Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[stick9 892]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Jeez, that thing is way smaller. I'm not too surprised, there was a lot of space in the machine that was nothing but just open air. It's not enough of a difference to upgrade, but new buyers will definitely be happy. Well done, Sparx. 

Yeah, I think the $699 price point will bring in a lot of people who were on the fence. 

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

Good improvements imho, and looks like they're targeting the home user even more now.  Still seems like the last version of the Sparx prior to this is still the more robust machine though, since it's sorta unchanged from the commercial Sparx.  I wonder what the durability of the new Sparx vs the old Sparx is.

[court31sierra 1]

I was about to purchase a few weeks back  but there was no stock. so I was just waiting for new stock the this came out. I ordered the pro so I could have the bigger base for at home. I just wish you could chose the 3 rings for the starter pack.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

2 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Kinda happy that I don't have a reason to upgrade.  🙂

Mark

Haha I know this feeling all too well. Upgrade-itis is real!

2 hours ago, stick9 said:

Yeah, I think the $699 price point will bring in a lot of people who were on the fence. 

Agreed. I generally tell people at the Kickstarter price it was a no-brainer, but it might be hard to justify at the standard retail price. But $699 is much more reasonable. 

[Leif 161]

12 hours ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

Good improvements imho, and looks like they're targeting the home user even more now.  Still seems like the last version of the Sparx prior to this is still the more robust machine though, since it's sorta unchanged from the commercial Sparx.  I wonder what the durability of the new Sparx vs the old Sparx is.

I know someone who dropped his down a flight of stairs, no case/box. It works fine. It also took some pucks to the glass without shattering. I suspect the new one is tough, and one advantage is that if the base breaks, you can just buy a new one. They probably learnt a lot from returns on the old one. (Did any fail under warranty?)

I can imagine ProSharp are thrilled. “Hey Lars, what’s the number for the company health counsellor, I’m feeling a bit anxious?” 

[court31sierra 1]

after making the purchase they update there website to say that they will only ship out in 3-4 weeks.

[215BroadStBullies610 435]

$700 bucks seems reasonable given the proven track recorded here on MSH. Not sure when I'd get one but I know I'm committed to playing hockey for long time and hope to get one sooner than later. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

I know a few parents that already looking to sell their current model and get the new one because of the weight savings. Their kids play Tier 1 Elite and travel all the time so any weight and space they can save are helpful to them. I imagine we will see some of the previous generation Sparx on sale at online marketplaces sometime soon.

I am personally eager to see the new model vs the previous generation. I hope Sparx does a comparision on YouTube @Sparx Hockey @SparxHockey

 

 

[psulion22 402]

For those interested, it seems that the new Pro model also comes with the "regular" base for travel.  The top portion of the unit is interchangeable, with the difference being the base unit.  The regular base is compact and lightweight for travel, and the Pro base is sturdier and heavier for a stationary application, even just home use, similar to the old model.  So if you're looking at the two and think you may want the Pro, but still want the smaller unit in case you travel occasionally, you don't have to choose between them.

[SparxHockey 30]

Hi guys - As you can imagine, we've been pretty slammed with the new launch, but yes, we will have plenty of videos coming in the future that thoroughly explain the difference in the two models. Some folks on here have already explained it well, but to confirm, the difference is in the bases. The Sparx Sharpener comes with the standard base, that is compact and lightweight, which makes it great to travel with to games and tournaments. The Sparx Sharpener Pro comes with TWO bases - the standard base AND the Pro Base. The Pro Base is a heavier duty metal base with a tempered glass access door similar to the base found on the original Sparx Sharpener (ES100).

The big benefit of the Sparx Sharpener Pro is that you can keep the head unit attached to the Pro Base at home, the team locker or the shop, and then simply lift the head unit off the Pro Base and attach it to the compact and lightweight standard base to bring on the road. There are just thumb nuts that easily remove the head unit.

The head units on both the Sparx Sharpener and Sparx Sharpener Pro are the same. And you can buy the Pro Base at a later time to transform the standard sharpener into the Pro, but like most bundles, etc. it is cheaper to buy the Pro model up front rather than buying the base later.

Hope that helps!

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

11 hours ago, SparxHockey said:

Hi guys - As you can imagine, we've been pretty slammed with the new launch, but yes, we will have plenty of videos coming in the future that thoroughly explain the difference in the two models. Some folks on here have already explained it well, but to confirm, the difference is in the bases. The Sparx Sharpener comes with the standard base, that is compact and lightweight, which makes it great to travel with to games and tournaments. The Sparx Sharpener Pro comes with TWO bases - the standard base AND the Pro Base. The Pro Base is a heavier duty metal base with a tempered glass access door similar to the base found on the original Sparx Sharpener (ES100).

