Many people just getting into hockey or learning how to skate may wonder how often you need to sharpen your skates. I have sharpened hundreds of pairs of skates in my life, mostly when I was coaching a AAA hockey team because we had a team skate sharpener. Often it comes down to personal preference, but there are still recommendations for beginners skaters. So, how often do you need to sharpen your skates?
It’s best to sharpen your skates every 7 to 12 hours of skating. However, the general rule of thumb is that you should sharpen your skates as soon as you feel an edge is no longer catching onto the ice. Skate blades can become dull from regular use, but it’s not uncommon for your blade to go dull from stepping on foreign objects.
What Causes Your Skate Blades to Go Dull?
The most common reason a skate blade needs sharpening is that your blade has come in contact with something other than the ice. Skates are intended to be used on the ice and the rubber mats to get to the ice, that’s about it. Your skates can lose an edge when in your hockey bag if not properly protected. One blade may rub against another, vice versa. Also, it is possible your skate blades will come in contact with other pieces of hockey gear, such as your helmet or shin pads.
Of course, regular use will begin to lower your blade’s sharpness making it duller after each use. Although, this is where personal preference comes into play. Often when you sharpen a skate blade it has this super sharp feeling during your first skate back, you can dig into the ice and really get a good grip. However, not everyone likes this. After that first skate it then begins to glide a bit more, not digging in as much, which many people prefer.
When I was playing competitive hockey I would have my skates sharpened before every single skate, yup, every single one. It was a bit overkill, but I didn’t have to pay for each sharpening because we had an equipment manager doing this. When I was playing senior hockey I was also coaching, so I sharpened my own skates myself between each skate with our team sharpener. I liked being able to dig into my edge, make sharp cuts and turns into the ice, its what I was used to.
Now I play more pick-up hockey, beer league some people call it, but anyway I rarely sharpen my skates now. I am playing once a week and I won’t sharpen my skates for months at a time. My blades aren’t as sharp, but after 2-3 skates you really get accustomed to the feeling of how your blade digs into the ice. I find that it glides more and those deep/sharp turns may not be as easy as having a freshly sharpened blade, but it’s still possible.
How to Test if Your Skate Blade is Dull?
The easiest way to test your skate blades to see if they are dull or not is the “fingernail test”. What’s the fingernail test? Take your skate and flip it upside down, place your fingernail base on the blade, then try to lightly shave your fingernail to see if it shaves a bit off, almost as if it’s digging into your nail as it would ice. I have always done this and I can’t even remember where I learned it from, it’s something hockey players I have played with have done since I could remember.
Another way is to just feel them. If they feel chipped up or the edge feels like it’s missing you may want to get them sharpened. If you are inexperienced and can’t tell what a dull blade looks or feels like just ask an expert. They should have no problem taking a look and determining if your blade needs sharpening or not.
And of course, the easiest way to test them to determine if it is dull is going for a skate. Try making a few stops on both edges, turn each and every way, it won’t take long to notice a dull skate blade.
How Long Does it Take Your Skates to Go Dull?
Like I said it is a personal preference with skates, if you get used to sharpening your blades a lot you will often feel as if your blade becomes dull very quickly, often within one or two skates. However, this isn’t functional for the average joe. For an average skater, your skate blades can remain in sharp condition for a long time, anywhere from 10 to 20 skates.
Nonetheless, you are more than likely to accidentally cause some blad damage by not protecting the blade in storage, accidentally standing on concrete, or walking on a rock while on the way to the ice. Things happen and it can cause instant blade dullness.
How Do You Get Your Skates Sharpened?
The main way to get your skates sharpened is to take them to a location where they offer skate sharpening. This is where they have a skate sharpening machine that has a grinding stone, the stone spins, and the skate blade is pressed against the stone. It will spark up, but this is normal, the stone is sharpening the blade removing knicks and dull areas.
You can ask for a number of “cuts”, also known as the radius of hollow, this is essentially how much the blade will grip and bite onto the ice. I have used both 3/8 inch and 1/2 inch throughout my career, its totally personal preference.
You can also do temporary sharpening, this is kind of like a DIY skate sharpening, it is ideal when you are in need of a dull blade fix but have no way of getting them sharpened. You can use what is known and the “stone” or the “stick“.
There are other sharpeners like the Blade Barber that you can have sitting around in your hockey bag as an “emergency” option. The blade barber is like the stick but doesn’t have the white Y teeth, it has a tungsten blade that push from back to front a couple times providing you a better edge.
These quick sharpeners are good when in a pinch, but I do not recommend these to be your only sharpening method.
What Does it Cost to Sharpen Your Skates?
Taking your skates to get sharpened at the shop will cost you anywhere from $4 to $10 per sharpening. Many places offer a discount when you purchase sharpening cards, paying upfront for multiple sharpens, this is how you get the price down and under $5 per sharpening. On average for a single sharpen it will cost you $7.
Honestly, if you are paying more than $10 per sharpening they are overcharging you, find another location.
How to Prevent Your Skates from Losing an Edge?
The best way to prevent your skate from losing an edge is to purchase some skate blade protectors. Just having them over your blades while stored in your bag prevents any damages. These are inexpensive and will save you money if you constantly need sharpening due to your skates getting dull inside your bag.
How Often to Sharpen Youth Hockey Skates?
Youth hockey skates often do not need to be sharpened as often as adult skates. You can sharpen youth skates every 3-4 weeks or 15-30 hours of ice time. However, keep an eye on your kids’ skates as some kids tend to walk over concrete while wearing skates. This dulls skate blades rapidly.
Trust me I have coached kids from 4 years of age up to 18, and I have seen all ages walk on concrete with skates on. Avoid doing this.
Final Thoughts
I hope I have answered all of your skate blade questions about sharpening. It is important to keep an eye on your skates to make sure they’re not severely damaged. If a blade is in poor condition it can cause you or someone you are skating with serious harm. It will be difficult to stop, turn, and even stand up depending on your skill level.
Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.