Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[GoalForFun 176]

I think I read in here (or somewhere) that since the Sparx applies even pressure throughout the entire blade, any profiling will be conserved. Is that true? And if so, does that mean that if I get a quad radius that the Sparx won't mess it up?

Edit: Here's the quote off of Sparx's FAQ:

Does the Sparx Sharpener profile skates?

The Sparx Sharpener will not contour the profile of the blade. But, unlike traditional manual sharpening which alters the profile after 15-20 sharpenings, the Sparx Sharpener will hold the skate profile throughout the life of the steel thanks to the consistent RPM, Speed, and Pressure applied by our Grinding Rings.

Edited February 14, 2018 by GoalForFun

[IPv6Freely 2092]

2 minutes ago, GoalForFun said:

I think I read in here (or somewhere) that since the Sparx applies even pressure throughout the entire blade, any profiling will be conserved. Is that true? And if so, does that mean that if I get a quad radius that the Sparx won't mess it up?

Edit: Here's the quote off of Sparx's FAQ:

 

 

Correct.

[psulion22 402]

35 minutes ago, GoalForFun said:

I think I read in here (or somewhere) that since the Sparx applies even pressure throughout the entire blade, any profiling will be conserved. Is that true? And if so, does that mean that if I get a quad radius that the Sparx won't mess it up?

Edit: Here's the quote off of Sparx's FAQ:

 

 

This was one of the big reasons I got one.  What's the point of paying $50+ to have a profile put on when the kid at the proshop is going to ruin it after two sharpenings?  Consistently sharp and profiled skates was the main draw for me.

[Santos L Halper 90]

1 hour ago, GoalForFun said:

I think I read in here (or somewhere) that since the Sparx applies even pressure throughout the entire blade, any profiling will be conserved. Is that true? And if so, does that mean that if I get a quad radius that the Sparx won't mess it up?

Edit: Here's the quote off of Sparx's FAQ:

The Sparx Sharpener will not contour the profile of the blade. But, unlike traditional manual sharpening which alters the profile after 15-20 sharpenings, the Sparx Sharpener will hold the skate profile throughout the life of the steel thanks to the consistent RPM, Speed, and Pressure applied by our Grinding Rings.

 

Yeah, 15-20 sharpenings if manual sharpening is done correctly!  If done INCORRECTLY, traditional manual sharpening will alter the profile FAR quicker.   

It is physically impossible for a human being to ALWAYS put consistent, even pressure on a skate blade when using a manual machine.  On every skate sharpened, there will be spots where the operator will move a bit slower, or push a bit harder...it's just how the human body works.  Add inexperience, worn down grinding wheels, poor equipment maintenance protocols, and you can see how manual sharpenings can be so wildly unpredictable.  The Sparx takes the human variable out of the equation and you get consistent, predictable results.  It ain't cheap...but good things rarely are.  

So, yeah. If you get a Prosharp Quad profile, Sparx will maintain it through the life of the blade.  

[thorbs 2]

I've skimmed through the bulk of the thread and am planning on ordering an ES100. I'm Canadian but have lived in Melbourne, Australia for 8ish years now, and it makes a lot of sense with two pro shops that both charge $15 per sharpening, and one of the two is a diceroll in quality.

Sorry if this has already been mentioned, but anyone that's already ordered a Sparx, would you mind making any recommendations as far as if I should order a certain number of rings, parts, etc., all in one go? The shipping to Australia probably won't be very kind.

Thanks in advance!

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Do they even ship directly to Australia?

So far, it feels like my ring usage has tracked what Sparx recommends or is slightly better.  I say "feels" because I'm not actually keeping track of it, just watching the little fuel gauge indicator for ring life.

I initially didn't get their edge checker or dust cover, but then changed my mind and ordered both later.  I think their edge checker is very good in terms of the design.  I feel like the alignment tool by itself wasn't good enough for me to dial in the edges without an edge checker, YMMV.  I also like the ability to do an easy 'quality control' check on my skates after I sharpen them to help pickup anything that's gone wrong with machine alignment (hasn't happened yet) or a bent blade (ditto), etc.

The dust cover costs less than my "hassle factor" for cutting up a pillow case or whatever.

Another factor on rings may be that they seem to become backordered a decent bit.

Mark

[Leif 161]

They don't yet ship to Europe, and I doubt they ship to Australia. Maybe you have someone who can do that for you, but you'll have issues with the wwarranty I guess.

[thorbs 2]

Thanks for the quick replies - a friend of mine here has one, so I need to speak with him to see how he went about acquiring it, whether it was through one of those PO Box services or whatever.

I'm thinking as I'm heading back to Toronto to visit family/friends in June, I'll just send it to my parents' place and ferry it back myself.

Edited February 19, 2018 by thorbs

[IPv6Freely 2092]

7 hours ago, Leif said:

They don't yet ship to Europe, and I doubt they ship to Australia. Maybe you have someone who can do that for you, but you'll have issues with the wwarranty I guess.

No issues with warranty.

[Leif 161]

15 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

No issues with warranty.

