Skate Sharpening Guide - Everything you NEED to know for experienced and beginner hockey players

Skate Blade Sharpening - Everything you NEED know for experienced and beginner hockey players.
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#Skate #Blade #Sharpening

[@wayneskynet8265]

This guy has a talent for explaining things extremely well.

[@brickymcghee104]

Thank you for making deeply informative videos like this, I live in the deep south of the United states (Texas), and its hard to find Hockey equipment anywhere. The world of hockey equipment is so tricky and complex that it gets confusing, but your videos are helping me figure it all out. I haven’t ever played hockey, and I’m afraid I’m to old, so I’ll watch every one of your videos to learn the ins and outs of the game, from equipment to play, so I have a shot at the game. Thank you so much, you probably won’t see this comment but i have 2 things to say, 1) I was the 3,000th like! 2) Whats your favorite NHL team? Mine is the arizona coyotes, so sad they moved 😢

[@kosabath9260]

Great informational video and I have been wondering about all of these things as I am researching what the best grind/cut would be for my U10 player. Always terrific breakdown of info. This hockey mom appreciates your clear explanation and things to consider points. Awesome job as always!

[@MatthewAucutt]

Smashing thumbs up and commenting for algorithms! Love you guys. Glad to see you back

[@music15myHEARTBEAT]

Ahh this makes so much sense. I play hockey regularly outside (on very hard ice) and my super grippy sharpen (usually my preference, feels awesome outside) is absolutely useless on soft arena ice. It's been such a struggle to find something that works on both, and I hadn't considered that it might just make sense to keep two sets of steel since the conditions are so different. Thanks for this video!

[@rich7447]

I (185 lbs) moved over from CCM to True and the increased stand height of the Trues meant that I had to drop from a 9/16 to 7/8 hollow. I am even trying out a 1" hollow on my practice blades. Maryland ice isn't nearly as hard as the ice that I skated on as a kid (in Ontario Canada). I used to use flat bottom V grinds when I lived in Texas, but they don't offer them in my current area.

[@tyler8696]

I actually never thought about hard ice or soft ice. Very useful video!

[@dannyfar7989]

Neither did I until this happened: Wigh water, sudden frost went out on somewhat crappy neglected skates I used for the first time and had great fun well enough grip. Same skates next occasion on the rink, slippery as fuck like skating a "drift car". When I wondered verbally audible about how and why that happened a friend said "nature Ice is different" What I felt is that this Difference is more than just nuances

[@khalidalshatri3267]

quite cool

[@fightchannel3128]

I used to use 1/2 inch then about 3 years ago I switched to 100/50 Flat bottom V and I have loved it ever since.

[@josephdemarco1469]

until you get to a shop that doesnt have a Blackstone machine and you get a standard hollow

[@rossi461]

Winter time I go 5/8 spring and fall 3/4 summer time I do 7/8.

[@fatherandsonfishing6060]

Very useful Some good info there 👌

[@jared7586]

Thx

[@BranNew1]

It’s not just the sharpening, it’s also a lot about the radius of the blades.. “custom radius” more radius for sharper “quick” turning, less blade overall touching the surface, or more circular..picture a smaller circle.. and less radius along the blade for more “speed” more blade contacting the ice.. flatter circle..picture a flat blade being a larger circle.. Ie- mate up your skates steel to steel and see how much space touches together.. You can see your “radius” Stock steel is set flatter.. probably an inch will touch in the middle.. a more skilled/shifty skater would prefer a tighter/less radius- 3/4” or 1/2” touching with the radius..

[@Hinch11]

Weight and position playing are components for sure but just boils down to personal preference really. I am a defence my whole life, I am 180lbs and I really enjoy, feel more safe and feel more trust in a deeper edge so I use a 3/8 sharpen always. I need to feel like I won't wash out or the skate shutter from either the edge not grabbing enough ice from quick transitions of forward to reverse skating to just being on your edges moving around. Awesome informative video tho!

[@kevinkoch5243]

My son uses a 90/1 cut and loves it. Since going to it from a RoH, I have not noticed an increase in sharpening needed. The only issue hasn't come up for him yet and that is traveling for a tournament and needing a sharpening. Not many can do a 90/1 and from those that will, I've seen some really uneven, jacked up sharpenings done to other players blades.

[@rich7447]

I used to skate flat bottom V grinds. but moved to an area that doesn't offer them. It seemed like I needed to sharpen more often and they were easier to roll an edge. Interested if you had the same experience.

