Skate sharpening..What cut do you use?

[Jarick]

I'm really lucky to have lifetime FREE FBV sharpenings when I bought my skates. Best hockey shop in the state IMO. Of course I hate getting my skates sharpened so it works out for them

 

[noobman]

The irony of that chart is that a good skater knows how to use his/her edges and will not require as deep a hollow to get proper grip. And the benefit will be better glide from the more shallow hollow. So it's best to use the shallowest hollow that gives you sufficient grip. Of course personal preference also comes into play to a certain extent. But, Paul Coffey had one of the most efficient strides in the NHL. He used a hollow of greater than 1". According to that chart, he would be a beginner!

I don't know man... I can't stop with shallow cuts. If I try to do a quick stop on a time my feet usually slide right through me and I find myself with no balance to quick-start in the other direction.

 

[Jarick]

I always heard the opposite...beginners usually getting deep hollows (3/8") to make stopping easier so they can learn to feel the edges instead of slipping as much. And as they get better and learn to dig in properly they can go shallower for more glide.

Of course, FBV eliminates the need for changing all that. You get a lot of glide all around and just choose how much bite you want on the edges.

I went 3/8" -> 1/2" -> 5/8" -> 11/16" -> 100/50 -> 90/75 -> 90/50

If I didn't say it above, FBV to me also feels more "abrupt" in terms of your edges. With the regular sharpening it felt like the more you lean, the more you dig in. With FBV you didn't really feel the edges until a certain amount of lean, and then more lean didn't really dig in any more.

That's not to say you don't still lean on sharp turns, because more lean = more lateral force, as well as changing the angle of your turns, etc.

But to me it felt more predictable, which was the #1 reason I stuck with it. Less guesswork for me.

However I could also see great skaters who used regular sharpenings for 20+ years would HATE it. They adapted to the feel. I only skated for a couple years before switching. I felt it was easier to LEARN on these edges, again more predictable.

 

[OpenIceHit42]

Skated my first game on FBV last night. The guy at the local shop recommended 1/2" to start with and I can say I won't be going back to a regular cut. I felt more mobile, quicker and just overall better last night.

 

[newfr4u]

I'm really lucky to have lifetime FREE FBV sharpenings when I bought my skates. Best hockey shop in the state IMO. Of course I hate getting my skates sharpened so it works out for them

is this local, or some online shop?

 

[Jarick]

Local shop (General Sports in Edina, MN).

 

[elevation]

Download the 'FBV-ROH Comparisons' .pdf (it's the 3rd button) on

http://www.blackstonesport.com/technology.cfm

this gives you much more info/idea than the old flyer...

 

[elevation]

...and, older but interesting:

http://www.jagersport.com/Game7Skatetech.xls

Blade Radius Templates
http://www.jagersport.com/FMRadiusTemplates.pdf

 

[r3cc0s]

at the end of the day, its all preference, but there is a reason why 5/8s & 1/2 are the most popular... even at a pro level

there are different strides... people who glide and are smooth at changing direction, hardly ever needing hard stops

there are those who are choppy, driving with full extention, edges hard to not only turn but for speed control... transition with stops

different weight, different starts, different emphasis on glide vs grip...

 

[elevation]

but there is a reason why 5/8s & 1/2 are the most popular... even at a pro level

FBV!!?? ....5/8s & 1/2 in shops maybe...!

my sharpener sometimes has to run trough about 5 different individual settings...often between periods...and that's not in the NHL...one reason for Blackstone's Revolving Spinner on portables...