Blackstone X01 vs. New Wissota Sharpening System

[giogolf 9]

Hey all,

So I ran a search on this site as well as others comparing the New Wissota with the 3D holder and the Blackstone X01 machines (Budget = <$1100).

I have narrowed it down to either of these systems and currently leaning towards the Wissota. I am looking at the "new" Wissota machine which has the new 3D Skate holder and the updated diamond quilt with measurements to dress the wheel. The reason this is important is because, most people have the old Wissota system with the 2D holder (tricky to adjust) and the old dresser which was difficult to measure.

I spoke with Both companies and both provided excellent customer service.

This is what I am tracking so far:

1. Wissota

Industrial grade

Although portable its built to sharpen skates similar to a shop setting doing dozens and dozens of pairs a day

3D holder is high quality super easy to adjust and zero in.. Also features a zero setting that allows you to reset the wheels to zero once you calibrated the holder

Diamond dresser with predetermined measurements for quick ROH changes

Package is complete with everything I need to sharpen from 1/4 to 1 1/2 ROH

2. Blackstone X01

Personal use Grade

Not intended to be continually run, so team use would be pushing it

3D holder is easy to use

Spinner system makes dressing the wheel simple

Package includes everything to get started to sharpen skates on one ROH or FBV, other settings cost $50-$65 each

So I am leaning towards the Wissota because all else being equal, I feel the heavy duty quality and ability to sharpen all ROH sizes without additional spinners is a bonus for me.

What are your thoughts, outside of FBV which doesn't appeal to me yet what makes one machine better than the other?

Thanks!

[SCBlueLiner 19]

I agree with your assessment and if it were me I would buy the Wissota.

Are you buying these direct from the manufacturer or through a retailer? I have been looking into buying a skate sharperner myself.

[giogolf 9]

I agree with your assessment and if it were me I would buy the Wissota.

Are you buying these direct from the manufacturer or through a retailer? I have been looking into buying a skate sharperner myself.

Both are manufacturer direct

[forbs02 20]

Have you considered the Blademaster SPB850? It's in the same price range and is a nice machine. Not to knock Wissota since I've only used their older machines, but I've found the Blademaster portables to be easier to use. It comes with a basic holder that is not the high end, but is still a good holder. You could eventually upgrade if you found it necessary, but the holder that comes with is nice. Most college teams use a portable Blademaster on the road.

I'm not trying to throw a wrench into your decision making process, but I just wanted to point out another option.

[Chadd 916]

The ability to do FBV alone makes the Blackstone the winner for me. The spinner system makes dressing the wheel much faster, easier and uses less of the wheel than a traditional diamond. There is also no "slop" in the spinner, unline the traditional two point system. The X01 also has a higher RPM, making it easier to get a nicer finish. The cost of spinners for different hollows isn't bad, as you will most likely use 3-4 at most and they hold up for a long time. Out of the 20 or so guys that I sharpen for, all but three or four use the same one (95/75). I wouldn't want to use either of them to do 20 pair of skates every day, but I don't see how either one would be a problem for a youth or club team. Most players at that level don't have their skates sharpened more than once a week anyway.

[Buzz_LightBeer 963]

What do you intend to use the machine for? Business, team or personal?

Seems like you're leaning in the right direction so far.

[notquitedeadyet 13]

I have owned all these machines, and others, & I would overwhelmingly recommend the Wissotta ( or the SPB850) over the X01. Especially if you don’t need FBV, but even if you did.

I did not see where the spinner made dressing the wheel any faster, but it only takes a few seconds anyway, so I’m not quite sure of the point there. I also don’t see where it uses less wheel to dress, but remember the wheel of the X01 is only a fraction of the size of the other machines, so even if that were true, the wheel still lasts several times longer on the others. Yet the price is similar.

I don’t see where there’s any slop in a properly adjusted 2 point dressing system, & it’s a very simple adjustment that doesn’t need repeating. And I didn’t consider the stamped sheet metal components on the X01 dressing system very confidence inspiring.

