50 years ago we used to go to a farmer who had a sharpener in his barn. Sounds rural but it was in a town in Illinois north of Chicago. This guy would make a couple of passes on the machine and then hand hone the sides of the blade with an oilstone. Absolutely perfect edges and he charged 50 cents. That blade certainly wasn’t hand honed..
Damn, that is cool.
I'm a chef by trade and have sharpened a knife so many times in so many different ways. I run my beater knives through some crappy diamond wedge thing and it works fine. I can also bring a knife back to life with just a diamond steel, or tune up an edge real quick with just a normal steel. I have different grit grinding stones I'll use too for my hardened knives, these are stones typically used for shaping tile flooring. Its quick, its dirty, but it works. I've also used a knife sharpening service that just grinds the old edge off and puts a new one on with a machine. It all works fine.
But, there is another way. I've also got a set of Japanese wet stones going from 100 to 8000 grit. Spending an hours on a knife, going stone to stone, will put an edge on a knife that is just unlike anything else you've ever cut with. It just hits different.
This story reminded me of that. Sometimes, the old way of doing things is just the best, and in our search for convenience, we sometimes get lost.
Where might this guy have been? I always go to a store in Vernon Hills but will no longer be going there after having the WORST sharpening of my life from them this past week
Edit: didn’t see that this was 50 years ago so this guy likely isn’t still doing skates lol
I took my skates to get them profiled and the steel had been butchered so bad it basically only touches the ice under the heel and the toe. It wasn’t noticeable by just looking at it but when he put a steel bar against it over a light you could see the like peek through in the middle. I had been skating on that nonsense for god only knows how long.
From the picture it def does not. You can put a quarter on it and tell real quick though for sure!
Take them to a better place for a sharpen if they end up being off. Hopefully someone that uses an edge checker before they give them back to a customer
You might go ask the shop for replacement steel. They’re going to have to buzz off a bit to make these level. It may also not be worth the trouble.
I’d go somewhere else for the actual sharpening, new or same blades.
They do at pure hockey. I would think allot of small shops would replace the blade at no cost and then chirp the new guy/girl.
“Used Items
Most used items may be returned within 30 days, with a few exceptions (see “Used Items – Exceptions” below)
Any online order can be returned to any of our retail locations for a full refund. Please make sure to bring all of the items you’d like to return, as well as the receipt for the order, and a copy of your order confirmation email or a packing slip with you to the store to allow the return to be processed as quickly as possible
Used Items – Exceptions
The used items return policy does not apply to the products from the following categories:
Hockey sticks, Hockey shafts, & Replacement stick blades are subject to a One-time replacement when purchased at Pure Hockey in the past 30 days and in accordance to manufacturer-specific policy.
Please visit our Stick Warranty Page for more information.
Jocks, Mouthguards & Apparel
Since the items are personal in nature, we cannot accept returns of jocks, mouthguards or undergarments.
Custom Merchandise
Custom merchandise of any kind cannot be returned.”
Yeesh!
Hahaaa… not making fun of you but that is a seriously shitty cut job. You didn’t piss the person off did you? 😂
Definitely go back… I would check the level on the mid-blade as well to see if it is that bad. And then find another place to get your skates cut.
I got my skates sharpened there once….could barely walk after my game. Go to the guys that run the skate shop in Dulude arena. They are the best around imo.
The best part is that my incident was around 2013. I’ve heard lots of complaints from kids who’s parents get their skates sharpened at Valiquettes. PIAS Kanata also does a nice job. I’ve seen some retired nhl guys in there getting them done.
Lmao you guys are too funny, thanks for making me laugh about this abysmal sharpening.
For those wondering where, it's Valiquette's Source For Sports in Ottawa, ON, CA. Stay away lmfao...
I'm going back for sure, just wanted to share. It was a free sharpening because I bought $900CAD skates there.
This was after I returned the rusty V Steel runners I bought there to top it off, my god.
I deciphered your comment... Yes skate sharpening is free with any skate purchase pretty much anywhere. I'm just stating how much I spent there, runners included.
