Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[stevebalchunas 32]

On 3/18/2017 at 3:54 PM, 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. 

Best thing to do would be to ship some blades to us. We'd give you our 1/2 or 3/4 FIRE, and you can test them out. Unfortunately, since they are not the same thing, there's no direct comparison for FBV OR BFD cuts. It's the same premise, but we'd never guarantee that one feels exactly like the other. 

Most mixed reviews of FIRE (all cuts, not just 3/4) tend to be from skaters trying a flat bottom hollow for the first time. And as anyone who has skated on flat bottom knows, they DO feel different. Folks will write in stating "I love my 1/2" Radius Ring (traditional hollow), but would love to try out a flat bottom ring." For these customers, my first response is always "If you love 1/2" RR, maybe stick with 1/2" RR, but if you're going to try something different, know it's going to feel very different when first skating on the 1/2 FIRE". Just because you love 3/4", doesn't mean you'd like the feel of a 3/4" flat bottom equivalent. Just be aware of that when trying it/them out. 

Hope that helps!

[IPv6Freely 2092]

5 hours ago, shoeshine boy said:

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

You just had to reply to their email about it. They sent it to all customers January 16th. 

6 hours ago, kadayo said:

 

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

Nope, all customers.

[colins 246]

32 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

You just had to reply to their email about it. They sent it to all customers January 16th. 

Nope, all customers.

 

I received the email on Jan. 29th. It was only for X-Grind ring customers:

 

Replacement Filter Offer for Existing X-Grind Ring Customers

For those customers who had previously purchased a X-grind ring, we extended to them an offer for a free filter as a courtesy and reminder of the importance of Removing and Emptying the Dust Tray and Changing the Air Filter. (If you had not previously purchased a X-grind ring, you were not on this list… we love all of our customers but this offer is limited to this select group).

 

 

colins

[IPv6Freely 2092]

2 minutes ago, colins said:

 

I received the email on Jan. 29th. It was only for X-Grind ring customers:

 

Replacement Filter Offer for Existing X-Grind Ring Customers

For those customers who had previously purchased a X-grind ring, we extended to them an offer for a free filter as a courtesy and reminder of the importance of Removing and Emptying the Dust Tray and Changing the Air Filter. (If you had not previously purchased a X-grind ring, you were not on this list… we love all of our customers but this offer is limited to this select group).

 

 

colins

Weird, I received mine that day too and it was for everyone. 

[shoeshine boy 242]

I have no recollection of an email but it's possible it ended up in the spam.

[weasel 3]

Does anyone have experience with the blade holders? I was told by someone that their blades vibrate pretty bad when they use them. Any truth to this? I'm hesitant to order it.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

54 minutes ago, weasel said:

Does anyone have experience with the blade holders? I was told by someone that their blades vibrate pretty bad when they use them. Any truth to this? I'm hesitant to order it.

I have one but haven't used it. You're saying the runners vibrate during sharpening while in the blade holder?

[weasel 3]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

I have one but haven't used it. You're saying the runners vibrate during sharpening while in the blade holder?

That's what I was told. I hope there's no truth to it because I just ordered a blade holder.

 

[mickz 107]

I don't see a point in the blade holder for home use.  Just pop your extra steel into your skate's holder and save yourself some money.

I hate sharpening loose steel regardless of what machine you're using.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Probably true. To be honest I mostly wanted it to fill the space in my Sparx case! ;)

[stevebalchunas 32]

8 hours ago, mickz said:

I don't see a point in the blade holder for home use.  Just pop your extra steel into your skate's holder and save yourself some money.

I hate sharpening loose steel regardless of what machine you're using.

 

 

I think I've mentioned it already in this post. There is one clear advantage (if you're anal) and that's that the steel is always straighter when outside of the skate blade holder. So, if you hate seeing a level blade in the middle and 1-2 thou off on the heel and toe, taking the blade out is only going to improve your readings. That's the one true advantage other than the convenience when you have multiple sets of steel. 

As for the vibration, we haven't seen any issues here yet. There's a definite difference in the sound, similar to when you sharpen loose steel on a traditional clamp and machine but nothing destructive. All of our NHL Equipment Managers utilize the blade holders. 

Edited May 8, 2017 by stevebalchunas

[mickz 107]

On 2017-05-08 at 7:51 AM, stevebalchunas said:

I think I've mentioned it already in this post. There is one clear advantage (if you're anal) and that's that the steel is always straighter when outside of the skate blade holder. So, if you hate seeing a level blade in the middle and 1-2 thou off on the heel and toe, taking the blade out is only going to improve your readings. That's the one true advantage other than the convenience when you have multiple sets of steel. 

