Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[Buzz_LightBeer 969]

I've been sharpening almost 20 years, and I think it would subconsciously drive me nuts that the Wissota spins counter-clockwise 😂

[marka 526]

1 hour ago, bflohcky said:

So if you had the funds to pick up a Sparx or Wissota 911, which do you go with and why?

Howdy,

When I was in the same situation, I was leaning towards the Wissota but ended up going with the Sparx.  The primary driver for this was comparing profiles on new blades vs. ones that had been sharpened for a while.  There were drastic differences, and they'd been sharpened by folks that did them every day of the week (local Pure, known for decent sharpening).  I figured if decent pros couldn't keep the profile within reason, then there was no way someone like me who would sharpen once or twice a week ever would.

Other than that, the lack of dust everywhere and the "press go and do something else" are also big wins, but they weren't my decision point.  The only real downside is that the Sparx is a significantly more complicated machine than a basic manual sharpener, so there's more opportunites to fail and its less likely that you can fix it yourself if the company goes away.

Mark

[Leif 161]

1 hour ago, bflohcky said:

So if you had the funds to pick up a Sparx or Wissota 911, which do you go with and why?

I had the funds to buy either, and the cost was similar here in the UK. I chose the Sparx, and ten months on I have no regrets. I decided against the Wissota firstly as I didn’t have a suitable heated room to keep it in: I didn’t want it in my spare bedroom due to the mess. Secondly I didn’t want to have to go through the process of learning to use it, especially as I’d only be sharpening one pair of skates twice a week. Thirdly and lastly the Sparx is far more convenient. I can stick a skate on and leave it alone while cooking dinner, or watching cat videos on You Tube. 

There are some good reasons to opt for the Wissota, or alternative manual sharpener. If you need to cut a range of hollows, it works out cheaper as the Sparx needs a wheel for each hollow, and they ain’t cheap. Also, if you are earning money from sharpening, the Wissota is much cheaper as the cost per grind is far less. I know someone with a Sparx who bought a Blackstone when he had to sharpen boxes full of skates, for cost reasons. And apparently manual sharpeners cope better with bent blades, not that I have experience of my Sparx with bent blades. Lastly the Wissota is a simpler device, with much less to go wrong. The motor should last a very long time. The Sparx on the other hand has electronic circuits inside, and they are more liable to failure. Thus far the Sparx is very reliable going by reports in this forum. However, electronic devices such as cameras and computers do fail, and I doubt the Sparx will have on average the same longevity as the Wissota. As an aside, I wonder if the Sparx contains an internal surge protector? Mine is connected directly to the mains. 

Another good reason to choose the Sparx is portability, although personally I think it is rather large and heavy and I will not travel with mine. 

[Leif 161]

I’ve just read Marka’s post, and I agree completely. My last blades were sharpened manually by good operators at my LHS, and at the end of their life they were flat! 😨 The Sparx preserves the exact same profile. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

48 minutes ago, Buzz_LightBeer said:

I've been sharpening almost 20 years, and I think it would subconsciously drive me nuts that the Wissota spins counter-clockwise 😂

OMG. Yes it will. I love their machines but the fact it rotates the opposite way drives me nuts  and I cannot sharpen on them. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, strosedefence34 said:

While they are both skate sharperners they are two different animals.  It really depends on if you know how to use a manual sharpener or if you have someone willing to teach you how to use one vs would you rather just get the thing in the mail do a quick setup and be up and running within an hour or so?  Me personally I know how to use a manual sharpener so I'd probably go for the Wissota but that's just me.

I own multiple sharpeners. ProSharp, Blademaster, and Sparx. I personally sharpen my skates on the ProSharp when at the shop and on SParx when I am home. No preference really better the, just whatever is easier to access. I am happy with the performance and finish of either option. I personally do not use the Blademaster on my own skates as I want to keep the profile as long as possible. We do have many customers that demand a big machine sharpening, and we are happy to do it for them, but we also try to educate them why the ProSharp and Sparx are a good option. I never say one is better than the other, as that's personal preference, but I will happily list the pros and cons of each. 

