Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[colins 246]

On 12/27/2020 at 12:52 PM, 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.

 

The rings last for 320 passes. You may have miscounted if you only recorded 264 passes. Or someone is running cycles that you aren't aware of. But the ring is coded for 320 passes, that's how many you get before the light goes out.

I'm in the habit of doing 2 passes before every 3rd or 4th skate. I don't find I ever need more than that for well cared for / well handled skates.

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by colins

[rh71el2 3]

40 minutes ago, colins said:

The rings last for 320 passes. You may have miscounted if you only recorded 264 passes. Or someone is running cycles that you aren't aware of. But the ring is coded for 320 passes, that's how many you get before the light goes out.

I'm in the habit of doing 2 passes before every 3rd or 4th skate. I don't find I ever need more than that for well cared for / well handled skates.

 

I'm the only one who knows how to use the Sparx at home so it's not that, and I have a running list of passes I keep on my phone.  I'm surprised I'd be that far off... something is for sure amiss if it's pre-programmed for 320 passes.  Is the count kept on the machine or on the wheel (the latter would be an interesting feat).  I ask because I rotate 2 different wheels, albeit infrequently. 146 passes so far on the 5/8 Fire which still wouldn't explain it.

 

The light for the 1/2 Fire finally stayed red and I couldn't start it anymore.  Thanks for the info.

Edited December 28, 2020 by rh71el2

[IPv6Freely 2092]

8 minutes ago, rh71el2 said:

I'm the only one who knows how to use the Sparx at home so it's not that, and I have a running list of passes I keep on my phone.  I'm surprised I'd be that far off... something is for sure amiss if it's pre-programmed for 320 passes.  Is the count kept on the machine or on the wheel (the latter would be an interesting feat).  I ask because I rotate 2 different wheels, albeit infrequently. 146 passes so far on the 5/8 Fire which still wouldn't explain it.

 

The light for the 1/2 Fire finally stayed red and I couldn't start it anymore.  Thanks for the info.

Usage data is on the ring itself. 

[Leif 161]

On 12/27/2020 at 4:22 PM, 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.

I do one pass every 4 hours or so assuming no damage to remove, I use a 7/16" ring and LS5 runners. I don't swap round rings between sharpens which helps. I once sharpened some cheap skates with fixed blades and that was awful, I gave each boot 5 passes, soft steel, just didn't feel right.

[colins 246]

On 12/28/2020 at 4:16 PM, rh71el2 said:

I'm the only one who knows how to use the Sparx at home so it's not that, and I have a running list of passes I keep on my phone.  I'm surprised I'd be that far off... something is for sure amiss if it's pre-programmed for 320 passes.  Is the count kept on the machine or on the wheel (the latter would be an interesting feat).  I ask because I rotate 2 different wheels, albeit infrequently. 146 passes so far on the 5/8 Fire which still wouldn't explain it.

 

The light for the 1/2 Fire finally stayed red and I couldn't start it anymore.  Thanks for the info.

 

Count is tracked on the wheel not the sharpener. There's an embedded rfid tag in the ring and the machine writes to it to decrease the # of remaining passes each time it's used.

Check this thread circa July 2016 when Russ the inventor of the Sparx confirms each ring is programmed for 320 passes. 

 

[VegasHockey 1280]

1 hour ago, colins said:

 

Count is tracked on the wheel not the sharpener. There's an embedded rfid tag in the ring and the machine writes to it to decrease the # of remaining passes each time it's used.

Check this thread circa July 2016 when Russ the inventor of the Sparx confirms each ring is programmed for 320 passes. 

 

This is correct. The older rings you can read the RFID info as well, if you are skilled enough 😉 

I got my hands slapped for posting about it a while ago 😛 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

No you didn’t.

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

No you didn’t.

Yes, I did. I didn't post on this forum though, it was somewhere else. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

3 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

Yes, I did. I didn't post on this forum though, it was somewhere else. 

you made it sound like it was here. anyway, moving on.

[rh71el2 3]

If I'm trying to change the sharpening from 1/2 Fire to 5/8 Fire (less bite), how many passes would I need?  Only LS1 steel sharpened to 1/2 Fire only 1 session ago if it matters.

Edited January 3, 2021 by rh71el2

[Leif 161]

19 minutes ago, rh71el2 said:

If I'm trying to change the sharpening from 1/2 Fire to 5/8 Fire (less bite), how many passes would I need?  Only LS1 steel sharpened to 1/2 Fire only 1 session ago if it matters.

When I change hollow, I mark the blade with a sharpie, and try a couple of passes. Two usually removes all of the ink when going from 1/2” to 5/8” normal hollow, and vice versa. 

[rh71el2 3]

Did 2 passes each skate.  Kid noticed zero difference in terms of glide or fatigue.  Sometimes I wonder...

