FAQ
How can I tell when my skates need sharpening?
If you experience a loss of control when skating or when the micron finish is gone, they're dull.

How much sharpening is left in these skates?
When the blade height at the center reaches 10mm or 3/8 inch. Don't make sharp turns near the boards with worn out blades; concussions take a long time to heal. Those people determined to squeeze the last gasp from their skates, may be limited to Coin-Op skate sharpeners, because they have a thinner vise jaw.

How can I get rust off my blades?
Steel wool works. (before the skates are sharpened) Rust is forever, and the best cure is prevention.

Will you grind these picks off?
Pick removal is a one-way operation, and we can't put 'em back. Removing picks changes the blade geometry and trashes any resale value.

What's the difference between Rockering and Profiling?
Rockering is free hand. Profiling is a precise method for shaping the blade.

I had my skates profiled. Should I only get my skates sharpened at that store?
Your skates can be sharpened by any competent sharpener.

Why are blade profiles changed?
Lack of standards and limited training will give the inexperienced skate sharpener just enough information to make him dangerous. The most common skate sharpening mistakes are unthinkingly changing the blade's profile, the blade's center of balance, or both. The fast fix to counter a destroyed or damaged blade profile is to grind a deep hollow. In fact, skate sharpeners who lack the proper skate sharpening skills routinely resort to grinding ever deeper hollows to compensate for their own inadequacy.

I've only skated on these blades a few times, and they're dull. How come?
The sharpening itself could be suspect. The blades may have been re-tempered (annealed) by improper sharpening. The ice itself doesn't make the blades dull, it's everything they're exposed to. It is true that some alloys that are used for skate blades resist abrasion better than others. Using skate guards is a good idea.

Should I dry these skates before you sharpen them?
PLEASE. Untieing the laces would also be appreciated. This would really speed up the process and get you on your way sooner!

Skate sharpeners have always had a variety of competences. Yesterday's consumers shopped for value and quality. Today's consumers shop for convenience and price thereby allowing the "Bad Guys" to flourish. A condition symbolic of poor skate sharpening is the deep hollow. The deep hollow is merely an annoyance,but it is often accompanied by other conditions which in combination, amount to destruction of the skate blade such as: re-tempering, reshaping, changed profiles and over-ground tips.

How to tell if your sharpening is bad:
(1) Your blade edges are uneven
(2) You rub your blades on the boards after a sharpening
(3) You don't skate as well as you feel that you can
(5) Your blades show traces of brown or black color
(6) Your blades have good height in the center, but the tips are ground away
(7) The skate sharpener passes the blades many many times across the stone

Younger skaters are most vulnerable. It's the kids who suffer the most from poor skate sharpening, and who most always do so in silence. Smaller skates are more prone to being damaged by poor skate sharpening, and lightweight skaters are at a further disadvantage because they are not heavy enough to overcome the effects of poor skate sharpening. Parents dismiss their child's dilemma with "they're too young to know the difference anyway". Well, the kids do know the difference. There are parents who outfit their child with the finest equipment money can buy; spend bags of money on skating lessons and skills camps, then cheap out on skate sharpening by shopping for the free-bees. They accept poor skate sharpening just because it's convenient. All skate sharpening is not the same!

A skate sharpening operation is relatively cheap to set up, and skate sharpening itself is perceived to be very easy to do. Only a few skate sharpeners can be considered full-time professionals. A professional skate sharpener will have at least a working knowledge of: alloys, abrasives, skate blade design and heat treating. Unfortunately, most skate sharpeners have a "real" job, and sharpen skates as a way to make a fast and easy buck in their spare time. Some sport shops hire teenagers as stock or sales clerks first, and as skate sharpeners last and probably never received formal skate sharpening instruction.

Rest assured that a free skate sharpening is not free! Everyone likes a bargain, and if it's free, "I'll take two." Would you do your best work if you weren't being paid for it? A store offering free skate sharpening en masse must control expenses, which means minimum wage, and minimum competence; quality is sacrificed for speed. Such a store makes good money selling new skates as well as replacement blades so there is ample motivation to favor sloppy skate sharpening and over-grinding.


The Loud-Mouthed Schnook
Every team has one. They know a little about everything, and a lot about nothing. Their domains are arena halls and dressing rooms. Skaters taken in by poor skate sharpening advice and misinformation are always victimized by it. Skate sharpening advice from these guys is not professional quality, and this advice should be treated with the skepticism it deserves. Bona fide skate sharpening professionals are rare.

Skate sharpening does not begin and end with putting a hollow grind on the skate blade. It is a myth that a deep hollow grind contributes to longer edge life. Properly profiled skates don't need a deep hollow grind. While a deep hollow grind on new skates seems to result in longer edge life, this effect only lasts until the rocker radius has been corrupted by the action of grinding the deep hollow.

Profiling restores blade shape, and balance, and is a cost effective way to repair skate blades. It involves removal of material from the skate blade, in an orderly and measured way. Freehand skate sharpening routinely causes erosion of a blade's profile. Capable skate sharpeners can control this erosion, and keep it to a minimum. Automated systems such as: C.A.G. One; Dupliskate; and Universal Coin-Op employ their own internal profiling mechanism. Re-profiling is a complex process, which is only trivialized when done by automat. Unless you are careful where you get your skates sharpened, you may be wasting your money by having your skates profiled. Smart shopping can keep you from being ripped off by a hacker.

The best defense against suffering skate damage caused by poor skate sharpening, is to be choosy where you shop for sharpening. Listen to the kids. They know when they have a good or bad sharpening. You shouldn't have to accept convenience over competence. Seek out a knowledgeable, capable and reliable skate sharpener whom you trust, and have confidence in, and stick with that skate sharpener. Unless you're destitute, put less importance on getting something for nothing, and put more importance on getting value for your money.