Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[IPv6Freely 2092]

You may be able to find a pelican case that will fit the shipping box foam exactly but it will be very expensive. Personally I’d just buy their case if I planned to move the machine around.

[Bbddll 2]

I’m going to look around for a week or two before I spend $400 on a case. Sparx will likely be the only option and I will eventually buy the case from them. Glad I found this board, looking forward to participating.  

[Playmakersedge 58]

10 hours ago, Bbddll said:

I received my Sparx machine a week ago. My 14 year old uses 5/8 and I skate on 3/4. I really like the ease of changing the grinding wheels. I am looking for a carry/storage case for it. I really don't want to spend $399 for Sparx's case. I plan on getting a case that is the same size as the box my machine came in. I am planning on using the interior packing material that came in the shipping box. Anyone have any thoughts on this or already found a case? FYI...this is my first post, just joined this group. 

Yes go to the sportsmans guide site. They have military surplus stuff.  They have a case I think will be perfect.  Even has foam you can cut to fit .    Welcome to the group 

[colins 246]

22 hours ago, Bbddll said:

I received my Sparx machine a week ago. My 14 year old uses 5/8 and I skate on 3/4. I really like the ease of changing the grinding wheels. I am looking for a carry/storage case for it. I really don't want to spend $399 for Sparx's case. I plan on getting a case that is the same size as the box my machine came in. I am planning on using the interior packing material that came in the shipping box. Anyone have any thoughts on this or already found a case? FYI...this is my first post, just joined this group. 

 

As far as I can tell, the Sparx option is a Pelican 1650 with a custom cut foam insert.

Pelican offers 'Pick N Pluck' foam with their cases - you can remove small pre-cut squares to make your own insert shapes/dimensions. I can find the Pelican 1650 for as low as $285 CDN or $243 USD on Amazon. Used cases are also pretty common on ebay, and replacement foams are available too.

Just FYI - please confirm sizing before ordering a case. If you compare the Exterior Dimensions of the Sparx Pelican cases to those on Pelican's site, it looks like the 1650 with the exterior dimensions rounded up a half inch or so, that's what I'm basing the above info on.

I think Sparx is offering a great value for their pre-configured case, but if you wanted to roll your own maybe this info is helpful to you.

 

colins

 

Edited December 18, 2017 by colins
Interior vs. Exterior dimensions.

[Playmakersedge 58]

On 12/17/2017 at 11:19 AM, Bbddll said:

I’m going to look around for a week or two before I spend $400 on a case. Sparx will likely be the only option and I will eventually buy the case from them. Glad I found this board, looking forward to participating.  

This is the case I had in mind for $136 https://www.sportsmansguide.com/product/index/us-military-surplus-carry-case-with-wheels-new?a=2141125

It's 26×18×21 and has foam to fit custom.  

Edited December 19, 2017 by Playmakersedge
Add content

[Malarowski 12]

On 12/17/2017 at 11:19 AM, Bbddll said:

I’m going to look around for a week or two before I spend $400 on a case. Sparx will likely be the only option and I will eventually buy the case from them. Glad I found this board, looking forward to participating.  

This case almost exactly fits the Sparx. I padded the 2" that are left with some of the foam the sharpener came with: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-35-in-Mobile-Job-Box-222167/205053257

[Bbddll 2]

12 minutes ago, Malarowski said:

This case almost exactly fits the Sparx. I padded the 2" that are left with some of the foam the sharpener came with: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-35-in-Mobile-Job-Box-222167/205053257

Considering I want to protect the machine while at home, and not really travel much with it.....I think the smartest choice would be the Home Depot one. $49 with a little extra foam will work just fine for me....thanks for the info.

[colins 246]

3 hours ago, Malarowski said:

This case almost exactly fits the Sparx. I padded the 2" that are left with some of the foam the sharpener came with: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-35-in-Mobile-Job-Box-222167/205053257

Great find. The same Husky box is also available from Home Depot in Canada for $117 (not on sale at the moment).

colins

[IPv6Freely 2092]

What would you be using to pad it?

[Malarowski 12]

6 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

What would you be using to pad it?

I used some of the foam that the machine shipped with  and some pipe insulation made from similar foam to wrap around where the machine touches the bottom when rolled. Doesn't need much though, fits like a slightly too large glove. I take my sharpener twice a week to the rink and had no issues with this box so far (8 months). When at the rink I just take the sharpener out and set up on top of the box.

