As an ice skater, a skate is your primary tool for playing the game. And while some people believe that skates needs to be ultra-sharp to deliver the expected results, others think it should be dull for them to take things easy and stay in control of the skate. This post will help make it easy for you to decide the right skates for your need. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each skate and other things you need to know about them which could help you reach the required decision once and for all. Now let’s get started.
Pros and Cons of Unsharpened Skates
Unsharpened blades are rounded from the curve because the bulk of the body is placed entirely on the skates. Besides, that rounded feeling is because the skate fails to grip the snow firmly, as they did when they honed them earlier. Unsharpened blades create resistance as they touch the snow. Here are some of the pros and cons of making use of unsharpened skates.
Pro
- You will slide without encountering much drag or hindrance
- Enable you to start quickly, and they are less tiring on the leg
- You can move from one side to another effortlessly
- A flat skate will last longer because they don’t grind the steel often
- You can stop easily.
Cons
- You don’t have an edge
- The skate pulls sideways, and it doesn’t grasp the snow when you rotate
- Performing steep turns is not possible
- You get the impression that the skate is sliding beyond you
- Performance with unsharpened skates will be below average
- Blunt skates cause unsteady movements.
Pros and Cons of Sharpened Skates
All skates come with blades that are yet to be improved. Therefore, whetting the skate is necessary depending on the kind of skater you are. Some want their skates razor-sharp.
Note that Hockey, figure skate, or speed skate use a different range of curvatures for sharpening them. Moreover, you improve them only if they are dull, prevent accelerating with ease, unsteady, or start dragging to one part. That said, below are the pros and cons of honed Blades.
Pros
- You have superior capacity to glide through the snow
- Enjoy the edges that grasp the snow better each time you rotate.
- For Hockey players, a few seconds edge could enable them to score a goal
- There is better control of the edges, leading to improvement of overall performance
Cons
- When the blades are sharper, it makes them weaker
- You might lose speed because the edges keep tunneling into the snow
- The skate becomes eroded fast
- You exert plenty of energy, and soon get tired and lower the pace.
What to Know About Sharpened and Unsharpened Skates
The Radius of Hollow Explained
That range of curvature shows how the ice skate is cut according to a specific measurement. The array of numbers is from 1, ½, ¾, 3/8, 5/8, and so forth.
Additional factors you should consider for selecting a curvature is the weather condition. Why we say so is because the state of the ice influences a sharpened skate. If the ice surface is soft, you would need a deeper hollow. Besides, different curvatures influence the edges to either provide the skater benefits or losses.
How sharpened or unsharpened Skates affect your edges
The curve affects the functions of skates when doing exercise routines on snow and the way the skater performs. Honed blades have bottomless curves that tunnel into the snow. A low curve is blunt and allows you to have a better balance because it lightly touches the snow. When you choose a more moderate range or number, when the sharpener cuts it out on the Blade, it translates to an arc that is more profound.
Whenever you skate with a deep curve, it will hold the snow better, meaning your skate is sharper. Choosing a lower radius enables you to glide across the ice surface. A lesser range of ½ is right for players who are lighter in weight because it doesn’t dig too deep into the ice.
Conversely, if the radius or number is larger, the cut will be shallower. That means each time you skate, the grip on snow is not substantial, and the skates are not sharp. A large hollow is suggested for big players who can grip the ice more easily. A large radius means you can skate without using much energy, go faster, and not easily get fatigued.
Common Errors You Should Check When filing your Ice Skate
Sometimes, when you give your skates to a Technician to hone, there could be an error of misalignment causing a side of the Blade to be more elevated than the other side. To confirm that the edges are equal, examine them after filing, or place something flat on the edges to check if they slant to one side.
Another thing you should observe is incompletely honed skates, so be on the lookout for it to detect this error. Inspect the blades to see if there are two light lines on its side running from one end to the other end and having two hues.
When that line is seen on just a side of either Blade, the skates are not entirely well filed, and its alignment is suspect. Ask the Technician to correct this anomaly.
