Home sharpener

[Leif 161]

I'm looking to purchase a home sharpener as I have to travel out of my way to the one decent sharpener I know, the others being pants (rubbish). Anyway, does anyone here have a Wissota 911 (or similar), and if so, is it easy enough to learn to use one. Would it be okay to keep it in an unheated garage? I can't really have it indoors, I believe it's a bit messy. Lastly does it need to be fixed down, or can it just rest on a bench?

My choice is down to a Sparx (not yet available in the UK) or a Wissota 911 (no UK distributor but the maker will ship to the UK).

[Leif 161]

And another question. I use a ProSharp BAT to check the edges on my skates. The instructions say to place the BAT on the blade such that the toe is furthest away from you. If I reverse the skate, I get a slightly different reading, by about 2 thousands of an inch. Is this normal? It suggests the two surfaces of the blade are not parallel.

[clarkiestooth 235]

I just bought a Wissota 911. I live in florida, and while we have decent hockey with a lot of northern transplants, hockey shops are non existent. I contacted Wissota  and purchased a machine that had been demoed at a trade show. Had fewer than 10 hours of use, looked brand new. They really hold their resale value, and the price was not far off what I could sell it for down the road. The unit is really solidly built, strong motor, easy to use ( you must follow the set up manual precisely).

With regard to your question on keeping the 911 in an unheated garage, the unit comes with a warning saying not to use in unheated area.  The lubricating grease becomes too thick, which won't allow motor to reach full speed. The starter in the motor will not turn off until motor reaches full speed (normally takes 3 seconds), so you would burn out starter if motor takes prolonged time to reach FS. Non issue for me in florida.

[shoeshine boy 242]

I have both a Wissota and a Sparx. both are great machines but the Sparx is much more "idiot-proof", if you will.

back when I first got my Wissota it didn't take me long at all to learn how to sharpen. the key is to get your holder dialed in correctly so that you can produce even edges.

if you're worried about operating in an unheated area then you might want to look harder at the Sparx since it keeps the dust inside the machine.

oh, and my Wissota isn't "fastened down". it just sits on top of a work bench.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

The choice comes down to a single question for me: Are you willing to put the time and effort into learning how to sharpen skates, and deal with sub-par sharpenings as long as that takes?

If yes: buy a manual sharpening machine 

If no: buy a Sparx

For me personally, Sparx was the easy choice. That said, I got it for the Kickstarter price.

[krisdrum 233]

OP - being based in EU, wondering why you aren't considering the ProSharp Home as an alternative to the Sparx.  Not as many bells and whistles, but I'd imagine easier to get locally. 

[Leif 161]

Thanks for the comments, very helpful.

Clarkiestooth and ShoeShine Boy: Do you think a Wissota could be kept in a spare bedroom, or would sparks during use burn holes in carpets and curtains? Could it be placed on a kitchen floor and used while kneeling? I suppose it could be placed on a small table in the kitchen.

1 hour ago, krisdrum said:

OP - being based in EU, wondering why you aren't considering the ProSharp Home as an alternative to the Sparx.  Not as many bells and whistles, but I'd imagine easier to get locally. 

I am. The Wissota quote is about £1350 including tax and shipping. The Prosharp is closer to £1800 including tax and shipping. That is a big difference. And each ProSharp grinding wheel is over £100. The Sparx is a more user friendly device. You press the button, it does the work. And a green light comes on when done. With the ProSharp you have to press the button for each pass of the grinding wheel. Plus each Prosharp wheel is over £100 compared to ~£50 for the Sparx. The Sparx is easier to align. That said, both are well made and durable. The ProSharp is much lighter and more compact. The ProSharp has a 3 year warranty, the Sparx 1 year, advantage ProSharp. The Sparx bonuses are lower cost, and better user interface. I know some people criticise the Sparx for being made in China, but for me that is a plus, the cheaper labour costs mean you get more for less. Chinese goods such as the iPhone can be excellent given good QC. Honestly if I could get the Sparx today at a Wissota price or less, I think I'd have bought one already.

 

[clarkiestooth 235]

27 minutes ago, Leif said:

Thanks for the comments, very helpful.

Clarkiestooth and ShoeShine Boy: Do you think a Wissota could be kept in a spare bedroom, or would sparks during use burn holes in carpets and curtains? Could it be placed on a kitchen floor and used while kneeling? I suppose it could be placed on a small table in the kitchen.

 

 

Based on these questions, I think your best choice would be the Sparx. The Wissota is  great machine, but way too messy for the kitchen.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

27 minutes ago, clarkiestooth said:

Based on these questions, I think your best choice would be the Sparx. The Wissota is  great machine, but way too messy for the kitchen.

I actually had my Sparx in my kitchen for about a month when I first got it! haha

[Leif 161]

8 hours ago, clarkiestooth said:

Based on these questions, I think your best choice would be the Sparx. The Wissota is  great machine, but way too messy for the kitchen.

Thanks, I feared that would be the case, and I don't think I want to carry it to the garage for each sharpen, to much potential for damage.

7 hours ago, IPv6Freely said:

I actually had my Sparx in my kitchen for about a month when I first got it! haha

Thanks. Yes, YouTube has videos of the ProSharp and Sparx units in kitchens. Both look excellent, I'd give the nod to the Sparx interface and price though.