[Playmakersedge 58]

25 minutes ago, Malarowski said:

I used some of the foam that the machine shipped with  and some pipe insulation made from similar foam to wrap around where the machine touches the bottom when rolled. Doesn't need much though, fits like a slightly too large glove. I take my sharpener twice a week to the rink and had no issues with this box so far (8 months). When at the rink I just take the sharpener out and set up on top of the box.

Do you know how to make a custom formed padded interior:   wrap what you want to protect in wax paper or butcher's paper  ,set it in the case  and hold it off the bottom with spacers.  The use spray foam all sides remove the wrapped unit then trim the foam.  Get some felt and use spray glue to hold the felt to the foam.    Not as hard as it sounds 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

8 hours ago, Malarowski said:

I used some of the foam that the machine shipped with  and some pipe insulation made from similar foam to wrap around where the machine touches the bottom when rolled. Doesn't need much though, fits like a slightly too large glove. I take my sharpener twice a week to the rink and had no issues with this box so far (8 months). When at the rink I just take the sharpener out and set up on top of the box.

Cool, thanks. I wouldn’t be taking mine far either. Not like I’d be flying with it or something.

[Leif 161]

On 15/12/2017 at 3:06 PM, ZamboniFever said:

I would like to help anyone considering these two products.  Full disclaimer - I am the CEO of Sparx and a MSH member.  Sparx and ProSharp Home are BOTH good products.  That said, there is some misinformation in this thread that I hope I can clear up.

You cannot directly compare Sparx to ProSharp on the amount of sharpenings per wheel that each company advertises the life of their wheels at.

Reasons:

1.  The two machines remove different amounts of material per pass.  Sparx removes more material per pass than Home.

2.  The two companies advertise different numbers of cycles required per sharpening.  Sparx says you can sharpen 40 pair of skates with 4 cycles on each skate where ProSharp says they can sharpen skates with only 1 cycle per skate.

These are not apples to apples numbers so you cannot compare the two numbers directly.

How do you compare Sparx vs Home?  Remove the same amount of material from a piece of skate steel, with both machines.  Then compare the cost of the grinding wheel consumed by each machine to remove the same amount of material.

We have done this head-to-head test of the two products and Sparx comes out cheaper than Home for the same amount of material removed.  Please keep this in mind when considering the two products.

When comparing Sparx to ProSharp Home you should consider the above and then also consider other details/differences between the two sharpeners.  Each of the features below is exclusive to Sparx.

1.  Sparx has a patented alignment system that eliminates the trial and error alignment steps that makes skate sharpening difficult.

2.  Sparx has an on-board dust collection system which traps the metal dust generated by the sharpening process

3.  Sparx has a safety glass front door which allows the user to safely watch the sharpening as it is happening.

4.  Sparx offer the FIRE (flat bottom) profile which has been proven over the last few years to be one of the best flat bottom profiles out there.  We have a youtube video explaining the FIRE profile if you want to learn more about it.

5.  Sparx has electronic lock-out safety covers which cover the open slot around the skate reducing operator exposure to moving parts.  Important if your sharpening is stored in a house where others may have access to the sharpener.

6.  Sparx has numerous accessories like a loose blade holder which make sharpening Bauer Lightspeed Edge Removable steel, without the skate, really easy.

Lastly, Sparx is used by thousands and thousands of customers all over North America and we also have hundreds of pro shops and teams using Sparx (see our "Find a Sparx Near Me" link below).   We highly encourage hockey players everywhere to visit their LHS to get a Sparx Sharpening.  If you don't see a Sparx Shop near you on the map please reach out to help@sparxhockey.com for help finding one as new shops are being added every day.

https://www.sparxhockey.com/pages/skate-sharpening-near-me

We also have a bunch of NHL teams and hockey skating coaches using Sparx now with their athletes.  We have many videos on our YouTube channel where you can check out interviews with some high end Sparx users.  Lastly, our roster of NHL player-owners is also growing every day...

I hope this extra information helped.

Thanks,
Russ

I have pointed Prosharp to your post to see if they think it is fair, though you make some very interesting points. However, the EU has very strong consumer law and making a false or misleading claim opens them to prosecution, and hence false claims are rare. I have asked ProSharp about their 500 pairs of skates sharpened per wheel claim, and how many passes they assume.

Lastly, you said somewhere that you will soon release the Sparx to the European market. Can you indicate whether this will be in a month, 3 months, six months, a year, or several years time? And have you finalised who will be the distributor?

