I know some of you use the profiler. I'm getting annoyed with having to drive for miles to get skates sharpened. How much technique does the profiler require? Could I ruin my blades if I try it? How good a sharpening does it give? Is it just a touch up, or can you use it exclusively?

Any other options for sharpening? I don't think I want a whole professional setup. It takes a long time to learn how to use that correctly, no?

I use one, and have some information about using it on my web site at

http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~schneidw/.../profiler.html

It would be hard to ruin a blade with the sharpener itself, although the side-hone could accidentally be held non-parallel to the blade and cause some grief.

The amount of metal removed over time is small, so change happens slowly. That provides a margin of safety so that a slip won't ruin a blade. It will also test your patience awaiting a nice edge to develop if your blades are fairly dull.

I use mine exclusively, and have never had a machine sharpening on my current set of blades (Aces). I'd guess that for routine sharpening (every two or three weeks), you'd spend 20-30 minutes for a set of blades. Dull blades will require more time. Changing a hollow will also require more time.

It's messy because of the cutting oil, and it's boring work. It requires more patience than skill. It's not for everybody, but it suites me.

A machine grinder would require a gentle touch to prevent blade damage. While sharpening, a pause along the edge of a blade would make a divot, which would then require lots of subsequent metal removal to eliminate. Blades can be ground down quickly with any motorized grinder, but a practiced and steady operator can do it with only a few thousandths of an inch removed each time.

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Bill Schneider

I love my ProFiler. Like Bill, my current blades (Visions) have never seen a machine sharpening.

The 'skill' required depends on what kind of person you are. If you like to tinker with things, then it doesn't take much 'skill' at all. But if tinkering scares you, or drives you nuts, it may seem more difficult.

The instructions say to use masking tape on the blade to get a snug fit--I don't bother, it's a hassle. So it takes a bit more skill to stay in the blade's hollow, but not too much if you're not reckless.

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