Dirty ice, dirty mats, screws in the door sills and boards, contact with bolts in the benches and other skate blades, rust, walking on concrete, etc. Outdoor ice can be very dirty or the dirt frozen into the surface makes the ice a strong abrasive. Blades which have been poorly sharpened often leave a weak or rolled edge that quickly breaks down leaving the skates dull. To protect your blades in your bag and while carrying them use SKATE GUARDS. They protect the blades, equipment and the skater when reaching into the hockey bag. NOTE: plastic skate guards are good, but the blade slot becomes impregnated with dirt and should be washed often.
How to tell if skates are dull?
You cannot see the edge of a sharpened blade so if there is a silver line along where edge should be it is damage. Skater falling or mentioning difficulty doing a skill/task.
How often to sharpen?
We suggest every 4-8 hours for hockey skates and 8-10 hours for figure skates especially if skater is struggling and/or falling doing a skill they could previously do earlier in the sharpening. In the interest of skater on ice safety, well maintained skates and blades will help to produce performance. When a skater is falling because of poor edges, they are not having fun.
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