[Playmakersedge 58]

12 hours ago, Leif said:

I have pointed Prosharp to your post to see if they think it is fair, though you make some very interesting points. However, the EU has very strong consumer law and making a false or misleading claim opens them to prosecution, and hence false claims are rare. I have asked ProSharp about their 500 pairs of skates sharpened per wheel claim, and how many passes they assume.

Lastly, you said somewhere that you will soon release the Sparx to the European market. Can you indicate whether this will be in a month, 3 months, six months, a year, or several years time? And have you finalised who will be the distributor?

The two machines  I think each have a wheel that's proprietary.   Compounds, abrasive contents etc.  Each machine has what they calculated to be the best pressure against the skate blade.  

I don't know about one pass , that scares me . That means more pressure, more aggressive abrasive  wich both equal heat .  To me means a ruined blade.   

Four passes:  is in line with what a good manual sharpening takes .  

What does a better job? The rest has to be a blind study. Even with some skating on a manual sharpening to act as the placebo of the test .  Do a hardness test before and after .    This will produce clean data .

[colins 246]

On 2017-12-17 at 10:38 PM, colins said:

 

As far as I can tell, the Sparx option is a Pelican 1650 with a custom cut foam insert.

Pelican offers 'Pick N Pluck' foam with their cases - you can remove small pre-cut squares to make your own insert shapes/dimensions. I can find the Pelican 1650 for as low as $285 CDN or $243 USD on Amazon. Used cases are also pretty common on ebay, and replacement foams are available too.

Just FYI - please confirm sizing before ordering a case. If you compare the Exterior Dimensions of the Sparx Pelican cases to those on Pelican's site, it looks like the 1650 with the exterior dimensions rounded up a half inch or so, that's what I'm basing the above info on.

I think Sparx is offering a great value for their pre-configured case, but if you wanted to roll your own maybe this info is helpful to you.

 

colins

 

 

I happened upon a Pelican 1650 deal I couldn’t pass up. 

Here’s my Sparx in it for a test fitting. 

 

 

colins

[ZamboniFever 32]

On 12/20/2017 at 2:48 AM, Leif said:

I have pointed Prosharp to your post to see if they think it is fair, though you make some very interesting points. However, the EU has very strong consumer law and making a false or misleading claim opens them to prosecution, and hence false claims are rare. I have asked ProSharp about their 500 pairs of skates sharpened per wheel claim, and how many passes they assume.

Lastly, you said somewhere that you will soon release the Sparx to the European market. Can you indicate whether this will be in a month, 3 months, six months, a year, or several years time? And have you finalised who will be the distributor?

Leif,

Please know that ProSharp's claim is not false.  They just define things differently than we do.

In our case we consider a sharpening, from a labeling standpoint, to be a sharpening that has 4 cycles on each skate.  They describe a sharpening (indirectly... in their labeling) as 1 cycle on each skate (about 1000 cycles on a grinding wheel and about 500 sharpenings per wheel).  Neither definition is wrong - they are just different.  We chose 4 cycles in our definition because that amount of material removal is similar to what one would need to remove for a skate that was being sharpened on a pretty typical 4-8 hours of skating interval.  Read below to see why this might not be the best way to describe a sharpening and why we are probably doing ourselves a disservice in our marketing because we say on our packaging 40 sharpenings per grinding ring.   In reality, most Sparx users will get far more than 40 sharpenings per Grinding Ring.

I personally get between 60 and 80 sharpenings on a Sparx Grinding Ring.  Here's why...  Once you have sharpened your skates AND if you have a sharpener easily accessible AND if that sharpener is super easy to use you WILL absolutely sharpen your skates a lot more (we hear this feedback from so many customers... skate sharpening frequency goes up because why would you ever chance it if it only takes a couple minutes to put on a fresh edge).  I find I sharpen my skates every time (or every other time) that I skate.  Because I am sharpening more frequently - I only need to make 2 cycles at most on each skate (less damage to the blades between sharpenings means less material removal needed).  This means I am getting about 2X as many sharpenings (80 pair) out of a grinding ring vs the specification on the Grinding Ring box.

I hope this helps clear things up...

Thanks,

Russ

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

My experience is the same. Sharpen before every skate. I’m also a goalie who has far more blade damage than any player should, do this interval makes sense in my case.

[Bbddll 2]

17 hours ago, colins said:

 

I happened upon a Pelican 1650 deal I couldn’t pass up. 

Here’s my Sparx in it for a test fitting. 

 

 

colins

That looks great, hoping to find that case also. Did you buy the foam separately?

