Had enough of my local skate sharpener

[Knotfan1 0]

Well i got my skates sharpened a week ago s by my local skate sharpener skated 2 times. Well as soon as i got on the ice it felt like the skates were sticking to the ice well i played that game in them i had no glide when i tryed to turn sharp my skates kept slipping on the ice cross overs were terrible. So then the next day we had practice and it felt the same. Tonight i had to ref a game a squirt game i was following a break away and when i turned around the back of the blade just seemed to grab the ice and i went down on my right elbow. I dont were shin pads or elbow pads for squirts but it still made me mad and it almost happened 3 time later in the game on each skate. The only other decent place to get them sharpened is an hour away. So tomorrow im makeing a call to Peranis to see if they could install me a pair of t'blades. Has any one else ever had peranis install new chassis for them. Or would it be best to just call them and ask.

[jimmy 194]

Perani's is a big well known hockey shop, they should be able to instal t-blades no problem, just call and ask. t-blades are easy to instal.

From what you say about your sharpening, it sounds like the sharpener didn't have his machine adjusted correctly to center the blade on the stone. and you ended up with uneven edges. It's hard to skate with uneven edges. A t-blade conversion is costly. If you are looking for another option, why not purchase a second set of replacement steel and just mail one set to the good sharpener that's 1 hr away. Cost about $1.50 to mail. You can then rotate the blades whenever you need a fresh sharpened pair. I have customers shipping me blades from all over the country, just for a $5 sharpening. Many rotate 2-3 sets. It works very well.

[Knotfan1 0]

I think ill get t'blades the store i kinda new and small its in saginaw it opened in september has any one else ever got chassis replaced or changed at any peranis.

[Sniper407 0]

t'blades can actually be hard to put on depending what skates you have... jsut like anyother holder.. my only suggestion is to make sure you are getting them put on at a place that will do them well... dont let a 16 year old kid destroy your skates.

[chippa13 1844]

Moral of the story: Always wear elbow pads and shin pads when reffing, regardless of the level.

[Eazy_b97 1]

t'blades can actually be hard to put on depending what skates you have... jsut like anyother holder.. my only suggestion is to make sure you are getting them put on at a place that will do them well... dont let a 16 year old kid destroy your skates.

Implying age makes you a better LHS Employee? It's pretty well just throwing on a new holder, at times it'll be tricky, but a good LHS should have someone educated doing it. Sorry I get defensive when older is assumed "better".

[jimmy 194]

Actually age doesn't always make you more qualified, but normally more attentive and responsible. This comes with age. Of course there are always exceptions.

Heck, when I was a teen and the boss was away, whoo hoo, party! Out came the Schlitz Malt liquers, over came the girlfriend. Yup, my mind was on the job. :-)

[JR Boucicaut 3813]

Schlitz? Hell yeah...the Bull!

[Chadd 916]

Moral of the story: Always wear elbow pads and shin pads when reffing, regardless of the level.

Not only that, why would you expect them to be any different from one skate to the next if you didn't do anything about the poor sharpening? The fact they sucked after the first time is irrelevant.

[jimmy 194]

It's actually against child labor laws for anyone under 18 to sharpen skates, the grinder is considered unsafe for children to operate. Rarely enforced, but still the law. So, if your LHS has -17 teens sharpening skates and they are doing a POOR job, perhaps mentioning to the owner about child labor laws might change things.

One of those sports recycle shops opened near me and hired 14-15yo's to sharpen skates. I didn't say anything, heck I want them to do a poor job so more business comes my way! :-)

[MDE3 0]

It's not the fact that a sharpener is a specific age, but...(there's always a "but")...the chances are a younger employee will have less experience...in general....and as sharpening is sometimes considered "menial labor" in some pro shops, the employee with the least seniority is the one given the job....read "youngest with the least experience" as well....just an unfortuinate fact of life.....

[JCYC5 0]

But then agian, if the young aren't given the chances to sharpen skates, how can they gain the experience for later on?

[Chadd 916]

It's actually against child labor laws for anyone under 18 to sharpen skates, the grinder is considered unsafe for children to operate. Rarely enforced, but still the law. So, if your LHS has -17 teens sharpening skates and they are doing a POOR job, perhaps mentioning to the owner about child labor laws might change things.

