What are your hours?

We’re open year-round! Here’s when Jim’s supposed to be in the shop:

Is it important that you see Jim in person? Please text him at 250.668.7070 to confirm he’s here before you make a trip!

If we’re closed (or not around), you can ALWAYS drop off skates using our secure lockers, located just outside the shop door.

Where are you located?

The Edge Skate Sharpening is located at 2118 Lang Crescent, in central Nanaimo. Check out our contact page for details (and a map).

🏠 The Edge is a home-based business based in our renovated garage. Please don’t ring the house doorbell! If the skate sharpening shop is open, the shop door is unlocked. There’s a buzzer in the shop if Jim’s not already there.

Stepping right off the ice? Click for driving directions from Cliff McNabb Arena or the Nanaimo Ice Centre.

How much does skate sharpening cost?

It’s only $6.00 to sharpen a pair of skates, or you can buy a 10-pack for just $50.00. (These rates haven’t changed since we started in 2013.)

We also offer Team Skate Sharpening cards: purchase 30 skate sharpenings for $150, and anyone on the team can use the card.

We currently accept Cash, Visa, MasterCard, and e-Transfer.

What types of skates can you sharpen?

We sharpen hockey skates, including goalie skates. We can also sharpen figure skates, but only for recreational/casual skaters.

How good of a sharpening job can I expect?

Jim has been sharpening skates for others since 2013, and has racked up well beyond 10,000 pairs of skates sharpened.

He has plenty of experience sharpening skates for WHL players, as well as junior players from novice through midget leagues.

In other words, he's not a kid working a minimum wage job for some big-box store. We think you’ll be pleased!

How often should I sharpen my skates?

How often you have your hockey skates sharpened depends a lot on how often you play, and at what level.

As a general rule of thumb, we recommend that you have your skates sharpened somewhere in between every 4-8 games. (When our son was on the ice 4-5 times per week he had his skates sharpened once per week.)

And if you haven’t had your skates sharpened by The Edge before, you might be surprised at how much you like keeping them “sharp”!

What hollow should I choose?

This answer depends on the player, on size, playing style, and skates – and there’s also just a “feel” to it.

Remember, the term “hollow” refers to the depth of your hockey blade, measured from edge to edge. We can provide a large range of different hollows, with the 3 most common options being 3/8", 1/2", & 5/8".

Shallow hollows have larger numbers (ex: 5/8"), and deeper hollows have smaller numbers (ex: 3/8").

Unsure which hollow to choose? Consider these points:

Your Style • Want greater speed in straightaways and easier gliding? Choose a shallow hollow. If you prefer clean, sharp turns, on the other hand, go with a deeper hollow.

Your Size • The more you weigh the more likely you’ll benefit from a shallow hollow. A less aggressive cut prevents the blade from digging into the ice.

Your Ice • The ice surface itself has an effect on how the blade interacts with it, and a good rule of thumb is “the harder the ice, the deeper the hollow”. When you skate on softer ice, a shallow hollow will allow you to glide across the surface, as opposed to digging in and slowing down.

You didn’t answer my question!

If you have a question that we haven’t covered, just contact us by text or phone. We’ll be happy to help!