[Bbddll 2]

2 hours ago, ZamboniFever said:

Leif,

Please know that ProSharp's claim is not false.  They just define things differently than we do.

In our case we consider a sharpening, from a labeling standpoint, to be a sharpening that has 4 cycles on each skate.  They describe a sharpening (indirectly... in their labeling) as 1 cycle on each skate (about 1000 cycles on a grinding wheel and about 500 sharpenings per wheel).  Neither definition is wrong - they are just different.  We chose 4 cycles in our definition because that amount of material removal is similar to what one would need to remove for a skate that was being sharpened on a pretty typical 4-8 hours of skating interval.  Read below to see why this might not be the best way to describe a sharpening and why we are probably doing ourselves a disservice in our marketing because we say on our packaging 40 sharpenings per grinding ring.   In reality, most Sparx users will get far more than 40 sharpenings per Grinding Ring.

I personally get between 60 and 80 sharpenings on a Sparx Grinding Ring.  Here's why...  Once you have sharpened your skates AND if you have a sharpener easily accessible AND if that sharpener is super easy to use you WILL absolutely sharpen your skates a lot more (we hear this feedback from so many customers... skate sharpening frequency goes up because why would you ever chance it if it only takes a couple minutes to put on a fresh edge).  I find I sharpen my skates every time (or every other time) that I skate.  Because I am sharpening more frequently - I only need to make 2 cycles at most on each skate (less damage to the blades between sharpenings means less material removal needed).  This means I am getting about 2X as many sharpenings (80 pair) out of a grinding ring vs the specification on the Grinding Ring box.

I hope this helps clear things up...

Thanks,

Russ

 

THis thread was about the case and options. Why was it hijacked?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

5 minutes ago, Bbddll said:

THis thread was about the case and options. Why was it hijacked?

It wasn’t hijacked.

[Stewie 721]

you may want to re-read the title of this thread.  it has never been specifically about the case, more of a catch all on questions and input surrounding the unit as a whole. 

Edited December 21, 2017 by Stewie

[Leif 161]

4 hours ago, ZamboniFever said:

Leif,

Please know that ProSharp's claim is not false.  They just define things differently than we do.

In our case we consider a sharpening, from a labeling standpoint, to be a sharpening that has 4 cycles on each skate.  They describe a sharpening (indirectly... in their labeling) as 1 cycle on each skate (about 1000 cycles on a grinding wheel and about 500 sharpenings per wheel).  Neither definition is wrong - they are just different.  We chose 4 cycles in our definition because that amount of material removal is similar to what one would need to remove for a skate that was being sharpened on a pretty typical 4-8 hours of skating interval.  Read below to see why this might not be the best way to describe a sharpening and why we are probably doing ourselves a disservice in our marketing because we say on our packaging 40 sharpenings per grinding ring.   In reality, most Sparx users will get far more than 40 sharpenings per Grinding Ring.

I personally get between 60 and 80 sharpenings on a Sparx Grinding Ring.  Here's why...  Once you have sharpened your skates AND if you have a sharpener easily accessible AND if that sharpener is super easy to use you WILL absolutely sharpen your skates a lot more (we hear this feedback from so many customers... skate sharpening frequency goes up because why would you ever chance it if it only takes a couple minutes to put on a fresh edge).  I find I sharpen my skates every time (or every other time) that I skate.  Because I am sharpening more frequently - I only need to make 2 cycles at most on each skate (less damage to the blades between sharpenings means less material removal needed).  This means I am getting about 2X as many sharpenings (80 pair) out of a grinding ring vs the specification on the Grinding Ring box.

I hope this helps clear things up...

Thanks,

Russ

 

Hello Russ, I was indicating that ProSharp's claims are misleading. I can see that my post could be read as suggesting that they lie, that was not the intention. I too like sharp skates, and a few passes each week would be ideal. 

But you still haven't answered my question about European sales. I know you read it!   Patience is an overrated virtue ...

[Malarowski 12]

Since I was sharpening today, here some photos of fit in the Husky case: 

 

https://imgur.com/a/3hFU9

Edited December 22, 2017 by Malarowski
added photo

[colins 246]

10 hours ago, Bbddll said:

That looks great, hoping to find that case also. Did you buy the foam separately?

 

Foam was with it. It was the Pick n Pluck stuff, so I just pulled a few rows of cubes off to fit the Sparx in.

 

colins

[Bbddll 2]

On 12/21/2017 at 12:19 PM, IPv6Freely said:

It wasn’t hijacked.

Yup, my mistake. It wasn't hijacked...my apologies.