Is 1/4 too mcuh bite?

[S.Mack97 0]

I currently get my skates sharpened at 3/8 but it feels like that doesn't get me a lot of bite. I am not a big player (female) 135 lbs about 5'8" so if I were to switch to getting my skates sharpened at 1/4 would that be too much? I just really like having some decent bite when I skate. I am also looking at 1/4 because I am heading up to idaho for a 4-5 game outdoor tournament this coming weekend and I know that the outdoor ice will wear down my skates fairly quickly. I appreciate any feedback.

[tscharf 0]

that sounds a little excessive for someone your size but everyone has their preference. Just my 2 cents.

[Drewhunz 3]

I refuse to sharpen anything beyond 3/8". You're asking for trouble that deep.

[Krev 86]

As a former skate sharpener, I too refused to cut anything deeper than 3/8".

[Ogie Oglethorpe 14]

The lighter you are, the more likely you're going to want a deeper cut. However, 1/4? Pretty deep. Why not just bring a stone or sweet-stick with you to help manage your edge between sharpenings?

[Chadd 916]

You will lose your edges faster with 1/4 than with 3/8. I have yet to see an example of anyone that should be using something with more bite than 3/8.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Throwing on the pile...yeah, that's a bit too much.

Have you thought about lightening up your hollow/increasing times you sharpen?

[DarkStar50 679]

You guys would be surprised how many elite Olympic level figure skaters get a 3/8" ROH from Jim in the shop. Think how fast they skate with that ROH grabbing the ice. It is amazing to me.

[raganblink 82]

Again as everyone else... refuse to do past 3/8s

[forbs02 20]

Way too much bite. I sharpen for womens college players and I won't do over 1/2" for them. The guy at Harvard won't go over 5/8".

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

You guys would be surprised how many elite Olympic level figure skaters get a 3/8" ROH from Jim in the shop. Think how fast they skate with that ROH grabbing the ice. It is amazing to me.

Oh yeah - most around here are going with that 7/16"/3/8" territory.

I mean, the OP says she's 135lb; 3/8" should suffice. And if she lives where there's really cold ice, you may see 5/16"

[Jason 65]

Are your blades really rounded (i.e. short radius profile). If you feel a lack of bite on a 3/8 ROH, then I suspect that. Have your skates profiled to a 9 foot or longer profile. I skate on 3/4" ROH with an 11' profile. I know we all like to say that these things are personal preference, but I don't think anybody should need a ROH deeper than 1/2 and even that is extreme to me. Provided that your knee bend and skating stride are somewhat close to proper.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Good recommendation, Jason.

[flyerman 0]

If you're somewhere where you can get an FBV sharpening done, you could probably go to 1/2" (FBV 100/75). I've found FBV provides great bite with better glide, and the sharpenings last 2-3 times longer than regular ROH sharpenings (even on outdoor ice). If 1/2" FBV is not enough bite, you could always go to 3/8" (FBV 100/1). If nowhere near you does FBV, check out noicing sports where you can mail in your runners. I've been really happy with their work.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Bad info. Your FBV numbers are totally off.

[odieg14 0]

im 5'8 142ish and i like 7/16

[flyers10 57]

Could it also be just learning how to use your edges better? I use a 1/2 and I can't cut as hard, stop as quick, etc as a guy on my team who uses 7/8. He's a more profecient skater and it allows him to use that hollow.

[flyerman 0]

Bad info. Your FBV numbers are totally off.

I lifted it right off the noicing webpage. Are there numbers wrong?

Point is that she could go shallower using FBV and still have enough bite on hard turns and enough edge to last her through the outdoor games.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Yep. For some time now he's been calling it what he thinks it is, causing confusion when they see the official numbers from Blackstone themselves.

Like I said, bad info.

[the_sock 1]

I only did one sharpening at 1/4, a tiny Asian woman, she was 4'10" and weighed in at maybe 80 pounds...she was tiny! But she wanted a 1/4 sharpening (at first I was hesitant) but she loves it. Great skater, I saw her skate and she rarely stops...just keeps flowing. I was surprised that she was able to skate on that sharp of a cut. But she had to get them done often cuz they wore out quick.

Either than that...90% of the sharpenings I did was 1/2 with some going to 5/8 and 3/8 for the other 10%.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Weight has a lot to do with it, if they don't put enough footprint on the ice they can get away with a deeper hollow...just like a bigger guy can use a shallower hollow than most.

[DarkStar50 679]

^ and smaller, lighter, much more technically correct elite women figure skaters can use that 3/8 ROH and also not get their skates sharpened that often given their high level of skill in edge work. Flip side? Elite figure boot and blade combos can get pretty heavy in total weight.

[jimmy 194]

Yep. For some time now he's been calling it what he thinks it is, causing confusion when they see the official numbers from Blackstone themselves.

Like I said, bad info.

Excuse me but it is you who is mistaken. If you recall when Blackstone first came out with FBV's, they only offered 2 of them, the 100/75 and the 90/75. In their effort to "sell" the technology and machines, they were very liberal in the range of hollows their 2 avail spinners covered, saying 3/8-3/4" hollows were covered by 2 spinners. It wasn't till later, after more spinners were avail that they modified their charts, etc. We originally named our FBV cuts based on Blackstone's own information. However, after our own testing, we modified our website to indicate that each FBV really had a range of hollows that each spinner covered. A direct crossover to hollow is NOT possible, despite the bite angle comparison BS does on their charts. For example, some skaters who were on 1/2 hollow found the 100/50 did not have enough bite, while others who were on 3/8 found the 100/75 was too sharp. No one can definitively say a 100/50 is equivalent to the exact feel and performance of a 1/2 hollow. If you have proof, please let us know. Heck, Blackstone's own chart says, the 90/1, 100/75 and 95/75 all are equiv to 1/2-9/16. So what is it 1/2 or 9/16? For those who have skated on both 9/16 and 1/2 hollow, we ALL know there is a difference, so how is it possible for those 3 spinners to have the same range? Point made.

Since we were one of the pioneer offerers of FBV's we have since done 10's of thousands of them and are pretty confident that our settings covers the ranges that are based on feedback from thousand of customers. Some feel the 100/75 has bite of 3/8, others don't. In the nearly 3 years I've been recommending FBV's, I've pretty much concluded that there is not a direct crossover to hollows and one has to start with a FBV that is close to what a skater is using and is comfortable with, then evaluate feedback and adjust as necessary.

[Chadd 916]

so how is it possible for those 3 spinners to have the same range?

According to the guys at blackstone it has to do with the way the edges bites and releases. All three hollows have some properties that compare to 1/2-9/16. In the end, experimentation is the only way to get what feels best.

[jimmy 194]

Are your blades really rounded (i.e. short radius profile). If you feel a lack of bite on a 3/8 ROH, then I suspect that. Have your skates profiled to a 9 foot or longer profile. I skate on 3/4" ROH with an 11' profile. I know we all like to say that these things are personal preference, but I don't think anybody should need a ROH deeper than 1/2 and even that is extreme to me. Provided that your knee bend and skating stride are somewhat close to proper.

Jason, it's actually the opposite. A longer radius will not have as much bite as a shorter radius, because the weight of the skater is disbursed over a larger surface area. With same hollow, a 9' radius will actually bite more than a 11'. And you are correct, it's all personal preference, some people love 5/16, most don't. But if you ask the guy on 5/16 what you should use, he'll likely say 5/16. :-)