Sharpening - what does it feel like?

When your blades are dull, how would YOU describe the feeling when you skate?
Would you say things like "the ice is too slippery"? Does it feel like you have not edges and no 'grip'?
Or does it feel like something else?

Do you keep track of hours on the ice and then schedule sharpenings after so many hours?
Or just when you feel like it? Or always a week before competitions? Or just when coach says to sharpen them? Or when you start missing jumps you normally land?
How do YOU schedule sharpening your skates?

I would describe dull skates as slippery. The worse they are, the more it feels like you forgot to take your guards off. If they are really dull, your edges will slide, so that instead of being able to hold a clean edge, they will slip to the side creating a tracing that looks more like a skid or a stop than an edge.

How often you sharpen then depends on a few factors.
1. How sharp do you like your skates? I personally like them really sharp, so I get them done more than other skaters, but I know people who can't skate on newly sharpened skates because the grip on them is too strong, so they sharpen them less. When considering tests and competitions, this is an important thing to know about yourself when scheduling sharpenings. I can compete the same day I get my skates sharpened, but other people need up to a week to have them feel normal again.

2. How often do you skate and what kind of ice do you skate on? The harder the ice, the more often you will need to sharpen them. Softer ice is easier on the blades and is easier to skate on with dull skates as the blade "sinks" into and grips the ice better. The quality of the ice is also a factor. Skating outdoors is harder on the blades as is ice that has bits of debris on it. If the ice maintenance at your rink isn't great, you will also have to sharpen your skates more often.

3. How often d you skate and how do you skate? Obviously, someone skating every day needs to sharpen their skates more often than someone who skates once a week. The kind of skating is also a factor. The more you stop, the more you need to shapen your blades. For example, I coach little kids, so I spend a good 3 or 4 hours a week demonstrating making snow. Hockey players or figure skates taking skills tests with difficult stops or doing a lot of suicide or stopping drills will also need to sharpen their skates more often.

When in doubt, go by how you feel on the ice. If the skates don't feel like they're gripping, it's probably time to get them sharpened. You can always ask your sharpener as well. A good one can tell you how bad they are when you bring them in.

Hopefully, that helps.

Regarding how often to sharpen blades, the number of skating hours I've been told by various skater techs a range from about 20 to 40 hours. Personally, I goi about 24-ish hours between sharpenings, which works out to about every 5-6 weeks. I try to keep a regular sharpening schedule just so it's easier to remember, unless there's a week I skate exceptionally much. This also means that sometimes I sharpen them before they need to be, and sometimes I have a couple sessions of dull-ish blades, but not life-threateningly dull. I've been lucky enough to skate on well-maintained ice surfaces, so I'm usually not too concerned about bad ice dulling my blades.

I know my blades are getting dull when my stops (snow plow, T stops, etc.) become rather "slide-y". I don't normally use skidding on edges as an indicator, because skidding could be due to ice quality, or it can also be a sign of bad technique which would otherwise be masked by a sharp blade. If the skidding is actually due to dull blades, then those must be really really dull blades indeed. I try not to get to that stage.

I would avoid skating on freshly sharpened blades on a competition or test, it takes a bit of time to get used to the new sharpness and spins could be disastrous on freshly sharpened blades! But it usually takes me just about half an hour or less of deep edgework before I can get back to business. I've also found that if I go for too long between sharpenings, the larger difference between the dullness and sharpness takes longer to get used to. That's why I found a schedule of 24 hours of skating to be my sweet spot.

That said, I am an adult skater, competitive in spirit but recreational by definition, so I can afford to put up with dull blades sometimes. And it also has a lot to do with your own skating environment, personal preference, and psychological comfort. For skaters who are truly competitive, he/she may have different criteria for their keeping equipment in top shape.

I have not skated a consistent amount of time week after week after week, so I have to go by how they feel. I can tell how sharp they are when I do simple edges. If they grip, they are sharp, if they don't really grip but don't slip, it is time to make an appointment (the guy I go to is appt only and there is usually a several-weeks-long wait list). If I can feel the edge slipping and the tracing has flat spots that aren't due to poor skating, it means a sharpening is past due. I think the ability to tell before blades are really super dull, is usually related to experience, so an inexperienced skater may need to ask the coach to check the blades for them.

No grip/no bite to the ice.

Thanks everyone.
I was trying to interpret my son’s comments. He was saying “the ice is too slippery”. It was first freestyle session after a week of skating on a frozen pond. He hasn’t been skating long enough to associate the feeling of dull blades and was blaming himself or the rink til another parent suggested he probably needed to get his blades sharpened. We were out of town so couldn’t ask coach. Now kiddo needs to just take a few days off since coach is super picky about who sharpens the blades and doesn’t want us just going to a random pro shop. Oh well.

Frozen ponds are rough on blades, I'm not surprised he needs a sharpening.

I agree with the coach - random pro shops have ruined many an expensive blade. One bad sharpening can destroy a set so much that they need to be replaced. It's worth taking a couple days off!

I skate 3 hours a week and get my skates sharpened every 3 months, since that's every 36-40 hours (which is what my skate sharpener recommended). If I go longer than that, they do start feeling "slippy". I especially notice it on deep edges, like when I push off into my camel spin entry. Also, if you go too long between sharpenings, the blades may feel so much sharper after the sharpening that it's hard to get used to them again.

