How to get your Skates Sharpened and Radiused by Mail
Introduction
Welcome all Goolglers, facebookers and future customers! This page has almost everything you need to know on how to get a custom skate sharpening and radius using our express mail service. We've been doing this for almost 2 decades and pretty much are the founders of the practice of having more than one set of steel. Back then runners were more difficult to swap out but now they are easily removable, so more and more skaters have multiple sets. This feature has made our mail service a real viable option for skaters who are having trouble getting good sharpenings or a Custom Radius in their local area. Now, before you get started, we strongly suggest you read this page in it's entirety. Please do this so you don't make a costly mistake or your order is delayed. Also our Sharpening, Profiling, FBV and Radius Info Pages on this website will explain everything your will need to know.. They can be accessed from the main menu above or from our home page. Then perhaps you'll want to glance through the Testimonials, that should help put your mind at ease about mailing your blades to us.
Why Get Your Skates Sharpened by Mail?
First, think about the benefits of our mail service. You'll get perfect, consistent skate sharpenings every time, plus it will save you time and money on gas by not having to drive down to the hockey store for just a sharpening, or having to get to the rink early to wait in line. Think of us like the Amazon of skate sharpening, quick service and right to your mailbox. How easy is that! It's even easier when you have a second set of runners to rotate back and forth. Having a backup set of steel also has many advantages. You'll have a spare set for emergency breakages (who doesn't know someone who broke a runner and had to leave a game). You'll also have a freshly sharpened pair to take with you to tournaments, or even to those late night games when you lose an edge and the pro shop is closed. If you ever had to only make left turns, or miss the rest of an important game because of blade problems, you know exactly what we mean! Even if you don't plan on using our sharpening service routinely, having that second set of steel is priceless.
OK, I want to get my skates done, how do I get the process started?
First, read this entire page closely. Most mistakes are made because people are in a rush and didn't read these instructions. Mistakes can be costly and can delay your order. Then, if you haven't done so already, you should visit our sharpening, profiling, FBV and radius pages. There is a wealth of information in them that will give you a clearer idea of just what you'll be getting with your custom sharpening and radius. Then, if still interested, send us an e-mail at info@noicingsports.com or via the contact form in the Contact Page and request a Skater Questionnaire Form. After we get your completed form back we'll work up a good profile for you. Please be patient, we try to answer every day, but sometimes we can't reply as fast as you'd like, usually because we have a stack to answer in front of you and are also sharpening skates virtually the entire workday. Please be patient, often the backlog can be 3 days, we will get to you as soon as we can.
Also, if you are not serious about getting a custom radius, please don't waste our time. We get a lot of requests each day for profile inquiries, and you will only be delaying our responses to our serious customers. Thank you. Lastly, please do not place an order for steel before you get our recommendation for your profile, nor order steel if you don't want a radius. After you hear from us, you can then order your steel and profile at same time.
What happens after you get my completed form?
We will review and evaluate your answers on the questionnaire, then work up a custom profile for you. The Profile will include the sharpening type (hollow, FBV, etc), the type rocker radius and settings, and the blade pitch we think will work best for you. We will email you back with our recommendations. We've done thousands and thousands of profiles on a wide variety of skaters and have a pretty good data-base of what works for the various style skaters. Keep in mind, for our new first time customers, if for some reason you don't like what settings we selected for you, you are not stuck with your profile. We give you a full 30 days to try it out! Then, if there is something you don't like, we will gladly make one free radius adjustment. We rarely have to do this, but the option for fine tuning is available if needed.
What if I have more questions?
If you still have questions, you likely will find the answers on our website, or in our webstore. If not, we ask that you submit your questions by email. We do not answer the phone during working hours as we are very busy operating a retail store, sharpening local skates and trying to meet same or next day shipping deadlines for our internet customers. A five-minute phone call may mean that another customer doesn't get their blades shipped that day. Seriously, we don't have time to answer phone calls. Email or facebook are really the best and fastest way to get a response from us because we can answer you during our short lulls. We usually can reply within 15 minutes of getting your email. Also, we monitor our facebook page, No Icing Sports, and you can usually get a real fast response there as well.
OK, what's next?
After you get your custom profile recommendations from us, you then must decide if you will be sending us your blades, or if you will be purchasing new blades from us. We have next business day turn-around, so we'll get your blades shipped back to you quick, but if you can't be without your skates for a few days, getting a second set of steel may be your best option.