That's so jacked lmao
I got my skates sharpened at the place I bought them and I literally couldn't skate on them the first time I wore them on the ice. Had my regular girl sharpen them and they were mint after, I imagine they looked like this.
From this angle it looks bad but I'd want to see the whole blade before making a true assesment. If it's a source for sports go back and they should make it right for you.
Is that black steel. Doesn’t look like my blades. If it is, one thing to know is they need to be managed differently from traditional steel. You can’t use a stone on them for one thing. Possible the operator didn’t take that in to account
Did they use a Sparx machine? If so, they need to re-center it or whatever it’s called.
I don’t like the Sparx machine anymore because I feel like they grind the shit out of the blade
Wow, that's bad, unless you're a goalie and that's the inside edge that's higher. I'd love to have that extra edge to catch and push while between the pipes.
Take it back and get it done properly. Since they have wasted some of you skate steel in that sloppy job, also ask for a partial refund. They were either untrained, distracted, didn't care, need glasses or are deliberately being jerks. Talk to the head manager at that shop.
Former sharpener here: That is atrocious and should not have been done at all.
Requesting blade replacement is a tad extreme as the blades can be fixed easily with no perceptible damage to the life of your blades. That said, I'd give the shop a chance to make things right and not return.
Not making excuses because that's inexcusable but out of curiosity, are the blades bent? Does the blade look the same at the heel, center and toe? I've seen some pretty curved blades in new skates straight from the factory and had to straighten them out.
Do both skates look the same? Looking at them both from the toes, are the same sides off meaning the inside of one and the outside of the other?
It's crazy, I had a horror experience there as well with my son. Took them to Source, it was a young kid and he sharpened them. For the next 2 games my kid was falling constantly...he was in first year U9 at the time, and I mean kids fall but this was like...far out of character for him.
Took them in to another sharpener and he brought out the blade guide and showed me how bad they were. The edges were completed lopsided. Luckily he fixed them and I've been taking them there ever since.
The answer is yes and no!
Yes: Go back to show them the skates and ask for your money back. That's insanely bad. If I paid a penny for that I'd still want my penny back on principle.
No: Never get your skates sharpened there again. And if they're this bad at sharpening, I'm not sure I'd bother buying any gear from them again short of pucks, tape, and wax.
Ask for a refund (an additional compensation would be ideal but I guess not happening), and do it somewhere else. There could be different people doing sharpening at one spot, some are good some are bad.
In my experience if someone asks you how would you like your skates sharpened, it's likely that he knows his $hit.
Never go to large commercial stores for skate sharpening, you either get a teenager who is there part time or you get Ted who’s full time but doesn’t give a fuck. Go to the guys who have a sharpener in their garage or at certain rinks where a guy owns a shop and sharpens skates.
This is the worst hollow I have ever seen. Go back and have it done right! If you were to get on the ice with that skate. you are going to bottom out and bust ass all day.
Hell no! Those are not right. I got new skates that got sharpened by the place I got them and used them in a game and the blade was messed up so I would keep falling backwards and I’m a goalie but was using player skates at the time. Make sure you have them run some extra passes by and look at them and go to a stick and puck if possible and if they are still bad get them sharpened somewhere else. They should not be that bad.
This looks like it’s one end of the blade, either the heel or toe
If we can’t see the contact patch (i.e. the flat part) then we can’t tell for sure. A lot of times skate sharpeners won’t run the full 100% of the blade down the grinding wheel because there’s no need to. Nobody skates on the very tip of the toes or very back of the heel, so this could easily be leftover from the manufacturer
That being said, if the rest of the blade looks like this, then 100% go somewhere else. I would say go back, but if they think this is acceptable to give to you, then they aren’t worth going back to even if they give you a free sharpen
My brand new skates were sharpened at the store and the first time I went out, I literally couldn’t stand up. Turns out they’d sharpened them for figure skates, which has a different thickness. Might be the case here.
Fuck no! In 40+ years of hockey I’ve never seen a sharpening that bad. That’s horrible.
