Sparx Skate Sharpener - At home sharpener

[218hockey 50]

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

9 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

I’ve never read that before. 

[Arkainium 1]

9 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

I’ve felt the opposite actually. Not sure of the mechanics of it but could it be that my local sharpeners are not doing a good job of dressing the ring every time?

[rh71el2 3]

^ Suggestion should always be to try to go the shallowest without losing an edge.  Personally with 5/8 FIRE, I'm still perfectly fine purposely throwing myself left and right, so it's a no-brainer to get the most glide from the shallower end.  Try the shallowest first.  Yes, experimenting may cost, but you will always know from that point forth.

Edited October 16, 2019 by rh71el2

[VegasHockey 1280]

  11 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

I dont know where you got that from. If anything, the hollow on the Sparx ring is more accurate becuase diamond coated wheels dont flex unlike aluminum oxide/silicon carbide when pressure is applied. 

[stick9 892]

4 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I’ve never read that before. 

Neither have I.

[colins 246]

14 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

5 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I’ve never read that before. 

29 minutes ago, stick9 said:

Neither have I.

 

And me to the list of never having heard that before.

I imagine given @ZamboniFever previous experience in medical devices, producing sharpening wheels that don't measure accurately to the hollow they represent doesn't seem likely. Maybe @SparxHockeywould care to comment?

 

colins

 

[218hockey 50]

5 hours ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

  11 hours ago, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

I dont know where you got that from.

I said where I got that from.  ???

 

 

[Leif 161]

35 minutes ago, 218hockey said:

I said where I got that from.  ???

 

 

I must have read most if not all of this thread prior to buying a Sparx machine, and I don’t recall any such comments. My sharpens feel must like ones from my local hockey shop. Maybe if you quote the posts you refer to. 

[218hockey 50]

Read that multiple times over the years in this thread. Does it matter? I read it here I take it as gospel! Maybe it was the Fire vs FBV chart? Idk.

[IPv6Freely 2093]

It does matter. We’d prefer people not be misinformed. 

[218hockey 50]

If you don't want to ever be misinformed I suggest you stay away from the internet.

[BenBreeg 493]

Just now, 218hockey said:

If you don't want to ever be misinformed I suggest you stay away from the internet.

That isn’t what he said.

[218hockey 50]

Right, I said that. Thanks.

 

[Leif 161]

This thread has gone a bit wonky. Changing the subject slightly, I tried switching between 1/2” and 5/8” hollows, and vice versa, using a sharpie to mark the blade hollow before the grind. It looks like one pass is enough to change the hollow on the basis that all of the sharpie ink was removed. Any relevant comments? Any reason I might be mistaken? 

I now use the honing stone on my black LS5 blades, so much easier to remove burrs, and the black finish has no use for me. 

[IPv6Freely 2093]

7 hours ago, 218hockey said:

If you don't want to ever be misinformed I suggest you stay away from the internet.

So you’re suggesting we should permit people to intentionally spread misinformation because it’s the Internet? I don’t think so.

Lets get the thread back on topic.

[marka 526]

Howdy,

Anyone directly compared the 5/8 Fire to the 3/4 Fire?  Curious if its a big difference or a more subtle one.  I'm likely going to need to get another ring soon and was thinking of trying out the 3/4 Fire at the same time.

Mark

[VegasHockey 1280]

7 minutes ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Anyone directly compared the 5/8 Fire to the 3/4 Fire?  Curious if its a big difference or a more subtle one.  I'm likely going to need to get another ring soon and was thinking of trying out the 3/4 Fire at the same time.

Mark

I would say the 5/8 FIRE feels like 3/4 ROH, with more glide, and the 3/4 FIRE feels like 1" ROH, with more glide. If you like more "float" than you will likely love it. I personally cannot skate on the 5/8" FIRE as its still too sharp for me. 

[marka 526]

Howdy,

52 minutes ago, SkateWorksPNW said:

I would say the 5/8 FIRE feels like 3/4 ROH, with more glide, and the 3/4 FIRE feels like 1" ROH, with more glide. If you like more "float" than you will likely love it. I personally cannot skate on the 5/8" FIRE as its still too sharp for me. 

Thanks.

I use a 5/8 Fire now and have no issues with grip / finding my edges or anything like that.  So I was thinking of trying out the 3/4 Fire.

I realize this is all mostly personal preference, just wanting to see if folks thought there were a large change between the two.  I haven't ever skated on either 3/4 or 1" ROH.

Mark

Edited October 17, 2019 by marka

[stick9 892]

7 hours ago, marka said:

Howdy,

Thanks.

I use a 5/8 Fire now and have no issues with grip / finding my edges or anything like that.  So I was thinking of trying out the 3/4 Fire.

I realize this is all mostly personal preference, just wanting to see if folks thought there were a large change between the two.  I haven't ever skated on either 3/4 or 1" ROH.

Mark

If you've never skated on a 3/4 ROH, skip the 3/4 Fire. I skate on a 3/4 and hated the 3/4 Fire. I had edges but it just felt way to floaty to me. 

[darkhors 88]

On 10/17/2019 at 6:12 PM, stick9 said:

If you've never skated on a 3/4 ROH, skip the 3/4 Fire. I skate on a 3/4 and hated the 3/4 Fire. I had edges but it just felt way to floaty to me. 