Edited January 3, 2021 by rh71el2

[VegasHockey 1280]

5 hours ago, Leif said:

When I change hollow, I mark the blade with a sharpie, and try a couple of passes. Two usually removes all of the ink when going from 1/2” to 5/8” normal hollow, and vice versa. 

This is the best way. 

[Giltis 116]

On 1/3/2021 at 2:10 PM, rh71el2 said:

Did 2 passes each skate.  Kid noticed zero difference in terms of glide or fatigue.  Sometimes I wonder...

Some folks are dull to things like that (pardon the pun). But you can see results as a 3rd party, or by switching back after about a year with the new stuff. As sometimes we are more cognizant of things that feel worse than things that feel better. 

[psulion22 402]

On 1/3/2021 at 2:10 PM, rh71el2 said:

Did 2 passes each skate.  Kid noticed zero difference in terms of glide or fatigue.  Sometimes I wonder...

I'd do another 2 just to make sure.  But it is possible that the edges are still too deep for him to notice the difference.  What I mean is as a skater you can tell the difference between skates that have too much bite, are just right, and don't have enough.  But you might not be able to tell the difference between edges that have varying degrees of too much or too little.  Just as you can tell the difference between sharp skates and dull skates, but maybe not so much of how dull they are once they get there.  An 1/8" difference may only be noticeable if it's crossing from one preference to another (ie too much bite to just right)

[218hockey 50]

Who has experience sharpening new runners on the Sparx? Bladetech, just off of the Prosharp profiler. Ten passes?

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I did 10 but can’t say if that was necessary.

[stick9 890]

2 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Who has experience sharpening new runners on the Sparx? Bladetech, just off of the Prosharp profiler. Ten passes?

I've done a few sets of new LS5. I did a total of 10 passes. I did the first 6 with a 3/4 fire ring I don't skate on. The final 4 passes were done with my ring of choice. No issues either time.

Maybe you can get away with fewer passes since your steel has been profiled.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

4 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Who has experience sharpening new runners on the Sparx? Bladetech, just off of the Prosharp profiler. Ten passes?

The higher quality steels, such as Step, I run about 12 cycles.  Lower quality steels, I run 10.  Might be more than necessary, but I've sharpened too little before and it's not pretty when you get on the ice...lol.

[218hockey 50]

6 minutes ago, shoot_the_goalie said:

The higher quality steels, such as Step, I run about 12 cycles.  Lower quality steels, I run 10.  Might be more than necessary, but I've sharpened too little before and it's not pretty when you get on the ice...lol.

No, you're correct. I just finished up and needed about 12 on the BT blades.

My son will be home from practice in a bit, we'll see what he says. !!!

Edited January 6, 2021 by 218hockey

[VegasHockey 1280]

4 hours ago, 218hockey said:

No, you're correct. I just finished up and needed about 12 on the BT blades.

My son will be home from practice in a bit, we'll see what he says. !!!

It's usually easier and more cost-efficient to bring new steel to a pro shop to have them cross grind the steel even and put on a fresh hollow.

[shoot_the_goalie 281]

5 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

It's usually easier and more cost-efficient to bring new steel to a pro shop to have them cross grind the steel even and put on a fresh hollow.

True.  But there can be minor drawbacks to this.  Besides the need to get access to a manual sharpener, it's also possible that the radius can get mucked up with the initial manual sharpen.  Of course, if you're getting your blades profiled with the initial sharpen, the latter point is probably moot.

[JV23 12]

20 hours ago, 218hockey said:

No, you're correct. I just finished up and needed about 12 on the BT blades.

My son will be home from practice in a bit, we'll see what he says. !!!

So what was the verdict?  I have a set of profiled Bladetech arriving sometime in the next week or so and am curious for Mini-me...

[218hockey 50]

He likes them for sure. It's hard to get quality feedback out of a middle schooler! We'll throw throw the LS5 back on for practice tomorrow for comparison.

[ExplodingSidewalk 0]

I need your help gentlemen and ladies.

I am at a crossroads trying to determine whether to purchase the ProSharp Home or the Sparx Hockey ES200 for home skate sharpening.

The ProSharp Home with Starter Kit, Twin Blade Holder, and 1/2 inch wheel would total $1,776.00 (No Tax and Free Shipping)

The Sparx Elite Bundle would total $1,551.65 (Tax - $101.75 and Shipping - $74.99)

Yes the ProSharp Home's grinding wheels last a long time at $99.00 each but, the Sparx ES200 grinding wheels last 40 cycles (?) at $59.99 each.

Did Sparx fix the issue concerning the grinding wheel not sharpening further up the heel and toe of the runner?

Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Edited February 1, 2021 by ExplodingSidewalk