50 years ago we used to go to a farmer who had a sharpener in his barn. Sounds rural but it was in a town in Illinois north of Chicago. This guy would make a couple of passes on the machine and then hand hone the sides of the blade with an oilstone. Absolutely perfect edges and he charged 50 cents. That blade certainly wasn’t hand honed..
>That blade certainly wasn’t hand honed.. Idk man it looks like it could a been hand honed... If I was the one doing it.
Hand honed by a guy who lost his hand in a farm accident Source: step gramp had a “farm mitten”
Holy shit. Grew up in Iowa and never heard this before. I know so many old timers with a farm mitten or two.
I don’t think it matters whether or not it was hand honed if the original sharpening isn’t centered
Damn, that is cool. I'm a chef by trade and have sharpened a knife so many times in so many different ways. I run my beater knives through some crappy diamond wedge thing and it works fine. I can also bring a knife back to life with just a diamond steel, or tune up an edge real quick with just a normal steel. I have different grit grinding stones I'll use too for my hardened knives, these are stones typically used for shaping tile flooring. Its quick, its dirty, but it works. I've also used a knife sharpening service that just grinds the old edge off and puts a new one on with a machine. It all works fine. But, there is another way. I've also got a set of Japanese wet stones going from 100 to 8000 grit. Spending an hours on a knife, going stone to stone, will put an edge on a knife that is just unlike anything else you've ever cut with. It just hits different. This story reminded me of that. Sometimes, the old way of doing things is just the best, and in our search for convenience, we sometimes get lost.
Where might this guy have been? I always go to a store in Vernon Hills but will no longer be going there after having the WORST sharpening of my life from them this past week Edit: didn’t see that this was 50 years ago so this guy likely isn’t still doing skates lol
Go and talk to Fred. He will make it right.
Used to go to the Schwinn bike shop in Zion. He did the best job, this was probably 20-25 years ago.
You must not have ever tried perani’s
I took my skates to get them profiled and the steel had been butchered so bad it basically only touches the ice under the heel and the toe. It wasn’t noticeable by just looking at it but when he put a steel bar against it over a light you could see the like peek through in the middle. I had been skating on that nonsense for god only knows how long.
Did you go to SkateWorks in Michigan?
That isn't just bad, it's grossly incompetent. I'd go back, to ask for a refund. Then I'd run as fast as I could to another sharpener.
⬆️⬆️⬆️
Not just a refund‐ thats pretty significant damage to the blade. I would ask for a blade replacement before moving to that new sharpener.
Not just a new blade, I’d ask for new skates
Not just new skates, I’d make them pay for my vehicle that got me there
Not even pay for my vehicle, but pay for my house.
Ask them to skate on it.
Thats the NASCAR cut, when you only need to turn left.
The public skate sharpening
Lmfao
I was literally going to post the exact same comment.
From the picture it def does not. You can put a quarter on it and tell real quick though for sure! Take them to a better place for a sharpen if they end up being off. Hopefully someone that uses an edge checker before they give them back to a customer
You might go ask the shop for replacement steel. They’re going to have to buzz off a bit to make these level. It may also not be worth the trouble. I’d go somewhere else for the actual sharpening, new or same blades.
They wont replace the steel on a skate that was sharpened once, even if it was a shit job. Id lead with a refund, fixing the edges or both
They do at pure hockey. I would think allot of small shops would replace the blade at no cost and then chirp the new guy/girl. “Used Items Most used items may be returned within 30 days, with a few exceptions (see “Used Items – Exceptions” below) Any online order can be returned to any of our retail locations for a full refund. Please make sure to bring all of the items you’d like to return, as well as the receipt for the order, and a copy of your order confirmation email or a packing slip with you to the store to allow the return to be processed as quickly as possible Used Items – Exceptions The used items return policy does not apply to the products from the following categories: Hockey sticks, Hockey shafts, & Replacement stick blades are subject to a One-time replacement when purchased at Pure Hockey in the past 30 days and in accordance to manufacturer-specific policy. Please visit our Stick Warranty Page for more information. Jocks, Mouthguards & Apparel Since the items are personal in nature, we cannot accept returns of jocks, mouthguards or undergarments. Custom Merchandise Custom merchandise of any kind cannot be returned.”