Please don't ask us for price quotes. There are so many options it could take 1hr to quote them all. All pricing for replacement runners, sharpening and radius services can easily be found in the shopping area and each have an item description that explains exactly what they are. You can put what items you are interested in the cart to get the total.
Keep in mind that we are a Custom Radius shop and we only sell replacement runners to customers who are purchasing a Custom Radius. If you just want steel, one of the other online stores that just sells unsharpened steel would be the best place to get them, we don't sell them that way.
How do I remove my blades?
If you are sending us your blades and need help removing them, it's easy. For Bauers, their new steel has a quick release trigger, pull the trigger and pry at the heel. For other Bauers remove the footbed and remove the white plastic caps. You will see an 8mm nut inside the holders. Simply unscrew the nut (use a 1/4" drive nutdriver with a long extension to make the task easier) and the blade will pull right out. All other brand skates have screws on the outside of the skate, just take them out and pull the blades out. Email skatetech@noicingsports.com if you have trouble.
How should I ship my blades?
The best way to ship your blades to us is in a Post Office Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelope. Priority Mail is quick, usually 1-3 days anywhere in the country (US Only). You can fit up to 5 sets in one envelope. BE SURE TO SECURE/TAPE YOUR BLADES TO THE INSIDE WALL OF THE ENVELOPE! If they are just left loose they can move around and they WILL cut their way through and we will get an empty envelope. Many customers have lost their steel because they didn't tape them. Best way to ship them is to put them inside a Tyvek envelope, roll it, then tape that roll on a diagonal in the envelope with package tape, not Scotch tape or hockey tape. If your blades are extra long and you ship them to us in a legal envelope, be sure to select legal envelope for return shipping, not the standard envelope. Also, please don't wrap blades themselves with tape, it's hard to get tape off the metal and it leaves a sticky residue that could throw off your edges. There is also no need to wrap the blades in duct tape, bubble wrap, or other homemade coverings. It's unnecessary and a real annoyance when we have to spend 10 minutes peeling and cutting through some Fort Knox type covering to get at the blades. On any given day, 30 mins of work time is consumed just un-packaging blades that are sent over-wrapped. They do not need extra protection, a simple Tyvec envelope protects them just fine. We send them all over the world just wrapped in Tyvek, that's plenty of protection. Please watch this video on how to package your blades.
So you don't ever have to go to the post office, go to USPS.com and sign up for an online acct. It's free and easy. You can then print postage and labels right on your home printer. If you want to save money and are not in a hurry, you can also ship your blades to us by regular Parcel Post. It's still fairly quick and usually around $2-3. Also feel free to ship to us any way you choose, UPS and Fedex deliver right to our door. Note: The USPS Flat Rate Envelope you select on our website to ship or return your blades only has lomited insurance. If you want the extra protection, please contact us for directions. Without insurance, if for some reason your blades are lost, missing or delivered to the wrong address, we are not liable to replace them. Now, we don't want to scare you, in 18 yrs only 1 or 2 packages were totally lost. It rarely happens. When it does, it's usually a neighbor taking the package or the ex-wife throwing it in the trash. (Note to self, don't let the ex live with you) Most of our customers have no problems using regular Priority Mail without extra insurance, but what we want to avoid is you telling us you didn't get your package and expect us to replace it for you.
If you want to send us a UPS/FedEx prepaid shipping label to return your blades, feel free to do so. If you are paying by credit card, your shipping address has to match your billing address. Also, be sure to select the signature required option, we do not ship without this. We can't be responsible for lost/stolen packages when UPS or Fedex leaves them outside on your steps or door. Note: At our new location, the nearest UPS/Fedex drop location is a 30 minute round trip for us. Accordingly, we cant ship next day. Consider using USPS instead, or arrange a UPS/Fedex pickup at our store.
Please, do not send us a return envelope with stamps! The post office will not allow us to put a stamped envelope of this weight in our mailbox, they require it be hand delivered to a person at the post office, and we just can't do this. In addition we require delivery tracking and stamps don't provide this.
