March 2022 – The Stanley Keg

If you have never had your hockey skates sharpened before you then you probably have some questions about the process Generally, it takes about 10 -15 minutes to get your skates sharpened. This number could vary depending on the skill level of the person sharpening your skates and how many other pairs of skates are in line before yours. The average cost of a skate sharpening is around $10. If you use a Sparx machine to sharpen your skates you can expect the machine to take 4-6 minutes per pair of skates. You probably have other questions like how long will my sharpening last and what do I ask for when getting my skates sharpened. Read on and we will go over everything you need to know to get them blades sharp! What happens If Your Skates Are Not Sharpened? Generally, people with dull skate blades are worse skaters than people with sharp skates. Every aspect of ice skating, especially in hockey, requires your skates to grip the ice. You need a good edge to push off and gain speed, you need a sharp cut in order to turn and you also need a sharp blade in order to stop. So, what happens if your skates aren’t sharp? You skate worse. How Do I Know If My skates Need Sharpening? If you don’t normally fall a lot and you notice that you can not turn as sharp as you are used to then you probably need your skates sharpened. Some tell tale signs that your skates need to be sharpened are this: Falling more often than normalNot being able to stop as goodNot being able to turn as sharpAble to rub your fingers across your blade with out feeling like you will cut yourselfIf you’ve spent more than 15-20 hours skating without a sharpeningHow Long Does A Skate Sharpening Last? How Often Should You Sharpen Your Hockey Skates? Your skates should get sharpened every 15-20 hours of actual skating time. This will obviously vary depending on how much you actually play hockey. If you only play in one game a week, you are probably only getting 20 minutes or so of actual ice time (this could also vary depending on how deep your bench is). That would mean every 45 - 60 games you should get your skates sharpened. This is also a personal preference. Some pros, like Crosby, want his skates sharpened between every period! Nobody enjoys skating on dull blades. Not everybody loves skating on super fresh blades though either. I’ve had a few teammates complain about their freshly sharpened skates gripping too much and catching an edge during the game. How should I Get My Skates Sharpened? The pro shop guy or gal may ask you, “How do you want your skates cut?” You might respond” …uhhh Standard I guess?” What does this actually mean? Well, first we need to understand how ice hockey skates are actually sharpened. Even though you have a single blade on the bottom of your skate, that single blade is actually two separate blades. You have an inside edge and an outside edge on each skate. When you hear terms like ⅝ or ½ what is that actually referring to? Those measurements are actually talking about the hollow on your skates. The hollow refers to the space between your two edges. A 1” hollow will give you the most speed but you sacrifice turning. a ⅜ hollow will give you the most grip and tighter turns but you will sacrifice speed. When most shops give you a “standard cut” you are getting ½. It's a well-balanced cut. This is getting a bit more advanced, but you can also profile your skate blades. This is also sometimes called contouring or rocketing. This refers to the amount of blade that is actually touching the ice at one time. Out of the box, your skates normally have a 10” radius. You can go down to as small as a 7” profile, or as big as a 13” profile. A smaller profile will make you more agile, while a large profile will give you more speed. A 13” profile has a lot more blade in contact with the ice, this gives you the ability to push off with greater force. A 7” profile lets your turn super tight and work in corners very well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4axmomUSzOk&ab_channel=CoachJeremy How Much Does It Cost To Get My Skates Sharpened? You can expect to spend between $6 - $15 to get your hockey skates sharpened. We got this number from personal experience and Reddit [link]. There is a good thread going on there where tons of people have charred their skate sharpening experience. Your shop may vary slightly, some people on the thread there said they pay up to $20, but that seems unusual. If you want your blades profiled, that will tend to cost you a bit more. The general cost of profiling blades is between $20-$30 Can I Sharpen My Skates At Home? You can sharpen your skates at home if you have the right equipment. To be clear, handheld sharpeners like this Howies one or this one on Amazon, are to maintain your blade and work out any knicks. They do not replace sharpening. So you can NOT use handheld sharpening stones to sharpen your ice skates at home. However, you can use a Sparx Ice Skate Sharpening machine to sharpen your skates at home. Sprax machines do a really amazing job, at least in my experience. I’ve had a few really great sharpenings from these things and pretty much anybody can use them. They will run you around $800, but it will eventually pay for itself. I’ve played with the same group of guys for a few years now and we have thrown around the idea of buying a team sharpener. That would make things really economical. Do Skate Blades Get Dull If I Don’t Use Them? Skate blades get dull with use. You need to grind them on the ice in order to dull the blades. If your skates are stored properly, meaning that they are in a climate-controlled area where no rust can form, your blades should not dull over time without use. Do Black Steel Skate Blades stay sharp longer? The last pair of skates that I purchased was the CCM Vibes and they came with black steel blades. From my personal experience, I would say that they do seem to hold their edge longer. Black steel blades are steel ice skating blades that have been coated in nanocarbon particles. Sounds super fancy. This coating basically helps the blade be stronger and hold its edge longer. And from what I have experienced, it seems to be true. You Might Also be Interested In: How Often Should I Replace My Hockey Equipment?