cheks out there that offer good skate sharpening service but when I went to the Square One Mississauga location, the guy who sharpened my skates:

1) burned my blades

2) did not center the sharpening blade

3) shaved a ton of steel off the back of the blade (see #1 - burned blades)

4) effective changed the radius of the blades such that the left and right don't match

needless to say i learned why they were offering free sharpenings for a while.

I find that skate sharpenings from National Sports can be quite good but also bad - but the worst was never as bad as what I had from Sport Chek. Yes, I'm still bitter even after a year.

[NuggyBuggy 0]

Thanks guys, you have me pretty much convinced to stay away from the Sportcheks...

[the_sock 1]

I used to sharpen skates at Toronto Eaton Centre, sad to hear this. I've gone to many LHS and had hit and miss with sharpenings (times I couldn't do my own). Not everywhere is perfect. In fact, I take it more seriously when a LHS does a poor job. Had one guy basically trash Sport Chek and he destroyed my left skate. Not even close to being centered.

FBV will be in any Sport Chek that is turning into a Hockey Experts hockey department.