One of those sports recycle shops opened near me and hired 14-15yo's to sharpen skates. I didn't say anything, heck I want them to do a poor job so more business comes my way! :-)

It's 16 in our state for using tools like this on the job. It's no different than McDonalds letting a 16 year old use the grill or fryer.

[troybruins89 0]

^^ same here, but i think you have to get a special doctors permission thing and a parent waiver

[MDE3 0]

But then agian, if the young aren't given the chances to sharpen skates, how can they gain the experience for later on?

By learning under supervision...very carefull supervision...on their own skates...and when they can do their own properly, they then can start on the skates of others in the shop..if they will let them. That way they have to answer to themselves, or to people they will see every day if they mess up.....

[Accord 0]

Perani's is a big well known hockey shop, they should be able to instal t-blades no problem, just call and ask. t-blades are easy to instal.

From what you say about your sharpening, it sounds like the sharpener didn't have his machine adjusted correctly to center the blade on the stone. and you ended up with uneven edges. It's hard to skate with uneven edges. A t-blade conversion is costly. If you are looking for another option, why not purchase a second set of replacement steel and just mail one set to the good sharpener that's 1 hr away. Cost about $1.50 to mail. You can then rotate the blades whenever you need a fresh sharpened pair. I have customers shipping me blades from all over the country, just for a $5 sharpening. Many rotate 2-3 sets. It works very well.

I gotta do that with JR :D.

[jimmy 194]

If JR is a good sharpener then you should certainly send them to him rather than the expense of t-blades. Is he 1 hr away? Heck, you should just make the drive out. I have customers who drive 2.5 hrs for a sharpening! I tell them to mail them, it's cheaper than gas, but I guess they just like coming to the store and seeing all the latest equipment.

One caution about mailing blades. Tape them to the inside of the envelope you use. The post office is very hard on mail.. Yesterday I got an empty envelope from a guy in Michigan. No blades it in. :-)

[Eazy_b97 1]

Ya I am very surprised at the length people go to for a good sharpening. the furthest traveller we get is a little over 2 hours (small town, don't even know the name), but I was more than a little surprised to see hear that they travel that distance.

[Accord 0]

If JR is a good sharpener then you should certainly send them to him rather than the expense of t-blades. Is he 1 hr away? Heck, you should just make the drive out. I have customers who drive 2.5 hrs for a sharpening! I tell them to mail them, it's cheaper than gas, but I guess they just like coming to the store and seeing all the latest equipment.

One caution about mailing blades. Tape them to the inside of the envelope you use. The post office is very hard on mail.. Yesterday I got an empty envelope from a guy in Michigan. No blades it in. :-)

JR is like 3 hours away. I actually bought a pair of replacement steel from him and he sharpened them before he sent them out, best sharpening i've ever had. I would love to send him steel every 2 weeks or whenever I need a new sharpening, but i'm not sure if he would be willing to take the time to mail them out and whatnot on a regular basis like that.

[JCYC5 0]

I would love to send my runners to JR to sharpen as well...

but he's 12000 miles away... :(

[jimmy 194]

I have a couple of customers who don't even remove their blades, and they actually Fedex overnight their skates and pay to overnite them back. $80 in shipping to get a $5 sharpening! Sick. But they get the best sharpening available, so it's worth it to them. I have customers shipping skates and blades from about 46 of the 50 states, and several throughout Europe. It's a disease, kind of like a drug. Once you try a 'good' sharpening, you just have to have it. :-)

[jimmie 0]

Ask them to measure the edges after you get them sharpened. Most places that sharpen skate have a device that can measure the edges to see how centered the edeges are and how deep the hollow is.

[blues_91 0]

Well at my lhs last night I saw some new kids workign there and after they sharpened my skate the blade was chipped in several places, didn't think to check before leaving the shop and it was an away game <_<

[Eazy_b97 1]

chipped? Sometimes the knicks in the skate go beyond something you can get with a stone. To get it out you'd have to take ALOT of steel out, which will either take long time (sometimes over an hour) and then you need to even out the other blade. Sometimes its best to just go at'er with a stone.

[blues_91 0]

The chips are right on the edge, adn there are 2 scratches from one edge to the other would it just be better to get it re-sharpened by someone else?