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sectachrome

Blademaster BFD

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So I took my new skates to the little hole in the wall pro shop at the Y rink right near me to get them baked. Being brand new, I also got them sharpened. They asked me if I wanted to try the BFD cut, which was similar the FBV but a little better. Most guys who get it never go back he said. Now, I've heard of FBV, but never bothered to try it. I said, sure if you recommend it.

Now I'm doing some research on it the next day, and I'm getting the impression that it's basically just a rip off of FBV, and isn't as good, but I haven't seen any reasoning why it's inferior? I was kind of hesitant to even get it at all, because I'll be dealing with figuring out new skates and don't want to throw some other variable in there. Is it worth leaving it and giving it a shot, or should I just have them resharpened with FBV or ROH?

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Hello, Blademaster BFD is not the same thing as Blackstone FBV and a question of whether Blademasters sharpening is better is of the opinion of the user. I prefer Blackstone FBV sharpening and was also told that Blademaster is the same thing but I go with Blackstone FBV. I find in my experience if I don't go to my LHS and in the area of another shop; the sharpening guy will usually say it's the samething or if he has neither, the sharpening guy will say it's a gimmick and that ROH is better.

Whether or not it's a gimmick is up to the skater but for me, I will stick with Blackstone FBV. If you search on google or this forum, you will see a big thread about FBV. Or type Blademaster vs Blackstone and you probably will find your answer.

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Well I'll be surprised if anyone here has an opinion on this ( joking of course). I'll say this, while I suspect the overwhelming consensus is that FBV is the superior of the flat grind hollows, and the science seems to support that opinion, it's really going to come down to personal preference and what feels/works best for the individual skater. For me, the BFD X7 is the hollow I seem to be the most comfortable and skate the best on. I've tried a variety of ROH and FBV grinds and wasn't as comfortable on them as I was on the X7. I also found the BFD seems to hold an edge the longest, even though I would have expected the FBV to have stronger edges because there's more material behind them (much like a knife with a flat grind will have better edge retention than on with hollow grind). Ultimately I would try them out for a few skates and see how they feel, because that's really the only thing that matters.

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Well I'll be surprised if anyone here has an opinion on this ( joking of course). I'll say this, while I suspect the overwhelming consensus is that FBV is the superior of the flat grind hollows, and the science seems to support that opinion, it's really going to come down to personal preference and what feels/works best for the individual skater. For me, the BFD X7 is the hollow I seem to be the most comfortable and skate the best on. I've tried a variety of ROH and FBV grinds and wasn't as comfortable on them as I was on the X7. I also found the BFD seems to hold an edge the longest, even though I would have expected the FBV to have stronger edges because there's more material behind them (much like a knife with a flat grind will have better edge retention than on with hollow grind). Ultimately I would try them out for a few skates and see how they feel, because that's really the only thing that matters.

Thanks. I was just curious because there's a wealth of info here about FBV, and not so much about the BFD. What little of it there was seemed to have a negative slant for whatever reason. Mostly just wanted to make sure it wasn't some awful sharpening that I shouldn't even bother trying. I got the X7, they said that was the equivalent to 1/2 or 7/16. What kind of annoyed me is that they just started with the X7 anyway without even asking, but they got the job done and I didn't have to drive 20 mins to Total Hockey.

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Most shops that were heavily invested in Blademaster, and did not buy into the FBV, trashed FBV because they couldn't do it. Once Blademaster rolled out their version, many more suddenly became believers in the concept. BFD is simply the Blademaster attempt to copy the Blackstone FBV. As with any sharpening, the ability of the person in front of the machine is the most important factor.

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Most shops that were heavily invested in Blademaster, and did not buy into the FBV, trashed FBV because they couldn't do it. Once Blademaster rolled out their version, many more suddenly became believers in the concept. BFD is simply the Blademaster attempt to copy the Blackstone FBV. As with any sharpening, the ability of the person in front of the machine is the most important factor.

That's a great point and your input is always appreciated.

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Thanks. I was just curious because there's a wealth of info here about FBV, and not so much about the BFD. What little of it there was seemed to have a negative slant for whatever reason. Mostly just wanted to make sure it wasn't some awful sharpening that I shouldn't even bother trying. I got the X7, they said that was the equivalent to 1/2 or 7/16. What kind of annoyed me is that they just started with the X7 anyway without even asking, but they got the job done and I didn't have to drive 20 mins to Total Hockey.

It's going to feel shallower that 1/2. To me it feels somewhere between 7/16 - 5/8 (closer to 5/8). I remember trying 1/2 and hating it, especially when stopping, way too much bite for me, so X7 is definitely going to feel shallower that that.

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The BFD shape was the "logical" transition from a radius of hollow to a flat bottom hollow. After Blackstone tested it, it was too difficult to quantify the benefits as well as the feel; it still felt like a ROH. So they kept on working on it and straightened out the transition from the tip of the edge to the flat.

Once FBV took off, Blademaster had to rush something to market to compete, so they merely flattened the ROH. That's why their feel range is very wide in their description - look at the post before mine for reference.

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Hey all, sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but does anyone know any shops in the Boston area that does a BFD cut? My regular guy closed shop for the summer, so I'm trying to find an alternate sharpener to get me through to September.

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As the OP, if anyone's curious, I skated on the BFD sharpening once and had them redone to 1/2". I dont know if it was my skating, or a bad sharpening, but my left skate felt like it didnt really have an edge at all. I am weaker with edge control and stopping on that skate, so it could have been me. Either way it went away when I got them redone.

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On 4/29/2016 at 5:34 PM, cmflynn said:

Hey all, sorry to resurrect a dead thread, but does anyone know any shops in the Boston area that does a BFD cut? My regular guy closed shop for the summer, so I'm trying to find an alternate sharpener to get me through to September.

 

10 hours ago, wiserbud said:

Are there any shops near foxboro am that profile skates?

 

 

 

Hockey Monkey in Norwood (which is about 20 minutes from Foxboro) does Blademaster BFD. It can be tricky, because when I called last year, the guy I talked to said "Flat Bottom V," and when I asked in person, the sharpener said "Flat Bottom V," but they have a Blademaster logo, and if you ask for more specific info, the sharpenings are X7, X8 etc.

I can't tell if the people there have no idea what they are talking about, or if they are intentionally trying to mislead people (given big chain stores like that, I'd say a little of column A, and a little of column B). I have friends who say that the one guy there does a great job and is really passionate and professional about sharpening, but after the debacle of being given absolutely incorrect and untrue information by multiple people, I'd rather drive 90 minutes and have No Icing do it right. 

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As a longtime Blackstone user, I tried Blademaster's version in a pinch, and absolutely hated it. For me, it didn't feel like a ROH and it didn't feel like a FBV. I'd travel about an hour one way just to get a FBV so I was kind of hoping it was close because this place was much closer to where I live. I immediately went back to a Blackstone FBV.

I suppose if I were committed to using it I could find a cut I like, but I'd probably just go back to ROH instead. 

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