It depends on how much you skate, how hard you skate . . . and your preference! Rough ice and walking around even on the rink mats without your guards can dull your blades faster too.

They generally say 20-30 hours of skating. If your blades start getting dull, your blades can't grip the ice properly . . .essentially you'll be slipping . . . and even if it's slight, it can affect your spins and jumps!

I personally loved dull blades. But I left it for so long and didn't sharpen them til they were really bad. The longer you leave them, the bigger the adjustment you will probably have to make after you get them sharpened (and you WILL notice your "new" edges - oh you will feel like you're sticking to the ice!!). So I don't recommend extending your sharpening time too long!! On the flip side, if you sharpen them too often, you shorten the life of your blades.

Here are skate sharpening Q&A's
http://www.warrensecurity.com/Skating/Skate%20Sharpening%20Information.htm

Hope that helps!!

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