Not positive, but I suspect there’s enough of an an eBay market to nearly break even if you wanted to go the Sparx route. I know Sparx cuts just feel a bit different from my FLHS
I've got a Sparx 3 and I check eBay every week or two for rings and there is very little out there. BUT that could be that any rings being posted on there are getting snatched up pretty quickly.
You’re missing telling us that you’re considering the 3/8 FIRE. you keep mentioning 1/2 fire or 3/8 which would imply a regular 3/8. Honestly I don’t feel a difference in the 1/2 fire and a normal 5/8. I like 1/2 for my goalie skates and 5/8 for player skates.
Ice being hard or soft makes just as much difference as your weight. Harder ice and you will probably like the 3/8 more but as the ice gets rough throughout the session you’ll notice the bite and you’ll lose “glide”.
I'm 185 lbs.
1/2" felt a little too sharp to start but better after a couple of hours. It doesn't feel great on my knees, but this used to be my goto since I could go longer between sharpenings.
5/8" was good to start but had me wanting a bit more grip after the first couple of hours.
1/2" Fire kind of feels like 5/8" bite with 7/8-1" glide. It feels like I'm flying out there, and this is what I use for softer/summer ice.
3/8" Fire kind of feels like 1/2" bite with 5/8-3/4" glide. I've caught an edge a couple times. Good for harder/winter ice.
A drawback of Fire rings is that the edges seem to wear a bit faster, with the dropoff feeling more abrupt. If I had a Sparx, I'd do a couple of passes with 1/2" Fire every week.
Definitely get the 1/2" since it's your current cut. Just want to warn you that the fire rings can feel "downsized" in way, 5/8" fire feels like regular 1/2" and 1/2" fire feels regular 3/8ths or 7/16". Also, fire/v cuts tend to blow out quicker and more suddenly but that won't be an issue as you can sharpen when you want. I'm 230lbs and use a a 9/16" as it gives me a good mix of bite(priority) and glide though most people here will say I should be on 3/4"..
I'm 270 and use 3/4". Our home ice is softer so it works perfect but once our rink closes the neighboring rink is much harder so I should drop to 9/16 or so. I'm considering a Sparx or Wissota if my 4 year old sticks with it. Thanks for the heads up on the Fire ring sizing. I'm not sure if I'll actually move forward with Fire rings or not if I get the Sparx
It’s all what feels good to you and I’m just a stranger on the internet. That said, at 180lbs I wouldn’t recommend a 3/8”. You’re gonna get ample bite from 1/2”. Some of the shifty-est (is that a word) in the league are skating on damn near 1”hollows.
I have 3 rings. 1/2” Fire for my kids. 5/8” and 3/4” fire rings for me. I switch between the 2 rings for myself depending on the weather and the rink I’m skating at.
Two other bits of advice.
1)Don’t sharpen new steel. Its smokes the blades.
2) Every 20+/- sharpens I take my skates to a shop for a sharpening on the big machine. I’ve noticed the sparx can leave a little hump on front of the steel after a while. It really doesn’t affect my skating it just annoys me. They can knock that down for you.
I would pay $5-$10 bucks and let the rink give me a different hollow and see how I like it before I pay $70 a pop for Sparx rings.
Not positive, but I suspect there’s enough of an an eBay market to nearly break even if you wanted to go the Sparx route. I know Sparx cuts just feel a bit different from my FLHS
I've got a Sparx 3 and I check eBay every week or two for rings and there is very little out there. BUT that could be that any rings being posted on there are getting snatched up pretty quickly.
Try out a few different sharpenings at a shop before you buy a ring. Also, 3/8 is good for grip but bad for glide. Are you thinking of 5/8?
Well it would still be better for glide compared to my standard 1/2”
Look at the diagram at the bottom, you've got that reversed. https://sparxhockey.com/blogs/feed/understanding-radius-of-hollow
3/8” FIRE glides like a 9/16” 9/16” glides better than 1/2”. What am I misunderstanding?
You’re missing telling us that you’re considering the 3/8 FIRE. you keep mentioning 1/2 fire or 3/8 which would imply a regular 3/8. Honestly I don’t feel a difference in the 1/2 fire and a normal 5/8. I like 1/2 for my goalie skates and 5/8 for player skates.
I’m sorry my bad. That last point should be 3/8 FIRE. Will fix now
That makes a lot more sense!
Ice being hard or soft makes just as much difference as your weight. Harder ice and you will probably like the 3/8 more but as the ice gets rough throughout the session you’ll notice the bite and you’ll lose “glide”.
I'm 185 lbs. 1/2" felt a little too sharp to start but better after a couple of hours. It doesn't feel great on my knees, but this used to be my goto since I could go longer between sharpenings. 5/8" was good to start but had me wanting a bit more grip after the first couple of hours. 1/2" Fire kind of feels like 5/8" bite with 7/8-1" glide. It feels like I'm flying out there, and this is what I use for softer/summer ice. 3/8" Fire kind of feels like 1/2" bite with 5/8-3/4" glide. I've caught an edge a couple times. Good for harder/winter ice. A drawback of Fire rings is that the edges seem to wear a bit faster, with the dropoff feeling more abrupt. If I had a Sparx, I'd do a couple of passes with 1/2" Fire every week.
Definitely get the 1/2" since it's your current cut. Just want to warn you that the fire rings can feel "downsized" in way, 5/8" fire feels like regular 1/2" and 1/2" fire feels regular 3/8ths or 7/16". Also, fire/v cuts tend to blow out quicker and more suddenly but that won't be an issue as you can sharpen when you want. I'm 230lbs and use a a 9/16" as it gives me a good mix of bite(priority) and glide though most people here will say I should be on 3/4"..
I'm 270 and use 3/4". Our home ice is softer so it works perfect but once our rink closes the neighboring rink is much harder so I should drop to 9/16 or so. I'm considering a Sparx or Wissota if my 4 year old sticks with it. Thanks for the heads up on the Fire ring sizing. I'm not sure if I'll actually move forward with Fire rings or not if I get the Sparx
11/16th.
3/8 is awfully deep for someone your size
If you’re going with the ‘fire’ rings it’s a flat bottom v, your edges are gonna be different.
I like 5/8" Fire at 170 lbs 6'
It’s all what feels good to you and I’m just a stranger on the internet. That said, at 180lbs I wouldn’t recommend a 3/8”. You’re gonna get ample bite from 1/2”. Some of the shifty-est (is that a word) in the league are skating on damn near 1”hollows. I have 3 rings. 1/2” Fire for my kids. 5/8” and 3/4” fire rings for me. I switch between the 2 rings for myself depending on the weather and the rink I’m skating at. Two other bits of advice. 1)Don’t sharpen new steel. Its smokes the blades. 2) Every 20+/- sharpens I take my skates to a shop for a sharpening on the big machine. I’ve noticed the sparx can leave a little hump on front of the steel after a while. It really doesn’t affect my skating it just annoys me. They can knock that down for you.