Without a doubt, one of the most important things a hockey player (yes, even a hockey goalie) is concerned with is the quality of their skates edges. You need to have a skate sharpener that does exactly what it’s supposed to do every single time you use it.
But with that being said, what is the best skate sharpener out there? Are automatic skate sharpening machines better than older style, manual skate sharpening machines? The skate sharpening world has changed so drastically in the past decade, it’s hard to know which style is best for you.
We’ve used plenty, we’ve sharpened our skates on a wide variety of machines over the years and we’d like to think we know a thing or two about finding the best hockey skate sharpener for whatever your situation is.
That was pretty light, here’s why you should trust what I have to say. Since 2010, I’ve sharpened my own skates and the skates of the goalies I’ve coached. I started with a Wissota skate sharpener and loved it. 8+ years ago, Sparx released one of the first at home skate sharpening tools that I truly believe a grandma could successfully operate and I switched 100% of my sharpening to the Sparx system. I’ve absolutely loved it, it was and still is worth every penny.
In early December of 2024, I decided to make the switch to the Bauer Pro Sharp system. I still own the original Sparx skate sharpener 8+ years later and it still works just as well as the day I bought it. In fact, I have never once replaced the filters on this machine, only the occasional clean out of the particle tray.
Why I switched to the Bauer Pro Sharp system.
For nearly a decade, Sparx had the home skate sharpener market absolutely cornered. There has never been a close competitor and there was really no reason for your average hockey parent to go out and buy another sharpener. In the past year, Bauer teamed with Pro Sharp to release what is essentially the same machine.
I believe that competition creates and promotes innovation, so I switched to the Bauer Pro Sharp. Basically, this machine is the same thing. It’s a home skate sharpener that anybody can use, with the Bauer name, brand, and most importantly finances to develop the product further. Sparx has no reason not to step it up, they’ve made millions with over 8 years of 100% market-share in this category, I cannot wait to see what their next iteration looks like.
Both of these machines are excellent for what they do, they’re worth every penny and you will not go wrong with either one of them.
I've owned the Sparx Skate Sharpener for 8+ years and have loved it. I recently purchased the Bauer Pro Sharp and will be using this model going forward. Pro Sharp was a highly respected brand used by professional hockey players world-wide and their partnership with Bauer has me excited for the development of the at home skate sharpener. Also, competition is good and though the list of complaints I have with Sparx is short, forcing these two companies to innovate will be excellent for this market.
In this article, we’re going to take a deep dive into the world of a skate sharpener, covering these topics:
- Best skate sharpeners
- Portable skate sharpeners
- Automatic skate sharpeners vs manual skate sharpeners
- Hand held skate sharpeners
- How to sharpen your skates
In my opinion (and thousands of skates sharpened over nearly 15 years), these are the best skate sharpeners money can buy.
I’ve listed Wissota here as the 3rd best option. If you’re skilled at sharpening skates, this is still one of the best sharpeners available. The reason I believe it’s the 3rd best is that the barrier to entry is high, the margin for error is much greater than the Bauer Pro Sharp or the Sparx, and it flat out takes longer to sharpen skates.
- Sparx Skate Sharpener
- Bauer Pro Sharp Skate Sharpener
- Wissota 911 Sharpener
I have used this skate sharpening system for 8+ years. My original Sparx sharpener works as well as the day I got it and I'd recommend it to anybody. In December of 2024, I switched to the Bauer Pro Sharp system, more on that here.
These are the Highest Rated Sharpeners for Hockey Skates
For obvious reasons, learning how to sharpen hockey skates is a critical investment in any hockey players career. Whether you decide to sharpen your skates yourself, or have a friend do it, you have to have a great edge.
Up until recently, at home skate sharpeners like the Sparx and Pro Sharp were not an option for players and parents. With the invention of the Sparx machine, however, at home sharpening is easier than ever. Honestly, our Sparx sharpener was and still is the best investment we’ve ever made.
Bauer Pro Sharp Home Sharpener
Biggest selling point of the Bauer Pro Sharp: for 8 years, there was no competition for Sparx. The Pro Sharp company had been around for years, but didn’t have a comparable model to Sparx. With Bauer’s involvement, there is. If you’re like me and you think competition promotes innovation, you should buy the Bauer Pro Sharp and not look back.
For nearly a decade, the Pro Sharp System was a distant second to the Sparx Skate Sharpener. While it generally did the same thing, the company was outpaced in terms of usability and general reliability. For this time period, I never recommended any other sharpener. My list of actual Sparx Skate Sharpener complaints was and still is very low (it doesn’t sharpen the toe and heel very well, fix this Sparx), but I’ve wanted to see a close competitor and knew the minute I found one I’d jump to that system.
I have used the older Pro Sharp sharpener around the same time I was testing the Sparx unit, it’s was a dependable skate sharpener and I mean this next line with the utmost respect – it’s wasn’t even close to the Sparx machine. Sparx made it so easy to use that “even my grandma could do it”.
Finally, we get some competition for Sparx. It’ll help drive the price of both units down a bit and we should finally get to see some cheaper grinding rings.
