Sweet stick/Magic stick/Honing blades between sharpens

[indykrap]

Hey all, 

Just curious if any of you do any sort of honing or sharpening touch-ups between proper sharpens. I've had a sweet stick (this thing) in my kit for a long time and forgot why I bought it, but recently saw another goalie use one and do some passes of his skates before a game. Just wondering if there was any advice or recommended better goalie-specific version.

From what I can tell from Youtube and searching around here, one pass (light pressure) does the job just fine to give back an edge. For context, I'm using Bauer Vapor x900s with PulseTI steel in 1/2" cut and stock profile (30'). They're perfect on the first two skates, but I find on the 3rd and 4th skate after a sharpen I could definitely benefit from a little more bite. 

 

[johncho]

I've used a sweet stick a couple of times as a player, and each time I messed it up. Once it felt way too sharp and the other I must've went over the edge too close as I took out all of the outside edge (I was told to use very light pressure next time). Maybe I would do it in an emergency, but I'd rather stay away from it. 

Edited December 15, 2023 by johncho

[coopaloop1234]

I use a honing stone before every skate just to remove any knicks caused by hitting the posts, but I've always been wary of using a sweet stick.

No idea if it's true, but I've been led to believe that it changes (not sure how) the actual edge/sharpening in order to work. So the next time you get them sharpened correctly, there's more steel that needs to be removed to get a proper edge again.

No idea if that's bullshit or not, but that's currently my knowledge on them. 

[Puckstopper]

Sweetstik is utter crap and should be avoided like the plague.   For every person who knows how to use it for 1-2 properly aligned gentle passes I probably saw 20-30 pairs of skates with edges folded over and completely ruined.  We had one absolute psycho customer who would get his skates sharpened every 2 months or so, SweetStik them before every game, and bitch up a storm because the store I worked at "wore his blades out by crossgrinding them every time".   Well, if you didn't wreck your blades we wouldn't have to waste our time crossgrinding them...  /rant

If you don't have DLC or a mirror finish on your blades, a honing stone is fine.   1-2 gentle passes is more than enough.  If you can't solve the damage with that, it's time to get 'em sharpened.

[WillyGrips13]

I use this one and have for years. One gentle pass before each game. I don’t get my skates sharpened often, maybe once every few months give or take. Immediately after sharpening I won’t use this but maybe after my third game I’ll start using it again. Works good for me. I have Graf 750 Goaler Pros sharpened at 1/2”.

[indykrap]

Thanks all! @coopaloop1234 and @Puckstopper - what honing stone do you use?

[Hockey34]

1 hour ago, indykrap said:

Thanks all! @coopaloop1234 and @Puckstopper - what honing stone do you use?

I had a A&R one that worked great but now I use a Tydan gummy one because I have pulse ti blades 

[mik]

In emergency, one light pass and it is ok for next ice or two, sometimes even more. Then I´ll usualy go for sharpening. Sometimes I saw players at locker room who use it repeatedly forth and back (with no good result, because it is the case "I didn´t sharpen my skates..again"). It is for removing nicks not sharpenig skates... 

 

[indykrap]

8 hours ago, Hockey34 said:

I had a A&R one that worked great but now I use a Tydan gummy one because I have pulse ti blades 

Thanks! I have the same kind, so I'll order one to try that.

[Puckstopper]

 

8 hours ago, mik said:

In emergency, one light pass and it is ok for next ice or two, sometimes even more. Then I´ll usualy go for sharpening. Sometimes I saw players at locker room who use it repeatedly forth and back (with no good result, because it is the case "I didn´t sharpen my skates..again"). It is for removing nicks not sharpenig skates... 

 

The issue with doing it hard, or repeatedly (as you know @mik, but for others who may not) is that it folds the edges of the blade so they end up looking like this: (_) instead of this: |_| .   Once you bend the edge in, it's more vulnerable to folding down onto the blade completely or breaking off.     Sharpening isn't pricy and it actually helps your steel last longer if you do it before crossgrinding is needed.   For that matter steel is cheap compared to the pain of a sprained MCL or torn groin because your skate blade failed on you while trying to react.   Mik and WillyGrips understand how to use this tool correctly, but the vast majority of the hockey community simply does not and believes that if one light pass is good, 10 firm passes must be better.  A gentle pass from a honing stone aligned flat along the blade is the best way to remove a burr after sharpening or nicks between trips to the sharpener.  

