Skate Mate

The last time I paid to have my skates sharpened was 2 years ago.  I went to DePhilip’s on Francis Lewis in Bayside and paid $10.  They didn’t bother to ask what hollow I wanted.  Most likely they have no idea what a hollow is.  Ever since then I’ve found it more economical, and consistent, to sharpen my own skates by hand.  I can do it whenever I want, and try to keep it about the same level.

I use the Skate Mate skate sharpener to keep my edges clean.  This is one of the few hockey related purchases I made at a Modell’s.  I would say 95% of Modell’s don’t have any hockey related equipment.  For whatever reason one of them had this way back in 2009, and I decided to pick it up on a whim.  It’s pretty simple to use.  You expand out the sharpener to fit over the blade, tighten it to just where you can freely move it, and then push it back and forth against the blade for about 3-5 minutes while applying little pressure.

The Skate Mate

It won’t get you the sharpest edges, but it will keep them sharp.  For me personally, I would prefer to keep a clean edge consistently, rather than have something extremely sharp for a few games and slowly degrade.  This way it’s easier to balance on the ice every week when you have the same edges, and you always know how hard to dig in for stops.  On average I sharpen my skates about every 6-10 games, mostly out of laziness.  Otherwise I would keep it to 4-6 as a happy medium.

The reason it works for all types of skate hollows, supposedly, is because the SkateMate cylinder which does the sharpening is cardboard coated with a ceramic abrasive material.  According to the marketing material, it’s better than the competition which primarily use whetstones instead.  The ceramic material wears down as you use it, but you simply shift the cylinder over a little, or can buy replacements should you wear it down completely.

One technique I like to use to ensure I sharpen enough is first color the bottom of my blade with a marker.  After that, perform the sharpening steps with the Skate Mate until all spots of the marker have disappeared.  Sometimes a little streak can still remain which you otherwise wouldn’t see, which is why you need to slowly wait for it to wear down during the sharpening.  Also I’m not picky, so even if a little streak is there, it’s good enough for me as long as the edge is still sharp.

My only qualms with the Skate Mate is sometimes the fasteners used to tighten or widen the blade holder get stuck.  I’ve had to use pliers to get them loose enough to use my fingers.  Also the Skate Mate also has two flat ceramic abrasive pads on the bottom, which are to be used to debur the edges causing by sharpening.  Unfortunately there are no replacements included in any of the kits, so once those wear down you’re out of luck.  But for me deburring isn’t a big deal, and I don’t bother wasting time on it anyway.

Overall I rate this product an A.  It keeps your edges sharp, although isn’t a replacement for professional sharpening.  Definitely worth keeping in your hockey bag just in case.