Frequently asked questions about sharpened and sharpened states
Do new skates need sharpening?
New skates sold in most sports stores don’t come with curves because they don’t hone them in advance. The range for every new skate differs depending on its maker and its size. The factory preset curve (outline) may not serve every skater, so you can improve it by honing it. However, the best solution is to cut the Blade to have a curvature.
Nonetheless, upon a buyer’s request, they will grind it. Before grinding it, they prep it and do cross grinding, which is done for new skates, used for corrosion removal, and for leveling unequal edges.
The seller will ask you what kind of Hollow you want, so be sure to tell them whether it is small or large curvature depending on its intended use. Once the Technicians know the range and its use, they will flatten its length and grind that curve on its base.
How sharp should your Hockey Skates be?
Though the problem between sharpened vs. unsharpened skates is still on, we will explore how sharp a skate ought to be plus its highest grinding.
Use this as a guideline to select the curvature for your ice skate’s sharpness. It is what you do with the skate that determines its sharpness. The sharpest level of a skate is 1/8 of one Ince to one inch. At the same time, the minimum ought to be 1 inch.
Assuming you play Hockey with the skates, see these specifications that you could consider. As a Goaltender, use ½ or use 3/8 if you have more goalkeeping skills. But a novice should request that the Technician cut a 1 inch hollow. Lastly, if you figure skate, select 1-inch curvature.
Like I explained earlier, the weather influences the size or range of the arc you could grind. Therefore, during Summer, pick ½ inches, but in Winter, select 5/8 inches.
In what way can you sharpen skates?
You can sharpen your skates by grinding or slicing a concave half-circle in the edges. That half circle is called the radius of the hollow. That arc forms two sharp lines on both parts of the Blade’s inner plus outer parts.
To get those sharp edges on your skates, the Technician puts them in a jig and takes a pointed diamond tool to eliminate the superfluous part of blade steel to create that curvature at the base of the skate. How sharp it becomes depends on the depth of the curve. The filing will either make the Blade razor-sharp or not.
There exist various depths of hollow, ranging from 1 or ½ to ¼ and more. Each depth will produce a different feel during the training routines. You could equally use the category of ice skating sport like figure skating or Hockey to determine the thickness of the arc.
How can you know when your skates need sharpening?
There are tests that you can perform to identify when you need to sharpen your skates. Besides, you will have more information when doing routine drills. Start by using the fingernail to feel the length of the Blade slightly, and if the nail runs through with ease, without being trapped, your skates need whetting.
Also, if you slightly run the fingernails alongside the upper portion of the Blade and it does not nick the fingers, or fail to sense certain rounded places or touch an edge, that is another sign that the Blade needs filing. Stay vigilant as you place the fingers from one end to the other end of the iron edges.
Another way is to examine the skates for marks and tripped edges when you finish a training exercise; this could signify that they are due for a sharpening. Additionally, you might confirm if skates need honing by observing whether the skate grabs the snow during training sessions. If it starts dragging sideways each time you land, then it’s time to sharpen it.
Lastly, is that if you discover a reflection on the blades, take it to the Technician for honing. Finally, some experts suggest that after using the skate for 15 to 20 hours, you should file the edges.
What will happen if you use unsharpened skates?
Some people believe that a beginner skater should skate with dull blades. While on the other hand, others believe it is dangerous for the novice to do skating drills with an unsharpened blade.
They claim it is harder to use a dull blade to drill than a sharp one, and that people should not use a blunt skate to train. When you start skating, you will develop a skating edge that will let you rotate, maneuver, and maintain your balance. The suggestion is for you to have a skate that will grab the snow; unsharpened skate will not do that.
Unsharpened skates will let you move side to side easily, and your legs do not get fatigued than with a sharp one. But you cannot do tougher rotations, nor manage a fast acceleration, but you will not need much effort to push onwards as those skating with a honed skate would.
Conclusion
By now, we hope that you can now distinguish what kind of skate you really need – whether it’s a sharpened skate or unsharpened skate. You should also be able to tell how the different skates perform differently from the other. We wish you more ice skating success.