[strosedefence34 175]

5 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I own multiple sharpeners. ProSharp, Blademaster, and Sparx. I personally sharpen my skates on the ProSharp when at the shop and on SParx when I am home. No preference really better the, just whatever is easier to access. I am happy with the performance and finish of either option. I personally do not use the Blademaster on my own skates as I want to keep the profile as long as possible. We do have many customers that demand a big machine sharpening, and we are happy to do it for them, but we also try to educate them why the ProSharp and Sparx are a good option. I never say one is better than the other, as that's personal preference, but I will happily list the pros and cons of each. 

Not really sure why you quoted me I was mostly just saying for a home user that doesn't know how to sharpen with a manual machine and doesn't have someone to teach them how to do it I think it is a no brainer go with an automatic.  Me personally I do know how to sharpen skates and while I have had my skates sharpened on a Sparx I still prefer the finish of a manual sharpener.  Thats my personal preference.

[218hockey 50]

On 10/30/2019 at 7:16 PM, mickz said:

At that price I'd rather have the Blademaster one.  https://blademaster.com/web/en/gauging-accessories/249-br100.html

$105CAD is about $80US.

If you're in the states, this is your link. It's more than $80.

http://blademaster.com/web/usa/en/blademaster/249-br100.html

[VegasHockey 1280]

20 minutes ago, pgeorgan said:

Looks like I'm back to the drawing board. 

ProSharp appear to have 2 employees in their US office, one of which moonlights as a college head coach somewhere on the east coast. 

Ordered a BAT from them and it either never shipped out or else it got lost in the mail. So I got a refund as nobody was around until almost a week after I purchased it to find out what was going on. 

Surprisingly, they've got a decent website, but doesn't appear they can be bothered to have accurate translations. This is work an intern should be doing. Check out this description of their ProSharp Home Sharpener:

"Professional Quality Edges like our PROSHARP® PRO Line now for home. Now Now are we adding 2 extra wheels, 1 Bag and 1 Hone, on us. That gives you 1,500 pair of skates Pro Sharp. This is the cheapest way to sharp skates over time." 

(I pasted this verbatim).

P.S. The Blademaster BR100 is $110 USD, unless I'm missing something... 

ProSharp makes a great product but their customer service honestly sucks in North America. They are spread too thin and definitely need more help. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

7 hours ago, bflohcky said:

So if you had the funds to pick up a Sparx or Wissota 911, which do you go with and why?

I had the funds to buy whatever (home sharpener) I wanted. I went Sparx and would happily do so again. 

[bflohcky 0]

Well, I was able to purchase a used Sparx. My son skated yesterday on some fresh edges, he said they felt great. He's 6 though but I didn't notice anything obvious. Do you find it matters at all which direction you point the skate? Manual says toes pointing left. Videos all seem to be pointing right.

 

Edited November 12, 2019 by bflohcky

[JoeyJ0506 192]

4 minutes ago, bflohcky said:

Well, I was able to purchase a used Sparx. My son skated yesterday on some fresh edges, he said they felt great. He's 6 though but I didn't notice anything obvious. Do you find it matters at all which direction you point the skate? Manual says toes pointing left. Videos all seem to be pointing right.

 

If I am not mistaken, SPARX has come out and said to point the toe of the skate/steel to the right.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

It's been found that pointing the skate toe-right when facing the machine gives better coverage when sharpening the toe of the skate.

[stick9 890]

It doesn't matter. But, due to the contour of the blade, if you point the toe to the right you can have the ring hit higher up. The same setting with the heel pointing right will cause the ring to stop when it hits. 

[colins 246]

 

Both work. Choose which one suits you best.