All Videos
Steel Availablitiy and What You Should Choose
We carry most replacement blades for current and old model skates, and try to have them in stock year round. We also stock various choices in runners, all that will fit your skates. We can't tell you which to choose, all are very good, some are premium. The premium blades cost a bit more and generally, the ones that cost more, perform better and hold edges longer. If you plan on keeping your skates for a long time, the premium blades are a wise investment and will more than pay for themselves in the long run. Still, the regular steel is just fine, so upgrading is not really needed for the average recreational player. We normally have runners in stock for Bauer Fly-X, Fly Ti, Bauer Edge, Fusion Edge, LS2 Edge, LS3 Edge, LS4 Edge, LS5 Edge, CCM XS, CCM4.0, and aftermarket brands like Bladetech, Tydan and Step. We also have older model steel for all brands. Email us for availability. Note: Our inventory can change by the minute, the webstore may not always be correct as well can sell out in a day and not have time to update the store. We'll contact you if item is not in stock and offer a alternative or let you know when more are coming.
Some skates do not have replaceable steel, so if you are interested in getting a custom radius, you will have to ship the skates to us. We have same day turnaround.
Keep in mind that the price of our steel includes the initial sharpening (not a Custom Radius). You might be able to find steel cheaper elsewhere, but they do not come sharpened. The initial sharpening is very different than a regular sharpening. New skates or replacement steel is just a flat rough cut slab. In addition to extra wear on the machines and grinding stones and diamonds, it takes up to 20 minutes minutes of labor to properly sharpen and establish the hollow and edges the very first time a blade is sharpened. This labor is factored into the price of our steel. So, if you choose to send us new steel that doesn't have the initial sharpening, there will be an additional charge to do that. No new steel whether on new skates or replacement steel in packages comes sharpened. If you don't want to pay the extra fee, it's best for you to get them sharpened before you send them to us. When comparing online steel prices, be sure to factor in their high shipping and handling fees, plus the cost to ship them to us. You'll likely find in the end, our prices are cheaper. Sorry we do not sell just steel without a purchase of a custom radius. The steel market is very volatile and shortages occur, for this reason our steel is reserved or our custom rocker radius customers only.
If you want to buy new blades from us, you may have a choice of several different kinds that will fit in your skates. Browse through our shopping area and see what's available, read the item descriptions carefully to see the differences. For sizing, you will need the blade type and size to ensure a perfect match. NEVER use online guides for sizing that some websites have, they are wrong. Even manufactures guides can be wrong. The only way to accurately get your blade size is to get it from your exact skates, not based off a guide or some other pair. On most skates the blade size can be found underneath the skate on the white plastic holder. Look for a 3-digit number embossed in the plastic next to the rivets, like 263, 280, etc. That's the size you'll need to order. If you can't find it, send us an email and we'll help you locate it. Don't guess. Also, for all brand skates you need to first determine what holder you have. For Bauer, is it a Fly, , a Lightspeed/Lightspeed 2, a Blue Lightspeed Power, LS Power 2.1, or Lightspeed Edge? All of these holders take different type steel. The other skate brands also have multiple choices so just be sure you select the proper version. Before you order, if you're not sure send us a picture of your skate and we'll help you identify the version steel you need.
Notice!! We absolutely will not give any refunds or credit if you order the wrong model or size runners. Once we radius them, you own them, so be certain your order is correct before you place it. If you are uncertain or need help, ask us before you order!
Placing Your Order
Once we've worked up your profile and have given you the specs, you'll need to place your order. Simply go to the secure 24-hr Shopping Area accessed from our home page, at the top of this page, or direct at www.SkateRescueService.com and place your order. Order the runners that fit in your skates, again, verify you are ordering the correct ones. Then order the type radius and/or sharpening, entering the specs you want, or what we recommended for you in the drop down menus. Make sure if you are ordering steel that you read the item description. The price of runners does NOT include a Custom Radius, so you have to order that separately. Complete the order and check out. Double check that everything is correct. Whatever you select and order, we are going to do and we are going to ship them fast. Return shipping to you is not free, you must select a return shipping method at checkout. Don't select "I'm sending my own label" if you are not including a postage paid return label in your package.
Please, we are an online store, ABSOLUTELY NO TELEPHONE ORDERS! We require a written record of what we discuss with customers. Orders MUST be placed through our WebStore. For security purposes we are also no longer allowed to take credit card info over the phone. Also, our webstore does not let us change your order once it's placed, so make sure it's correct. If it's a simple change that doesn't change the total price of your order, you can email us with what you want to change, otherwise we'll have to refund you, put the credit on your account and you can use that for the follow up order. If you have to ask a unique question before ordering, send an email or facebook message, we will usually answer them within 15 minutes.
