How to Select the Correct Skate Sharpening

The profile of your skate's blade is the actual shape of the bottom of the blade that makes contact with the ice. Traditional or stock profiles come with a single radius, which is a singular curve that offers one-dimensional performance. Today, blades can now come with triple, quadruple and Ellipse shape profiles that unlock the full potential in a player's skating abilities by enhancing grip, glide and speed.

If you are looking for a traditional profile that is still the most popular option on the market, select the Stock (No Profiling) option at checkout and continue to Step #2: Select Your Sharpening Shape.

The Sharpening Shape, also known as the Hollow Profile, is the actual shape of the groove cut into the steel blade and not just the depth. The Traditional Shape is still the most popular and perfect for the new-to-hockey or recreational skater. The Channel-Z Shape is a more modern approach to on-ice performance.

With your Profile and Sharpening Shape decided, the final step is to choose the Sharpening Radius. Also known as the hollow radius, this is how deep of a groove is cut into your steel blade. The deeper the cut, the more grip the blade will have. The shallower the cut, the more glide the blade will have.

For the youth or junior player, we recommend starting with a 1/2" standard sharpening. For the adult player, we recommend starting with a 5/8" standard sharpening. As the player further develops their skating skills and/or if they continue to grow, we recommend reducing the radius (shallower) since their ability requires less edge bite and thus, they can capitalize on better speed and glide from the shallower hollow. This is also a key advantage of ProSharp Profiling, players can increase glide without sacrificing grip with custom blade profiles that maximize ice contact. Because of this, we recommend using the ProSharp Profile & Sharpening Recommendation Chart below.

For Stock (Non-Profiled) Skates and Blades:

For ProSharp Profiled Skates and Blades:

Our checkout process follows these guidelines as they are highly suggested by Pro Sharp. If you do not see the combination of profile and hollow during the process, please call our customer service at 800.366.3070 for a custom set up.

How do I know when to sharpen my hockey skates?
If you find yourself more frequently falling down or sliding out on standard movements. This is described as "losing an edge" which feels like the skate blade edges simply are not gripping the ice properly. You can perform the Touch Test by applying a gentle touch of the fingernail on the blade edges from top to bottom. If the skate blades do not feel sharp or if you can feel any nicks or gouges in them, it is time to have them re-sharpened.

How often should I sharpen my hockey skates?
Plenty of factors affect how frequently an ice hockey skate should be sharpened but a general rule of thumb is once a month for indoor play. If players are on the ice three times or more a week, a sharpening twice a month is recommended for consistent edge performance. Other factors such as ice hardness in colder climates or skating on outdoor rinks would also require more frequent sharpenings as these tend to cause more abrasion to the blade.

How do I keep my hockey skates sharp?
There are a few key tips and accessories players can use to help keep their skates sharp. The most important is to protect the blades when they are not on the ice; meaning players should use specific walkable skate guards when walking on hard surfaces like concrete and when they put their skates back in the bag. Once the skates go back into the bag, it is important to make sure the blades have been dried with a skate towel and are properly protected with a skate guard.

What accessories will help keep my skates sharp?
The most popular skate blade sharpening tool is The Re-Edger which quickly fixes small nicks in case of an emergency. This tool does not replace professional sharpening and is the reason why we recommend keeping a pair of sharpened backup blades in your bag at all times too!

Do new hockey skates need to be sharpened?
Most ice hockey skates do not come pre-sharpened and are not game-ready. Unlike a standard re-sharpening, new hockey skates are first cross-grinded which removes any imbalances or unevenness in the blades prior to the standard sharpening. Here at IW Hockey, we include cross-grinding into every sharpening on new skates or blades for no additional cost.

How can I tell if I need to replace my blades?
There are a few signs to look out for on the ice. If you notice you are bottoming out or hitting your boot on the ice during aggressive turns, it is likely time for a new pair. You might also feel like your skating strides are not nearly as responsive as before too. Higher-end steel maintains its edges better than lower-end steel, which requires less sharpening and thus extends its lifespan. Consistently rotating multiple sets of replacement blade is another great way to extend sharpening life too.

What kind of skate sharpening machines do you use?
We use automated skate sharpeners that provide a machine-like perfection to each and every sharpening. This means for customers who are mailing-in custom profiled steel, these machines will not reset your custom profile. For custom profiling of our own, we use the ProSharp AS1001 machine.

Can I have my ice hockey skates sharpened by mail?
Yes, you can! IW Hockey offers the best and fastest mail-in skate sharpening services in North America, we even offer mail-in skate custom profiling services too. For $20, you will receive UPS 2-Day Shipping both ways for up to three sets of steel. Mail-in Skate Sharpenings cost $8 for a traditional shape or $15 for Channel-Z. Mail-in Skate Custom Profiling costs $58 (traditional sharpening shape) or $65 (Channel-Z sharpening shape). To get started, call us at 800.366.3070 or send an email to info@icewarehouse.com. Please note we only accept the skate blades and not the physical skates.

Has ProSharp changed the name of their Profiles?
While the actual blade profiles have not changed, some of the individual sizes have changed. Both Quad and Ellipse profiles in sizes Zero, 1 and 2 will become SM, MD and LG respectively. For example, a Quad Zero becomes Quad SM, a Quad 1 becomes Quad MD and Quad 2 becomes Quad LG. The same is true with the Ellipse profile sizes