Sharpening costs

[Fred 0]

8 to 10 euro for standard sharpening, 12 to 15 for first if you don't buy skates there, no sign of FBV here in Milan, Italy

[jimmy 194]

Can't just compare costs because there are so many variables. In NYC where retail space rents are astronomical, a sharpening is going to cost way more than say a shop in rural Manitoba. Also, a lot of shops just offer house cuts, everyone gets the same setting. These guys might be cheaper than the craftsman who offers custom cuts, etc. The one thing that bothers me is the places that charge more for goalie sharpenings. That's just wrong. :-)

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Exactly right; the areas which aren't hotbeds, pricing is higher because they can get away with it due to minimum competition.

[tekst 0]

Where do you live? I want to get FBV too

I live in Melbourne marc0

[salibandy 21]

I live in Melbourne marc0

Mate, I'm going over there for a bit in May. Are there any shinny sessions being run there?

Here in Singapore, it's 10 for the guy sharpening at home, 24 for the pro shop, and 20 for the figure shop who does FBV, but never gets her edges right.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Can't just compare costs because there are so many variables. In NYC where retail space rents are astronomical, a sharpening is going to cost way more than say a shop in rural Manitoba. Also, a lot of shops just offer house cuts, everyone gets the same setting. These guys might be cheaper than the craftsman who offers custom cuts, etc. The one thing that bothers me is the places that charge more for goalie sharpenings. That's just wrong. :-)

Totally agree but I was wondering roughly what people were charging good or bad!

[notquitedeadyet 13]

The one thing that bothers me is the places that charge more for goalie sharpenings. That's just wrong. :-)

I don't have an issue with shops charging a couple more bucks for a goalie sharpening; the blades are usually thicker & require a little more care to get the deeper hollows just right. You could even argue the point that most shops will buy a holder to dedicate to goalie skates that must be subsidized.

What bothers me is when a shop will charge almost 2x a regular sharpening for first time sharpening of skates or blades. Most blades are no longer punched out of a sheet of steel, so establishing a hollow is not much different than if it were cross-ground.

Not sure if its just punitive to people that bought skates/steel elsewhere, or just cuz everyone does it so they can still get away with it.

[tekst 0]

Mate, I'm going over there for a bit in May. Are there any shinny sessions being run there?

Here in Singapore, it's 10 for the guy sharpening at home, 24 for the pro shop, and 20 for the figure shop who does FBV, but never gets her edges right.

Yep, heres a link to the session times. Elsewhere on that website is details like the rink adress etc. Let me know on here if you can make some and I may be able to come down. Good group of guys and pretty regular times.

http://www.icehouse.com.au/home/ice-sports/hockey-school/adult-pickup-hockey

Just scroll down a bit and click on times :)

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

Free. Friends with the guys in the shop.

[jimmy 194]

I don't have an issue with shops charging a couple more bucks for a goalie sharpening; the blades are usually thicker & require a little more care to get the deeper hollows just right. You could even argue the point that most shops will buy a holder to dedicate to goalie skates that must be subsidized.

What bothers me is when a shop will charge almost 2x a regular sharpening for first time sharpening of skates or blades. Most blades are no longer punched out of a sheet of steel, so establishing a hollow is not much different than if it were cross-ground.

Not sure if its just punitive to people that bought skates/steel elsewhere, or just cuz everyone does it so they can still get away with it.

It really doesn't take any longer to sharpen goal skates (except RBKs have such quality steel, they take more passes, similiar to the old Pitch steel). Set runner width on the holder and go for it, no different than with player skates. However the initial sharpening certainly takes longer. A skate with a hollow in it can usually be resharpened with 4 passes. Try that on new steel and the skater will be falling all over the place. This is why you often hear folks on MSH complaing about their new skates sharpening, they were not done right the first time. It's not punative to charge more, it's simply labor related. Plus, wherever you bought your steel should have sharpened them first time for free, this is the industry standard.

[cooperalls 4]

Not sure if its just punitive to people that bought skates/steel elsewhere, or just cuz everyone does it so they can still get away with it.

It's both. It takes more time to sharpen steel for the first time. But it's also a disincentive to buying skates elsewhere (read: online) and bringing them to a LHS for sharpening.

In the Pacific NW most shops charge ~$5 for R.O.H. I think shops here realize there is a limited client base, and most of the customers realize the LHS options are equally limited.