[@edwardstuart310]

This is exact video I needed now that I need a new runner and was always wondering if I should get a different hollow and try it

[@josephdemarco1469]

you can change freely between the hollows on any pair of runners. Youre not stuck with one setting

[@adqak503]

My son is a Peewee and I've had him on 1/2" hollows for most of his skating. He's a Wing, but sometimes gets moved to Defense. I've been considering moving him to a 5/8" hollow. Great information, gave me lots to think about.

[@jacobsakulsky114]

I would recommend him to try 9/16” with 5/8” since he is still young probably still wont have enough body weight to get enough grip on the ice

[@samualroth4109]

I own a pro shop that does upwards of 150 skates a day. Never suggest anything deeper than a 5/8 at any weight (weight doesn’t matter) but that’s a more in depth profile question. Anyway All options work perfect because at the end of the day nhl players use 3/8 to 1 inch it’s 99% just what makes you feel best on the ice. Also not a great video to watch his info definitely comes straight from a text book lol. Love him just not great info

[@susboy7927]

I’m 13 I use 3/4

[@samualroth4109]

@@susboy7927 perfect man some pro shops might try to tell you go deeper that's just cause they are lazy don't listen to them. if you ever feel funny on them try switching up the profile or maybe it was a bad sharpen. a quad profile has been crazy popular for me this year but not all stores have them cause the machine is 25k.!

[@PMulcahy42]

He’s a kid. Who cares and let him play

[@charlie9ine]

I’ve played for a lot longer than I want to admit. Over time and age I’ve gone from a 3/8 to 5/8. I’m not fit enough nor strong enough to take advantage of the 3/8 anymore. If you really are good on your edges you want a shallower hollow. Scott Niedermayer skated on butter knives his whole career.

[@emorrot9938]

3/8 all day long :) the sound of that bite is like music to my ears. I get my blades sharpened every other game.

[@ryancotton5048]

Kind of random, but where did you get that CCM hat, I want one

[@roneikaas8951]

A very important piece of the skate functioning is the radius from front to back rather than just the radius of the hollow ground. This can be even more important than How Deep the hallow ground or shallow it is.

[@epilepticlupo2961]

A 1/2 was what i started with. Now, i use a 5/8 🐺

[@SuperSokol7]

Please do a video on different sharpening machines and their costs.

[@jessicaa8710]

Im on the light side and Ive found 1/2 works best for me. Ive tried others but always went back to 1/2. Im also a speed demon and the bite is always just right

[@bavenom5786]

cool

[@TheVancejordan22]

I have the new sparx sharpener. What level do you set your sparx at to sharpen your skates. I have mine set on a 6. Where the grinding ring hits the blade.

[@373737bandit]

great information 👍

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

Another important factor you did not mention is skating ability. Someone with very good edge control can use a shallow grind, and get more glide. I use a 1”, gradually went down from 3/8” as my skating improved. Also some skates (True) provide more hrip for reasons I do not understand.

[@MrMitchywoo]

I’ve recently switched my steel from Step to Flare which requires you to sharpen at a shallower grind. 1/2” on my normal runners to 1” on my Flare, big noticeable difference imo.

[@samualroth4109]

I own a pro shop that does upwards of 150 skates a day. we carry flare because players ask for them but I highly highly suggest against them. every sharpen is different because you are losing flare every time causes problems all the time for us.

[@MrMitchywoo]

@@samualroth4109 that’s good to know. I have a Sparx machine with a bunch of different grinding rings of all sizes 1” and under. I actually have switched back to my Step for the time being because I find 1/2” doesn’t give me enough edge that I like

[@samualroth4109]

​@@MrMitchywoo no worries and yea sparxs are great but taking them to a pro shop who knows what they are doing dose not hurt. I find the sparx can leave heavy heavy burrs on the blade and if they are big enough skating wont take it off meaning over time it will build up and roll the edges fast, so not often but maybe every 10 times could help.

[@MrMitchywoo]

@@samualroth4109 really? I honestly haven’t had that issue yet. I’ve had it for about a year now and I sharpen before every single skate with it (only because I can lol)

[@LTH.pod1]

In the UK why is there not the facility to try these variables?? Same goes for stick variables coming from a rec player of 15 years

[@lenvannicola1857]

over 60 years old, intermediate player and defenseman.....what do you recommend for a sharpening ?

[@SaccoBelmonte]

Is there any tool to determine how hard the ice is?

[@kirbypoyo5760]

ok so let me just put this out now idk if its just me or not but i am 6'2 240 and i use a 1/2 all the time and it works better for me as my balance is a lot better

[@GavinSattler]

how would you sharpen XE blades? Would a SPARX be able to sharpen them?

[@TheRsmith0118]

Hey Chris, I what ever happened to the Flat-bottom-V sharpening? I tried the V about 4 years ago and loved it at first but changed back after a year.