 

colins

[taymag 0]

I am getting some wheel "skipping" with my LS3 steel, I would rather not use the goalie risers like some say since it wasn't meant to need them and I feel like a ton of people have to use STEP steel that is also higher (like the LS3 steel). Here is my contact point and a picture showing almost an indentation of 4 passes. Doesn't look ideal but seemed to skate ok, that being said after 10 sharpenings with 4 passes each I would imagine this would ruin my steel and almost give it a large indentation with a point where if skips and transitions to the bottom (from too much pressure on impact I guess). I could always move the contact point down, but I feel like I would be missing important heal and toe sharpening points. Anyone know if I move this contact point down if I am going to suffer on heal/toe sharpness? (PICTURE LINKS BELOW, let me know if there is a way to post them, there doesn't seem to be)

Picture 1

Picture 2 of wheel contact point

[IPv6Freely 2092]

If you’re using taller steel you should use the risers. That’s what they’re for.

Besides that, adjusting the height is worth a shot. See how it comes out.

[SparxHockey 30]

Hey Steve from Sparx here....All you need to do to address this issue is turn the skate around so the toe is facing right. Although some videos still show the skate with toe facing to the left (towards the handle), we have since recommended the toe to the right for this specific reason - to allow you to set a higher contact point on the toe of your skate which will allow the ring to also ride higher up the heal. That should solve your issue. If you need any help, reach out to us at help@sparxhockey.com

[taymag 0]

1 minute ago, SparxHockey said:

Hey Steve from Sparx here....All you need to do to address this issue is turn the skate around so the toe is facing right. Although some videos still show the skate with toe facing to the left (towards the handle), we have since recommended the toe to the right for this specific reason - to allow you to set a higher contact point on the toe of your skate which will allow the ring to also ride higher up the heal. That should solve your issue. If you need any help, reach out to us at help@sparxhockey.com

Ok, I know I can just test this to know the answer, but wouldn't the re-contact with the heel when switched around just do the same thing? Or is the contact on the far side (when the toe is facing right) not as extreme? Because per the picture I posted, the toe still has a little dent just not as defined

[SparxHockey 30]

As long as you set the toe height higher you should be all set. Give it a try and reach out to us directly with any questions.

[taymag 0]

2 minutes ago, SparxHockey said:

As long as you set the toe height higher you should be all set. Give it a try and reach out to us directly with any questions.

I am saying the toe still has the issue that the heel has (that little skip, its just not as extreme). Considering most steel is shorter, wouldn't lowering the wheel help assuming I can as far as the picture I posted of my contact point goes? I can tell if that skip didn't happen the sharpening would be perfect (it skated good), I am just trying to avoid making an indentation and hard hit at initial contact since long term it would get worse

[taymag 0]

15 minutes ago, SparxHockey said:

As long as you set the toe height higher you should be all set. Give it a try and reach out to us directly with any questions.

I just sent a video of it with the toe facing right, definitely seems better, but check the email and get back to me, thanks

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, taymag said:

I am getting some wheel "skipping" with my LS3 steel, I would rather not use the goalie risers like some say since it wasn't meant to need them and I feel like a ton of people have to use STEP steel that is also higher (like the LS3 steel). Here is my contact point and a picture showing almost an indentation of 4 passes. Doesn't look ideal but seemed to skate ok, that being said after 10 sharpenings with 4 passes each I would imagine this would ruin my steel and almost give it a large indentation with a point where if skips and transitions to the bottom (from too much pressure on impact I guess). I could always move the contact point down, but I feel like I would be missing important heal and toe sharpening points. Anyone know if I move this contact point down if I am going to suffer on heal/toe sharpness? (PICTURE LINKS BELOW, let me know if there is a way to post them, there doesn't seem to be)

Picture 1

Picture 2 of wheel contact point

The wheel is hitting too high. Lower it. 

[SparxHockey 30]

Just watched it - looks perfectly normal, but our tech team will take a look and get back to you.

[stick9 890]

3 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

The wheel is hitting too high. Lower it. 

Yup, amazing what one click will do.