Personal skate sharpening machines; a matter of dollars and sense

The way European sharpening system manufacturer Prosharp sees it, the North American skate sharpening business is ripe for a shake-up, and the company says it has just the thing to make it happen.

The Sundsvall, Sweden-based company is trying to create a new market for personal skate sharpening machines with its new SkatePal unit. Through its representation in Canada and the US, Eriksson Sport Technologies Inc. of Toronto, Prosharp has its eyes set squarely on hockey players and parents throughout North America. Not pro shops or even pro teams, but actual end users--players from the minor hockey ages to scholastic teams to adult recreational leagues.

SkatePal is a portable sharpening machine, weighing just 22 pounds and measuring 24 by 10 by 12 inches, which can sharpen a pair of skates in less than three minutes.

SK8-W8 helps develop skating skills.

Trion Hockey, a new Toronto area company, is rolling out its new SK8-W8, an adjustable skate training device designed to fit all existing skate holders on the market.

SK8-W8 has a high-impact nylon shell that holds up to three steel weights, each weighing four ounces. The weights, which can be added and removed as desired, are held securely in a covered compartment, while the unit snaps snugly onto the holder with an adjustable arm.