AVOID BILL ST MAINE AT ALL COSTS!

They mess up your skates!

How often do you all sharpen your skates?

Every 2 or 3 hours of ice, I like mine real nice and sharp, which some goalies like and some don't.

I've had pretty good luck at the Play it Again in Roseville. I get mine sharpened about after every 3rd game(3-4 hours of icetime).

Dave's Sports in Fridley. Their new location by Schwans in Blaine does a good job as well, and offers drive-through service!

Unless I get some big nicks or bumps on my blades, I use a sweet stick every 3-4 hours and only take them in every 10-15 hours of skating.

I also had good luck with Hockey Giant. The last time I went there they really laid into them and ground the heck out of them, but I had a really wicked edge on them, which I like. I'll just have to buy new Tuuk's in a couple years.

Howie J

Burnsville Play It Again is awesome, if you get them done by Tyler. That cat is awesome, and the only guy that I will ever have sharpen my skates outside of an emergency situation. I do know that Strauss does do an excellent job. A long as you can find someone who knows what they are doing, and has experience on their particular grinder and will listen to what you want. The other important thing is a shop that will allow their person to re-dress the wheel frequently. If it isn't dress correctly, it will build up a lot of heat in the blade and cause premature breakdown of the edge (I am a machinist so I know how this happens). The other thing to watch for if you have stainless blades, is to let the person sharpening them know this. They aren't as common, and if they grind into them like they would with a steel blade, they can destroy the blade with the heat buildup. If you can get stainless blades, go for it, as they will hold their edge for a lot longer.

Just my 2 cents,

northstar skate sharpening in maple grove does a good job but they do nothing but sharpen skates. no gear, no sticks, just a few colors of tape. its one small room covered in hockey memorabilia and a skate sharpener behind the counter.

I love Westwood in Bloomington. I actually have mine done by appointment ($4) by Fred. If you call and ask for his open times/days you can easily book one. And when you walk in, hand them to Fred – don't let them just grab them and stack them in the regular sharpening line.

It sounds extreme in order to just get skates sharpened (about once a month, 1/2" radius), but I've had bad sharpening and heard lots of horror stories, and I know that when Fred does them they always feel the same afterward. Always.

He actually takes appointments so he's not going blind doing skates 8 hours a day, over and over.

Can you elaborate? They're the closest sharpening place to me and I have not had problems the 2 times I've gone there. Is there a better place in South Minneapolis that you would recommend?

-Marc