1/2 inch, 5/8, 3/8, 7/16, 3/4? Let's simplify these fractions.
Which hollow is right for your game?
The image above provides a baseline for understanding the different sharpening types.
At West End Sports our sharpening technicians have multiple years of experience. Our staff ensure that our customer’s skates are handled with the highest level of care. Their goal is to provide each customer with their ideal skating experience. This is accomplished through our technicians knowledge of profiles and sharpening types relating to each individuals game.
Common questions that we are asked:
“What sharpening is standard?”
½ for player skates, 5/8 for goalie skates and figure skates.
“Do you heat mold skates at West End Sports?”
Yes we do, we provide an all around professional boot fit. We have the ability to heat mold, punch boots out and stretch boots to provide our customers with their best overall fit.
“What is a Profile?”
A profile is the number value describing a players turning radius in relation to the amount of blade contact that individual has between his or her skates and the ice. The profile is changed by altering the amount of blade contact a specific blade will have. A standard profile is a 10’ Radius. A 7’ radius gives you less blade contact, a smaller turning radius and more agility. This benefits the forwards working in tight quarters. A 13’ Radius gives you a lot more blade contact, which produces more power and more overall speed up and down the ice. Profile, contouring or rockering are the terms this topic is given. Currently we call this our blade profile.
"Do I need more glide or more bite?"
Glide and bite are determined by the amount of blade cutting into the ice. 1/2 inch is our standard hollow, a 3/8 would provide more bite, a 5/8 would provide less bite. More bite provides the skater with an agile stride this is useful for a winger who experiences many situations where you need to be agile in tight quarters, it is useful for smaller lighter players helping them dig into the ice more; also lean towards more bite if you prefer your skates feeling razor sharp when you hit the ice. Less bite provides the player with more glide. This is useful for bigger heavier players, players who want a higher overall speed or players who feel their skates are too sharp when hitting the ice.
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