[Tyler Roy 86]

6$ standard and 8 for fbv

[Ankles 3]

We charge $10 for ROH, $12 for BFD and Goalie, $15 for first time if purchased elsewhere.

[fbvnyc 12]

ROH $15 +tax. No FBV

[mickz 107]

I don't have an issue with shops charging a couple more bucks for a goalie sharpening; the blades are usually thicker & require a little more care to get the deeper hollows just right. You could even argue the point that most shops will buy a holder to dedicate to goalie skates that must be subsidized.

What bothers me is when a shop will charge almost 2x a regular sharpening for first time sharpening of skates or blades. Most blades are no longer punched out of a sheet of steel, so establishing a hollow is not much different than if it were cross-ground.

Not sure if its just punitive to people that bought skates/steel elsewhere, or just cuz everyone does it so they can still get away with it.

You still need to cross grind a fresh pair of skates before the first sharpening. It's reasonable that the shop would charge twice the price of a regular sharpening since it's essentially twice the amount of work.

[jimmy 194]

You still need to cross grind a fresh pair of skates before the first sharpening. It's reasonable that the shop would charge twice the price of a regular sharpening since it's essentially twice the amount of work.

Crossgrinding is not really necessary anymore with modern steel, but it still takes more work, more dressing the stones and more stone wear. I dress stones a minimum 4 times when doing a new set of steel. And because of all the metal in the stone from having to establish the hollow, it's a heavier dress required to clean and reshape the stone, which wears diamonds and stones quicker.

[IPv6Freely 2100]

I have no problem with a store charging significantly more for a first sharpening. Just add it to the long list of reasons to buy the skates there (since it would typically then be free).

[jimmy 194]

I have no problem with a store charging significantly more for a first sharpening. Just add it to the long list of reasons to buy the skates there (since it would typically then be free).

I could care less if people buy their skates elsewhere, just don't ask me to do for no extra charge the extra work that the person you bought them from should have done. Some look at it as punishment, I view it only as time, labor, stone and diamond wear.

[nickd820 0]

Its $7 were i am

[Ankles 3]

Crossgrinding is not really necessary anymore with modern steel, but it still takes more work, more dressing the stones and more stone wear. I dress stones a minimum 4 times when doing a new set of steel. And because of all the metal in the stone from having to establish the hollow, it's a heavier dress required to clean and reshape the stone, which wears diamonds and stones quicker.

You would dress the stone less if you used the cross grinder first.

[jimmy 194]

You would dress the stone less if you used the cross grinder first.

Please explain exactly how this works? How does a crossgrinder establish a hollow?

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Total Hockey - $6 for either ROH or FBV.

[AIREAYE 248]

$5 (CDN) for either ROH or FBV at Sportchek, $40 for a 10 sharpening card. Used to be $4 for both and $30 for a 10 sharpening card; higher price was implemented this past winter.

[Ankles 3]

Please explain exactly how this works? How does a crossgrinder establish a hollow?

First, since the cross grind wheel is round, you are not technically grinding the runner flat. That will already put you on your way to establishing a hollow. Second, most of the runners that come from the factory are not flat themselves, but have a convex finish to them. By grinding that away, the initial out-of-the-box sharpening will require less passes to establish the desired hollow you're looking for, therefore, requiring less dressing of the wheel. You may be able to get away with a single dressing, or dare I say, still use the same dressing from your last sharpening. Of course, if one doesn't know how to properly dress a stone anyway, then my entire explanation is null and void.

[jimmy 194]

Total Hockey - $6 for either ROH or FBV.

"Shameless plug" :-)

First, since the cross grind wheel is round, you are not technically grinding the runner flat. That will already put you on your way to establishing a hollow. Second, most of the runners that come from the factory are not flat themselves, but have a convex finish to them. By grinding that away, the initial out-of-the-box sharpening will require less passes to establish the desired hollow you're looking for, therefore, requiring less dressing of the wheel. You may be able to get away with a single dressing, or dare I say, still use the same dressing from your last sharpening. Of course, if one doesn't know how to properly dress a stone anyway, then my entire explanation is null and void.

In the old days, steel was rough cut and needed a crossgrind. With modern steel, CGng is really not necessary, a couple of passes on finishing wheel (undressed from last sharpening), then redress and go to town. This method takes no longer or dresses more than the CG method. Plus CG wheels need dressing too. To each his own though, if you like to CG, then that's fine.