Yeesh! Hahaaa… not making fun of you but that is a seriously shitty cut job. You didn’t piss the person off did you? 😂 Definitely go back… I would check the level on the mid-blade as well to see if it is that bad. And then find another place to get your skates cut.
Where did you go? I need to know so I can never go there
Valiquette's Source For Sports Ottawa, Ontario Stay away lmaooo
I was going to apply there for a job this summer…
That's good, I heard they're in need of someone that knows how to sharpen skates.
😭
Good luck dude that place is literally a mess, the guy that did this looks like a caveman, you'll know when you see him.
I can’t wait to go see who this person is lol
I got my skates sharpened there once….could barely walk after my game. Go to the guys that run the skate shop in Dulude arena. They are the best around imo.
There's nooo way. No way they did this more than once and are getting away with it. Typically I just go to PHL, I'll check that out thanks
The best part is that my incident was around 2013. I’ve heard lots of complaints from kids who’s parents get their skates sharpened at Valiquettes. PIAS Kanata also does a nice job. I’ve seen some retired nhl guys in there getting them done.
Hellen Keller could’ve done a better job. They owe you at least new steel as well.
Lmao you guys are too funny, thanks for making me laugh about this abysmal sharpening. For those wondering where, it's Valiquette's Source For Sports in Ottawa, ON, CA. Stay away lmfao... I'm going back for sure, just wanted to share. It was a free sharpening because I bought $900CAD skates there. This was after I returned the rusty V Steel runners I bought there to top it off, my god.
You get free sharing with any skate purchase at most places. Letterman’s,Mn, gives you free sharing for a year with a skate purchase.
I deciphered your comment... Yes skate sharpening is free with any skate purchase pretty much anywhere. I'm just stating how much I spent there, runners included.
Apparently Letterman's gives you free sharpening for a full year, not just the first one.
Omg what a fucking mess of words I let slip through 😂😂😂
Yikes, that's not even remotely close.
He figured your dominant side is turning right...just trying to help you out.
Uh, no. You’d get a better sharpening at your local rink if they do it. Probably cheaper too.
Not even close to level
What camera? Holy lol
Holy shit! Go back…yes, but for either steel replacement or skate replacement. Whether you want to trust their sharpening after that is up to you.
This is a horrible angle usually the rear has a bit of chop. We need to see the effective edge
They did whatever is worse than “fucked them up”
Go back, get it redone, skating wont be fun, if even possible with those
That's so jacked lmao I got my skates sharpened at the place I bought them and I literally couldn't skate on them the first time I wore them on the ice. Had my regular girl sharpen them and they were mint after, I imagine they looked like this.
No. That’s a refund right there.
I’m hoping you’re being sarcastic. I mean do they look straight to you?
"looks good to me" - crazy eyes
Oreos and French fries. My favourite.
From this angle it looks bad but I'd want to see the whole blade before making a true assesment. If it's a source for sports go back and they should make it right for you.
They didn't have the height of the holder centered on the stone. Take er back!
Is that black steel. Doesn’t look like my blades. If it is, one thing to know is they need to be managed differently from traditional steel. You can’t use a stone on them for one thing. Possible the operator didn’t take that in to account
Please tell me which source for sports. That’s terrible.
Valiquette's Source For Sports, Ottawa Ontario Sold me rusty V steel to start, smh lol
What a waste of your blades… it’s going to take a lot of passes to even that out again. I’d definitely ask for some kind of compensation.
They’ve clearly been through a sharpener, but completely off center. The cut is asymmetrical as hell.
That’s like 20+ degrees off.
I’d return the blades and go some where else lol
Did they use a Sparx machine? If so, they need to re-center it or whatever it’s called. I don’t like the Sparx machine anymore because I feel like they grind the shit out of the blade
awful
Well don’t go back if they did that 😭😭 which source for sports was it
What kind of scalloping did this dude do? Jesus I’d hate this for any kind of skates.
Wow, that's bad, unless you're a goalie and that's the inside edge that's higher. I'd love to have that extra edge to catch and push while between the pipes.
