Does extra set of blades/runners make sense?

[tregobo 4]

My son (peewee travel) is really particular about his sharpening. I have tried the one place close by and they continually mess up his blades (I can see with my naked eye). I am left with having to make about an hour drive to get a quality job done.

I was thinking that having a second, or maybe third set of blades would be nice is I could do all three at once. He is on the ice 4 or 5 times a week, so the three would last maybe 5 or 6 weeks. He has RBK 6K's with the really simple two bolts for blade removal. Does this seem like a good idea? Am I overlooking some sort of issue?

I am not able to find the exact blades he currently has (I guess his model is from 2011-2012 that I got on clearance a few months ago)

These blades (at 247mm for size 4.5):

http://www.totalhockey.com/product/CCM___Reebok_Proformance_Lite_Stainless_Steel_Runners/itm/4584-2/

They look almost the same as the current blades except the current ones have an enclose circle for the bolt, not the slight opening. Would these blades fit and feel the same for him on his 6K's?

Sorry for the long post - any suggestions or info would be appreciated.

[jimmy 194]

It always make sense to have a second set of steel, even if not far from a sharpener. Steel can break or lose an edge at the worst time, when no pro shop is open. So, simply reach in the bag put on the spare set and you are back in business in minutes. The blades on the link you posted with the open circles are the old CCM/RBK runners. They have been discontinued but fit in the skates the same. The newer version with the solid circle is a better quality steel.

[tregobo 4]

Thanks Jimmy

Any suggestions on where to find the newer style blades? Not seeing the closed circle kind anywhere.

[LakeshoreHockeyArenaWNY 2]

always a good idea and cant hurt for extra insurance, but i'd definitely limit it to one extra set. he's not going to fit in these skates forever. and dont let a shop tell you they cant sharpen steel unless its in a skate (ive heard this before, its BS i've done plenty of extra sets of steel by just putting the steel in the skate jig). the only tricky part is stoning it afterward.

once he's done growing and gets a nice skate its a no brainer if he is particular. where are you located?

[jimmy 194]

Thanks Jimmy

Any suggestions on where to find the newer style blades? Not seeing the closed circle kind anywhere.

The slotted steel is over 2 yrs old, so perhaps stores are trying to get rid of the old stock. You local store should be able to order you a set if they don't stock the new ones yet.

[tregobo 4]

always a good idea and cant hurt for extra insurance, but i'd definitely limit it to one extra set. he's not going to fit in these skates forever. and dont let a shop tell you they cant sharpen steel unless its in a skate (ive heard this before, its BS i've done plenty of extra sets of steel by just putting the steel in the skate jig). the only tricky part is stoning it afterward.

once he's done growing and gets a nice skate its a no brainer if he is particular. where are you located?

I grew up in Winnipeg where there was a 70+ year old expert skate sharpener every two blocks. Now I live in Baltimore - tough to get a good sharpening done.

I guess you are right - he is going through one new pair per season, so two extra sets might be a waste.

Its so easy to swap out the blades that I assume they would just swap in the blades to make sharpening easier.

[Stewie 721]

heres the thing though, if you get a second pair of runners, you can always sell them later on to recoup some of the cost.

[jimmy 194]

Runners are about $65 per pair. if in a year having 2 sets saves you 20 trips to the sharpener, the gas savings alone will pay for them. Still, having the spare set as insurance and piece of mind is worth it. You have CCMs so breakage is not too common, but if i were a bauer owner, I would never leave for the rink without a spare set in my bag.

[Stewie 721]

Runners are about $65 per pair. if in a year having 2 sets saves you 20 trips to the sharpener, the gas savings alone will pay for them. Still, having the spare set as insurance and piece of mind is worth it. You have CCMs so breakage is not too common, but if i were a bauer owner, I would never leave for the rink without a spare set in my bag.

I agree with this. Also runners, especially the CCM that Ive used, are something that seems to wear differently than most gear, so if you have a good portion of your runner left at the end of the season you can probably sell them on here or elsewhere and get at least half that back. Barring no bending of the runner, steel holds up very well =)

[IPv6Freely 2100]

Yes yes yes. An extra pair of runners is definitely worth it. I always forget (or am too lazy) to get my skates sharpened so I was only doing a sharpening every 10 games or so. With an extra set of runners and a mail-order sharpening service I have fresh runners every other week.

It was also worth it for me because I have no local rinks that do FBV, and I also needed a different radius the first time I had them done (Mako runners, 10' radius, FBV, slight negative pitch). I don't trust the sharpener at my rink even for standard hollows, and the shop I do trust is now 30 minutes away since I moved.

[tregobo 4]

Runners are about $65 per pair. if in a year having 2 sets saves you 20 trips to the sharpener, the gas savings alone will pay for them. Still, having the spare set as insurance and piece of mind is worth it. You have CCMs so breakage is not too common, but if i were a bauer owner, I would never leave for the rink without a spare set in my bag.

These ones are $34 for the pair right?

http://www.totalhockey.com/product/CCM___Reebok_Proformance_Lite_Stainless_Steel_Runners/itm/4584-2/

[Stewie 721]

These ones are $34 for the pair right?

http://www.totalhockey.com/product/CCM___Reebok_Proformance_Lite_Stainless_Steel_Runners/itm/4584-2/

it appears that way. as previously mentioned, CCM has gone away from the scalloped design. I personally find no issues with them, but others can speak to the improved steel in the more current models as im still in my U10's. My guess is they will perform fine for your son

[mojo122 541]

Best decision I ever made was to buy a second set of runners. To the OP, if at all possible try to get the same runners he has as the second set.