Flare Skate Blades are approved by both the NHL and IIHF for use.
Our patented technology works just as well on a goalie blades, and has been tested at the professional level. Flare Skate Blades for goalie application are currently in development and we will offer them on our website as well as in our retail locations as soon as they are available.
For best results, we suggest giving yourself 3 hard skates. The harder you skate, the better your performance on Flare Blades.
Flare Blades wear extraordinarily well. We use only the best steel, Sandvik™, imported from Sweden, and hardness-test each and every one of our blades before they are packaged.
No special equipment is required. However, a hollow adjustment is required to adjust for the flare. In order to ensure your flared edges are level, use a Flare Square, a modified quick square, designed to fit our Blades, as well as traditional 3mm blades.
As with traditional blades, we recommend your Flare Blades be sharpened by an experienced skate sharpening technician in order to maintain optimal performance.
Click here for more detailed info on sharpening your Flare Skate Blades.
Be sure to hold the honing stone parallel (flat) to the flared (angled) part of the blade only. Running it flush across the whole blade will dull your edges.
To hone DLC-Coated Blades, use a leather shammy or a clay stone.
Flare Blades can be sharpened on the Sparx® machine. To order your Sparx® grinding ring for Flare Blades, please visit their website. Click the "Select Your Grinding Ring" drop-down menu and select the appropriate hollow. For example, if you use a 5/8" hollow on standard skate blades, that is a 1 1/8" hollow on Flare Blades, so you would order the 1 1/8" grinding ring.
Flare Skate Blades fit a number of skate blade holders from the most popular hockey skates on the market:
Flare Skate Blades are made from high-quality, precisely engineered Sandvik® stainless steel, and crafted in Canada. We hardness-test each and every blade before it is packaged.
As Flare Skate Blades are designed to fit in hockey's most popular holders, the profile is the same as the manufacturer's stock CCM®, Bauer®, or Graf® steel.
Because the Flare Blades already offer significant more glide and turning capabilities, we always recommend to try our stock profile for a few skates first.
A traditional steel runner has a 3 mm base; Flare steel has a 4.5 mm base, giving you the power to perform exceptionally.
We have measured our steel against our competitors, including Step® and Bauer®, to discover that there is no difference in weight.
As with traditional blades, we recommend wiping your Flare Skate Blades clean after each use and checking them for nicks or stripped / rolled edges to determine if sharpening is required, and then allowing them to air dry, covers removed.