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justin asked the following question:
i was looking at the blademaster website but theres like 30 diffrent models and i dont know the diffrence in any of them
also what is the price range for one of these
Thanks
its for a pro shop i cant sharpen peoples skates for money with a file lol
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A file works great for me
Dont buy a grinding wheel! they just reack skates if not trained probally on one, as i had mine recked!
The best ones are where you put the blade in a clamp thing, and its all mesured out and you pull a handle. Just dont get a wheel!
You should contact Sidney Broadbent of Ice Skate Conditioning. His company makes quality skate sharpeners.
This professional, pro-shop quality sharpener starts at $2800.
There doesn’t appear to be much helpful info online as to which product is recommended, but maybe call other pro shops outside of your area (non-competitors) and take a poll to see what they recommend and have experience with. Also maybe contact equipment managers of higher level teams and see what they use. Blademaster can probably put whatever they want on their site as to who endorses them. You’d probably rather have an opinion from someone who has actually used the product than the guy who is trying to sell them.
I work have worked for several rinks, and I have used 2 different machines. I was first trained on a Blademaster. It had a crossgrinder (the wheel that spins up and down and makes the blade completely flat) as well as 2 sharpening wheels (the wheels that put the hollow into the blade). I really liked that one because I felt like I had more control over the jig (the thing the skate clams into) and the diamond tip had measurements on them, as opposed to just lines. The radius of the hollow was far more accurately achieved this way.
The other machine I have used, and am currently using, is an ez sharp (no joke, that’s what it’s actually called). Its small and can be portable. It has no cross grinding wheel and I feel it is harder to be accurate on them. This may be because I learned on a blademaster. Most of the people I work with really like it. I feel one of the biggest cons of the machine is the accuracy in determining the radius of the hollow. It is simply a diamond tip with 3 lines around the holder to use simply as a point of referece.
The most important thing to understand about sharpeners is to have operators who know the machine and how it functions well, in addition to simply know how to operate it. The person who had their skates ruined because of a cross grinder wheel most likely fell victim to someone who didn’t pay attention to routine maintenance on the machine. Sometimes a crossgrinding wheel can be neccessary, and its frusterating when you don’t have one.
Good luck!