[@rich7447]

I was running a flat bottom grind in Texas back in 2009-10. I moved and haven't found a shop that does them since.

[@modernman7576]

1/2 is the standard where I live.

[@S0larW1nd]

5/8 is def an advanced cut since most ppl would wipe out on it. In Canada 3/8 is “standard” and 1/2 is common, surprised to hear 5/8 is offered as a default cut in UK!

[@zaclane6377]

I'm not sure where you're from, but 3/8" is definitely on the deeper side. Certainly not standard; in my shop (Edmonton) 5/8" is standard, as are most shops in my area.

[@S0larW1nd]

@@zaclane6377 the country is clearly stated in my response. Can safely generalize this to North America: 5/8 is def not standard here.

[@robertflahiff541]

When you are deciding a hollow (minus Goalie), you have to keep in mind the skating skill level of the player, any possible profile that may be on the runner, the weight of the player, AND the environmental conditions of the arena in which you are playing. 5/8 is not at all unusual in Europe. A significant number of Swedish & EU players are rolling at 6/8 (18mm), 7/8 (21mm) and 8/8 (25mm) at competitive levels (indoor ice) with some preferring up to 10/8. And they know how to skate. You will find many large arenas have a combination of high humidity / temperature that leads to softer ice - deep hollows causes too much drag as they bite too deeply. If you get really good training in how to skate and can maximize your edges (high skating skill level), you go less hollow for that extra glide. It saves energy, it saves your hip flexors and groins, and you are quicker up and down to boot. 5/8 is not an advanced cut IF the skate is sharpened properly and the edges are even.

[@rich7447]

@@S0larW1nd Canada is a pretty big place. Zac indicates that 5/8 is pretty standard in the Edmonton area and it was a very common grind when I lived in Ontario (North shore of Lake Ontario and Ottawa). A 3/8 is going to be pretty deep unless you are on the lighter end of the weight range.

[@morbidlysick]

I'm pretty sure my local rink does a standard 1/2" hollow. I personally use a 5/8" as I'm over 100kg. When I played I would get my skates sharpened at the rink before every game, unless we were in a tournament and I had multiple games a day. To be honest I barely noticed when I changed the hollow I just felt better and more confident in my stride while refereeing 6 games in a day. When I lent my skates to my uncle one day he asked how I skated on my skates, he felt like he had no grip lol.

[@michaellavigne496]

You referenced “trying the different sharpens” - is there any negative impact switching your grind on the same steel? For example, I use 1/2 - would it ruin or lower the life of my steel if I tried a deeper grind?

[@jeffreyazzolin6208]

You can easily bounce back and forth with different hollows and try out different things. Lets say on a regular pair of steel you would get 100 sharpenings. If you REALLY bounce around on different hollows, maybe you get 90 sharpenings. I personally dont see that drawback being too bad when you compare to the gain you can/will achieve with playing and testing to find whats best. And when I say 90 vs 100, I mean constantly going back and forth from say 1/2 to 3/4 for example every other sharpening..etc.

[@michaellavigne496]

@@jeffreyazzolin6208 thanks Jeffrey!

[@OldFogeyGoalie]

I thought we would see you out there with each blade on and giving us your feedback. If you plan to do that in the future, might I suggest giving us ice temperatures and outside temperatures so that we have a better understanding of the ice conditions compared to our rinks at home.

[@HockeyTutorialOfficial]

Already done ;) just haven’t shared that video yet

[@fhdogs]

Biggest recommendation I have is to check the level on your edges. We are constantly repairing steel that’s way off from level that we’re last sharpened at a shop that uses automated sharpeners. The company that makes the machines even plays off the issue on their website, but the more a set is sharpened on such machine, the worse the problem gets. At a minimum, ask the shop to check for you to make sure your getting the edge you’re paying for.

[@NoootABigDeal]

Big ups to this. We even have those machines in our shop now, but I try to steer people away from them when possible.

[@elissacummings9108]

What about for kids? Because they are light do they need a really deep sharpen?

[@robertflahiff541]

Children tend to use a deeper hollow because they don't weigh enough to bite so deeply in the ice surface. But don't over do it; it is much more important that the EDGES ARE EVEN so they have good balance and turning from either side (both feet). Try a 1/2 or 3/8 but not deeper. The main problem with children is that they are children - they run around in their skates where they should not and end up damaging the edges. The deeper the hollow, the worse / quicker the edges get ruined. Pond hockey will shred any sharpening, good or bad, so check edges regularly. Use a skate guard off the ice and make it a good positive habit.

[@Bucketdrummer]

Hootie is right. Shallow grinds will glide better.