The problem is that you’d have to pay shipping both ways which could be expensive. Obviously Sparx would honour the warranty in all other respects. 

Edited February 19, 2018 by Leif

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

On 14/02/2018 at 3:49 PM, Santos L Halper said:

Yeah, 15-20 sharpenings if manual sharpening is done correctly!  If done INCORRECTLY, traditional manual sharpening will alter the profile FAR quicker.   

It is physically impossible for a human being to ALWAYS put consistent, even pressure on a skate blade when using a manual machine.  On every skate sharpened, there will be spots where the operator will move a bit slower, or push a bit harder...it's just how the human body works.  Add inexperience, worn down grinding wheels, poor equipment maintenance protocols, and you can see how manual sharpenings can be so wildly unpredictable.  The Sparx takes the human variable out of the equation and you get consistent, predictable results.  It ain't cheap...but good things rarely are.  

So, yeah. If you get a Prosharp Quad profile, Sparx will maintain it through the life of the blade.  

Disagree on 2 points. 1. I personally am able to maintain the profile and adjust 1 time per season without rounding toes and heels. 2. Sparx and Pro sharp round the toes and heels on every sharpening therefore change the overall profile. Neither are perfect yet. So it will not maintain through the life of the blade because it shortens the life. 

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

6 hours ago, thorbs said:

Thanks for the quick replies - a friend of mine here has one, so I need to speak with him to see how he went about acquiring it, whether it was through one of those PO Box services or whatever.

I'm thinking as I'm heading back to Toronto to visit family/friends in June, I'll just send it to my parents' place and ferry it back myself.

Power is the problem. All motors run slightly slower and therefore with out a proper converter it won't be very efficient. I do skates in Australia on a regular machine and the speed difference is huge. Never get the same finish as here in Canada. The only one that was close was the variable speed blademaster portable I believe the National team has now. 

[Vet88 674]

28 minutes ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

The only one that was close was the variable speed blademaster portable I believe the National team has now. 

We use the incredible edger from Sid, with the optional 220v transformer its guaranteed to run the same (and does) as in NA.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

46 minutes ago, Vet88 said:

We use the incredible edger from Sid, with the optional 220v transformer its guaranteed to run the same (and does) as in NA.

What's that? Never heard of it. Every machine i have brought there was made for 220. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

The nice thing about the Sparx is that it doesn’t round the toe and heel so it doesn’t change the profile of the runner.

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

10 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

The nice thing about the Sparx is that it doesn’t round the toe and heel so it doesn’t change the profile of the runner.

So the grinding wheel doesn't go all the way to the end of start from the beginning of the blade on your Sparx machine? 

[OzziesDad 89]

Just ordered mine. Free shipping and 0% for 12 months forced my hand. 

Looking forward to its arrival.

[hollowicked 39]

I just got my shipping conformation today, pumped to get it in. Ordered it on the 1st and shipped today if anyone was curious of order processing time frame.

[psulion22 402]

10 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

So the grinding wheel doesn't go all the way to the end of start from the beginning of the blade on your Sparx machine? 

The height of the wheel is set by the user to touch at the point where the curve of the heel begins, and will match that height on the toe end.  But the system has a pressure regulating mechanism that keeps it from shaving off more of the toe and heel (like most pro shop employees will do) and altering the curve.  The Sparx sharpens the curve, but doesn't alter it.

[Santos L Halper 90]

13 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Disagree on 2 points. 1. I personally am able to maintain the profile and adjust 1 time per season without rounding toes and heels. 2. Sparx and Pro sharp round the toes and heels on every sharpening therefore change the overall profile. Neither are perfect yet. So it will not maintain through the life of the blade because it shortens the life. 

1.  Okay.  If you say so.  

2.  No.  They don't. 

[psulion22 402]

7 minutes ago, Santos L Halper said:

1.  Okay.  If you say so.  

2.  No.  They don't. 

3. You don't sharpen my skates, and the guy that does can't do that.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Can anyone suggest a good car power inverter so I can bring my Sparx to games and sharpen my teammates skates for a couple bucks?  I'm not sure what wattage is required - I'll have to look that up. 

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.  He's gotta be in his 90s at this point.

Jeff - the Incredible Edger was that machine that had a small wheel and the jig was on a ball-bearing track.  Was very popular in the figure skating world.

http://www.iceskateology.com/Skateology/INCREDIBLE_EDGER_Hoc.html

12 hours ago, Vet88 said:

We use the incredible edger from Sid, with the optional 220v transformer its guaranteed to run the same (and does) as in NA.

 

[Vet88 674]

5 hours ago, JR Boucicaut said:

Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.  He's gotta be in his 90s at this point.

Jeff - the Incredible Edger was that machine that had a small wheel and the jig was on a ball-bearing track.  Was very popular in the figure skating world.

http://www.iceskateology.com/Skateology/INCREDIBLE_EDGER_Hoc.html

 

Sid is 94 (from memory) and still going strong. Makes all his machines at home.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

Wow. 

Always interesting talking to him at the tradeshows back in the day.