The big benefit of the Sparx Sharpener Pro is that you can keep the head unit attached to the Pro Base at home, the team locker or the shop, and then simply lift the head unit off the Pro Base and attach it to the compact and lightweight standard base to bring on the road. There are just thumb nuts that easily remove the head unit.

The head units on both the Sparx Sharpener and Sparx Sharpener Pro are the same. And you can buy the Pro Base at a later time to transform the standard sharpener into the Pro, but like most bundles, etc. it is cheaper to buy the Pro model up front rather than buying the base later.

Hope that helps!

I have a question for Sparx Hockey on behalf of those who have the ES100 and don't plan to upgrade in the near future.  I assume that the grinding rings are unchanged, and that the new Sparx uses the same spec grinding rings as the old Sparx.  However, I did notice on the Sparx site that the air filter for the ES100 is not the same as the air filter on the newer unit.  How long will Sparx offer last gen accessories for purchase?  Simply put, how long does Sparx intend to support ES100 users?  Thanks.

Edited August 13, 2020 by shoot_the_goalie

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

I have a question for those who have the ES100 and don't plan to upgrade in the near future.  I assume that the grinding rings are unchanged, and that the new Sparx uses the same spec grinding rings as the old Sparx.  However, I did notice on the Sparx site that the air filter for the ES100 is not the same as the air filter on the newer unit.  How long will Sparx offer last gen accessories for purchase?  Simply put, how long does Sparx intend to support ES100 users?  Thanks.

Thats a question for @Sparx Hockey @SparxHockey

[SparxHockey 30]

15 hours ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

I have a question for Sparx Hockey on behalf of those who have the ES100 and don't plan to upgrade in the near future.  I assume that the grinding rings are unchanged, and that the new Sparx uses the same spec grinding rings as the old Sparx.  However, I did notice on the Sparx site that the air filter for the ES100 is not the same as the air filter on the newer unit.  How long will Sparx offer last gen accessories for purchase?  Simply put, how long does Sparx intend to support ES100 users?  Thanks.

There are no plans to discontinue accessories or service on prior models. With thousands and thousands of customers (consumer and commercial) utilizing prior models that are going to last for several years, we are obviously going to support their product needs in the future.

[court31sierra 1]

just got this email from sparx:

 

Dear Valued Sparx Customer, 

First, we want to thank you for placing your order for the new, revolutionary Sparx Sharpener and becoming one of the first consumers in the world to get access to the latest technology from Sparx Hockey. We know you will be extremely satisfied with your new sharpener and will experience consistent and accurate edges for many years to come!

Unfortunately, we were notified late last week that this eagerly anticipated first shipment of Sparx Sharpeners will be delayed in arriving to our facility. As you may have experienced with ordering other products, there are significant shipping delays currently taking place throughout the world and this delay is beyond our control.

While we originally communicated that sharpeners will ship out to you from our facility in 5-7 business days from when you placed your order, we are now expecting to ship sharpeners in approximately 13-15 business days. This estimate could change as we receive more information, but we wanted to share with you the latest information we have at this time.

We understand that this is frustrating, as it is frustrating to us as well. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and the last thing we want is for any of our customers to have a less-than-perfect experience with Sparx Hockey.

If you would like to cancel your order as a result of the delay, we will provide you a full refund. However, please note that as a result of the unprecedented demand for the new Sparx Sharpener orders placed today are expected to ship in 5-6 weeks, so we recommend not canceling your current order.

We truly apologize for this delay and please know that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process.

Again, thank you for your order and thank you for supporting Sparx Hockey.

 

[Leif 161]

I waited two years for mine to ship! (They wouldn't ship to the UK until 18 months ago.) I love mine, and don't have a need to change it even though it weighs as much as a battle ship, but I'm interested to hear reviews of the new pocket sized one.

[218hockey 50]

2 hours ago, court31sierra said:

just got this email from sparx:

 

"Dear Valued Sparx Customer, 

First, we want to thank you for placing your order for the new, revolutionary Sparx Sharpener and becoming one of the first consumers in the world to get access to the latest technology from Sparx Hockey. We know you will be extremely satisfied with your new sharpener and will experience consistent and accurate edges for many years to come!

Unfortunately, we were notified late last week that this eagerly anticipated first shipment of Sparx Sharpeners will be delayed in arriving to our facility. As you may have experienced with ordering other products, there are significant shipping delays currently taking place throughout the world and this delay is beyond our control.