As for the vibration, we haven't seen any issues here yet. There's a definite difference in the sound, similar to when you sharpen loose steel on a traditional clamp and machine but nothing destructive. All of our NHL Equipment Managers utilize the blade holders. 

Sounds more like a misaligned holder or bent steel issue.

[stevebalchunas 32]

On 5/10/2017 at 4:57 AM, mickz said:

Sounds more like a misaligned holder or bent steel issue.

A misaligned holder doesn't help things out but from a manufacturing perspective, the way the blade holder is made, it's not realistic to think they could produce a perfectly straight blade slot from heel to toe. So, add the fact that it won't be perfectly straight to then having to attach it to the skate boot (not a perfect process either) and you'll end up with the steel in most cases being closer to perfect than the holder/boot combo. 

Take a good blade and a good holder and it's more likely that this combo won't be as straight as a good blade on its own. 

Again, we're really splitting hairs here. These differences are so small. I don't personally use my blade holder all the time because I get a great result in the skate holder, but I know there are some anal folks out there who have HDIs and go nuts trying to zero out every blade from toe to heel. They might want/need a blade holder. 

[weasel 3]

Got my blade holder today. Seems to work just fine with no noticable vibration. 

I need to practice taking the stone to the blade without being in the skate. 

[stevebalchunas 32]

17 hours ago, weasel said:

Got my blade holder today. Seems to work just fine with no noticable vibration. 

I need to practice taking the stone to the blade without being in the skate. 

 

I prefer having something solid to hold onto while I'm putting some elbow grease into it, so I'll always end up sticking the steel back in the skate holder to deburr. 

[gogovs 10]

Any special coupons for forum members? Still on the fence about the purchase.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, gogovs said:

Any special coupons for forum members? Still on the fence about the purchase.

No special coupons HOWEVER current owners should be able to give you a referral code for $25 off.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

7 hours ago, gogovs said:

Any special coupons for forum members? Still on the fence about the purchase.

No.  They don't have a marketing agreement with us.

[DarkStar50 679]

^^^ ha, after seeing this, he will offer MSH one in a nano-second. Gotta push that product out the door because the product life cycle clock is ticking. Early adopters phase is over.

[stevebalchunas 32]

12 hours ago, gogovs said:

Any special coupons for forum members? Still on the fence about the purchase.

Nothing is going on at the moment. Check back in a few nanoseconds ;).

Best bet to stay up-to-date on everything Sparx related would be to sign up for our email list which you can do in the footer of our website (or just wait a few seconds and you'll get a pop-up). If there are any deals, you'll find out about them that way. Or as IPv6Freely said, find a friend who has one. They'll probably have a coupon code of their own. 

Let me (or anyone else here in this thread) know what you're still hung up on. I'm sure we could help out!

[Axxion89 32]

5 hours ago, DarkStar50 said:

^^^ ha, after seeing this, he will offer MSH one in a nano-second. Gotta push that product out the door because the product life cycle clock is ticking. Early adopters phase is over.

I don't see why, probably like Keurig I'd be willing to bet the machine itself isn't the money maker for the them but the rings and other parts / accessories are. Not like you can buy any of them anywhere else so its smart business model that ensures anyone with a Sparx will spend money with them to maintain / keep using it.

Also wouldn't be a smart business move to have a $900 machine last such a short time to have to buy another one, if that were to happen I wouldn't be surprised if users make a jump to a portable manual sharpener since the price would be similar

[kadayo 9]

7 hours ago, stevebalchunas said:

Or as IPv6Freely said, find a friend who has one. They'll probably have a coupon code of their own. 

If anyone is looking to purchase a Sparx and needs a friend, PM me.

Edited May 23, 2017 by kadayo

[gogovs 10]

Today I received my Sparx edge checker and was shocked how my edges were uneven. I always thought I was getting a good sharpening. Is this that bad as it looks?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 minute ago, gogovs said:

Today I received my Sparx edge checker and was shocked how my edges were uneven. I always thought I was getting a good sharpening. Is this that bad as it looks?

That's pretty bad. 

[DarkStar50 679]

6 hours ago, Axxion89 said:

I don't see why, probably like Keurig I'd be willing to bet the machine itself isn't the money maker for the them but the rings and other parts / accessories are. Not like you can buy any of them anywhere else so its smart business model that ensures anyone with a Sparx will spend money with them to maintain / keep using it.

Also wouldn't be a smart business move to have a $900 machine last such a short time to have to buy another one, if that were to happen I wouldn't be surprised if users make a jump to a portable manual sharpener since the price would be similar

Comparing an appliance that you can buy for $100 and makes your daily cup or two or three of coffee to a $900 machine sharpening your skates once a week or every two weeks is not the comparison you want to make.

 

And that edge needs to be level in that picture.