Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[psulion22 402]

Has anyone else had a problem where the toe and heel of the steel are not in alignment?  I finally got an edge checker.  What I'm finding is that the toe and heel are not equal, as if the carraige isn't running straight along the blade.  No matter how much I adjust the knob, the relation stays the same between them.  The right edge of the toe was high, but the heel was level.  When I adjusted the knob to make the toe level, the left edge of the heel was high.  It was the same issue, off by the same amount on 3 sets of steel I tried (just to make sure it wasn't the runner being bent) leading me to assume it's the Sparx itself.  It could absolutely be user error with either the machine or edge checker.  But when the results are replicable and consistent every time, that is probably unlikely.  Anyone else experience this?  

[Sticktape 8]

There are two scenarios that I can think of, one you have covered (bent blade) the other is that the steel is not true and giving a bad reading on the edge checker. What type of steel are you sharpening? 

[psulion22 402]

18 minutes ago, Sticktape said:

There are two scenarios that I can think of, one you have covered (bent blade) the other is that the steel is not true and giving a bad reading on the edge checker. What type of steel are you sharpening? 

Three different kinds, with three different characteristics, in three different holders.  One is Flare regular steel that is in my player skates.  One is Massive Blade DLC in my goalie skates.  And one is a set of Tydan regulars that I sharpened in the Sparx blade holder.  All three showed the same results.  

[Sticktape 8]

I cant speak to the Flare or Massive Steel but I did have the same problem with the Tydan steel. It was very frustrating and I ended up switching to Black Steel Step Steel which is way superior to the Tydan Steel. 

[Leif 161]

Have you tried another machine to rule out any issues with your machine?

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

1 hour ago, psulion22 said:

Three different kinds, with three different characteristics, in three different holders.  One is Flare regular steel that is in my player skates.  One is Massive Blade DLC in my goalie skates.  And one is a set of Tydan regulars that I sharpened in the Sparx blade holder.  All three showed the same results.  

Does this happen in the skste? And always in the same right or left skste?? 

If it happens in the same skate every time holder is bent. 

If your doing blade only out of skate.  The machine is the issue. 

 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

What OTG28 said...  you'd be surprised how many holders on skates have slight deformities.  

[psulion22 402]

1 hour ago, Sticktape said:

I cant speak to the Flare or Massive Steel but I did have the same problem with the Tydan steel. It was very frustrating and I ended up switching to Black Steel Step Steel which is way superior to the Tydan Steel. 

 

46 minutes ago, pgeorgan said:

Hmm..

Did you sharpen all three outside of the holder? 

Idk about coated steel, but this is what Sparx has to say, 

 

 

42 minutes ago, pgeorgan said:

Did you try this? 

https://blogs.sparxhockey.com/uneven-edge-checker-reading

Thanks for the input, especially that last blog post.

I went back and tried to remove as many variables as possible.  I got the alignment ring back out and did that.  I pulled out an old Step regular goalie runner - since we agree Step quality is probably the best - and sharpened it in the Sparx holder.  And I ran 4 passes, per Sparx's recommendation, to adjust the edges.  I tested in 3 places along the blade and it was all nearly perfect, maybe out by one click either way.  So knowing that the machine was set to produce level edges, I took my Flare steel off the skate and sharpened it.  Testing it out of the skate again produced pretty good edges, with a little more deviation.  Lastly, I ran the other Flare runner in the skate, and tested it there.  The results were all over the place.  So it clearly seems that the problem was either with the sidewalls of the steel or the checker, or a combination of both.  The Sparx is fine.  The Flare Square is different than most others because it has a deeper channel and the top corner where the edge sits isn't square.  I think the design was what was throwing it off because the Flare steel is worn down and may not have enough left to make good contact with the edge checker inside the skate.  Either the set screw lands on the flared part, or the whole thing hits the holder.  

[psulion22 402]

6 minutes ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Does this happen in the skste? And always in the same right or left skste?? 

If it happens in the same skate every time holder is bent. 

If your doing blade only out of skate.  The machine is the issue. 

 

 

2 minutes ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

What OTG28 said...  you'd be surprised how many holders on skates have slight deformities.  

Thanks, guys.  It was happening on three different sets of steel, both sides, two in two different holders, one not in a holder.  So while I completely agree Holders can be bent or not aligned properly, that didn't seem to be the case here.  It was more likely a combination of the way the Flare Square works and is designed and inconsistent sidewalls on all the steel

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

1 hour ago, psulion22 said:

 

Thanks, guys.  It was happening on three different sets of steel, both sides, two in two different holders, one not in a holder.  So while I completely agree Holders can be bent or not aligned properly, that didn't seem to be the case here.  It was more likely a combination of the way the Flare Square works and is designed and inconsistent sidewalls on all the steel

That will definitely cause an issue. 

Its actually pretty simple no matter what machine you use. 

Eliminate the easiest problems first. 