Most people feel "floaty" when trying FBV or Fire, you should. You're sitting on top of the ice instead of digging in. Mark, since you're using Fire already, I wouldn't be worried about trying the 3/4 Fire. The biggest thing is what kind of ice you're skating on. Is the ice you play on consistent? Is it hard, soft? The softer the ice, the shallower you can go, but I skate on medium to hard ice and have never had an issue holding an edge on the 5/8 Fire. I don't have a 3/4 Fire yet to try, but I would give it go if I had it.

[strosedefence34 175]

On 10/15/2019 at 11:39 PM, 218hockey said:

Good information, but it's been said here many times that other things being equal, the Sparx wheels are just a bit shallower than advertised. So just trying to add that bit of info to my thought process anyway.

To back this up I sharpen my own skates at 5/8 ROH on a blademaster double head machine.  A friend of mine has a Sparx machine and I asked him if he would sharpen my skates at 5/8 ROH because I was curious to see how it did compared to how I do my skates.  We did at least 8 passes if I remember because we did 6 and the skates were slightly out of level and then we put them back in for 2 more passes and I checked them again and they were dead on.  When I skated on them for the first time the sharpening didn't have the same amount of bite that I was used to coming off of a manual blade master.  It almost felt like I was skating on a sharpening that was a couple of skates old at that moment.  It wasn't bad just wasn't great.  If I were to do another "test" I would try a 9/16 ROH from Sparx.  

A factor that could play into this is that he said his ring was more than half way used up.  When I sharpen my skates I dress the wheel so it is a fresh start.  As the rings get used up since you can't redress them does the consistency stay the same?  I don't see how it could but then again I really don't know.

Edited October 21, 2019 by strosedefence34

[Leif 161]

1 hour ago, strosedefence34 said:

To back this up I sharpen my own skates at 5/8 ROH on a blademaster double head machine.  A friend of mine has a Sparx machine and I asked him if he would sharpen my skates at 5/8 ROH because I was curious to see how it did compared to how I do my skates.  We did at least 8 passes if I remember because we did 6 and the skates were slightly out of level and then we put them back in for 2 more passes and I checked them again and they were dead on.  When I skated on them for the first time the sharpening didn't have the same amount of bite that I was used to coming off of a manual blade master.  It almost felt like I was skating on a sharpening that was a couple of skates old at that moment.  It wasn't bad just wasn't great.  If I were to do another "test" I would try a 9/16 ROH from Sparx.  

A factor that could play into this is that he said his ring was more than half way used up.  When I sharpen my skates I dress the wheel so it is a fresh start.  As the rings get used up since you can't redress them does the consistency stay the same?  I don't see how it could but then again I really don't know.

Your grinding wheel is probably carborundum which is softer than diamond. You use a diamond tool to dress (shape) it. Sparx rings are I believe made from diamond particles embedded in a matrix and hence they wear much more slowly than your wheel. In fact Blackstone are now selling spinners to dress the wheel which are like little Sparx wheels but with a hollow, and they claim they are better than the traditional method, which to my way of thinking validates the Sparx wheel: 

https://blackstonesport.com/technology/history-of-skate-sharpening

My 7/16” wheel produced level edges when nearly used up, and the blade surface still felt good. I have no way to know if the curve changed noticeably, but subjectively it felt the same and very different to a 1/2” hollow. Maybe Sparx can comment. 

[strosedefence34 175]

@Leif at the shop I work at we use the Blademaster version of the spinner system.  We aren't using the traditional diamond and quill.  Not that I think it really makes a difference in establishing a hollow on the finishing wheel.

[VegasHockey 1280]

2 hours ago, strosedefence34 said:

To back this up I sharpen my own skates at 5/8 ROH on a blademaster double head machine.  A friend of mine has a Sparx machine and I asked him if he would sharpen my skates at 5/8 ROH because I was curious to see how it did compared to how I do my skates.  We did at least 8 passes if I remember because we did 6 and the skates were slightly out of level and then we put them back in for 2 more passes and I checked them again and they were dead on.  When I skated on them for the first time the sharpening didn't have the same amount of bite that I was used to coming off of a manual blade master.  It almost felt like I was skating on a sharpening that was a couple of skates old at that moment.  It wasn't bad just wasn't great.  If I were to do another "test" I would try a 9/16 ROH from Sparx.  

A factor that could play into this is that he said his ring was more than half way used up.  When I sharpen my skates I dress the wheel so it is a fresh start.  As the rings get used up since you can't redress them does the consistency stay the same?  I don't see how it could but then again I really don't know.

I sharpen a ton of skates and am neurotic and OCD when it comes to the process of sharpening. A 5/8 on a BladeMaster, ProSharp, or BlackStone is the same as a Sparx. Where there might be a small feeling of difference is not taking off the burr entirely from the Sparx sharpening or getting the same level of finish on the blade. I use some special sauce after I sharpen, and a gummi stone to clean the hollow after I deburr skates on the Sparx. It looks like a mirror. If you just take the skates of the Sparx machine, lightly deburr it, it will not feel nearly as sharp as using a manual or semi-automated machine. Once blade sharpening is complete and the steel is still slightly warm, I then coat the blade completely in another product. Let is stand for approx 2 minutes before wiping the remainder off with a towel/cloth. The finish and glide is amazing. 

Edited October 21, 2019 by SkateWorksPNW