[@davidroth6910]

Any info on the Sparx Fire grinds? I went from 1/2 standard grind to 3/8 Fire grind, and so far I feel like I their "best of both worlds" claim.

[@davidroth6910]

* have

[@Bassani97]

I went from a traditional 3/8 as I was getting back into the game from years of not playing after I felt like I needed my first sharpening I went to a 7/16, next one I did 1/2. I’m now on the 1/2 fire & you get the grip of 1/2 but the glide of 11/16. It’s a little odd getting used to the glide but I like it overall. Now with that said I have twin rinks where I am & one surface is noticeably harder ice & I usually skate on the softer side. I feel like the 1/2 fire might be too much glide for me on the harder side. I’ll have to try it sometime & then I’ll know for sure what I need. I wish Sparx had a 7/16 fire. But any of those fire rings is going to be a little different getting used to with that added glide. Edges should be whatever you’re used to though unless you’re going with a different grind all together

[@johnbrogan6150]

1/2 grind is standard for most of the pros shops in the U.S. are you saying 5/8 is standard in the UK?

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

In my experience 5/8” and 1/2” are standard in the UK.

[@geeess9436]

1/2 is standard in the UK, I've never heard 5/8 as standard here.

[@meritwaldrop1303]

My sparks skate, sharpening machine. Just blinks red will not turn on what’s wrong

[@troyvan6952]

Is it made in China?

[@stoss-11]

1/2 inch is waaaaay to shallow it feels like im going to bottom out the tuuk on turns. i legit cant skate on anything less than a 3/8ths and im a AAA Defenseman

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

I didn’t learn anything, but this will be useful for someone who doesn’t know the basics. One thing you didn’t mention is that many sharpeners don’t know what they are doing, I’ve seen some horrendous sharpens. One even left a step along the length of the blade. It’s worth buying a BAT gauge, so you can tell if the edges are level. I now use a Sparx, but my last set of blades ended up almost flat even though I used one of the best local sharpeners. I didn’t realise until I compared them with new blades. Manual sharpening will destroy the profile, as humans are imperfect, which is one argument in favour of a Sparx or ProSharp machine.

[@wyattfischer2553]

Hello, I have a sparx machine as well but struggle to get the edges perfectly even. How did you correct the sparx machine to get them even? I know how to check but not sure how to correct the machine. Thanks

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

@@wyattfischer2553 Do you mean to get them level? There are instructions with the machine. Use the magnifier to get close. Then tweak the adjustment wheel until you get them dead level or as good as. If you mean that the edges are not level all along the blade, then that indicates a bent blade, or holder. Take the blade out of the holder, if it’s level all along, the holder is twisted. Otherwise the blade is bent. You can also place a metal ruler edge alongside the blade to see if it’s bent.

[@BenYeung]

@@wyattfischer2553 I have a Sparx as well. You will need to move the grinding wheel to the front or towards the back depending on which edge is higher.

[@Nygge1982]

But Chris, there is no Ice to skate on. Also I hurt my knee =^(

[@HockeyTutorialOfficial]

Our rinks are all back and open. Hockey is back here in the UK

[@blarue1]

Sharpening every skate?! Doesn't that depend on the quality of the blade though? Softer metal means fewer passes to sharpen, but you also lose your edges faster and a harder blade takes more passes but you retain a good edge for longer.

[@Bassani97]

Not exactly, some people just like their blades super sharp whereas some people will only sharpen once every year. A lot of sharpening comes down to personal preference. What I like. you might hate. And that goes from how often I sharpen my skates to the grind that I use. Some people like a certain grind but don’t like them till they dull out a bit. It’s all in what you like.

[@ic0uldbey0umim0rdad4]

Sorry I’m late lol

[@charlie9ine]

Generally, if you skate on similar ice, you feel the time but if you get into a rhythm it you know it’s 4 games or before every game. Once you find that rhythm you never go out on blades that don’t feel good.

[@Obai42]

That 1 dislike is roll skate player 😂

[@mannyoliveira8271]

Sorry but all of this mumbo jumbo turns my stomach. I am Canadian and have played hockey for 50 years. We know a thing or two about skate sharpening and the hollow as you call it, is actually called the hone and the other important part is the RADIUS which is the amount of the blade that makes contact with the ice. Look it up. You will learn something.

[@rich7447]

Hollow and hone are not the same thing. A hone is done with a honing stone, where a hollow (or grind as it was often referred to) is done with the grinding wheel on the skate machine. You can hone a blade on the bench. Also, profiling a skate blade is not exactly exotic. I have played with guys that had multiple radii profiled into their blades (Belleville/Trenton area). They seemed to like them at the time, but it seemed to be something that disappeared as players got older.