It does look as if the ProSharp and Sparx units are the way to go. For you Americans the choice is easy i.e. buy American.

[krisdrum 233]

15 hours ago, Leif said:

I am. The Wissota quote is about £1350 including tax and shipping. The Prosharp is closer to £1800 including tax and shipping. That is a big difference. And each ProSharp grinding wheel is over £100. The Sparx is a more user friendly device. You press the button, it does the work. And a green light comes on when done. With the ProSharp you have to press the button for each pass of the grinding wheel. Plus each Prosharp wheel is over £100 compared to ~£50 for the Sparx. The Sparx is easier to align. That said, both are well made and durable. The ProSharp is much lighter and more compact. The ProSharp has a 3 year warranty, the Sparx 1 year, advantage ProSharp. The Sparx bonuses are lower cost, and better user interface. I know some people criticise the Sparx for being made in China, but for me that is a plus, the cheaper labour costs mean you get more for less. Chinese goods such as the iPhone can be excellent given good QC. Honestly if I could get the Sparx today at a Wissota price or less, I think I'd have bought one already.

 

Agree, that is a big difference in price.

More food for thought:

The ProSharp wheels are more expensive, but they last alot longer.  You get several hundred sharpenings out of the ProSharp, instead of the 40-50 out of the Sparx.  I think I figured out the breakeven point was about 10 Sparx wheels.  Once you get past that point, the ProSharp becomes cheaper to run long term. 

ProSharp has also created an alignment tool that works similarly to the Sparx tool to make that process alot easier. 

No doubt Sparx has the prize for UX. 

Between those two options I think part of it comes down to investing the money upfront for a cheaper long term operation (ProSharp) or saving some cash up front with a higher operation cost (Sparx).  Frankly, even with that knowledge, I'd probably pick the Sparx because of the superior UX. 

[shoeshine boy 242]

10 hours ago, Leif said:

Thanks, I feared that would be the case, and I don't think I want to carry it to the garage for each sharpen, to much potential for damage.

 

that really wouldn't be practical for the Wissota. that thing is unbelievably heavy.

[218hockey 50]

5 hours ago, krisdrum said:

The ProSharp wheels are more expensive, but they last alot longer.  You get several hundred sharpenings out of the ProSharp, instead of the 40-50 out of the Sparx.  I think I figured out the breakeven point was about 10 Sparx wheels.  Once you get past that point, the ProSharp becomes cheaper to run long term.

40 sharpenings per wheel? For the price, Sparx could improve on that.

[IPv6Freely 2096]

20 minutes ago, 218hockey said:

40 sharpenings per wheel? For the price, Sparx could improve on that.

That's not too bad actually. Works out to about $1 per sharpen. 

[218hockey 50]

I thinks that's a lot after you've paid $900 for the machine too. Just my opinion.

 

I'd absolutely love to sharpen my son's skates if it weren't cost prohibitive.

[shoeshine boy 242]

9 hours ago, 218hockey said:

I thinks that's a lot after you've paid $900 for the machine too. Just my opinion.

 

I'd absolutely love to sharpen my son's skates if it weren't cost prohibitive.

wheels/rings are a wearable part. it's kind of like saying that tires are a lot after you've spent $30k for a car.

whether or not it's cost prohibitive really depends on your situation. I live in a city with only one real hockey shop and it's 30+ minutes from my house. back when I bought my Wissota the only shop (now closed) was almost an hour away and (stupidly) closed on Sundays. if you live someplace like Toronto or Minnesota then there's a shop on every corner.

I've payed off my Wissota and then some over the last 10 years by sharpening friends' skates for $5 each.

[WaukeshaTG 2]

Also, I may be an outlier, however I rarely need to go four passes with the Sparx.  I usually do two passes.  

[Axxion89 32]

On ebay in the US someone is selling a Blademaster portable. If you can get the seller to ship to UK it might be worth it. I would not use anything other than a self contained unit (Sparx) inside my house unless you created one hell of a filtration system. The sparks from sharpening are easy to contain / control, its the dust from dressing the wheel that makes the most mess for me at least. 

I would say that the Sparx is an easier tool but if you are willing to learn (took me all of a weekend and practicing on my old skates) I would get a manual unit & do it that way. I personally think it will be cheaper in the long run & last much longer. You will also be able to sharpen skates for friends, try out different hollows, etc

[218hockey 50]

On 6/4/2017 at 10:21 AM, shoeshine boy said:

 

whether or not it's cost prohibitive really depends on your situation.

I understand.

 

We have a decent shop five minutes away where you get 8 for $35 on a punch card. So in the long run I think it would be more expensive to buy a machine. Even when I'm talking about six or seven years. I just wish the made in China Sparx wasn't $900. Overpriced in my opinion. If I could find something used for $400 or so then I'd do it. 

[shoeshine boy 242]

3 hours ago, 218hockey said:

I understand.

 

We have a decent shop five minutes away where you get 8 for $35 on a punch card. So in the long run I think it would be more expensive to buy a machine. Even when I'm talking about six or seven years. I just wish the made in China Sparx wasn't $900. Overpriced in my opinion. If I could find something used for $400 or so then I'd do it. 

yeah, I was lucky to get in on the Kickstarter price which was much cheaper. :)

[IPv6Freely 2096]

Same here. $900 is still worth it if you don't have other options, but the KS price was a no-brainer.