Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[stevebalchunas 32]

17 minutes ago, sparky1 said:

This isn't me complaining about pricing by the way, just more of a curiosity of what makes the sparx better than doing it yourself with a traditional machine, other than convenience?

1

I've written a little on why I think automation will always win out here. I'll be the first to admit, I do a great job, but in the back of my mind, I know I can't hold that profile true and keep all of the other constants (translation speed, pressure, and RPM) like a well-engineered machine does. 

And for sure, a huge part is convenience. I can run out to my garage and start up my Blackstone, or I can just pop my skates in while I pack up my bag to go in the basement and do no work at all. So, not only can it beat me on some performance aspects, but it's the same argument for using a Keurig versus brewing a pot of coffee for one cup. 

I think anyone in this thread who has significant experience sharpening skates manually will tell you it's going to take years to perfect your craft and run into all the issues and know how to troubleshoot them. So if you're down for learning a new hobby, go for manual, just be sure you know what you're getting yourself into. The cost of the traditional grinding wheels (if that's all you're going to look at) will probably work out better financially in the long term. Sparx will always be ~$1 a sharpening after the initial payoff. I bet a traditional stone works out to be pennies per sharpening. 

[sparky1 29]

1 hour ago, shoeshine boy said:

the Sparx is basically a fully contained unit. I've had a Wissota hooked up to a shopvac for years and while it helps keep the dust down it doesn't capture probably even half of the dust. the Sparx is catching virtually all of it. those of us who got in on the Kickstarter pricing got a HELLUVA deal.

 

33 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Better as far as end result? That depends on your abilities. You should probably expect some pretty bad sharpenings for the first few months at least, which is totally fine if you're willing to put in the time. Much much longer to master it. Its also clearly more expensive. I mean, it's unlikely at the $899 price tag plus $50 for 40 sharpenings that you'll ever make up for the $7-8 per sharpen you get locally. 

So let's be real here... you buy this machine because a) you aren't interested in learning how to use a traditional machine and b) because you don't have somebody who is convenient/inexpensive/competent near you. If A and B apply to you, congrats, you're the target audience. If you have either A or B, then just stick to those. 

 

Yeah, i'm kind of kicking myself for not getting it at the $600 kickstarter price. That would've made it worth it to me, I like convenience.

 

Fortunately, I have someone right down the road from me and does FBV for $7 or ROH for $5 and does a good job every time, but it is still a hassle to go there, because it's not ever planned, it's just when I lose an edge on the ice or I notice my skates losing their edge that I go there.

 

I'm definitely interested in learning how to use a traditional machine though! So if the local guy ever closes up shop, or I move, i'll definitely be looking in the direction of getting a personal traditional sharpening machine.

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[DarkStar50 679]

I'm not going to say skate sharpening is easy but I don't agree with this idea that it takes years to master. It is a skill that takes practice to get started, confidence in your ability, and a work ethic to do the job right every time. Like any job, it is a matter of caring about what you do. It's not rocket appliances.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

That's good to know that the "I've been doing this for decades" thing isn't as important as those people imply ;)

(yes I'm trolling) 

[DarkStar50 679]

^^ It's not about how long you've been doing it, it's about how long you've been doing it well !!

A dedicated mentor and you are on your way to learning. Practice, practice, practice.

[Chadd 916]

3 hours ago, DarkStar50 said:

I'm not going to say skate sharpening is easy but I don't agree with this idea that it takes years to master. It is a skill that takes practice to get started, confidence in your ability, and a work ethic to do the job right every time. Like any job, it is a matter of caring about what you do. It's not rocket appliances.

I've always said that caring about the quality of your work is the most important part of being a good sharpener. Oddly enough, I find most of the really good sharpeners are also the least likely to brag about it.

[colins 246]

11 hours ago, Chadd said:

I've always said that caring about the quality of your work is the most important part of being a good sharpener. Oddly enough, I find most of the really good sharpeners are also the least likely to brag about it.

 

15 hours ago, DarkStar50 said:

I'm not going to say skate sharpening is easy but I don't agree with this idea that it takes years to master. It is a skill that takes practice to get started, confidence in your ability, and a work ethic to do the job right every time. Like any job, it is a matter of caring about what you do. It's not rocket appliances.

 

I think it requires a certain aptitude to be done well. I don't know that everyone possesses the attention to detail required to do it well and do it well consistently.

 

colins

[Arch 0]

I just got mine setup thursday night - went out to skate the past 2 nights and this morning and it feels great. I'm using the 5/8 Fire wheel vs the 90/75 FBV i had done before at the closest hockey shop 45 minutes away. I'm also glad i'll be able to help out my teammates on my work team who constantly complain about needing their skates sharpened but can never find time to make the 45 minute drive to get them done.

[Hoserob 4]

I can't say enough positive things about my Sparx.  I just took the sharpener to our three day club tournament.  How convenient, sharpened like 20 pairs including a new set of steel that replaced at broken blade from a 9 o'clock game where the proshop was open but the sharpener guy was gone for the night.  The new steel was ready for the 9am game the next morning.   

