4 replies to this topic

[afrozenpond]

Who has a sharpener at their house? What did you pay? How's it working out for you? Which sharpener would you recommend?

[nhlfan79]

I have the Sparx second gen that I bought new in 2021 for roughly $800 for the machine, plus a couple hundred more for some grinding rings and essential accessories (blade level checker).  I love, love, love it.  Yes, it was a big investment, but reliable and quality skate sharpening options are limited here in Atlanta, as we only have one true LHS, and otherwise, you're putting yourself at the mercy of the random teen at the rink who probably doesn't know what they're doing and doesn't care either.

 

After owning for a few years now, it is well worth the money for multiple reasons: (1) the convenience of not having to drive somewhere; (2) consistent and predictable results; (3) the ability to ensure it's done to my personal preferences by doing it myself; (4) the ability to do "touch ups" after a couple of skates, rather than wait for a full-blown sharpening; (5) long-term cost savings, now that both of my teen boys also skate multiple times a week.

 

If you decide to go in the Sparx direction, shoot me a PM in advance.

[shoeshine boy]

I've had a Sparx since it was launched on Kickstarter. before that, I had a Wissota. both were worth every penny because as my friend above said, quality sharpening in ATL is not easy to come by. for years, the only decent place was an hour away. even when we got a better shop more centrally located, they were closed on Sundays (wtf?) and the rinks were horrible. I still have my Wissota but always use the Sparx. it's a quality machine. I do teammates skates for $10 a pop to recoup my costs.

[Golden Gate Sharpening]

1x Blademaster BRC2005 with cross grind (main workhorse)

1x Blademaster SBP850 (for travel)

1x Blackstone X02 (for Flat Bottom V)

[Monty22]

I worked at several shops years ago, and prior to getting my own machine they would let me come in and sharpen my own , and subsequently my son's skates. It got to be a hassle if the shop was busy or if I couldn't make it over after work etc. I bought my own machine when my son was 5. Started with a used Blackstone X01 in 2013, flipped it for about what I paid for it 8 years later and bought an X02 for $800. I'm a fan of FBV as are most of the folks I sharpen for so the a Blackstone machine was my best option. Both of those are discontinued, but still supported by the manufacturer and available on the secondary market. Wissotta and Blademaster both have comparable offerings.  I'm biased towards manual machines as that's what I grew up using.  Automated machines like the Sparx are relatively cheap and fairly user friendly for someone not wanting to get into the more hands on manual process. It'll produce a consistent edge and they seem to be holding up better than many of us thought when they first came out. I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a well cared for used example of any of the machines listed above. The convenience and consistency is absolutely worth it.