Cost of sharpening?

Meli · October 13, 2013, 09:53:53 AM

Upgraded the boots, upgraded the blades... upgraded the cost of a sharpening!

On my old ones... $6. On my new ones... $18. My guy has a scale based on what kind of blade you're skating using. (Also, if you're using something nicer, the 20 year old hockey guys in the shop don't sharpen your stuff.)

He does good work, so I can't complain, but am curious as to what everyone else is paying.

Neverdull44 · October 13, 2013, 10:29:59 AM

$20, done by a good coach.

It's $8 elsewhere around here, but done by a hockey guy who doesn't know how to sharpen figure skates. Literally, put a wobble in my blade. To fix the wobble, the coach had to shave off alot.

icedancer · October 13, 2013, 11:52:37 AM

I think here the going rate is $8 - $12 - at one place if you have anything above a Coronation Ace there is only one guy who will do it.

nicklaszlo · October 13, 2013, 11:59:03 AM

$15 for sharpening by a world champion. Very good sharpening. He also picks up the skates from the rink for me.

AgnesNitt · October 13, 2013, 02:37:32 PM

$15. And. Worth. Every. Penny.

My regular guy was out of town for a couple of months during the season last year. I had to go to another sharpener. The one I picked was highly recommended by more than one person. Man, every time I stroked the blades could be heard over the music on public. It was embarrassed. As soon as my regular guy got back I had him fix it.

(He charges $20 + for parabolics)

TreSk8sAZ · October 13, 2013, 02:40:26 PM

$12-15, depending on which sharpener I go to. Both are very qualified, one in his own shop and one who formerly had his own shop but now is in one of my rinks.

JHarer · October 13, 2013, 04:34:27 PM

Wow you all are so lucky, I pay $24 and have to drive over an hour each for sharpening.

AgnesNitt · October 13, 2013, 04:57:00 PM

Quote from: JHarer on October 13, 2013, 04:34:27 PM
Wow you all are so lucky, I pay $24 and have to drive over an hour each for sharpening.

I can't beat you on price, but I have to drive 90 minutes. And the tech is only open 3 days a week .

icedancer · October 13, 2013, 05:40:51 PM

Quote from: AgnesNitt on October 13, 2013, 04:57:00 PM
I can't beat you on price, but I have to drive 90 minutes. And the tech is only open 3 days a week .

do you have to leave them there or is it a "while you wait" type of thing.

When I was in Boston I was so used to the "while you wait" system - so spoiled - here in our PNW city MOST of the people who do it take your skates and then you have to go back for them sometimes days later. I don't like that.

There is one guy who is good who does it "while you wait" which is great.

AgnesNitt · October 13, 2013, 06:09:48 PM

Quote from: icedancer on October 13, 2013, 05:40:51 PM
do you have to leave them there or is it a "while you wait" type of thing.

You can do it either way. He also has people (I think at least one from Europe) who mail their boots and blades to him (they have multiple pairs) for sharpening. THAT'S loyalty. Man, I've bee really spoiled. What I'll do when he retires, don't know. I've toyed with the idea of getting a used sharpener and doing my own when I retire.

shariskate · October 13, 2013, 08:21:55 PM

I have two options....one is a 'while you wait' guy that I drive an hour to (each way). He charges a piddly $9.50. He's also 80+ years old and doesn't do it for profit. Not sure how many more years he'll do it, but he's VERY good, so those of us within a 2 hour radius of him will surely miss him when that time comes. He just fitted me for boots too, knows his stuff.

My other option is a coach that will take them from the rink for me and return them the next day. He's $18. Sometimes worth not having to make that drive, although not quite as good of a sharpening....

skategeek · October 13, 2013, 09:07:48 PM

Either $15 or $30, depending on... I'm not sure what. Length of the blade or something? Mine were $30 this last time. But the guy is a former Olympian and really knows his stuff, so far as I can tell. You can either drop off and pick up a day or so later, or schedule a time to have it done while you wait (since he's not always in the shop).

irenar5 · October 13, 2013, 10:01:08 PM

$15 by a figure skating skate specialist
$8 by a regular sharpener

Qarol · October 14, 2013, 09:32:50 AM

I was paying $7 at the other rink, but now that I skate at a different rink, I sharpen my blades there, and it's $12 done by a figure skating specialist. All these high prices for sharpening...I'm never complaining about my cost again.