[IPv6Freely 2092]

1 hour ago, Hoserob said:

I can't say enough positive things about my Sparx.  I just took the sharpener to our three day club tournament.  How convenient, sharpened like 20 pairs including a new set of steel that replaced at broken blade from a 9 o'clock game where the proshop was open but the sharpener guy was gone for the night.  The new steel was ready for the 9am game the next morning.   

Just make sure you're running through the alignment process after you physically transport the machine. I assume you already know to do that, but figured I'd mention it just in case.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

My time at the local rink tonight would have made a great advertisement for Sparx.  :-)

Local rink guy I'm friendly with (and remain so) sharpened my skates  but edges were _way_ off.  Like, very easily visible to the eye.  He didn't see it before he gave them back.  Not adversarial and he was kinda embarrassed when I pointed it out.  Then he tried to cut them again, without much better results.  During this whole process, it was clear that he could do the job when everything worked right, but didn't have enough experience to recognize/fix other problems.  He's a nice guy (I'd say "kid", but he's probably in his 30's, so that mostly shows that I'm old I think... :-) and wanted to do the right thing, but just didn't have the experience / knowledge.  My guess is that something was wonky with the holder but ??

Anyway, making  a long story short, my skates are still up there and the old guy that knows more will cut them tomorrow.  On most levels, no harm, no foul.  Sure a little steel is gonna be gone that really shouldn't be, but hey whatever.

But I'm still wishing I had my own sharpener (absent that whole $900 to buy one thing :-).

Mark

[Hoserob 4]

21 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Just make sure you're running through the alignment process after you physically transport the machine. I assume you already know to do that, but figured I'd mention it just in case.

Yeah, I did bring the alignment tool.  When I rechecked the alignment, it was dead on.  

[OzziesDad 89]

I finally had my skates done by one of the Sparx machines at a local rink.  I have played 3 games in them at 3 different rinks (upper C division), and overall I am fairly impressed.  Skates are last years Tacks, and I stayed with my preferred 1/2" sharpening.

Like most people, I have had good sharpenings, and bad sharpenings over the years.  I generally tend to get my skates done by the same guy.  However, as you know sometimes you need to get them done by someone else when in a jam, and those results can go vary from terrible to great (kind of like using a different barber I guess. haha).

Anyhow, I think the bottom line is that the machine certainly caters to the crowd that doesn't have direct access to get a good sharpening done on a consistent basis.   To be honest, as much as i wanted to notice a difference when it was done by the machine, I really didn't.  I don't really know what I expected, but the edges felt great. 

I wish I could give a review with much more insight, and far more impactful testimony (good or bad).  However, the machine does what it says, I guess.  I don't think I will be purchasing one anytime soon (as I can get a good sharpening at a few places within a 20 minute drive).  However, I think its a great machine for those that can't. 

 

[WaukeshaTG 2]

I've gone through two sharpenings for myself on my Sparx, and one each for my two kids.  

I'm using a 1/2in ring, much sharper than what I was getting from the pro shop, which I'm told was a 3/8 but suspect was a 5/8.  I just upgraded to from 280 JetSpeeds to pro stock JetSpeeds and, after baking, had the shop do a first sharpening.  One step on the ice and I knew they needed to get on the Sparx . . I had edges on turns, but when I was simply standing or near vertical on my blades I was slipping and sliding all over the ice.  Two passes on the Sparx machine took care of it.  

The machine is expensive, that is for sure.  I'm fortunate enough that I can handle the upfront cost and will hopefully have a decent payback on it with myself and two 2nd year minis skating.  The convenience factor and quality of sharpenings have both lived up to expectations.  

One item for guys/gals with kids.  I was able to get a size 10 youth skate to sharpen.  I had to finagle a little bit to get the steel from the runner to get 'sensed' by the slot cover (angling up the skate a bit).  The sharpening was fine - not sharp as far on one end as I would need, but for a mini-mite it was A-OK.  

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Got my accessory tray and cross grind ring today. Edge checker on the way. Thanks @stevebalchunas you're a beauty. 

Now I just need a case to put it in, and of course another ring and the blade holder to fill up the tray ;)

[bootsmagee 15]

Finally got around to taking a few pictures of my storage/travel solution.  I used a Jr. Sherwood rolling goalie bag ($80 on ebay) and 1" black polyethylene foam sheet.  I used hot glue on the poly-to-poly seams and Sprayway 92 trim adhesive on the poly-to-bag areas.  Funny, there's lots of visible adhesive overspray in the flash of the pictures but it's literally not visible at all in person, I swear .  I cut about 4" out of the goalie bag and sewed it back together, so it's 4" shorter than it would normally be when laying on the ground.  If you look closely at the seam along the perimeter webbing, you can see that it's not perfectly straight from where I sewed it back together.  The Sparx fits pretty snugly, so I use those two straps to lift it out more easily from the top.

