Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[JR Boucicaut 3793]

It's simply not necessary to go that far up on the heel, even though plenty of manual sharpeners do it and end up, over time, destroying the heel radius.

But it sounds like you don't have a choice.  You could go shorter on the toe at well, especially since you do have a sharpened area above it.  

[aintitthelife98 28]

Hey Guys. I just picked up some new LS3 steel and want to make sure I'm sharpening it properly from the start. Which of these heights do you think is ideal to use? These pics are with the ring contacting the toe first. Thanks for the help!

Height 5

Height 4

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

12 minutes ago, aintitthelife98 said:

Hey Guys. I just picked up some new LS3 steel and want to make sure I'm sharpening it properly from the start. Which of these heights do you think is ideal to use? These pics are with the ring contacting the toe first. Thanks for the help!

Height 5

Height 4

 

4 should suffice. 

[vinprun71 61]

4

[aintitthelife98 28]

Thanks guys. With it being brand new steel, I want to try and hit it from the right height from day 1. Appreciate the feedback. 

[vinprun71 61]

12 minutes ago, aintitthelife98 said:

Thanks guys. With it being brand new steel, I want to try and hit it from the right height from day 1. Appreciate the feedback. 

If this is the first time sharpening it, make sure you run ten passes per skate. That's the Sparx recommended amount for brand new steel.

[Healthyscratch 11]

Just going to flat out ask this...

is it worth it to purchase one of these as it stands or should I wait until some kinks have been worked out in future generations? 

Reviews seem to be a mixed bag. Their online forum has a few people presenting some concerning issues. 

Edited March 12, 2017 by Healthyscratch

[IPv6Freely 2092]

There are no "kinks" as far as I've seen, at least in this thread. If you want one, go ahead and get one. 

[aintitthelife98 28]

Agreed, I've had mine a month and a half at this point and sharpened pretty frequently on it and haven't had any kinks. I'd go for one if you are interested it. 

[vinprun71 61]

Works like a charm. If you're considering it, just buy it. You won't be disappointed.

[stevebalchunas 32]

On 3/12/2017 at 7:47 PM, Healthyscratch said:

Reviews seem to be a mixed bag. Their online forum has a few people presenting some concerning issues. 

 

We've definitely had a handful of hardware/software issues affecting a very small percentage of sharpeners ~1%, but even when our customers do run into an issue, we're on top of it and usually have a solution same day. So, if it were up to me, I'd say you'd be fine to make a purchase knowing you have us fully supporting all of our sharpeners :). I think anyone here in the thread (who already owns a Sparx) can agree, if they've had an issue, it's been handled quickly. 

Keep in mind, we do not have a version 2 in the works. 

[colins 246]

On 3/12/2017 at 9:17 PM, Healthyscratch said:

Just going to flat out ask this...

is it worth it to purchase one of these as it stands or should I wait until some kinks have been worked out in future generations? 

Reviews seem to be a mixed bag. Their online forum has a few people presenting some concerning issues. 

 

I think Sparx has shipped over 3000 units now. If you look at the volume of questions/issues on their online forum, as a percentage of users it has to be some very low number. Imagine 3000 Blademasters or Blackstones going out, the majority to folks who've never sharpened a pair of skates before...

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Just like anything else in life: issues aren't what matters to me, it's if/how those issues are handled. I have full confidence in Sparx support, especially based on some of the PMs and emails I've exchanged with them.

[Swlabr11 69]

I've been getting the FBV 3/4 from noicing. Is there a comparable grinding ring available from sparx? I've heard mixed reviews of the 3/4 fire ring. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

8 minutes ago, Swlabr11 said:

I've been getting the FBV 3/4 from noicing. Is there a comparable grinding ring available from sparx? I've heard mixed reviews of the 3/4 fire ring. 

Comparable no. It's not FBV. It's the same as BFD which is the same concept but arguably not as good. 

What kind of mixed reviews? I've heard nothing but good things, except from people who thought it was FBV.

[Swlabr11 69]

I'm sorry, mixed reviews was probably not the correct way to word it. I've just heard that the hollows can feel a little different than what you might be used to. So you might need to get a different hollow than what you might normally get to have the same feel. 

[dahonam 3]

I wanted to chime in as being part of the 1% who's had an issue with this sharpener. 

After using the sharpener for some time (maybe 30 skates), my sliding skate locks got loose and wouldnt stay locked thus causing the machine to either not run or stop mid sharpening. I messaged Sparx and sent a video of the issue, within a day they replied and sent me a return shipping label and they fixed the issue the day they received the sharpener and had it back out to me. Customer service is responsive and great, glad I got this machine. 

[aintitthelife98 28]

Great to hear about the customer service experience!

[strosedefence34 175]

 

[chippa13 1844]

Awesome to see it getting use at the pro level but, gosh, that guy is a horrible interview.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

It's also worth mentioning (it was briefly alluded to earlier but I don't think anyone elaborated on it) that Sparx went above and beyond with regards to customer service a couple months ago for all its customers. 

One dumbass apparently didn't bother changing his filter when the "change air filter" light came on, and ended up actually causing some smoke/burning as a result. In response, Sparx sent out a free air filter to all of its customers. Definitely was not something they had to do, but it was still very much appreciated. 

 

[shoeshine boy 242]

25 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

It's also worth mentioning (it was briefly alluded to earlier but I don't think anyone elaborated on it) that Sparx went above and beyond with regards to customer service a couple months ago for all its customers. 

One dumbass apparently didn't bother changing his filter when the "change air filter" light came on, and ended up actually causing some smoke/burning as a result. In response, Sparx sent out a free air filter to all of its customers. Definitely was not something they had to do, but it was still very much appreciated. 

 

interesting that you say that because I didn't get one..... :(

[kadayo 9]

41 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

It's also worth mentioning (it was briefly alluded to earlier but I don't think anyone elaborated on it) that Sparx went above and beyond with regards to customer service a couple months ago for all its customers. 

One dumbass apparently didn't bother changing his filter when the "change air filter" light came on, and ended up actually causing some smoke/burning as a result. In response, Sparx sent out a free air filter to all of its customers. Definitely was not something they had to do, but it was still very much appreciated. 

 

 

15 minutes ago, shoeshine boy said:

interesting that you say that because I didn't get one..... :(

It  was only if you had previously purchased the X grinding ring.

[shoeshine boy 242]

2 minutes ago, kadayo said:

 

It  was only if you had previously purchased the X grinding ring.

I did. I was a Kickstarter backer AND got the X ring as soon as it was available.

Edited March 20, 2017 by shoeshine boy

[stevebalchunas 32]

3 hours ago, shoeshine boy said:

I did. I was a Kickstarter backer AND got the X ring as soon as it was available.

Yikes, that doesn't sound right, sorry about that! Shoot me an email (steve@sparxhockey.com) and I'll get one out tomorrow for you. Sorry I didn't catch this earlier.