Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[bunnyman666 445]

On 7/26/2018 at 1:14 PM, hockeyrules said:

Has anyone had any experience with the new commercial Sparx sharpener the PS 100?  I have owned the original one for a couple of years now and there's a few issues that the commercial one may solve.  I don't do a ton of skates or operate a shop or anything, I estimate I do around 175 pairs per year mostly of people I skate with and kids' teammates.  Biggest issues I have with it is the number of passes it takes to sharpen a pair skates, the company states that it should be an average of 4 cycles per pair but I'm finding an average of 8 is more like it.  For my skates and my kids skates who get them done regularly, 4 is fine but most of the skates I do are more beat up than that and it's not uncommon to have to run 10 - 15 cycles.  Since I only sharpen for people I know, I'm only charging a modest $5 which is cheap for our area but at the cost of those grinding rings, I'm sure at times it's costing me money to do a pair skates.  The new machine offers a cross grind ring that may help in this regard so I guess I'm looking for feedback on anyone experiencing the same a me and if they tried the new machine.  Another issue that recently popped up is that the carriage is sticking during the cycle and leaving a pit in the blade.  I have to stand by the machine ready to cancel when it occurs or else it could ruin a blade.  Error codes suggest that there is an obstruction and when I give it a good cleaning with a shop vac it seems to solve the problem but recently it's happening more frequently to the point where I may need to clean it in the middle of sharpening a pair of skates.  I've always maintained it well and changed the filter so I'm not sure why it's acting that way.  With the new machine, there is a vacuum attachment which I think would help in that regard because there would be less dust, so again just looking for feedback.  I will say though that I like the machine, I think it does a great job sharpening skates and have no complaints in that regard.  

A local rink has a Sparx in addition to a traditional Blademaster. One guy says that the vacuum does not work all that well. Of course he is biased because he is a Blademaster guy.

My biggest trouble with mine is sharpening Step Extreme blades. I had quite the learning curve and nearly sent back the machine! I devised my own way to get the Step Extremes into the carrier and not stop in the middle of a pass. That being said- the only Step Extreme I will sharpen is my own.

I now charge $10 if they go more than six weeks out because I find that the more rounded over a blade is (especially if they mess with their blades with some of the self sharpeners in between), it takes 10 passes to get a good edge. I am trying to incentivise customers to sharpen more often, as it is more cosistent and easier on my wheels. 

[ZamboniFever 32]

@hockeyrules we saw your message above.  It sounds like you're using the our ES100 (consumer) machine.  Based on your description, we think we know what's up with your machine and we'll take care of you to get things going right again.  Can you please shoot a message over to help@sparxhockey.com with your info so we can get started?

Regarding the Sparx Commercial Vacuum, we do hear sometimes from customers that they feel the vacuum isn't working well.... this is because of confusion on how the vacuum system works with the Sparx Commercial Sharpener.  The vacuum's purpose in the system is to keep negative pressure (lower pressure than that of the room around the sharpener) so that any airborne particulate and dust is drawn into the sharpener enclosure (rather than wanting to go into the room).  The vacuum does not try to suck up all of the dust that is trapped inside the enclosure.  Capturing the dust inside the Sparx enclosure is the responsibility of the Sparx Dust Tray.  Heavy particulate will drop into the tray and we recommend users to pull the vacuum hose from the port on the side of the PS100 sharpener once per day and vacuum out the heavy particulate from the tray.  People often see this dust in the tray and think that the vacuum isn't sucking/pulling hard enough and that's not how the system is designed.  I hope this helps.

Lastly, on the number of cycles.  Most of our commercial users that are using ES100s (our consumer machine) claim that they nominally run 5 cycles per skate for a good sharpening.  We have commercial customers sharpening many thousands of pairs of skates per year using this technique.   It helps sometimes to use the marker test on the heel and toe to confirm that the sharpening got the whole blade surface.  I personally use this visual indicator since it only takes a second to mark the blade and it is proof positive that your sharpening was complete... well worth the extra couple seconds.  You could even drop down to 4 cycles per skate with the marker test and then up a cycle if needed.  The marker test also helps your customers out because you wouldn't be removing more steel than necessary on their blades.

Lastly, our commercial customers using our PS100 systems have the cross grinding ring which does help out the situation of sharpening brand new or severely damaged steel.  The cross grinding wheel removes steel much faster than the standard Sparx Grinding Ring.  The cross grinding ring is no longer available for the ES100 system - much to the dismay of our ES100 customers (us too).  This is because the swarf coming off the cross grinding wheel is too hot for onboard filter of the ES100 vacuum system.

If you have any more questions, please shoot us a note over at help@sparxhockey.com.  Our customer service and tech support teams are here to help.

Cheers,
Russ
Founder/CEO
Sparx Hockey

[IPv6Freely 2092]

3 minutes ago, ZamboniFever said:

The cross grinding ring is no longer available for the ES100 system - much to the dismay of our ES100 customers (us too).  This is because the swarf coming off the cross grinding wheel is too hot for onboard filter of the ES100 vacuum system.

Do you feel that I should stop using my cross-grinding ring, then? Is it a safety hazard to continue using? I've only ever used mine once and that was just when I was switching to a new hollow and figured I'd give my blades a fresh start. 

[VegasHockey 1280]

On 7/28/2018 at 4:32 AM, bunnyman666 said:

A local rink has a Sparx in addition to a traditional Blademaster. One guy says that the vacuum does not work all that well. Of course he is biased because he is a Blademaster guy.

My biggest trouble with mine is sharpening Step Extreme blades. I had quite the learning curve and nearly sent back the machine! I devised my own way to get the Step Extremes into the carrier and not stop in the middle of a pass. That being said- the only Step Extreme I will sharpen is my own.

I now charge $10 if they go more than six weeks out because I find that the more rounded over a blade is (especially if they mess with their blades with some of the self sharpeners in between), it takes 10 passes to get a good edge. I am trying to incentivise customers to sharpen more often, as it is more cosistent and easier on my wheels. 

Are you using the standard grinding wheels or the commerical ones? Do you use the XG wheels? 

[ZamboniFever 32]

@IPv6Freely you're OK to finish off the old one that you have.  The situation is that we no longer felt that heavy duty use of that ring COMBINED with not following the safety instructions in the Sparx Manual was an issue.  Feel confident to finish off that ring but make sure to vacuum out your system and replace the dust filter as prescribed in the manual.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0932/7770/files/11058C_V2_Users_Manual_Text.pdf?15916948694645149034

The routine maintenance defined in the manual also helps maintain peak machine performance and improves longevity of the system.

 

[bunnyman666 445]

5 minutes ago, Nicholas G said:

Are you using the standard grinding wheels or the commerical ones? Do you use the XG wheels? 

Standard. I wish I would have waited a few months and bought the commercial version 😟

[IPv6Freely 2092]

15 minutes ago, ZamboniFever said:

@IPv6Freely you're OK to finish off the old one that you have.  The situation is that we no longer felt that heavy duty use of that ring COMBINED with not following the safety instructions in the Sparx Manual was an issue.  Feel confident to finish off that ring but make sure to vacuum out your system and replace the dust filter as prescribed in the manual.

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0932/7770/files/11058C_V2_Users_Manual_Text.pdf?15916948694645149034

The routine maintenance defined in the manual also helps maintain peak machine performance and improves longevity of the system.

 

Absolutely! I keep mine really clean. I know you guys sent out updated manuals and a free filter at one point, which was very much appreciated!

[218hockey 50]

I finally ran into a SPARX machine last week at Lettermen's in Blaine MN. That's right by the famous Super Rink. They had two machines going as well as the hand sharpeners. I told them I wanted the SPARX machine to do our skates. The worker put one skate in each machine and they were done in a couple of minutes. I did not count the passes. When they were done they took them out and threw them on the counter, no edge checker or hdi. The finish looked great but there were a few burrs left and one of the edges was way off. Not good.

My point here is that this shop can't be making a very good name for the SPARX machine.

 

[Vet88 674]

20 hours ago, 218hockey said:

"no edge checker or hdi." 

 

This more than anything else should tell you to run as fast as you can from the place. It doesn't matter how good the machine is, bad operators will produce bad results.

[bunnyman666 445]

On 8/12/2018 at 5:57 AM, 218hockey said:

I finally ran into a SPARX machine last week at Lettermen's in Blaine MN. That's right by the famous Super Rink. They had two machines going as well as the hand sharpeners. I told them I wanted the SPARX machine to do our skates. The worker put one skate in each machine and they were done in a couple of minutes. I did not count the passes. When they were done they took them out and threw them on the counter, no edge checker or hdi. The finish looked great but there were a few burrs left and one of the edges was way off. Not good.

My point here is that this shop can't be making a very good name for the SPARX machine.

 

Garbage in from the sharpener, garbage out to the customer. That sucks, and I am sorry to hear that!

So- my question is how do they treat skates in regular machines?

I do know of a place where they have both machines and the experienced hand sharpeners have so much disdain for the Sparx machines that they would do the same sort of deal.

I will be investing in an edge checker just for the fact that it could be greatly useful for when I do skates I have not touched previously. The one time I did not do the marker test on skates that were horrendously rounded over (and the user used some self-sharpening devise) that I did not get a wonderful edge on there. Never again- I will always do marker on the blade and run ten passes MINIMUM on skates like that.

Edited August 13, 2018 by bunnyman666

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Not only would I question the shop for not bothering with an edge checker, but if they were off I'd also question a) if the machine was calibrated (unlikely based on lack of checking the edges) and b) if the edges were even to begin with (less likely to be the problem, but unless it was checked there's no way to know)

[Santos L Halper 90]

So, I've had my Sparx sharpener for just over a year now and I figured that, since we are at the start of a new season, I'd go ahead and post my observations, praise for, and, yes, gripes about my Sparx...

(TL/DR - It's an awesome machine.  I'd almost definitely buy it again.  That said, removing the cross-grinding capabilities from the consumer model was a horrendously stupid decision and I still struggle with getting the sharpener to go consistently high enough on the toes of skates.)

The Good:

• Consistent edges.  Every.  Single.  Time: 
  • I simply cannot overstate how much this means to someone that (a) doesn't have access to consistent, predictable manual sharpening; and (b) relies on his skates to make a living.
• Convenience: 
  • As a coach, I am on the ice between 8 and 12 hours a week - sometimes much more, depending on private lessons, sticktime groups, etc.  I also have a son that is on the ice upwards of 6 hours a week.  Since I won't allow the guys that work at the rink shops to touch our skates AND I live over 30 minutes from the box stores (which don't do a good job, either); having access to sharpening on an 'as needed' basis is invaluable.
• Ease of use: 
  • I'm over 40 years old and I work full time as a hockey coach.  I do NOT have the time to become an expert on a manual Wissota or Blackstone machine.  I.  Just.  Don't.  I'm willing to stipulate that someone that IS an expert on those machines MAY be able to give me a sharpen that is as good as, if not better than I get on my Sparx...but I don't have access to any of those guys and, since I have neither the time nor the inclination to become one of those guys, I love that I can give my skates a great sharpen without needing to invest an additional 30 years of my life towards mastering a manual machine.   
• Profile Maintenance:
  • I understand that guys that know what they're doing with a manual sharpener can properly maintain a profile, but guys that know what they're doing aren't available in Southern California...and the ones that DON'T know what they're doing can wreck a profile in 2-3 sharpens; so I love that having a Sparx means that the money I've invested in profiling my kid's steel wasn't wasted.
• Portability:
  • This year alone, my Sparx has sharpened skates in California, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming.  THAT'S awesome!
• Micro-Adjustability:
  • I love that, using the edge checker, I can really dial in perfectly even edges.  It takes manual sharpeners hours of dicking around with their equipment to make sure stuff is lined up.  I can do it in a couple of minutes with my Sparx.
• No "Wheel Dressing" or Other Nonsense:
  • With a Sparx, you never have to ask yourself if 'it's time to dress the wheel'.  You just sharpen your skates and get on with your day.  Freaking awesome.
• Additional Income Stream:
  • While I don't make a TON of money, the fact that I can save the hockey families that I work with from lousy (and expensive!!!) rink sharpenings while also making a few bucks isn't a bad thing....

The Not so Good:

• No Cross Grinding Capability:  
  • Dumping the cross-grinding ring was a monumental mistake by Sparx (are you reading this, Russ???  MON!YOU!MENTAL!). 
  • Look, I get that the filter was getting clogged.  I get that people were chewing through their steel.  But when you have an even marginally damaged blade that you need to contend with, running 10+ passes with a $60.00 grinding ring is FUCKING IRRITATING!!!
  • Apologies for the cursing, but damnit, both the reasons that have been given for, and the practical effect of, the elimination of a cross-grinding ring are giant piles of solid waste from a male of the bovine species.  Hockey is a rough game and edges routinely get damaged.  The fact that I have to suck down 1/10th of a grinding ring's life when my kid goes feet-first into the boards ONE TIME just pisses me off.  
• No Provision to Attach a Shop-Vac (or other dust removal system):
  • I love the portability of my Sparx (see above...); but when it's in my garage at home, I'd ALSO love to attach my shop-vac to the system so that I can suck out all of the mess as it occurs.
  • "But the aiiiiiiir filter!" you say.  Mmmmhmmm.  My shop-vac has a HEPA filter.  It works great.  Plus, it has a huge amount of suction.  This seems like a total no-brainer and one that should have been thought of when designing the machine.

(A note on the two above "Not so Goods". Yes, I could have purchased the PS100, but that runs at a $350.00 premium to the the ES100.  Which is patently ridiculous...)  

• Getting the Wheel Consistently High Enough on the Toe:
  • I've dicked around with this to no end - toe right, toe left, goalie risers, no risers, small tip forward in the clamp, etc, etc, etc - I just can't seem to get the wheel to consistently hit where I want it to on the toe without a huge amount of chattering/jumping/skipping.
  • I understand hockey players don't skate on the toes of their blades...but we DO start on the toes of our blades and we have to trust that we have SOME edge on our toes so that we can start explosively and efficiently.
• Doesn't Like Fancy 3rd Party Steel:
  • Part of the benefit of the Tuuk LightSpeed and CCM SB systems is that you can easily replace your crap stock steel with good steel (Tyden's etc...).  However, good steel seems to burr horribly in the Sparx and I have found myself taking these fancy-steeled skates out of my Sparx every two passes to de-burr.  Is this difficult?  No.  Is it a pain in the ass?  Absolutely.

Observations:

• Traveling with a Sparx attracts lots of attention and questions - almost everyone's HEARD of the Sparx, but not many have seen one 'in the wild'.  Once you sharpen their skates, they're (usually) believers.
• I've spent a bunch less at our local big-box stores - not just on skate sharpening, but also on random useless hockey stuff I don't need.  It used to be impossible to get out of HockeyMonkey or PureHockey without at least $25.00 of crap IN ADDITION to the skate sharpening - now, since I'm never there unless I need something specific, I'm not spending unnecessary money there!
• I sharpen my skates WAY more often than I used to - not just due to the convenience factor; but also due to the fact that I'm not afraid of dropping my skates off and returning to a crappy sharpening job.  
• A $90.00 800W power inverter means you can sharpen skates in your car....
  • As the sharpener only draws 200W, you could probably get by with a 400W inverter, but they're not much cheaper and you want to make sure that you have enough 'start up' wattage capacity that you're not tripping fuses in your inverter.  Plus, who knows when I'll want to run a 70" TV off my truck battery?
  • Also, local rink pro shops hate me now.  I've become 'that coach that has the sharpener in his truck' and I love it.
• I thought the grinding wheels would be a pain - but I actually like them.  They're easy to store, portable, and easy to swap out for a different wheel - no dressing or tedious alignment necessary.  That system is pure genius.
• The option for the Fire/FBV hollow is awesome.  I wasn't sure anyone would like it, but it's really caught on and nearly everyone that's tried it has loved it.  

Anyway.  That's about all I can think of as far as my thoughts after 'a year with a Sparx'.  Hopefully this will answer some questions people who are still on the fence may have about the pros/cons...or, at least generate some discussion, here.  In the end, I'd definitely buy a Sparx again - but I'd probably give strong consideration to saving my pennies for a 1/2 year or so and getting the PS100 instead of the ES100....

Edited August 23, 2018 by Santos L Halper
Clarity & grammar...

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Great review. I agree with just about all of it. As a goalie I get bigger nicks in my blades than most skaters thanks to the posts and I agree sometimes you just want the ability to cross-grind. Thankfully I still have a cross-grind wheel but that won't last me forever, obviously. I haven't had any issue with burrs on my step steel, at least nothing that isn't easily taken care of by a leather strop. 

I need to get an inverter for my car. Can you recommend one? I assume you bought the travel case. I really need to get one. I thought about a generic Pelican case but honestly they're not THAT much cheaper and you get the precut foam and everything that's all perfectly sized. Worth it.

For me, getting the box at the kickstarter price was a NO BRAINER. At $900 or whatever it is now I'd probably have a difficult time dropping that kind of cash on it - though I definitely don't miss having crap edges so there's that. 

I never thought about the spending a bunch of money when you take your skates in, but it's totally true! I always end up buying SOMETHING I don't need! 

[Santos L Halper 90]

18 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

Great review. I agree with just about all of it. As a goalie I get bigger nicks in my blades than most skaters thanks to the posts and I agree sometimes you just want the ability to cross-grind. Thankfully I still have a cross-grind wheel but that won't last me forever, obviously. I haven't had any issue with burrs on my step steel, at least nothing that isn't easily taken care of by a leather strop. 

[snip]

Yeah, if I were a goalie (or had a goalie in the house...), I'd be literally LIVID that the cross-grinding capabilities were removed from the system.

The Step Steel on my True/VH skates isn't bad as far as burrs go; but the chrome SB 4.0 steel on my kid's friend's JetSpeeds burrs EXTREMELY badly, and my kid's Tydan's steel isn't much better.  Again, I CAN take care of the burrs, but it's a pain....

 

24 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

[snip]

I need to get an inverter for my car. Can you recommend one? I assume you bought the travel case. I really need to get one. I thought about a generic Pelican case but honestly they're not THAT much cheaper and you get the precut foam and everything that's all perfectly sized. Worth it.

[snip]

Inverter:  I got this one from PepBoys and it seems to be fine.  You could probably get most any 800W inverter on the market and have success, but beware any of them that claim to plug into your cigarette lighter for anything over 175 watts - you really need to connect anything that draws 175 watts or more to your battery, or you risk damaging your car's electrical system.  Also, don't waste your money on a pure sine wave inverter.  It's a skate sharpener, not an EKG monitor.

Travel case:  Nope.  I have a crew-cab truck (4 doors), so I just put the sharpener on the floor of the cab of the truck behind the driver's seat.  I, of course, use all of the travel guards when I'm transporting the sharpener, but I've had no problems doing this.  For road trips, I just put the sharpener back in the box it came in.  That way, I can stack stuff on top of it and not worry about anything happening to it.  I may buy the travel case at some point, but it's not pressing at this moment.

33 minutes ago, IPv6Freely said:

[snip]

I never thought about the spending a bunch of money when you take your skates in, but it's totally true! I always end up buying SOMETHING I don't need! 

Bastards!  It's how they get you!!!! 😁

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Although this is more of a Q and A for the most part it sure seems to me that's turned into more of a free promotion for this product.  And as per the guidelines I personally think JR should be compensated for the amount of sales it seems to be generating.  Similarly to another topic a while back about the pro shops. Just my opinion.  

[Leif 161]

Maybe the lack of criticism reflects the general satisfaction of owners? I was chatting to someone who may soon be the UK distributor for Sparx, and he said that a good hand grind was better than a Sparx grind, which rather took me aback. He explained that blades are often bent, and automated machines do not necessarily deal so well with bent blades. My right blade is very slightly bent, perhaps due to the holder, but a Sparx did a good job of sharpening it. I suspect that if a blade is bent to the degree that a Sparx can’t deal with it, then the bend should be rectified. 

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

Automated skate sharpeners will be the norm in 10 years. However, IMO if the promotion this machine is getting on this site as one of the first people on it if not the first on here I believe JR should be getting something from it? That's my point it has ZERO to do with how I feel this machine can and cannot sharpen skates. 

[Stewie 721]

1 hour ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Automated skate sharpeners will be the norm in 10 years. However, IMO if the promotion this machine is getting on this site as one of the first people on it if not the first on here I believe JR should be getting something from it? That's my point it has ZERO to do with how I feel this machine can and cannot sharpen skates. 

You’re way overstating a level of “free promotion” vs how much the product sells itself. Most of the posts in this thread have been questions and answers. Is it The sites fault most people who have bought one are satisfied?

JR hasn’t promoted the machine at all, if anything it competes with his own business.

the most recent posts you have responded after are someone listing pros and cons, and another person mentioning they’d have a hard time spending the current price on it......

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

54 minutes ago, Stewie said:

You’re way overstating a level of “free promotion” vs how much the product sells itself. Most of the posts in this thread have been questions and answers. Is it The sites fault most people who have bought one are satisfied?

JR hasn’t promoted the machine at all, if anything it competes with his own business.

the most recent posts you have responded after are someone listing pros and cons, and another person mentioning they’d have a hard time spending the current price on it......

Chill...... it's simply an observation. 

[bunnyman666 445]

2 hours ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Automated skate sharpeners will be the norm in 10 years. However, IMO if the promotion this machine is getting on this site as one of the first people on it if not the first on here I believe JR should be getting something from it? That's my point it has ZERO to do with how I feel this machine can and cannot sharpen skates. 

I can understand where you’re coming from, Mr. Oldtrainerguy. 

The difference is that it is the rank and file of this site discussing the sharpener with little participation of the owner and/or employees. He’s present, but there is not any active “stealth” advertising or promotions from the company owner. Now if I were “Jerimiah Sparkington” (I know- not the real owner’s name), I would throw a bone at this site owner if this thread was making business hop (and no- he doesn’t have to in my opinion). This is simply a discussion on the sharpener- good, bad and otherwise. 

[Stewie 721]

1 hour ago, oldtrainerguy28 said:

Chill...... it's simply an observation. 

I’m just stating my observation, but I guess you’re point of view is the only one that matters here

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Should this site be getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of every popular product, then? 

[oldtrainerguy28 478]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Should this site be getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of every popular product, then? 

Not so much kickbacks but promotion help for Winterfest and Summerfest. 

 

 

[beerleaguecaptain 999]

1 hour ago, IPv6Freely said:

Should this site be getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of every popular product, then? 

Kickbacks, no.. but it would be damn nice to see manufacturers buying advertisements.  They sure do get enough out for the site and their support of it is essential to it's success.

[stick9 888]

2 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

Should this site be getting kickbacks from the manufacturers of every popular product, then? 

Two brands (Sparx & True) have gotten a ton of free pub here. It would be nice to see them recognize the site and it’s members who’ve helped grow their brands. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by stick9