 

[colins 246]

7 minutes ago, bootsmagee said:

Finally got around to taking a few pictures of my storage/travel solution.  I used a Jr. Sherwood rolling goalie bag ($80 on ebay) and 1" black polyethylene foam sheet.  I used hot glue on the poly-to-poly seams and Sprayway 92 trim adhesive on the poly-to-bag areas.  Funny, there's lots of visible adhesive overspray in the flash of the pictures but it's literally not visible at all in person, I swear .  I cut about 4" out of the goalie bag and sewed it back together, so it's 4" shorter than it would normally be when laying on the ground.  If you look closely at the seam along the perimeter webbing, you can see that it's not perfectly straight from where I sewed it back together.  The Sparx fits pretty snugly, so I use those two straps to lift it out more easily from the top.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Awesome setup. Do you take it on the road, or just back and forth from home and the local rink? Are you using an edge checker, if so which one?

 

colins

Edited December 14, 2016 by colins

[bootsmagee 15]

8 minutes ago, colins said:

Awesome setup. Do you take it on the road, or just back and forth from home and the local rink? Are you using an edge checker, if so which one?

I only take it to the rink, but where I play is a 45 min drive from home.  I ordered the edge checker from Sparx but haven't gotten it yet..soon!

[stevebalchunas 32]

2 hours ago, bootsmagee said:

Finally got around to taking a few pictures of my storage/travel solution.  I used a Jr. Sherwood rolling goalie bag ($80 on ebay) and 1" black polyethylene foam sheet.  I used hot glue on the poly-to-poly seams and Sprayway 92 trim adhesive on the poly-to-bag areas.  Funny, there's lots of visible adhesive overspray in the flash of the pictures but it's literally not visible at all in person, I swear .  I cut about 4" out of the goalie bag and sewed it back together, so it's 4" shorter than it would normally be when laying on the ground.  If you look closely at the seam along the perimeter webbing, you can see that it's not perfectly straight from where I sewed it back together.  The Sparx fits pretty snugly, so I use those two straps to lift it out more easily from the top.

2

I'm impressed. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Nicely done! 

[bootsmagee 15]

Thanks guys.  It was a fun project and has worked great so far.  I wouldn't throw it around like a Pelican case, but it does what I need it to do.

[bootsmagee 15]

Used the "X-grind" wheel for the first time last night.  Toward the end of the game, I came to the bench to change and one of our wingers told me to go out for him the following shift because he'd blown an edge and it wouldn't hold at all.  After the game, he showed me his skate and sure enough there was a 4" long or so section of his inside edge that was completely blunted.  I ran two passes with the X-grind and the defect was no longer visible.  I'm guessing it removed somewhere around .010-.015" based on eyeballing the damage beforehand, just a guess though. 

Steve, out of curiosity, is there an average/estimate on how much each pass of the X-grind wheel removes? 

I marked the fresh flat surface with a black sharpie and ran his requested 1/2" for 6 passes.  (I believe Sparx recommends running 10 passes after using the X-grind.)  There was still a very fine black line visible on part of both edges, so I ran another 2 passes and it was gone.  The recommended 10 passes is probably the safe number, but 8 seemed to suffice here.  I mirrored the same process on both skates to keep things even.  We'll see what his feedback is this Sunday night!

[stevebalchunas 32]

3 minutes ago, bootsmagee said:

Steve, out of curiosity, is there an average/estimate on how much each pass of the X-grind wheel removes? 

I marked the fresh flat surface with a black sharpie and ran his requested 1/2" for 6 passes.  (I believe Sparx recommends running 10 passes after using the X-grind.)  There was still a very fine black line visible on part of both edges, so I ran another 2 passes and it was gone.  The recommended 10 passes is probably the safe number, but 8 seemed to suffice here.  I mirrored the same process on both skates to keep things even.  We'll see what his feedback is this Sunday night!

1

I know it's 4X our traditional Grinding Rings, but I'd have to double check what exactly that is in material removal per pass. 

You're right on with the 8 cycles. Depending on how deep of a hollow you put back on a skate after the X-Grind (which puts an almost flat profile on the blade), you may end up only needing 4 cycles, say with a 7/8" Radius Ring, but 10 cycles for a 3/8" Ring. I think running 4 cycles with a regular ring after the X-Grind and checking, then running 2 at a time until the marker is gone is a good idea. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Update! I have the full kit now :) Blade holder and edge checker both arrived today. Sparx even threw in some stickers to put on my DIY case once I have it.

I already see I'm going to be cross grinding my mako runners, they were quite uneven. 

My goalie skates that had their first sharpen by JR and only the Sparx since were perfect. 

[IPv6Freely 2092]

I got my case! Pelican iM2200 fits perfectly.

 

 

The case comes with a couple layers of pick and pluck foam since it's a 6" (ID) case. I'm using the middle layer to hold things like a couple extra sets of steel, and various other accessories like screws and a screwdriver, mask bits and bobs, etc. Here's what I've done so far: