Sparx Sharpener 3 | FIRST Look & Overview

[@SeenByYosh]

Some updated info 👉 kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5zHqpeubLChY5Y What do you think about this Sharpener 3 update? Have you tried BEAM? Let me know what questions you have below 👇 Thanks to Conway + Banks for sponsoring this video!

[@StillAliveAndKicking_]

I have a gen 1 Sparx, five years old, and you’re right, the only reason to upgrade is portability. It’s paid for itself, and it is incredible. I just wonder how long it will run without breaking down. I’m told a spring can wear out, which can be replaced. Hand grinders last decades, but I don’t sharpen enough to keep my skills up. I currently do one pass every 3-4 hours ice time, but I’ve gone to a 1” hollow, on harder True blades, and I think the edges last longer.

[@SeenByYosh]

Keep running it! It's possible that at some point the grinding rings change enough to not be compatible, but hopefully that won't be the case in the next few years.

[@cglasford1]

Thanks for the video, it kind of helps me feel a little better after I just bought the Sparx 2 at the discounted rate. The 3 looks neat but I'm happy. Maybe when the 4 comes out I'll upgrade.

[@SeenByYosh]

Just saw your other comment. Having any version of the sharpener is awesome, and for anyone else on the fence between the 2 and 3 while considering prices, and discounts, and BEAM, and accessories... you can't choose wrong. I'm going deeper on BEAM in my next video, but imo, it's not a product that anyone should feel devastated missing out on. There's some cool stuff there, and it might shorten the learning curve, but once you get the hang of everything you'll get great edges on any of the three machines.

[@cglasford1]

@@SeenByYosh right on. I almost went 3 but the best deal is the bundle and it didn’t come with the stones I wanted so I’d have to try and sell them but the beam looked cool. Once they get it to an automated level I’ll probably sell my 2 and go with that.

[@joef2504]

I'm a gen2 owner (I bought it after watching your review video, I love it) I too will wait for a future version that auto-configures the edge alignment itself before I upgrade, I understand it will take more electronics & automation, which in turn, will jack the price up, but manual tuning really is a joke and never a perfect science.... BEAM seems like a great way for Sparx to sell more rings due to parents/skaters being so fixated on getting absolute "perfect edges" (requiring alot more passes) even though the skaters will never know the difference if its slightly off... curious to see your other review videos on Gen3

[@SeenByYosh]

Nice, glad you like it! It seems to me well intentioned for beginners, but to your point, if the edge checker was already working well, I may find it overkill at times. And it would be upsetting if only one small area tested read as incorrect, prompting for a big cycle count correction. My readings were pretty bang on... I actually may have to adjust the calibration in order to force an uneven sharpening for demonstration purposes. I'm hoping to borrow an edge checker for that deep dive. That way I can show visually how the edge checker and BEAM readings compare for readings within normal ranges.

[@joef2504]

@@SeenByYosh I'm mostly curious to see if Beam's "Recommended Cycles" to correct a "slightly uneven" measurement is accurate or wasteful in terms of passes...

[@00project]

Great video! Thanks for the in-depth look and comparison with Sparx2!

[@SeenByYosh]

Thanks for watching, hope it was helpful!

[@dand2033]

Could you please explain your comment about the height adjustment being dependent on the type of steel.

[@SeenByYosh]

Yeah, good question, adding a bit more here now for others as well: One of the things you have to adjust repeatedly, completely separate from calibration, is the height at which the grinding ring sits. If you have taller steel, you set the adjust to a lower number (1-8) and steel that is usually pretty old is closer to 8 so that the ring contacts enough of it. If you just have one set, and you're only sharpening for you, this might be the same setting until you grind enough down to need to change it (think MANY sharpenings, then adjusting one click upwards). If you have multiple different sets yourself, or you are sharpening for others, you may need to adjust this almost every single time. It's a little red lever with the numbers printed on it when the head unit is open. For the skater profiles in the app, you can add multiple sets of blades. So far I have two of mine added. But there's nowhere to note down what the grinding ring height should be for each set of steel. The is one of those things I actually want the app to save, so I don't need to note this down elsewhere or spend time figuring it out at the time of sharpening. I'll sent that feedback in hopes it gets added 🤞

[@cglasford1]

@@SeenByYosh do you have a video on correctly setting the height? I've followed the Sparx set up but who knows if I'm actually doing it right haha

[@TheTracker12]

I have the gen 3, lets say i did 3 clicks to the right and 3 cycles, do I need to re-click to the left once im done sharpening to kinda put the machine back to where it was?

[@SeenByYosh]

Not necessarily. If the recommended adjustment helps, then I would leave it on that setting assuming it's now even closer to true alignment. 3 clicks is a pretty small amount.

[@thedaveko]

lots of people in one of the FB Sparx groups i'm a part of, are having issues with Beam and grinding down their grind wheels and blades because of incorrect calibrations. are they just not using it properly? do you see where some people go wrong in the calibration process using Beam?

[@SeenByYosh]

Great question - currently editing my initial BEAM to edge checker comparison as we speak, video should be live in the next few days. I'm also very curious, and have tried to monitor Reddit for issues. Mine has been incredibly accurate so far. I was suspicious at first, but edges were feeling great, and I borrowed an edge checker to verify (sold my original checker with my gen 1 bundle). I had to purposely misalign my sharpener in order to test some things because mine was so consistently good. And the BEAM recommendation after I did that was pretty close to returning it to original alignment, but not quite. The app is a bit less trustworthy for me so far, so maybe if you follow the BEAM recommendations repeatedly it slowly falls out of calibration? It's tough for me to generalize so early.

[@thedaveko]

@@SeenByYosh looking foward to watching that video and seeing what your findings are. i'm on my journey or determing which sharpener to buy. narrowed things down to Sparx or a Cag One. if you know anything about those machines I'd love to hear your thoughts. Doing some general calaculations and it'll take about 1000 sharpenings for them be have been of equal investments, because Cag One machine works out to about $0.15 (Canadian) per pair skates, whereas Sparx about $2-$3 CAD /pair. Would love to hear your thoughts on that machine if you know of them.

[@SeenByYosh]

@@thedaveko I don't know much about the Cag One unfortunately, but 1000 sharpenings is a lot. That might make sense if you are doing a ton of skates and don't have better things to do with such a large up front investment (and that might very well be you). Otherwise, a Sparx is probably a better entry point for most.

[@thedaveko]

@@SeenByYosh that makes sense. I think you’ve done 500ish in over 7 years for you and your friends.

[@SeenByYosh]

Yeah I was gonna say, I haven't been sharpening for others on this one yet as they start to become more prevalent and I've averaged closer to only two skates/wk lately. Might take me another 5-10 years for the next 500 if it's mostly me.

[@joepecaric1378]

Useless video, just show how to set it up

[@SeenByYosh]

Appreciate the feedback, at the same time, not meant as a set up tutorial 🤷🏻‍♂️ Looking at how this fits into the product evolution and Sparx future, and who who should be most excited for sharpener 3, is more interesting to me. It’s easier than in the past, for those looking to skip the instructions - install the clamp, remove the guard, install your grinding ring, pair the machine and download the latest firmware.