Snowboard Wax Kit buying guide

Is your snowboard sticking on the snow? Or Is your favorite board not sliding properly on the snow? Don't worry! You don't have to purchase a new board. Snowboard waxing and tuning can resolve your problem in a jiffy. Board wax allows you to maintain a longer life of your favorite board and also improves your skiing experience.

A properly tuned board can easily allow you to shine off with your skills and talent. Having a proper kit apparatus is essential to tune your board regularly.

There are several options available in the market for setting appropriate snowboard wax kits. Let us get familiarized with the importance of every element of the kit.

Why should you go through a buying guide before setting the snowboard wax kit?

The wax kit consists of several elements, and each element has a plethora of variants available in the market. The buying guide provides detailed information on all the features to watch out while selecting the best pieces of equipment.

Why do you need wax for your snowboard?

Before looking for your snowboard wax kits, you should comprehend the benefits of using snowboard wax. It improves your ability to slide smoothly in the slopes and supports your board to have an extended life. Snowboard wax is used in the bottom part of your board and, thus, reduces friction caused by snow and dirt. It is a type of hydrocarbon-based wax which is useful to protect your snowboard from oxidation. As a result, you can ride on the mountain without much effort.

The bottom surface of the snowboard is porous and can absorb wax easily. It is useful as a lubricant to upgrade your glide so you should brush the wax from the snowboard base properly. Therefore, you will be able to overcome kinetic friction as well. The anti-static additives of the wax help to reduce both static as well as dirt friction.

How to prepare your snowboard for waxing? What are the essential contents of the waxing kit?

You should start the process of waxing with a well-shaped snowboard base and ensure that the bottom is adequately cleaned before waxing. It will help you to cover the entire surface. You should take a flat base that does not have higher edges. If you are not sure enough, you can measure this with a ruler. Also, you should complete the grinds and maintenance in advance in case you require it.

Another important thing that you must look for before starting to wax is metal feeling. Simply put, no metal should be the underside of the board while waxing. If there are any Nicks or burrs in the edges, it may cause scratches.

You should try a solvent or base cleaner to make sure the bottom surface is cleaned correctly. It will reduce oil and dirt effectively. Do not forget to dry the base properly before you start to wax. It is better to avoid cleaning the bottom in case the base is not dirty and muddy. If there are noticeable white spots, then the boards must be cleaned.

On this note, you must know about the essential equipment found in the snowboard wax kits. You must look for the following equipment –

1. Wax and waxing iron
2. Wax scrapper
3. Waxing brushes
4. A stable waxing platform
5. Rubber bands

Things to deem about while selecting an appropriate Snowboard Wax Kit

Base material

Commonly, there are two types of snowboards available in the market, including Sintered and Extruded. Though both are made up of P-tex, they are different from each other because of their properties. To absorb the wax appropriately, the base of your snowboard should be porous. Otherwise, the wax will not get absorbed easily.

If the base is not waxed, it will work faster than the Sintered foundation. However, a Sintered foundation can work quicker when both of them are waxed. So, you must consider all these factors before choosing the waxing kits for your snowboard.

Wax temperature variants

Wax is the most crucial ingredient of the snowboard wax kits, and you must choose the wax with a wide temperature range. It is better to have colder wax with a colder range that can work suitably in warmer conditions.

1. Warm temperatures

When you are skiing in a warmer and wetter environment, you can go for the milder range. It reduces the friction of your snowboard base so you can enjoy your skiing without getting stuck frequently. This type of wax lasts longer, but it is not good to use this wax for colder temperatures.

2. Cold temperatures

Colder range wax is compatible with colder conditions. As it can work effectively in a drier situation, you can easily use it in cold temperatures. It is useful to make the snowboard base strong and hard so that your snowboard can have better glides while riding on dry snow in a colder condition.

So if you are after speed, you must choose cold temperatures for your board's wax to slide smoothly. Needless to mention that your board gets more longevity with this.

3. All temperatures

Snowboard Wax that is appropriate for all temperatures is an excellent choice for the skiers. Specifically, if you want to ride on the snow for recreational purposes, you should consider all-temperature wax as it is perfect for all temperature ranges. When it comes to competition, the riders need to increase their speed steadily, so this wax will not be appropriate.

Different kinds of wax

Once you have decided on the temperature range of your snowboard wax, you must ponder the types of wax that you want to have in the snowboard wax kits. You will find different varieties of blends with various benefits and drawbacks. We are making it more straightforward for you to select the best one:

1. Racing wax

Racing wax is a little bit expensive. Though it has all the mixtures, it will focus on Fluoro. Usually, racing wax comes with both base and the high layer types. Wax of the bottom layer creates a foundation for the top layer.

