Blade Technology v Sharpener Ability

[SkatingOnClouds]

It seems to me that blade manufacturers are getting more & more advanced with their blades. I see descriptions which include:

"complex primary rocker", "side honed", "tapered","parabolic", and "Lowest lift angle for superior lift characteristics. Made from Carbon Steel 52 HRc and Chrome Plated. Concave sidewall technology to achieve increased edge angle geometry without sacrificing ease of sharpening. "

Blades are clearly complicated little beasties which can make a big difference to your skating.

I know of a sharpener who can destroy a pair of blades in a single sharpening. I have had little success locating a sharpener who does seem to know what they are doing. I doubt they are even doing a decent job on hockey skates, let alone anything with a "complex primary rocker".

So I'm wondering what it's like around the world for others.
Are there really sharpeners out there going "Hmm, this has a complex primary rocker that I need to consider when sharpening, along with the honed sides and tapered end" ???8O

Or are we mostly being sucked in by these wine-label style desciptions of blade characteristics, paying hundreds of dollars, only to have their expensive qualities wiped out with a single pass over the grind wheel?

[Bunny Hop]

Well, I can't answer for the more 'complex' blades as mine are bog standard MK Pros and my husband has Coronation Aces, but after a few bad experiences we have finally found a really good blade sharpener. She will sharpen to whatever radius of hollow is requested (i.e. not just give everyone the same, regardless of what was required), and will spend time working on the blades to correct any problems from previous bad sharpenings.

Best of all, however, is that after she has sharpened my blades I can still stop on them!!! After being told in the past that it's always impossible to stop properly after having a sharpening, this came as a great revelation, and is very comforting for a nervous skater like me!

So yes, there are good sharpeners out there - the problem is finding them!

[Skittl1321]

Or are we mostly being sucked in by these wine-label style desciptions of blade characteristics, paying hundreds of dollars, only to have their expensive qualities wiped out with a single pass over the grind wheel?

This is my vote :)

I know there are some sharpeners out there who really really know what they are doing. At our rink we are lucky that we have two coaches who can sharpen fairly well, but I've had bad results with both of them, too. There are certainly no "sharpening specialists" that you send your blades out to and pay big bucks (my sharpening is $5) BUT even if you leave your skates specifically with a only let X sharpen note a counter kid will often pick them up. Urgh.

[Rusty Blades]

ANY nitwit can destroy a set of blades in one pass! My blades are not complex (MK Pro) and we have some "good" sharpeners in the area (according to others) but already I will NOT let anyone else touch my blades!

I have worked in engineering nearly 40 years and also have machine shop experience so when I saw how the "best" sharpener handled my blades, I decided to go DIY (do it yourself) and built a sharpening machine. The fellow gave me a good edge but did my blades no favours as far as long life goes.

I have also designed a better sharpening machine that I hope to build shortly, a machine that from an engineering and machine shop perspective eliminates nearly all the "hand work" and minimizes all the sources for error.

As a fanatic about things being done RIGHT, I have great sympathy for those who are at the mercy of others!

[sk8tmum]

[QUOTE=SkatingOnClouds;363164]

So I'm wondering what it's like around the world for others.
Are there really sharpeners out there going "Hmm, this has a complex primary rocker that I need to consider when sharpening, along with the honed sides and tapered end" ???8OQUOTE]

YES THERE ARE ! - and when you find them, you a) treat them with respect and b) pass the name along thru the underground skating world.

We are blessed with a guy who does indeed understand all of this stuff, researchs all the new blades, and adjusts his techniques to accomodate the blade, the skater, and all of the contributing factors. He's amazing ...

so, the answer is, yes, they do exist ... you just have to do your research, and in our case, drive 1-1/2 hours each way to get to his shop, which is more than worth it.