1 hour ago, indykrap said:

Thanks! I have the same kind, so I'll order one to try that.

I also have one of the gummy ones.   It does still wear away a tiny bit of the coating on my LS5G blades, but we all know the black coating on those is crap anyway.  Otherwise a regular fine grain India oil stone will work wonders.   I'm a big fan of Norton as a brand Link or Link but any decent brand of oil or water stone is good enough for deburring skates.  

[indykrap]

1 hour ago, Puckstopper said:

 

The issue with doing it hard, or repeatedly (as you know @mik, but for others who may not) is that it folds the edges of the blade so they end up looking like this: (_) instead of this: |_| .   Once you bend the edge in, it's more vulnerable to folding down onto the blade completely or breaking off.     Sharpening isn't pricy and it actually helps your steel last longer if you do it before crossgrinding is needed.   For that matter steel is cheap compared to the pain of a sprained MCL or torn groin because your skate blade failed on you while trying to react.   Mik and WillyGrips understand how to use this tool correctly, but the vast majority of the hockey community simply does not and believes that if one light pass is good, 10 firm passes must be better.  A gentle pass from a honing stone aligned flat along the blade is the best way to remove a burr after sharpening or nicks between trips to the sharpener.  

I also have one of the gummy ones.   It does still wear away a tiny bit of the coating on my LS5G blades, but we all know the black coating on those is crap anyway.  Otherwise a regular fine grain India oil stone will work wonders.   I'm a big fan of Norton as a brand Link or Link but any decent brand of oil or water stone is good enough for deburring skates.  

Thanks!

[RichMan]

I use the sweet stick very very lightly on the blade, one shot from toe to heel until I can get to the shop before my next ice time. It helps keep my edges a bit or else I might as well just step on the ice with chopsticks. I'll run the stone on the side walls before to clean it out first, especially when I know I bumped the posts hard or a lot during a game in my recoveries.

Last Sunday I felt my blades were dull from my last game and did 2 light runs of the stick...light.... I felt like I was wearing leg braces without any hinges. Don't do that, don't lolll.

What about this ancient guy? Is it just the same as the sweet stick? I could never justify the 40$ + for one.

 

[creasecollector]

On my old skates, I used to use a sweet stick between skates when they were getting super dull. Plus a stone when needed near the end of the lifetime of those skates. 

On my new skates with step steel blades, I've heard using a stone/sweet stick could damage them so I don't use it anymore. Anyone have experience with this? I figured they would be find if I started using a stone again to work on the knicks. But I am done with the sweet stick.

Edited June 2 by creasecollector

[Chenner29]

21 minutes ago, creasecollector said:

On my old skates, I used to use a sweet stick between skates when they were getting super dull. Plus a stone when needed near the end of the lifetime of those skates. 

On my new skates with step steel blades, I've heard using a stone/sweet stick could damage them so I don't use it anymore. Anyone have experience with this? I figured they would be find if I started using a stone again to work on the knicks. But I am done with the sweet stick.

If you have any special coating on your steel (ie. DLC/Blacksteel), you could risk damaging the coating.

If you've got regular stainless blades, you're free to go. 

[johncho]

I don't like using any of these hand held things, but if I had to. 

I've used Blade Barber once and it was actually okay, but you need to be careful with it still https://www.bladebarber.ca/

[indykrap]

On 6/2/2024 at 7:27 PM, Chenner29 said:

If you have any special coating on your steel (ie. DLC/Blacksteel), you could risk damaging the coating.

If you've got regular stainless blades, you're free to go. 

Does the Howie's gummy stone make a difference for this? I'm always a little hesitant around marketing babble haha

[Hockey37]

22 minutes ago, indykrap said:

Does the Howie's gummy stone make a difference for this? I'm always a little hesitant around marketing babble haha

Yes it does.  It may still put some minor surface scratches on the the blade, but it will not tear off the coating like a standard stone would.  I'm just a garage sharpener, but I've seen some blades that have been destroyed because someone at a big box hockey store just used a standard stone instead of a gummy/rubber stone.

[creasecollector]

On 6/2/2024 at 7:27 PM, Chenner29 said:

If you have any special coating on your steel (ie. DLC/Blacksteel), you could risk damaging the coating.

If you've got regular stainless blades, you're free to go. 

Just regular stainless steel stepsteel for me. Thank you!