2. Rub-on wax

You can use rub-on wax for a touch-up between two sessions. Also, it is appropriate for waxing your boards if you do not have much time to hot wax your boards. So, it can be an ideal choice for recreational riders. In general, the rub-on wax is available with corks so that you can simply rub the cork for a perfect shredding.

3. Hydrocarbon wax

Hydrocarbon wax does not cost higher, and it is handy for cleaning and storage wax. The wax consists of paraffin, synthetic waxes, and microcrystalline hydrocarbons. These constituents make the wax durable, soft, and strong.

4. Eco-Friendly wax

Eco-Friendly wax can be the right choice if you wax your snowboard at your home. Especially with the children around you, waxing with the eco-friendly one is a good idea. Soy is the crucial base of this wax, and you can find other combinations as well. It is completely biodegradable so that you can clean it without any hassles.

5. Fluorinated wax

You may find fluorinated wax works faster than hydrocarbon waxes, but it comes with toxicity, which is a significant drawback of this wax. You should choose a well-ventilated place before using this wax. High-fluoro wax is available as a powder, which is costlier but boosts up your speed effectively.

Tables

You must need a robust waxing platform or a table, whether you are waxing in a simple setup or portable setup. So looking for a sturdy and robust table while selecting the snowboard wax kits is essential. When it comes to tuning a thicker surface can help you in the best possible way.

With a stable waxing table, you can brush, scrap, and fill comfortably because it allows the views to stay in one place. It is how you can maintain your board without less effort and protect your limbs from getting injured.

When you have a solid table for waxing, it will help you in brushing and scraping quickly. You can find several sizes of the table, but it is better to make your decision according to your work's space and pieces of equipment. If you need to tune a longer board, you will require a more extended table. It will help you to fix the vises properly without any disturbances. Also, you can have shorter tables as per your requirements.

Vises

To wax your snowboard skillfully, you should search for an adjustable vise. When a tuner has a standard quality vise, it will be easy to maintain the snowboards without any difficulties. Some factors determine the standard of vises.

1. Edge holders

High-quality edge holders play an essential role in a vise. Many vises are designed with a conventional channel system that helps to keep the snowboard in an upward direction. It means you can get good access to sharpening and honing the edges. However, you may find it a little challenging to access the base and side edges.

Another major benefit of having good quality edge holders is the slanted channel that helps to place the board in a perfect angle so you can have access to the base and side edges effectively. Exceptional quality views come up with rubberized thumb to ensure the board is fixed in a particular place without any movement.

2. Material used

Two types of materials are used I making vises such as—

• Metal

Metal is used in designing medium and higher standard views. Metal is a better choice because it provides the vises with a sturdy and robust structure. It is sturdy and stiff, so it can prevent the movement of your snowboard and hold it firmly. The thumbscrews are very important to place the board into the channel, which means you can set up and sharpen several bevels with new edges conveniently. Metal ensures the durability so you can use metal made vise for a long period without any damages.

• Plastic

Plastic is found in the lower level vises. Though it has less weight, it can quickly get twisted under heavy pressure. As a result, your snowboard can get misplaced while brushing and scraping. If you have plastic made vise in your snowboard wax kits, it will help you to access both edges of your board for honing and sharpening because of the groove. It is not very expensive. Since it is lightweight, you can carry and maintain a plastic made vise with ease.

3. Number of pieces

There are two types of vises available in the market, including two-piece and three-piece.

• Two-piece

Two-piece vises come with a simpler design that includes a stand to hold the tip and tail of your snowboard. It takes nothing to understand that lesser number of pieces comes with a lower price. Therefore, two-piece vises are like basic level vises. Generally, two-piece vices are made of plastic that is designed with channels to make sure the tuners can keep their tools on edge.

However, it does not provide much support to the boards' waist, which can cause a slip at the time of scraping, brushing, ironing. But for shorter boards, you can easily look through this disadvantage.

• Three-piece

Three-piece vises nearly look like the two-piece vises despite the fact that they have an additional band resistance to support the center. The stand is for both the tip and tail of your snowboard. Some bands may allow the boards to flex a little, but they can effectively hold the brake flush. Three-piece vises can be made of either plastic or metal for the mid and high-quality verses. The centerpieces do not allow the board to move. However, if you do not have enough space for tuning, you should go for a compact design of a two-piece vise.

Brushes

You must check the snowboard wax brushes when you decide to buy the snowboard wax kits. People do not give much importance to these brushes, but you should not forget that without wax brushes, it will be tough to maintain your boards correctly.

1. Metal brushes

You will see that most of the metal brushes are made of either bronze or copper material. The bristles are stiff in nature and smaller in size, which means they can clean wax properly. The bristles are surrounded by a ring made of nylon that helps to remove the wax dust after brushing. The professional tuners have medium bronze wax brushes that provide versatility. So in case if you plan to have just one brush, you should go for a metal brush for efficiency and durability.