Payment Options
Pay attention here.... this is the most common mistake. In order for us to accept your credit card for payment the SHIP TO address must be exactly the same as your credit card BILLING ADDRESS. This is the address your credit card bill is mailed to. If you want to pay by card, we ship to billing addresses only. If after you place your order your credit card company warns our processor that the address is a potential fraud, we will not ship your order. We will contact you and let you know what you submitted was rejected. Sometimes it's a typo on your part. Before you place another order using the same credit card, please get a go-ahead from us first. Every time an order is rejected, we have to pay fees for the original charge, the refund, and for every subsequent attempt you make.
We know this can delay your order and can be a pain but please don't complain to us, it's YOUR card company sending us the fraud alert. Because of credit card fraud, it is too risky for us to send items to other than the billing address. Yes, we know other companies will take this risk and eat the fraud losses, we don't. Over the years we've lost thousands from fraud. Those who want to ship to a different address must send us cash, a money order, or bank check in advance. This is also the method for overseas customers, and for those who want the order shipped to other than the billing address, like their work, child's prep school, etc. If we get payment in advance we will gladly ship anywhere. If you don't like this policy, don't be a jerk and leave a poor online review. This is our policy, if you don't like it simply go elsewhere.
For payment options, we take Visa, Mastercard and Discover. We do not take American Express. No personal checks please, unless you don't mind waiting 2 weeks for them to clear. International customers, please email us for payment options and shipping options.
How soon will I receive my order?
Upon receiving proper payment, we will complete the order and ship the blades the following work day. Sometimes if the order is waiting for us in the morning, it can go out that same day. We prefer to send all blades by Post Office Priority Mail because this is the cheapest and fastest way. Usually 1-2 days, Coast to Coast in 3 days, and they deliver on Saturdays. Most customers get theirs in 1-2 days. Unlike other hockey web sites, we do not make any money on shipping or have handling charges. If you want USPS Express Mail service, that option is available for envelope packages and small packages that will fit in a mailbox opening only. If you need something fast we can usually get it to the shipper's mailboxs in the early evening. Please let us know in advance by email if you have to have something fast. For Fedex, we don't have an account so you have to fax or email us a label and also schedule a pickup, there are no Fedex offices near us anymore. we would have to make a 40 min round trip to a FEDEX office. Also, orders must be in by 3pm in order to be sent Over-nite. Keep in mind that we can only ship same day if your order is completed in time. Plan accordingly. There usually is many other orders in front of yours. We process orders on a first come first served basis. We'll work as hard as an ugly stripper to get them done and shipped, but occasionally it's just impossible due to workload.
Quick Tips for completing your first order
Any time you send blades to us, don't forget to place the online order, or they will just sit here until you do. Also make sure the blades are not moving around inside the package. Watch video above for proper packaging method.
Make sure to write your name on the envelope or on a note inside. Better yet, after you order online, just print out the order form and enclose it in your envelope. We have many customers and get lots of steel each day in the mail. We can expedite your work if we know what you want done when the envelope is opened. The packages with orders inside get processed first.
If you want something different or something that couldn't be selected in the shopping cart (if there is no cost change involved) just write details in comments on your order form.
If you moved or have a new credit card, you can enter that information when you complete your online checkout. Again, it is critical that your credit card information is correct and that the shipping address you put in is same as your actual credit card billing address. Look at your credit card statement, that's the address we have to ship to.
Our address to ship to is: 85 Pleasant St, Box 538, Bristol NH 03222.
Here's a quick step by step guide on how to place your first order:
1. Enter Shopping Area from the main menu or the Order Here button on top of this page. You can also type www.skaterescueservice.com in your browser's location bar.
2. Select Custom radius, then the type Radius we recommended. You'll then have 3 options, Sending Sharpened Steel, Sending New Unsharpened steel, and buying new steel from us. Select the one that applies to you. If you are sending in unsharpened Black Coated DLC or titanium coated runners, we don't have a radius category for those, the ordering process for those is slightly different. Order a Radius on Sharpened Steel and then order a DCL Sharpening on Unsharpened steel. This can be found in the "Skate Sharpening Options" area.
Enter the radius specs we gave you in the drop down menus. We offer 5 different categories of radius, from one on the blades to five. So for example, if we recommended a combo, 8/12', that's a dual, a Quad would be four. You'll find the radius we recommended in one of those categories. Please select only one sharpening method, FBV, hollow or ZC, NOT all three. Select "None" for the other 2 sharpening methods. Add to shopping cart.