Query · October 14, 2013, 04:22:53 PM

Quote from: Meli on October 13, 2013, 09:53:53 AM
My guy has a scale based on what kind of blade you're skating using.

Have you ever heard of charging what the market will bear?

The best regarded sharpener I know charges $20.

I do my own, and charge myself $0. Worth every penny!

PinkLaces · October 14, 2013, 04:31:03 PM

$16.50 or $17.00. Both places are an hour from my house. The $16.50 place I have to make an appointment. The $17 place I do not. The $16.50 place is a little better, but sometimes hard to get in.

In the past, I have paid my daughter's former dance coach $20 to sharpen her blades. Totally worth it.

taka · October 14, 2013, 07:27:46 PM

£5

(I suspect I wouldn't be able to afford to skate if I lived anywhere in Northern America... all your skating costs are really,really high!)

SynchKat · October 14, 2013, 07:34:57 PM

My guy is between $15 and $20. I think the prices really depend on whether he knows you or not.

My guy is the best in the area, does all the top skaters. No one else has ever sharpened my skates.

ChristyRN · October 14, 2013, 09:16:16 PM

$15, done while I wait. It's mostly a hockey shop, but he learned to sharpen figure skates at one of the big clubs in Detroit. The guy before him (at a different rink) also charged $15, but he sold his shop and moved out of the country.

Sk8tmum · October 22, 2013, 09:30:30 PM

$14. Expert sharpener; does this and only this. Saves me a fortune vs less expert guys, as the blades last forever, and the sharpening is always spot-on. He does everybody from Oly champs to baby LTS skates, and treats everyone with the same attention to detail and service. Worth the hour and a half drive each way.

accordion · October 23, 2013, 05:31:15 AM

$AUD15, at the rink, usually we leave them there and collect a few days later. There is a multi-use family card that gives 12 sharpening for $AUD150, but you have to use it up in 12 months. We're not quite there yet. laugh:

The usual guy - Jason - is one of the semi-pro hockey team members & really sweet. He is also the only one that the figure skaters use. And everyone in the rink knows it.

Recently took my daughter's (Miss

skates for a sharpen. Was told that Jason was back in Canada, getting married. The desk dude was very worried about the skates, then looked and saw that they were Mystiques with super basic blade. He promised to do a good job, but did say that the higher level blades were scary. I figured it would all be OK, and of course it was.

When I told Miss 8 that Jason was on holiday her response was "well can we ask him to come back and do my skates?".

Completely floored me as she just not a princess at all. She accepted that he probably wouldn't want to fly back from his wedding just for her.

Loops · October 23, 2013, 06:24:47 AM

Wow. I'm lucky. I pay 3 Euros/sharpen, but got an "unlimited" card this year for 12 euros. I know stateside I used to pay lots more than that. It's the head coach that worries about blades in general- sharpening and mounting. He seems to do a good job, but I haven't started asking for special grinds yet either.....

Purple Sparkly · October 23, 2013, 09:38:14 AM

$10 by a retired engineer that used to skate. He does it in his basement.

Christy · October 27, 2013, 01:21:08 PM

$15-20 plus an 18 hour round trip because the local place chopped my toe pick off and has ruined several other people's blades

davincisop · October 28, 2013, 09:17:20 AM

Back at my old rink, my guy would travel up and bring his sharpening set up with him if enough people (at least 20) needed their skates sharpened. Up there it was $25.

$15 for the sharpening
$5 rink commission
$5 towards gas (he drove 3 hours)

Now that I live closer to him (it's an hour drive for me) it's only $15. However, I may start using the guy that is highly recommended at my rink because I can't make that drive as often as I would like. My guy also recommended him.

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Cost of sharpening?