While we originally communicated that sharpeners will ship out to you from our facility in 5-7 business days from when you placed your order, we are now expecting to ship sharpeners in approximately 13-15 business days. This estimate could change as we receive more information, but we wanted to share with you the latest information we have at this time.

We understand that this is frustrating, as it is frustrating to us as well. We pride ourselves on exceptional customer service and the last thing we want is for any of our customers to have a less-than-perfect experience with Sparx Hockey.

If you would like to cancel your order as a result of the delay, we will provide you a full refund. However, please note that as a result of the unprecedented demand for the new Sparx Sharpener orders placed today are expected to ship in 5-6 weeks, so we recommend not canceling your current order.

We truly apologize for this delay and please know that we are doing everything in our power to expedite the process.

Again, thank you for your order and thank you for supporting Sparx Hockey."

 

So if you already have an order placed it will ship in 13-15 days. It's an extra week, no big deal.

 

"As you may have experienced with ordering other products, there are significant shipping delays currently taking place"  That's the head scratcher. Haven't the folks at Sparx experienced the same thing over the past few months then? And should have accounted for this before giving out shipping times?

 

 

[mojo122 535]

Willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this as they may have been misinformed by their shipper.  

[court31sierra 1]

41 minutes ago, mojo122 said:

Willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this as they may have been misinformed by their shipper.  

I’m not worried, I’m just glad I ordered as soon as it was released. Feel bad for the people that waited a bit... gonna be awhile yet.. too bad they wouldn’t offer a discount on rings or throw in a free ring for the patients. Haha 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

It is what it is with the way international shipping is going these days. Nobody should be surprised by something like this. 

[beardacus 0]

Anyone receive the new smaller sharpener yet? Really thinking about biting the bullet on this one now that its a little bit cheaper. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

3 hours ago, beardacus said:

Anyone receive the new smaller sharpener yet? Really thinking about biting the bullet on this one now that its a little bit cheaper. 

One of the guys I skate with has the new one. I very much prefer the older model. The new one requires hand tools to do adjustments and all of the motor components are in the top portion instead of safely living within the housing. I understand that some compromise had to be made to shed weight but I feel like this new model is not as professional as the previous generation. 

[rh71el2 3]

So I finally finished a grinding wheel (1/2 Fire) and this is my finding... it lasted 264 total passes.  Which means if you do an avg of 4 passes per skate (overkill IMO), it would do 33 pairs.  I do an avg of 2 passes per skate every 3rd or 4th hour on ice... so that would mean 66 pairs.  Overall with the 2 kids playing 3-4x per week in-season, that wheel lasted 1.5 years.

Anyone else with data to share?  Is 2 passes average?  I find that with the LS1 steel in my kids' skates, it requires more frequent sharpenings (is it because I only do 2 passes - doubt it).  My LS4 sharpenings (5/8 fire) last a lot longer.

Edited December 27, 2020 by rh71el2

[VegasHockey 1280]

38 minutes ago, rh71el2 said:

So I finally finished a grinding wheel (1/2 Fire) and this is my finding... it lasted 264 total passes.  Which means if you do an avg of 4 passes per skate (overkill IMO), it would do 33 pairs.  I do an avg of 2 passes per skate every 3rd or 4th hour on ice... so that would mean 66 pairs.  Overall with the 2 kids playing 3-4x per week in-season, that wheel lasted 1.5 years.

Anyone else with data to share?  Is 2 passes average?  I find that with the LS1 steel in my kids' skates, it requires more frequent sharpenings (is it because I only do 2 passes - doubt it).  My LS4 sharpenings (5/8 fire) last a lot longer.

That sounds about right. IMO, many people do too many passes when most times they only need 1-2 passes to freshen up the edges since the hollow is still intact. You typically only need 3-5 passes if you have some trauma to the blade. I also have seen a lot of people was passes as ell when the hollow and edges were cut just fine after two passes but they were not diligent with honing the steel after the sharpening. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

Sounds right. I do two before every skate, need it or not. However as a goalie I often have dings I need to - at least mostly - fix so I end up doing 5-6 passes far more often than most people should ever need to, so that obviously skews my numbers. It is what it is, and I still get plenty of life out of a ring all things considered. Zero complaints.

As one of the first kickstarters I can easily say this is by far the best crowdfunding projects I’ve ever backed (and I back a lot of them) and definitely one of the best investments I’ve ever made in a product in general. 

[chippa13 1844]

I still kick myself sometimes that I couldn't find time to meet up with Russ when he and the team were first developing Sparx.