The higher rpm of the X01 is also the loser, because the wheel is only 4” in diameter, so the effective speed (FPS) of the wheel to the blade is way less, even with the slightly higher RPM. Also the power was questionable; you felt the rpm’s drop considerably as soon as the blade touched the wheel. I’m exaggerating here, but the only way I can think to describe it was compared to the others, it kinda felt like sharpening skates with an oversized Dremel.

The price of spinners is considerable, especially just for ROH, & I found I would rather move & adjust a quill, than remove a cover & change out a spinner.

Also, both of those full-sized portables will sharpen skates continuously, 20 pairs is not a problem at all, I’ve done it many times with both.

Where the X01 excels is portability, I bought it thinking I would use it for the plane trips with the team I was sharpening for. I realize now that the X02 would have been a better choice, but the X01 made me realize I would never be happy using a machine that used 4” wheels.

For the record, I currently own that Blademaster SPB850, I like it because the wheel rotates in the same direction as my full sized Blademaster, unlike the Wissotta. Both are great, capable machines, as are the Blackstone professional portables. I’m just not as fond of the X series machines as others on this board. I could go on, but I’m sure I’m gonna get flamed here as it is.

True story: when I sold my X01, the guy that bought it mentioned that he sold his Wissotta to buy that machine. Approx 1 month later, I saw he had it up for sale. I felt a little guilty, but he seemed to know what he was doing, & never asked my opinion when I said I've owned Wissottas. He was a machine repairman by trade.

[giogolf 9]

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

I plan to sharpen no more than 30 a week.

I didn't consider blademaster because I thought they were all over $1500.

Final question.. Is it a big deal that the wheel on the wissota spins opposite of the Blackstone? Does it make it odd to make a clean pass?

[notquitedeadyet 13]

Not at all.

You won't know the difference if you're not used to something else.

I also thought the Blademaster was about $1500. With a conventional holder.

[MThockeydad 469]

I wish it was possible to adapt an FBV spinner to the Wissota. :(

[notquitedeadyet 13]

Google that, you might be suprised.

[DEATHTRON 19]

Having sharpened on Baldemaster machines during my 5 years in retail, and owning an x01, I would recommend the x01 over the wissota (which I have seen).

The simple reason for this? The spinner system. Accurate edges everytime, no matter what, as well as FBV. The wissota was nice and substantial, however, I think the spinner system is the best thing going in skate sharpening right now.

The X01 is made well enough, and does an admirable job for home sharpening.

Zach

[MThockeydad 469]

Google that, you might be suprised.

I have... What have you found?

[notquitedeadyet 13]

There's a couple of epinion discussions & another hockey board that discuss options that are home-made & commercially available. PM me if you can't find them.

Before I decided on BFD, I found a magnetic base & a small machinist feed assembly online that I thought would be easy to put together to build an inexpensive dresser for FBV. But now I'm not convinced that all that is even needed. I think all you really need is something steady to mount a spinner on at the right height to touch it to the wheel. I'm thinking a scrap (largish) block of steel from a metal supply house, use a drill press to drill & tap a fine-thread perpendicular hole of appropriate size to mount a spinner, some washers or shims or spacer, a wave washer, some locknuts or jam nuts, some gaffers tape (or even hockey tape) for the bottom & you should be in business.

[MThockeydad 469]

OK, so I saw the $2,000 option on Blackstone's site.
..was wondering if there was a $200-500 option.

I'm visualizing exactly what you're talking about with the magnetic base and machinist feed assembly. I think that sort of adjustability would be beneficial compared to jam nuts and shims. The tolerances are a lot closer for a good FBV sharpening, and being dead perpendicular to the wheel more critical--where a radius just needs to be tangential to the skate blade.

[wrangler 157]

OK, so I saw the $2,000 option on Blackstone's site.

..was wondering if there was a $200-500 option.

