Bladetech Sharpening Series Part 1 - Skate Blade Hollows

Bladetech Hockey's Sharpening Series is all about getting the most out of your blades to make you a better skater and, ultimately, a better player. In Part 1 of the series, we look at "Skate Blade Hollows" and which might be best for you.

The “Radius” of your skate blades can be described as the hollow that is ground into the bottom of your blades during sharpening that gives you your pronounced inside and outside edges. 

WHAT RADIUS IS BEST?

In the end, there is no “right” or “wrong” radius, it all comes down to what is most comfortable for you and your skating style. To begin, let’s take a look at what different radii look like on the bottom of your skate blade. 



A smaller radius will give you more bite into the ice for tighter turns and quicker acceleration, but at the same time because your edges are digging deeper into the ice which causes greater friction, your glide and speed will suffer (Also a more pronounced radius will be more fragile and less durable).

A larger radius therefore gives you greater glide and speed (speed skater’s blades are completely flat!) causing less fatigue, but less bite for maneuverability, so choose which advantages are more important for you and your skating style.

The main variable to consider when first picking a radius to try is weight. As a general rule, the heavier the skater, the larger the radius needed. An extremely light skater can tolerate a very small radius (producing a deep hollow with lots of edge) because they do not have much weight to bear on the ice.

A heavy skater trying to skate on a small radius (too much edge) will bite into the ice so hard that they will have trouble stopping without chatter or going over the top of their skates. Another disadvantage is they will also lose glide to excess friction and be working harder to skate full speed. On the other hand, they will be able to hold a very tight turn! Please note that beginner level skaters can learn most skills (particularly the hockey stop) easier by grinding their skates with a very large radius. As they progress the radii is decreased back to a normal level.

A “general purpose” chart for radius by weight is as follows:

Don't forget to check out the other parts 2 and 3 of Bladetech Hockey's Skate Sharpening Series where we cover Profiling and Sharpening 101 - sharpening at home.