About the EdgeChecker™

The EdgeChecker™ is a premium manufactured device used for checking ice skate edges for an even grind. We've used a number of tools for this purpose, but we always came back to the EdgeChecker™ for it's simplicity and effectiveness. One of the first questions we had, and the reason for writing this page, was: how do we use it.

The following guide is intended for all users of the EdgeChecker™, from skaters to skate technicians.

Skates without level edges affects the skaters in two distinct ways:

• Without being able to transition between inside and outside edges when the body's centre of mass is over the blade on the ice, a skater will often fall simply because they could easily be on the 'wrong edge' for a given movement.
• Without level edges, the sharpness of the inside and outside edges will differ, often leading the skater to believe the skates are simply blunt on one edge, or be unable to perform inside/outside maneuvers effectively.

The result can quite simply be: harder to skate, more falls and less enjoyment of the ice.

Simply put, the best skating experience will be had with edges as level as possible. However, because this is very difficult to achieve (even with automated systems such as Sparx), our personal goal when sharpening is never more than 1 degree out on any part of the blade - that's about half an EdgeChecker™ circle between the edges of the level.

When 1 degree out the impact to the skater would be:

• When sharpening hockey boots (3mm blade) on a 5/8ths wheel, one edge would be roughly the equivalent to 9/16ths, the other 11/16ths - figure skates (4mm blade) would be worse still
• Rather than transitioning between edges with their body-weight directly over the blade, transition would occur between half and one inch offset from centre (for a person 5 to 6 feet in height).

Our experience is that most novice to intermediate skaters, would typically notice uneven edges beyond 1 degree, though pros may notice with smaller angles. Trying to achieve as even edges as possible will always result in positive customer feedback!

One of the biggest reasons for our '1 degree' rule is the number of skates crossing our bench that are bowed longitudinally or have a kink - that they are not dead straight down the length. Virtually all sharpening machines only work on blades that are absolutely straight - any kinks or bowing of the blade will result in one section of the blade being level, while other parts of the blade being uneven. Using the 1 degree rule not only protects the skater from uneven edges but also against issues skating on blades that are not straight.

The manufacturers of the EdgeChecker™ opted for a more visual interpretation of the angle of the edges; we believe this helps to interpret the angle irrespective of how deep the blade is. With similar edging tools we've found it difficult to align the blade to the centre point to give an accurate reading of the angle, particularly with hockey boots where the blades can be quite short in the holder.

The EdgeChecker™ face has circles printed, where it's easy to visually determine the level. Below you'll find one of the tools we offer, where you can experiment converting angle and height to how it looks on the EdgeChecker™.

Users buying the EdgeChecker™ from Rich@TheRink benefit from additional training material for using the edge checker.

It's important to keep your EdgeChecker™ well maintained to the prolong the life:

Shards of metal from the grinding process can build up on the EdgeChecker's magnetic services:

• Never place the EdgeChecker™ down on the grinding bench or other surfaces where most of the metallic dust can be found. Our method is to stick the EdgeChecker™ to metal shelves above the bench. This also allows you to grab the EdgeChecker™ with one hand during the sharpening process.
• Visually check the faces of the magnets do not have metallic dust, as this will throw the accuracy of the EdgeChecker™ off. Carefully wipe the dust off the faces to the edge.
• Periodically clean the EdgeChecker™ using BluTack or the sticky side of tape - dab it on to the areas where the dust sits and carefully pull the dust away

When not in use, we recommend the EdgeChecker™ is placed back in the case.

The EdgeChecker™ is the perfect tool for quickly checking for level edges. We believe that it's indispensable for skate sharpening technicians, and also a really useful tool for skaters themselves.

Why not follow our Instagram feed for videos of Rich at work, pointing out some of the elements mentioned in this article? Sorry if it looks a bit sparse right now - we're just setting it up, recording and editing videos!

We hope you have found this guide helpful, and enjoy using the EdgeChecker™. If you're interested in hearing about our own tools for ice skate sharpening services, please get in touch.