I'm visualizing exactly what you're talking about with the magnetic base and machinist feed assembly. I think that sort of adjustability would be beneficial compared to jam nuts and shims. The tolerances are a lot closer for a good FBV sharpening, and being dead perpendicular to the wheel more critical--where a radius just needs to be tangential to the skate blade.

I can't work out what you're trying to describe.

[notquitedeadyet 13]

Any good drill press will machine a hole perpendicular to the bottom surface just by design. The only adjustment you would need is to locate the spinner to the center of the wheel. I believe its 4 5/8" on a Wissota. That's where you would need the spacer, shims or nuts, depending on how much room there is. I would use full size spinners because of the thickness of the wheel.

You also would probably not want to use the Tangent Finder holder to sharpen with FBV, you need to keep the blade square to the wheel & it would get tedious using that side knob & the locknuts to adjust the holder.

In terms of that $200 option you're looking for, I take it you haven't read the discussions I pointed you to. Seems like they found one, not sure if its still available.

[MThockeydad 469]

Wrangler, the center of the radius on a radiused wheel doesn't have to be the center of the wheel; the skate holder doesn't have to be at exactly the center of the wheel, either--as long as the tangent of the wheel hits the center of the blade, the radius will be centered on the blade. I don't know if I'm describing that clearly.

On FBV, the dresser and skate holder will have to be in exactly the same plane.

notquitedeadyet, no I haven't...work's kept me too busy lately to exercise my google-fu.

[notquitedeadyet 13]

That's why I recommended a fine thread for the post in case you used a jam nut. I adusted my bfd dresser center to match my regular roh dresser so I wouldn't have to make major adjustments to any of my holders when switching back & forth.

A big advantage to a stand alone dresser is that all the heads will be dressed at the same height with it so the holder(s) can be switched between heads

[giogolf 9]

Last question from me and I will be making my purchase.

Does anyone find the Standard ROH Spinners to be sharper than ROH done on standard dresser? I just had my skates done at 3/4" (My usual) from a authorized blackstone sharpener. They used a 3/4" ROH spinner and my skates came out way to sharp. At practice they felt deeper than 5/8ths... and I hated them. Is it possible Spinners in ROH are different or that the guy used a different spinner like 3/8ths or something?

[notquitedeadyet 13]

Someone has mentioned that they measured some spinners & the radius was slightly smaller than marked, & they thought it might be that the roh was correct on the spinner before the diamond dust was sprayed on, but the thickness of that coating made the radius smaller.

Also the single point makes a cleaner shape, but I doubt either of those conditions would have the drastic effect you felt.

interesting info I found online:

http://s20.postimg.org/pwus1ifnx/hollows.jpg

[giogolf 9]

Thanks Im thinking they used the wrong spinner size

[notquitedeadyet 13]

Me too.

Go back & have them measure it or re-do them

[Chadd 916]

Last question from me and I will be making my purchase.

Does anyone find the Standard ROH Spinners to be sharper than ROH done on standard dresser? I just had my skates done at 3/4" (My usual) from a authorized blackstone sharpener. They used a 3/4" ROH spinner and my skates came out way to sharp. At practice they felt deeper than 5/8ths... and I hated them. Is it possible Spinners in ROH are different or that the guy used a different spinner like 3/8ths or something?

I would bet they used the wrong one. If it was only slightly more bite than you were used to, then I would say that it was the sharpener doing a better hob than you're used to. I have seen that happen no matter what dressing method was used.

[benson 8]

Sorry to wake an old thread back up, but which did you end up buying? I've been looking at sharpeners, and was looking at the same two and also leaning toward the Wissota. For me, I like the Wissota as I am looking at it for personal use (my son and myself) and they include everything I'd need for kid and adult skates with multiple ROH. Also, they are local, and that's good (plus saves shipping).

I've been watching for used ones, but they tend to sell pretty quick. With the seasons done for most kids, I am hoping there might be a few more available. But if not, the Wissota looks like the best deal for me.