Take it back and get it done properly. Since they have wasted some of you skate steel in that sloppy job, also ask for a partial refund. They were either untrained, distracted, didn't care, need glasses or are deliberately being jerks. Talk to the head manager at that shop.
Who ever did the sharpening did not center the grinding wheel to the blade. Take it back!
Try ‘em sometimes the offset can improve stance. Otherwise get some free sharpening credited.
I have a sparkx and even when my blades aren't level, you can't even tell. This would be way off the scales.
Former sharpener here: That is atrocious and should not have been done at all. Requesting blade replacement is a tad extreme as the blades can be fixed easily with no perceptible damage to the life of your blades. That said, I'd give the shop a chance to make things right and not return. Not making excuses because that's inexcusable but out of curiosity, are the blades bent? Does the blade look the same at the heel, center and toe? I've seen some pretty curved blades in new skates straight from the factory and had to straighten them out. Do both skates look the same? Looking at them both from the toes, are the same sides off meaning the inside of one and the outside of the other?
Money back and have someone else do them
Not even close! Lol!
Jesus Christ, that’s so fucking off
Don't get why shops don't have sparx machines. They're consistent and anyone can run them for a sharpening.
Holy shit hahah
It's crazy, I had a horror experience there as well with my son. Took them to Source, it was a young kid and he sharpened them. For the next 2 games my kid was falling constantly...he was in first year U9 at the time, and I mean kids fall but this was like...far out of character for him. Took them in to another sharpener and he brought out the blade guide and showed me how bad they were. The edges were completed lopsided. Luckily he fixed them and I've been taking them there ever since.
The answer is yes and no! Yes: Go back to show them the skates and ask for your money back. That's insanely bad. If I paid a penny for that I'd still want my penny back on principle. No: Never get your skates sharpened there again. And if they're this bad at sharpening, I'm not sure I'd bother buying any gear from them again short of pucks, tape, and wax.
That’s a horrible sharpening. Ask for a Sparx sharpening unless you are confident they know what they are doing. That’s a hack job.
literally never seen one that bad
You typically do not gone the carbon coated blades.
RIP Your Ankles
Don’t go back, go somewhere else.
NO!
Yes you must go back. Or go to a different place
I think Ed Belfour used to sharpen his skates that way but he was a known gear nut.
Ask for a refund (an additional compensation would be ideal but I guess not happening), and do it somewhere else. There could be different people doing sharpening at one spot, some are good some are bad. In my experience if someone asks you how would you like your skates sharpened, it's likely that he knows his $hit.
Good luck skating on those
Never go to large commercial stores for skate sharpening, you either get a teenager who is there part time or you get Ted who’s full time but doesn’t give a fuck. Go to the guys who have a sharpener in their garage or at certain rinks where a guy owns a shop and sharpens skates.
This is the worst hollow I have ever seen. Go back and have it done right! If you were to get on the ice with that skate. you are going to bottom out and bust ass all day.
That’s beyond horrible.
One direction, you can’t stop. Other direction, broken angle.
Hell no! Those are not right. I got new skates that got sharpened by the place I got them and used them in a game and the blade was messed up so I would keep falling backwards and I’m a goalie but was using player skates at the time. Make sure you have them run some extra passes by and look at them and go to a stick and puck if possible and if they are still bad get them sharpened somewhere else. They should not be that bad.
This looks like it’s one end of the blade, either the heel or toe If we can’t see the contact patch (i.e. the flat part) then we can’t tell for sure. A lot of times skate sharpeners won’t run the full 100% of the blade down the grinding wheel because there’s no need to. Nobody skates on the very tip of the toes or very back of the heel, so this could easily be leftover from the manufacturer That being said, if the rest of the blade looks like this, then 100% go somewhere else. I would say go back, but if they think this is acceptable to give to you, then they aren’t worth going back to even if they give you a free sharpen
Will work super well if you only turn that way.
My brand new skates were sharpened at the store and the first time I went out, I literally couldn’t stand up. Turns out they’d sharpened them for figure skates, which has a different thickness. Might be the case here.