The Sparx Skate Sharpener Review to end them all.
Sparx changed the game for at home sharpening with the release of the Sparx machine. It’s one of the most innovative, best skate sharpeners on the market for simply making skate sharpening easy again.
Basically, skate sharpeners went from an art to something that anybody is more than capable of doing. Sharpening skates doesn’t have to be hard and after more than two years of using the Sparx sharpener on a near daily basis, we’re pretty confident that we can say with 100% confidence you will not regret purchasing a machine.
Sparx Skate Sharpener Overview + Is It Worth It?
Is the Sparx worth it?
Yes.
The fact that Sparx was named the fastest growing sports brand by Inc. magazine in 2019 should answer that question. While I think that the company could absolutely do more as far as innovating further with their machine, they’ve created a stellar product that does exactly as they say it will.
Pros
- For around $1,000 you can sharpen your skates at home with ZERO know how
- Fairly portable (more on this later) if you’re strong, the machine is heavy
- The actual sharpening part is on, this is the best edge you’ll ever get: I personally guarantee it
- The grinding rings are easy to replace
- We’ve used it for over two years with no issues
- GREAT for teams looking for portable sharpener at games / practices
- Can easily use this in any pro shop (as Letterman’s in Minnesota does)
Cons
What are the cons of the sparx sharpener?
Ok look, when you read a review online – half the time you’re wondering if the person writing it is in it because they were paid, they’re trying to gain fame, etc. Here’s the deal. I’m going to tear this product and the company apart here because I could care less whether or not you ACTUALLY go buy one.
Don’t take that for us saying it’s not worth it. It’s worth every penny and then some. But for those of you who have to know every possible downside, here they are.
#1: it’s not that portable
Sparx claims it’s portable. Buy one of these things and try lifting it. It’s not impossible, but after dropping a grand on the Sparx and successfully putting it in it’s forever home (shelf in my downstairs bathroom), I’m not risking the chance of dropping this.
I’ve saw plenty of teams taking the Sparx with to games. That’s great. You’ve got young able bodied kids carrying the tool around. It’s not actually that portable for adults who aren’t carrying heavy objects around every day.
#2: it doesn’t sharpen your ENTIRE blade
We discussed this on another article, but, in my opinion this is actually the biggest downside of the sharpener. Basically, when you put your skate in how Sparx recommends, it sharpens the skating portion of the blade, but the very toe of the blade is left un touched.
Ok, you can work around this by flipping the skate around and hitting the toe first, but in my opinion for a $1,000 machine, this should take care of itself. Which, leads me to number 3.
#3: pretty positive that Sparx doesn’t care about innovating
This is a company that created an unbelievable product and sold the heck out of it. They did exactly what a company SHOULD do. They’re not responsible for solving every issue with skate sharpening, just making it much easier and accessible for all. With that being said, I do wish they would release a more advanced product.
How do I know this? Well, I bought their machine, I absolutely love it and as a result I can personally account for over 100 machines (yes, you read that right) sold because of my promotion of Sparx. I’m their biggest fan, I have money burning a hole in my pocket for a better Sparx sharpener, but they haven’t changed their original model.
There are absolutely improvements that could be made to the Sparx. On the same token, I’ve used it for this long without any real issues, so how can I complain.
#4: you can’t cross grind
For those of you constantly changing your edges (PS, your edges aren’t the problem..), knock it off.
On that note, you can’t cross grind with the Sparx, so you’re going to go through wheels faster.
Overall Though, the Sparx is a sweet machine
Getting this skate sharpener was easily one of the best decisions that I’ve made. I can sharpen a large pile of skates now quickly without putting in a whole lot of effort. I have no idea how to really sharpen a pair of skates on a manual sharpener, and quite frankly – I don’t care to know.
This Sparx sharpener is good enough for me.
