Recommended Skate Hollow

[Andoy 5]

Hey guys I'm planning to get my skates sharpened this week. But after seeing an article of how hollows work, i have some questions.

Smaller radius = bigger hollow?

also, I am 5'8, 150lbs and a defenseman that likes to rush up alot. What radius do you guys recommend i get my skates sharpened in? Thanks a lot!

[Neo5370 132]

I don't think anyone can give you a truly accurate suggestion since we don't know how you skate, how hard you skate, how you treat your blades, or if you're skating on hard/soft ice, etc.............

But generally, the flatter the hollow, the more glide you have so technically more speed and less "grip" and the deeper the hollow, the more "bite" or "grip" you have for sharp turns.

[biff44 0]

Didn't we just have this discussion 2 months ago?

[Timber 0]

Smaller radius = bigger hollow?

Smaller radius = deeper hollow = more bite.

Middle of the road seems to be around 1/2" (I'd say 90+% of the bell curve falls between 3/8" and 3/4").

VERY generally speaking, smaller guys may need a smaller radius to get enough bite, while bigger guys can get away with a larger radius for more glide.

Smaller radius: In theory, good for very tight turns and quick stop/starts.

Larger radius: better glide, easier to get on an edge, smoother transitions.

After a lot of experimentation, at 6'2" and 210 lbs. I seem to skate the best on a 10 ft. profile with an 11/16" hollow (halfway between the 5/8" and 3/4" mark). Good luck.

[Gongshow11 1]

im 13 ft 1/2"

6'0 175

[asdfa 0]

i'm about 5'7 160lbs defence

i've been skating in 1/2" for all my life, but i just switched to 5/8 and i like the "looseness" a lot more so i think i'll go to 3/4 in a week or two

[Chadd 916]

Hey guys I'm planning to get my skates sharpened this week. But after seeing an article of how hollows work, i have some questions.

Smaller radius = bigger hollow?

also, I am 5'8, 150lbs and a defenseman that likes to rush up alot. What radius do you guys recommend i get my skates sharpened in? Thanks a lot!

What do you have now and what are you hoping to gain by changing hollows?

[Reaper 0]

I'm 6'3" and 290 lbs.

I skate on an 11 foot radius with a 5/8 inch hollow because the ice is quite hard and fast in the arenas I play in. If I were to play at arenas with average ice quality I would probably switch my hollow to 3/4 inch.

[thenizzle 0]

im 5'9, 160

i skate on a 1/2" hollow, they seem pretty nice, ive used that most of my life, but im considering switching to a shallower hollow. one thing that really p/os me right now are my graf 705 skates. the left skate is dull as can be after sharpening, while the right is sharp as can be. i have gotten the blades cross-grinded, 're-balanced' (they made sure both were the same height), etc etc. nothing is working, and i dont think i will use grafs again. their qc is dropping like a rock.

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

That has nothing to do with Graf and everything to do with your sharpener.

[Chadd 916]

That has nothing to do with Graf and everything to do with your sharpener.

Absolutely. Try finding another place to do your sharpening.

[thenizzle 0]

i disagree, simply because i have gotten my skates sharpened by that sharpener for like the past 3 years.

the 3 pairs of skates i had previous to this one were 705, 705, 727, and now the 705 again. all the other pairs were absolutely awesome, they worked like a dream. Now, this is the first pair of grafs ive had with this blade problem, plus the fit is uncomfortable to say the least. i think its something with grafs steel

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

If there is a holder issue (mismount or anything) the sharpener should be able to notice that. But from what you say, he cannot produce a square sharpening.

[Chadd 916]

i disagree, simply because i have gotten my skates sharpened by that sharpener for like the past 3 years.

the 3 pairs of skates i had previous to this one were 705, 705, 727, and now the 705 again. all the other pairs were absolutely awesome, they worked like a dream. Now, this is the first pair of grafs ive had with this blade problem, plus the fit is uncomfortable to say the least. i think its something with grafs steel

I sharpen Grafs all the time and I can put a great edge on them every time. Check to make sure the steel is square on your left skate. I find a lot of times the holder bends and the steel doesn't come straight down anymore. It usually happens on the dominant side as a lot of people aren't equally strong in both legs. Replacing the holders usually resolves the problem.

[thenizzle 0]

thanks i'll look into that, as i really need a solution to this... should i hit up the cobras again or go with something like a custom+?

[Chadd 916]

thanks i'll look into that, as i really need a solution to this... should i hit up the cobras again or go with something like a custom+?

Tuuks would feel very different. If the holders are the problem, go with Pitch's. You can come very close to the same feel and same radius as the Cobra plus, they're less likely to bend.

[asdfa 0]

would i be right in also saying that the custom+s are really flat? that would be a huge difference from the pitch you have now. also, with the pitch holders, you have flexibility to try things out, especially since it's getting to be summer

[jimmy 194]

That has nothing to do with Graf and everything to do with your sharpener.

Unless of course his blade or holder is bent, then that skate will be messed up.

[Chadd 916]

That has nothing to do with Graf and everything to do with your sharpener.

Unless of course his blade or holder is bent, then that skate will be messed up.

Any decent sharpener would have noticed it and mentioned it to the customer.

[JR Boucicaut 3810]

If there is a holder issue (mismount or anything) the sharpener should be able to notice that. But from what you say, he cannot produce a square sharpening.

Yup, that's what I said...

[jimmy 194]

That has nothing to do with Graf and everything to do with your sharpener.

Unless of course his blade or holder is bent, then that skate will be messed up.

Any decent sharpener would have noticed it and mentioned it to the customer.

Decent, that's the key word!

[biff44 0]

I always find it hard to sight down the blade and tell if it is straight, must be dyslexic or something. But you can certainly tell if it is bent after it is sharpened, because the one "edge" that you say is not sharp will be "dull" at one point of the blade (the center for example), but "sharp" somewhere else (the toe for example).

You should get them resharpened anyway. Sometimes you can crack off an edge, and then it takes MANY passes on the sharpener to get that edge to come back. Of course, you have to be careful to not overheat the blade while they are doing this, and they have to redress the stone near the end of the process to get the edges even.