For me, I know a sharpening is needed soon when my rocker turns start skidding badly! However I am a senior level skater so I’m not sure how much that helps. I would describe it as slippery as well.

Definitely don't go to a random pro shop. I knew someone who broke her arm on a fall that was due to a missing edge---that's right, the edge was completely shaven off--- after going to a hockey pro shop for sharpening. Don't add yourself to the pile of horror stories we all hear.

cl2 said:

Definitely don't go to a random pro shop. I knew someone who broke her arm on a fall that was due to a missing edge---that's right, the edge was completely shaven off--- after going to a hockey pro shop for sharpening. Don't add yourself to the pile of horror stories we all hear.

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Also, if you have matrix blades (or any 2-piece blades), make sure the sharpener knows how to sharpen them!!!! They need extra training to learn how to sharpen 2-piece blades. My friend had her blades ruined our freshman year of college because she didn’t know the sharpener at our school didn’t know what he was doing.

I only trust one person to do my blades (that I’ve used for 10 years) even though I go to school in a different state now.

cl2 said:

Definitely don't go to a random pro shop. I knew someone who broke her arm on a fall that was due to a missing edge---that's right, the edge was completely shaven off--- after going to a hockey pro shop for sharpening. Don't add yourself to the pile of horror stories we all hear.

Click to expand...

The guy I go to seemed to think a bad sharpening by someone else is the reason I had the fall that caused a broken wrist. I was doing a back to forward mohawk when my blade caught the ice somehow, causing me to fall. I don't have anyone sharpen my skates now, except this guy. I could do it myself if our rink equipment wasn't so messed up (I'm on strike from doing customer skates, only doing rentals until there is new equipment).

twirlingblades said:

Also, if you have matrix blades (or any 2-piece blades), make sure the sharpener knows how to sharpen them!!!! They need extra training to learn how to sharpen 2-piece blades. My friend had her blades ruined our freshman year of college because she didn’t know the sharpener at our school didn’t know what he was doing.

I only trust one person to do my blades (that I’ve used for 10 years) even though I go to school in a different state now.

Click to expand...

Yes, exactly! As I've said in other threads, they need a special jig to sharpen those kinds of blades, as well as the proper training.


I'm going to echo everyone else who has said it OP, DO NOT let just anyone sharpen his blades. Also, pond skating dulls them down quickly and you also run the risk of nicking the blade edges which is never good.


Use caution and good luck!

Like others mentioned above, be VERY picky about who you let sharpen your blades - they are EXPENSIVE and you shouldn't let just anyone sharpen them. We had a bad experience with a new pair of skates bought from a reputable retailer where they didn't sharpen one blade and my skater literally went flying across the ice....the coach checked and was like "ummmm....there is no edge here." Bad sharpening is a safety issue!

Like cl2 we stick to a schedule more or less and sharpen after 20 hours (my kid somehow manages to nick the blades a lot and so we have to sharpen frequently). My skater likes SHARP blades and has no problem going out right after a sharpening....when we've not sharpened in time I do get a "mom, my skates feel slippery" or there is some difficulty executing certain elements.

I think the brand/type of blade (and type of steel) also has an impact on how often they have to be sharpened.

Our skate tech keeps telling us that we need to learn how to check the sharpness of the blades with our fingers/fingernails, but I usually have trouble distinguishing when they need a sharpen....maybe my fingers are toast from doing too many dishes...LOL. 20 hours seems to work for us unless there is a bad nick and then I bring them in earlier.

One thing to keep in mind is that sharpening more frequently than you need will decrease the life of your blade. If you are skating a lot or the blades suffer abuse (e.g. from pond skating) this may be unavoidable, but just keep in mind that the blades do have a finite life.

I make my skater wear hard guards (both for safety of others feet and for longevity of the blade) to protect them. I see a lot of kids running around at the rink with nothing protecting their blades and I wonder what their blades look like....

SmallAminal said:

Like others mentioned above, be VERY picky about who you let sharpen your blades - they are EXPENSIVE and you shouldn't let just anyone sharpen them. We had a bad experience with a new pair of skates bought from a reputable retailer where they didn't sharpen one blade and my skater literally went flying across the ice....the coach checked and was like "ummmm....there is no edge here." Bad sharpening is a safety issue!

Like cl2 we stick to a schedule more or less and sharpen after 20 hours (my kid somehow manages to nick the blades a lot and so we have to sharpen frequently). My skater likes SHARP blades and has no problem going out right after a sharpening....when we've not sharpened in time I do get a "mom, my skates feel slippery" or there is some difficulty executing certain elements.

I think the brand/type of blade (and type of steel) also has an impact on how often they have to be sharpened.

Our skate tech keeps telling us that we need to learn how to check the sharpness of the blades with our fingers/fingernails, but I usually have trouble distinguishing when they need a sharpen....maybe my fingers are toast from doing too many dishes...LOL. 20 hours seems to work for us unless there is a bad nick and then I bring them in earlier.

One thing to keep in mind is that sharpening more frequently than you need will decrease the life of your blade. If you are skating a lot or the blades suffer abuse (e.g. from pond skating) this may be unavoidable, but just keep in mind that the blades do have a finite life.

I make my skater wear hard guards (both for safety of others feet and for longevity of the blade) to protect them. I see a lot of kids running around at the rink with nothing protecting their blades and I wonder what their blades look like....

Click to expand...

LOL I was going to mention the "checking with fingernail" technique in my previous post but didn't want to confuse anyone with trying to explain it.