What skate hollow do you skate on?

[Super Star 0]

1/2 for me I love to accelerate out of crossovers, If I have some time a good windup behind the net = a nice rush in to the zone.

[w0ahitsm3 0]

I just had 1/2" on my skates. But I went ahead and tried 9/16". Didnt really really notice much of a difference when turning, just that I can slide a bit better when I want to. By the way I only weigh 120 lbs.

[Tikkanen 1]

I'm using 7/16 right now but I get the chatter when I slide stop. What should I change to? 6 foot, 190 lbs.

[deadmanjolt 1]

5/8 hollow, Vapor xxv ls2, 5'9" 155 lbs without equipment.

[Krev 86]

5'8" 160lbs, Easton S15's with LS2's on a 3/8th hollow.

[CBJ 0]

7/16ths for me

The few NHL guys skates i've cut are either 5/8ths or shallower for forwards and 1/4th for most defensemen. Of course, none of them have ever known what kind of cut they want/have... they just say "um whatever" or "i dunno" so i always put what they had on it previously. I always found it interesting that at least the guy's ive sharpened never knew what they're skating on.

*side note* i only sharpened their skates during the lockout year....

[Tailboard Jockey 25]

1/2" ROH, I'm 6', 240 lbs.

[Andoy 5]

switched to 3/4 2 weeks ago and loving it

[dmancam72 0]

Answering for my son who is the hockey player:

5' 8.5" tall, 137 lbs, 12 year old d-man using 1/2" roh, and a combo contour, done by a pro in NH. :-)

[scorer75 9]

6' 3" 235lb. I skate on a 7/16 but I'm working my way up as my technique improves.

My experience is that the weaker the skater, the deeper cut they like, sort of like a crutch. I find the better your knee bend, the shallower cut you need.

[Spreedizzle 1]

Depending on the time of year in here NC, and thus the ice temperature.....I go between 1/2" and 9/16".

[AnthonyJTa 0]

I go back and forth between 1/2 inch, and 9/16th's...

[bigoz21 0]

I forgot some of the hollows but i tried to put the most common ones on there. I usally skate on a 9\16 but im going a tid bit shallower and trying a 5\8.

Yeah thats crazy pretty much the normal hollow out here in CO is 7/16... Thats what they always give you unless you ask. Personally I like 1/2. seems to be a happy medium. When you go up to 3/4 or even an inch does that mean your prob a better skater??

[chrisg19 5]

5'10" 208 lbs. 5/8 ROH

At 1/2" ROH my skates chatter really bad on a full speed hockey stop. Just too much bite in the blades for me. I am always surprised when I am at the rink and I start talking about hollows, and other players have no clue what they are skating on. It makes such a difference, and a lot of the guys around here just get whatever the shop puts on, which at my rink is either 1/2" or 3/4".

Try some different hollows, it will change your game.

From http://www.owatonna.k12.mn.us/classroom/oh...0Sharpening.htm

• Deep Hollow (3/8, 1/2, 5/8 of an inch) allows for a more pronounced edge, which makes for tighter turns and more bite for stopping. The flipside is the deeper hollow makes the blade sink deeper into the ice causing more drag and less glide. Players with a deep hollow have to work harder because of the friction between ice and blade. The more pronounced edges of a deeper hollow may chip easier and require more maintenance. Players who maneuver in traffic or stop and start a lot may feel more secure with a little extra edge and may prefer a deeper hollow.

• Flat Hollow (3/4, 7/8, 1 inch) is more conducive to heavier players. The less-pronounced edge allows for more glide because the blade doesn’t sink as deeply into the ice. Players using less hollow will use less energy. A flatter hollow was greatly beneficial to my teammate and defensive partner Paul Coffey. He had one of the most efficient skating strides in the NHL. Paul always experimented with a very flat hollow, between 1 and 2 inches. The flatter hollow blades are easier to sharpen and need less maintenance. There certainly is a general misconception that sharp skates can only be achieved with a deep hollow. In the NHL, a player’s skate hollow is a personal preference based on trial and error and determined after many years of skating.

I found this information very useful, and thought I would post it in this thread for others.

There is some good information at this site as well

Skate Sharpening

[jon93 0]

15 y.o. 5'5" 138 and on 7/8ths.

I'm trying to get my way to 1inch but i think i might be too light. I'd rather have end to end speed but not having the greatest acceleration off of quick stops is the only downfall

[marc_9 0]

5'8 120 lbs on 3/8ths

[Jordan 13]

5'9 200lbs... 3/4

[Cue 0]

5'3 130lbs on 7/16th

Just came from 11ft radius now at 9ft, feels like I've lost a bit of speed/glide due to less blade contact. I can't hockey stop yet but feel that when I snow-plow to one side it almost doesn't chatter and is easier to catch that "edge" to slow down with the new radius, I think I'm almost ready to try the 1/2" in a couple weeks once I get used to the radius.

[Powerfibers 8]

5/8 radius. 5'9" and 180 lbs. Working towards 3/4 or shallower.

[flyerman 0]

Been on 7/16" for years and just went to 1/2". I'm working my way towards 5/8".

[RadioGaGa 162]

5'8" 165lbs - 5/8th

[EDIT]: 11' +1 Radius

[theWB 2]

5'9" 145lbs. Used to sharpen mine at 5/8's but all the talk of shallow hollows on here convinced me to try a shallower ROH. Going with 7/8's at the moment and it feels great. Wish I knew (or had it explained) all this info when I was playing youth hockey. Hated sharp skates so much, only used to get my skates sharpened like three times a year.

[zk2q7x 0]

1/2" ROH, 11' Radius

5'5" 125lbs

People should start posting their blade radius (rocker radius?) too, e.g. 9ft, 11ft, etc. I don't know if it's in my head, but when I was on a 9ft radius, a 1/2" ROH was perfect. Now at 11ft, there's too much bite. 'Going to go shallower.

[FunkyDish 0]

Just wanted to get some idea of what type of sharpening/hollow people are getting for their skates?

At the moment I'm getting them sharpened with a 90/50 FBV (I think it's equivalent to somewhere between a 3/4 - 1" traditional hollow, however, I may be wrong). I was getting them sharpened at 90/75 (~1/2- 5/8 hollow) for a while. But find that the 90/50 to be more suited for me. I actually tried all 4 types of FBV (90/50, 90/75, 100/50, 100/75).

Would love to hear from you guys on this topic as well.

[althoma1 574]

I'm also using 90/50 FBV. I've tried 90/75 as well, but prefer 90/50. Before FBV I was on a 7/8" traditional hollow after working my way up from 5/8 by going to 3/4" first and then 7/8". I may have tried 1", but didn't get a chance as I tried FBV and then was hooked after that. Now, I've been mistakenly given a traditional cut or a deeper FBV a few times and notice right away - I'm back at the shop to get FBV the next morning.

I'm 6'2" and 230lbs. When I was growing up I only sharpened my skates a couple times a year, but that was before I knew about hollows. Now I get them sharpened about once every month or two unless I get a bad nick in them.