I've owned the Sparx Skate Sharpener for 8+ years and have loved it. I recently purchased the Bauer Pro Sharp and will be using this model going forward. Pro Sharp was a highly respected brand used by professional hockey players world-wide and their partnership with Bauer has me excited for the development of the at home skate sharpener. Also, competition is good and though the list of complaints I have with Sparx is short, forcing these two companies to innovate will be excellent for this market.
Sparx Skate Sharpener
Sparx has done more for skate sharpening than just about any company on the market. Yes, I’ve included two other sharpeners in this article, but that’s only so I am not accused of writing them into a monopoly. Seriously, if you’re reading this, just buy the Sparx sharpener and do not look back.
Honestly, I have no problems being a fan boy of the machine. I have personally recommended it to more than several hundred of the parents who’s goalies I train. I know first hand of 20 or so friends who own this machine and love it. I’m well versed in how to use it, and how it performs.
Editors note: I’m currently on my 2nd Sparx Skate sharpener, have run several thousand pairs of skates through both machines and have not had a single issue with either. That’s about as proven and tested as one can get, I recommend this unit to every person who asks.
I have used this skate sharpening system for 8+ years. My original Sparx sharpener works as well as the day I got it and I'd recommend it to anybody. In December of 2024, I switched to the Bauer Pro Sharp system, more on that here.
Wissota 911 Skate Sharpener
With Wissota, we’re entering a skate sharpening market that is completely different than your average home user. The Wissota brand is widely recognized as the top manufacturer of skate sharpeners for commercial users world wide. These things are truly battle tested, having been used day in and day out by NHL equipment managers for years.
If you’re serious about a commercial style sharpener that will allow you to make custom adjustments (beyond what you’d get on a Sparx or Pro Sharp), a Wissota is likely the brand you’ll go with. These guys have been building them for forever, they have the best testimonials you could look for, and they’re reasonably affordable.
At one point, I had done more sharpening on our Wissota machine, however, in the past 4 years I’ve done 100% of my sharpenings on the Sparx. We take it on the road, keep it in the locker room, and have one at home.
Skate Sharpening Accessories
You’re going to need a few things to go with your sharpener. The first thing you’ll need is a top of the line skate blade edge checker.
Portable Skate Sharpeners
Without a doubt, my favorite invention in the hockey world is the portable skate sharpener. To be fair, every skate sharpener is portable in some way or another, it’s just that some were built to go from rink to rink.
Unfortunately for older companies like Wissota, Pro Sharp and Sparx have got quite the grip on the hockey skate sharpener market in general, not just those looking for portable sharpening kits. With the invention of the truly portable skate sharpener, even previously useful devices like a hand held skate sharpener are becoming less and less necessary.
We own two Sparx machines, keeping one at home and one that travels to all arenas. They’re not the most portable thing in the world, but they are designed to move with you provided you follow the transportation instructions. A note on transporting these things, follow all instructions. I know of two people who have ruined their machines by not transporting with the locking mechanism in place.
I have used this skate sharpening system for 8+ years. My original Sparx sharpener works as well as the day I got it and I'd recommend it to anybody. In December of 2024, I switched to the Bauer Pro Sharp system, more on that here.
Automatic Skate Sharpening Machines vs Manual Skate Sharpeners
At one point, manual skate sharpeners were the only game in town and for good reason. They were the only skate sharpening machines that could deliver the same edge (depending on skill of the user) each time you sharpened skates. Not the case anymore.
For 99% of users, an automatic skate sharpening machine like the Sparx is going to exceed your expectations and daily use requirements. It’s even reasonable to suggest that an automatic skate sharpener is actually better simply because of the difficulty in messing it up. They truly are plug and play and with 5-10 minutes of basic training on the device, you’ll get the same edge the pros do.
Heck, even NHL players use Sparx.
Hand-held skate sharpeners
Hand held skate sharpeners are designed to take the edge or simple burrs off of the skate blade. They’re not designed for regular use as an actual skate sharpening grinding stone can produce and should not be used as such.
If you want to add a hand held device to your bag just for maintenance between periods, there are a handful at Pure Hockey that can be had for less than $30. We haven’t done extensive testing on these to tell you which one is truly the best, as with the creation of Sparx, they’re becoming less and less useful. Many of the folks who come back to us with feedback tell us that they take their Sparx machine to tournaments, the locker room, etc. They’re fairly portable and are easy enough to completely re-sharpen your skates at practice or between periods of a game.
If you refuse to take that information and insist we suggest one, it would be Blade Barber. It’s advertised as a hand held sharpener that’ll give 20-30 sharpenings before it runs out. Again, have not tested this personally so use caution. If you’re on the fence and have the budget, go Sparx and don’t look back.
The Blade Barber is one that we have heard about (full disclosure, we have not tested this one), it has positive reviews.
How to sharpen your skates
If you buy an automatic skate sharpening machine, like the Sparx or the Pro Sharp, it’s as simple as following their instructions for the first time. Once you’ve sharpened your skates a few times on these machines, it’s like second nature. They’re easy to use.
If you decide to purchase a manual skate sharpener, however, learning how to sharpen skates can be a bit more challenging.
