How can you tell if the blades on ice skates are sharpened??

Question

I have just bought a pair of figure skates, and I was just wondering if you are able to tell if they are sharp enough to be used. The blades on my new pair do not seem to be very sharp so I would just like to know if there is a simple way to tell if they are sharpened. Any info will be useful. Thanks!!

Answer 1

Run your finger side to side.  If it catches your skin a little bit, they are sharp.  If you can't stop very well or get a good edge, you need to sharpen them.

Answer 2

Where did you buy the skates?  

If you bought them online, it's likely they don't have any sharpening at all!  They don't sharpen them because you can return them until you sharpen the blades.

You already got good advice on how to test the sharpening, but I wanted to add that in because sometimes people don't know that online skates are sent without a sharpening unless you specifically request it.  We bought my daughter's first skates off ebay, and they had no sharpening whatsoever.  The seller had said her kid tried skating but gave it up...think of that poor kid trying to learn to skate without ANY edges whatsoever! Like skating on butter knives.

Answer 3

2 ways. Run the pink part of your nail over the edge - if it scratches it, then they are probably sharp enough.

The other way is knowing through how they feel on the ice - if they seem to want to just go out in opposite directions, they are too blunt. When you get them sharpened though they will be tricky for a little while - you won't be able to snowplough very well for a bit, until you have worn them down a bit. Hope this helps...

Answer 4

the skate shop already sharpens it for you whenyou buy a new pair..... And you can tell not on the ice but when you feel the blade carefull not to cut yourself though!!! I know I am a professional figure skater

Answer 5

If they are brand new skates that have never been used, get the blades sharpened anyway.  It's always the best bet to do that, as you don't know how long the skates have been sitting around, what they may have brushed up against or if they've been dropped.  If you get them sharpened first thing, you'll leave nothing to chance.

Answer 6

put your thumb across the blade and rub across if you feel an edge theyre sharp enough

Answer 7

Mine were kind of squarish on the bottom. Maybe you could slide an ice cube along the bottom and see what happens to it. Or just go to the local ice skatin gplace and have them look @ them. If they arn't I don't think that it costs very much...maybe $10