So in the end itvwas only the Flare steel that was off??

[psulion22 402]

On 12/13/2019 at 4:25 PM, oldtrainerguy28 said:

That will definitely cause an issue. 

Its actually pretty simple no matter what machine you use. 

Eliminate the easiest problems first. 

So in the end itvwas only the Flare steel that was off??

All of them were the same, which was based on the calibration of the machine.  I don't think any were off, but just the square was giving me a false reading because of the design.  The Flare Square works on regular steel too, so I was using it on all 3 sets.  Out of the holders, the readings were all consistent and pretty level, especially once I recalibrated the machine.

Edited December 16, 2019 by psulion22

[jimmy 194]

2 hours ago, psulion22 said:

All of them were the same, which was based on the calibration of the machine.  I don't think any were off, but just the square was giving me a false reading because of the design.  The Flare Square works on regular steel too, so I was using it on all 3 sets.  Out of the holders, the readings were all consistent and pretty level, especially once I recalibrated the machine.

All magnetic checkers are inaccurate. They are not consistent or precise. One should never set up their machine using one of these.

Edited December 16, 2019 by jimmy

[psulion22 402]

22 minutes ago, jimmy said:

All magnetic checkers are inaccurate. They are not consistent or precise. One should never set up their machine using one of these.

It's not really setting up the machine.  I used the calibration tools for that.  It's like using a square to check for level of edges so you can make fine tuning adjustments to the jig if needed.  Even with the tool, the carriage can still be off a little bit.  So the square is more to make sure something isn't horribly incorrect.

[Leif 161]

1 hour ago, jimmy said:

All magnetic checkers are inaccurate. They are not consistent or precise. One should never set up their machine using one of these.

I compared gauges from ProSharp, a Canadian ebay seller, Sparx and blademaster. The latter three all agreed with each other very closely when used on the same blades. The first was out by a few thou. What is the source of your information? The Sparx optical aligner can get you close enough, but not bang on. 

[218hockey 50]

2 hours ago, jimmy said:

All magnetic checkers are inaccurate.

Blanket statement.

[218hockey 50]

So, no more Starter Kits with new machine purchases? 👎

 

 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Context?

[218hockey 50]

43 minutes ago, pgeorgan said:

You mean the 3 grinding rings? Not for free. You can elect to purchase it though. 

 

Yes the three rings you can buy at a discount with a new machine. I don’t that listed anywhere on the sight.

When u buy the machine you should be able to choose three rings of your choice for $100. Or something like that. 

Also, does anyone remember if Sparx does the $100 off again around New Years? Or was that just Black Friday? 

[218hockey 50]

30 minutes ago, psulion22 said:

 Three, you just spend the $40 and get the Sparx holder.

Can't. They're out of stock.

 

[psulion22 402]

2 minutes ago, 218hockey said:

Can't. They're out of stock.

 

Well that sucks.  I'm sure they'll get them back in at some point.

[218hockey 50]

Almost bought a Sparx yesterday. No starter ring pack, no edge checker, no blade holder available for purchase. No customer service phone number to call. I emailed and they did get back to me today but said it could be "several weeks" before they had these products. Huh? Why don't they just let you pick some rings of your choice and give a discount with machine purchase?

[VegasHockey 1280]

14 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Almost bought a Sparx yesterday. No starter ring pack, no edge checker, no blade holder available for purchase. No customer service phone number to call. I emailed and they did get back to me today but said it could be "several weeks" before they had these products. Huh? Why don't they just let you pick some rings of your choice and give a discount with machine purchase?

I have a buddy who owns a store and he is getting out of the hockey business to pursue other endeavors and he is selling a Sparx machine that is only a few months old, under warranty and comes with a ton of goodies. If you're interested I can pass along your info and he can email you. Not sure what he is asking for the unit but it's a fair assumption it would be considerably less than retail and would include a bunch of rings and an edge checker. 

[218hockey 50]

1 hour ago, pgeorgan said:

What exactly is the issue you're having? That they're having supply-chain issues, or that the item isn't discounted enough to your liking. 

Both! 😁

I thought if they have the rings that are in the starter pack, why not sell me those for that price? Hell, I don't even know how much of a savings that is, maybe it's 5 bucks. When you click on the Starter Pack you get a 404.

It's not a big deal I just thought they'd say, "yes, we're out of all of this product but here's what we can do." I could still buy the machine and a ring and be alright. I have some sharpening supplies now including the Sparx blade holder.

[218hockey 50]

Yes. 1/2" Fire.

But for sure would be doing a few other families skates so thought that's where the Starter Pack would be good.

[218hockey 50]

No.

I had a buddies Sparx at my house for two months this past summer but he picked up and moved to Scottsdale. Now I have a another friend that owns a Sparx that I can use anytime I want. I've been going out there every week since September but I think I'm wearing out my welcome. Ha!

Good excuse to buy my own I figured!?