3. If you are purchasing steel, Select the type runners that fit in your skates and enter the correct size. Be sure to read item description to ensure it's right for your skates. If you order wrong steel it is not refundable. If you're not sure email us and we'll help you select the correct one. Also, look for "Sold out sizes...." in the header. If it says sold out 280, don't order 280! Contact us, we may have got some in and didn't have a chance to update the webstore, or we can offer you an alternative.
4. Add steel to Shopping Cart.
Proceed to checkout. You should have one radius in the cart per 1 pair of runners. A pair means two! Also, if you need any small accessories like laces or skate screws, etc, if you order them along with your steel and they can fit in the same envelope, there will be no extra shipping charges.
5. Complete billing information and submit your order. Note: we only ship to billing addresses, so this is where your blades will be shipped. Also, we have no control over the credit card payment service. If your card is flagged as potential fraud, it likely is because the billing address, zip code, or CCV number does not match what's on file with your credit card company. Verify that your information is correct with them and and resubmit. You would not believe how many people try to order on expired cards as well. So, if your card is not accepted, we can't do anything here, nor are we able to take it over the phone. New security laws prevent us from even knowing the card number.
6. If you completed the order, you'll receive an order confirmation email from us. Review and check it immediately. If you made a mistake, send us a email and we'll cancel the order if you reach us before we process and ship it. We ship fast so be sure to review your order immediately. Note: We will not always notice or notify you that your order is incorrect. We get so many incorrect orders that we just do not have the time or staff to verify them. We ship exactly what you order. If you made a mistake, we do not fix it for free. Don't guess what you think you get, you can always ask us what specs we have on file for you.
7. You will receive various status update emails. First is the payment pre-authorization. This means we got your order and payment, but payment is pending by your card company for us to verify the credit card billing address, zip code and CCV. So, even though your bank acct shows the charge, it remains pending until we verify and manually capture the funds. Once the fraud check is complete, we'll capture the funds and you'll get a email saying your order is pending. It will remain pending with us until your steel gets here and/or we finish sharpening your order. Next email will say Shipped, this means your blades are delivered to post office or mailbox.
Some of the most common ordering mistakes are: not ordering a radius when purchasing steel, ordering wrong type runner, wrong size runner, ordering a radius on sharpened steel but you send us unsharpened steel, and using a credit card that is not linked to the shipping address. If you have read this page in entirety, it is very unlikely you will submit a wrong order.
What to do when you get your steel
When you get your steel from us, be very careful when unwrapping, do not let the two blades hit each other. They can lose their edge just from light casual contact. Be sure to use skate guards to protect your edges!
If you think there is a problem with your blades, do not skate on them, do not have someone else sharpen them. Please contact us first. Also, do not send them back until you contact us. Many people do not understand what a radiused blade looks like and they complain and send their blades back unnecessarily. If you've read our profiling information pages on our website, you'll have a better idea what to expect with your custom radius. Many radius changes can NOT be seen with the eye, so don't assume if they look the same as when you sent them that we didn't radius them. Lastly, after we sharpen, each blade's edges are tested on real ice here in the store before we package them up, so we are pretty confident you wont have any problems at your rink. So, please be careful with your blades after you receive them from us.
After you skate on your new profile a few times you should be extremely happy. Most of our customers are. We always appreciate feedback and love the testimonials we receive. You can post yours on our or on our facebook page.
If you think you might need an adjustment, simply send our Skate Tech an email to discuss options. We offer one free adjustment to first time customers if they don't like a radius we selected for them. We recommend you skate on your new profile at least 6 times to give your body mechanics and muscle memory time to adjust. If you change your radius after only skating once, you could be wasting your free adjustment. Current customers, you are welcome to experiment and try different radius in the future, we'll even help you select one, but keep in mind we do not offer any free adjustments on these.
Most steel we sell has a 1 yr warranty. Steel is warranted by the manufacturer, not us. You have to contact them for warranty. We are not involved with them in anyways in regards to warranties. Easton is no longer in business, their steel has no warranty. After you get your replacement steel, you will have to place an order if you want your radius/sharpening on them. When you break steel, we do not radius the replacements for free.
Following up
Many of our customers rotate two or more sets of blades so they are never without a freshly sharpened set. This seems to work best for most skaters. Also, if you have teammates that use our service, why not send your blades together like many do and SAVE on postage. Lastly, we've been running our Sharpen by Mail Service since 2003 and ship out thousands of blades to happy customers every year. Our process works very well for those who do not have an experienced reliable sharpener in their area. Give us a try, you won't be disappointed. Thanks again for your business. If you like our services also be sure to visit our facebook page and "Like" us there.