"Pro Filer" skate sharpening tool

[Kobe 0]

Damn. I had my credit card out already. I really want to try it out but dropping $90 on something that might not work would suck. It's not like a stick or anything because I could always sell the stick if it didn't work for me. If this doesn't work for me then it won't work for anybody.

[jimmy 194]

Man, those are some crazy hollows they offer for the hockey sharpener: 3/8 and 5/16?

Man, I thought my skates were deep on 5/8 with all the cold and fast ice I get to play on.

I would positively plow on those hollows

Yea, not many skating on 3/8 or 5/16 anymore. I'd say I have perhaps 5% of my customers using 3/8, none 5/16. Since the tool only works on those hollows, it's not real flexible.

[Chadd 916]

Man, those are some crazy hollows they offer for the hockey sharpener: 3/8 and 5/16?

Man, I thought my skates were deep on 5/8 with all the cold and fast ice I get to play on.

I would positively plow on those hollows

Yea, not many skating on 3/8 or 5/16 anymore. I'd say I have perhaps 5% of my customers using 3/8, none 5/16. Since the tool only works on those hollows, it's not real flexible.

At our rink about a quarter use 3/8, to make them faster. There is a guy in town that has been doing skates for years and still has a few people convinced that every forward should be at 5/16 and every defenseman should be at 7/16. He does a decent job on the edges but his hollows aren't correct. I've put a 5/16 on skates after telling them they shouldn't use it and customers almost always come back in and ask for it to be "fixed".

[hitz14 0]

i have a profiler and it works but you must put a lot of effort in to get it correct . it totally regrids the hollow so ya it can work

[Chambers12 0]

I was just wondering, while we're on this subjuect, how can you make t'blades last longer?

[hitz14 0]

i would guess that you can't

[jimmy 194]

Man, those are some crazy hollows they offer for the hockey sharpener: 3/8 and 5/16?

Man, I thought my skates were deep on 5/8 with all the cold and fast ice I get to play on.

I would positively plow on those hollows

Yea, not many skating on 3/8 or 5/16 anymore. I'd say I have perhaps 5% of my customers using 3/8, none 5/16. Since the tool only works on those hollows, it's not real flexible.

At our rink about a quarter use 3/8, to make them faster. There is a guy in town that has been doing skates for years and still has a few people convinced that every forward should be at 5/16 and every defenseman should be at 7/16. He does a decent job on the edges but his hollows aren't correct. I've put a 5/16 on skates after telling them they shouldn't use it and customers almost always come back in and ask for it to be "fixed".

3/8 makes them faster??? What a joke. Perhaps faster than 5/16, but no way the fastest hollow. I have so many players on 3/4 it aint funny. Most of my Juniors are on 3/4. That guy don't know what he's talking about. He's so old school I'd bet. I try to get every one to go shallower. I'd say 9/16 is my average.

I remember Paul Coffey started his career at 3/8 and ended at 1 inch. Man weas he fast.

[jimmy 194]

I was just wondering, while we're on this subjuect, how can you make t'blades last longer?

get rid of them and go with regular steel!

[Eazy_b97 1]

I remember Paul Coffey started his career at 3/8 and ended at 1 inch. Man weas he fast.

I was told he got up around the 2 range.

I stopped at 1 1/4", but I may go back next season to it. Most of our skaters are on 7/16. I'm on 5/8 currently, but not playing, so I haven't tested many out.

[Chadd 916]

I've been putting a lot of people on 1/2 and then up to 5/8. I change depending on where my game is scheduled.

[mojo122 530]

I was just wondering, while we're on this subjuect, how can you make t'blades last longer?

Using the miraclestone worked for me when I HAD t-blades.

[biff44 0]

I'm agreeing with Jimmy here. 3/8 will be very slow. 5/8 or 3/4 will be much faster. By faster we mean straight line skating.

If you want to make really tight turns, and you do not have strong ankles, then maybe you need the smaller radius for more of a bite.

With a fresh grind:

My rule of thumb about going too small, if you try to stop and your blades are chattering on the ice, the hollow is too small.

My rule of thumb about too large, if you fall down in a turn more than twice in a game, you might be too large.

[hitz14 0]

i ususally get a 3/8 or 5/16 but there is only one place i can get a 5/16 and have it feel good, when i get it at other places it's way to sharp.

[hitz14 0]

whenever i get a 3/8 or 1/2 i just cant stop as fast as when i have a 5/16. i also cant turn as low.

just incase your wondering im about 5'8 160, i dont know why im the only one that likes it that sharp.

[UMWhockey 0]

Everyone here gets a 1/2 inch. It is what everyone did before me and what everyone is used to. Some people ask for 3/4 , but most people really could care less. As for myself, depends on what rink i am playing at and how hard or soft the ice is

[hockechamp14 0]

Can someone enlighten me on skate hollows, even at the level I play at, the same rink manager has been doing my skates since youth hockey, and I have no complaints. I'm guessing that the smaller number equals a shallower hollow? Or am I just more confused. Is the inch measurement the radius of the circle? The same way with the rocker on skate blades?

[Eazy_b97 1]

smaller the number, the deeper the cut.

1/8" is alot deeper than 7/8"

[jimmy 194]

Can someone enlighten me on skate hollows, even at the level I play at, the same rink manager has been doing my skates since youth hockey, and I have no complaints. I'm guessing that the smaller number equals a shallower hollow? Or am I just more confused. Is the inch measurement the radius of the circle? The same way with the rocker on skate blades?

I had no complaints about Andre' champaigne until I tried Dom Peringon. Same applies to hollows. While you may feel you are skating fine on the one you've been using, you may skate even better on a different one. You have to expierement with a few different ones and see how they work for you.

And yes, hollows are simply the radius of a circle, measured in inches. Rockers are in feet. The smaller the radius of hollow, the more agressive bite angle is created in the blade. More bite angle give more grip. Less gives more speed.

[biff44 0]

Hockeychamp, you have it backwards. Go look at this site. The radius, labeled "ROH" is what we are calling the "hollow":

http://chuck-wright.com/Skating/blades.html

If you had a 2" hollow, the bottom of the blade would be almost flat, because the radius is so big.

As for hollow preference, it changes. As you get to be a better skater, with stronger ankles, you do not need so small of a hollow to turn anymore. If you are a bigger player, you can skate with a bigger hollow, because your heavier mass makes even a flatter blade bight into the ice well.

In general, you want as flat a hollow as possible without giving up the ability to turn tightly. The flatter the blade, the faster you can skate (due to less friciton).

There are some other considerations, though. It seems to me that the flatter blades with a large hollow need to be sharpened more often.

[Sticks of Fury 0]

www.pro-filer.com

I'm thinking about getting one of these and wanted some feedback from actual users. Does anyone have one of these or tried them? Is it any good? It'll come out to around $90 cdn after tax and shipping but it will buy itself back after 18 sharpenings at my LHS.

The pro filer is up on ebay for auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW

Starting at 5 dollars but the seller only has 5 feedbacks so far.

[Kobe 0]

Thanks for the heads up. Nobody outbid me please :D