2. Roto brushes

Roto brushes are more efficient than any other brushes available in the market. They work compatibly like handheld brushes, and you will get a wide variety of brushes to select. The roto-handles are perfect for brushing and drilling without any difficulties. Roto drill is used in the standard drills.

But you will need an extra torque for corded drills. It also helps to reduce the buffing and rubbing required in a hand brush. Therefore, this brush is handy to work faster, especially for a substantial amount of tuning.

3. Natural fiber brushes

You can use natural fiber brushes to remove Fluorocarbon waxes. Though these brushes are ideal for Fluorocarbon waxes, they can come into use for regular maintenance. If you consider a horsehair brush, you will get softer bristles made of soft nylon materials. It is also easy to replace the bristles.

You can also find wild boar hair for the brushes that comes larger and stiffer than the horsehair brushes. Brushes made up of boar hair can clean fluorocarbon waxes effectively. However, you must consider two separate brushes to avoid contamination.

4. Nylon brushes

Nylon brushes can be used as an alternative to metal brushes but provide good results like them. There are three types of bristles, including white bristles, black bristles, and blue bristles. Both the White bristles and black bristles are larger in size and stiffer. But the blue bristles are so soft that they are appropriate to remove biodegradable and hydrocarbon waxes.

Because of the flexible and smooth design, these brushes can clean from deeper inside. It is how you can get a polished look of your boards to have better glides.

Waxing irons

The quality of the waxing irons matters a lot. So you must be careful about this equipment while picking up the snowboard wax kits. It is suggested to look for the first two features of the waxing irons that include the plate's temperature control and thickness.

1. Temperature control

Temperature control features of the waxing irons closely depend on the standard of the iron. Premium quality iron ensures better adjustability. The basic irons have an on/off facility when the iron is kept around 125° Celsius. The indicator tells you once the temperature has reached the maximum level.

Moreover, there is a dial that allows you to adjust the temperature from 100 to 150 degrees Celsius, and the indicator shows you when the temperature reaches the limit. If you go to a recreational tuner, they will provide you with an adjustable dial to control the temperature. The five-degree adjustable dial is compatible between 100 and 160 degrees Celsius. On the other hand, one degree adjustable dial can raise the temperature maximum of 180° Celsius.

2. Thickness

Alike temperature control, the thickness of the iron plate also directly depends on the iron quality. Thicker plate always means better irons. Furthermore, a thicker plate takes a long time to get heated but holds the temperature consistently. It implies that the wax can be melted evenly and precisely, which is difficult for thinner irons. An 8 mm thick iron plate is ideal for recreational tuners. But when it comes to fluorocarbon irons, the dishes are required to be 12 to 25 mm thick. Thicker plates, usually, provide hard angles for powdered waxes.

Corks

Corks can be good alternatives for iron and also come inexpensive. In case you forget to wax your snowboard, these corks can help you put a layer on the boards' bottom surface. The corks create friction with the base that produces heat, and thus the waxes get soaked up in the P-tex structure. Corks are very useful for the final minute application. Though they are appropriate for short-term use and are useful for the new tuners, they are used to wax instead of irons.

Fibre-tex pads

There are two kinds of fiber-tex pads you will find in the market, including aluminum oxide and extra fine. You should find out your snowboard wax kits that are equipped with either type of fiber-tex pads. Aluminum oxide pads are grey, and extra fine pads come in red color. The previous one is the roughest that can eliminate base oxidation. It helps to open up the base structure before you start waxing. It allows the snowboard to stay long as well as it can absorb more wax after waxing.

You do not need to use the aluminum oxide fiber-tex every time you are applying waxes. It is better to use only when the base starts to get oxidized. You should use extra-fine fiber-tex whenever you decide to wax the base to make sure it can absorb the wax properly.

Additional factors

It is wise to consider the following factors that are equally important for your snowboard wax kits:

1. Air temperature: You must think about the air temperatures in the first place to select waxes for your boards. The morning temperature can be very different from the afternoon, which means you should choose a wax according to the coldest conditions of the race days.
2. Snow crystal: You should get colder waxes for new snows as it is quite sharp.
3. Humidity: It is better to follow the chart to know whether the wax gets wet quickly or not.
4. Wind: Dry air makes the environment drier. For foggy weather, you need a proper brushing due to the increased moisture.
5. Sun: When the flat section is under the sun, you will need warmer wax and constant brushing for better speed. Otherwise, you can use colder wax effectively.

FAQs

1. After how much time should I wax my snowboard?

All the boards are pre-waxed when you purchase them. As you glide over the snow, the board requires proper attention for waxing and tuning. To ensure that your skiboard doesn't get stuck in ice, try to wax it when you are going to glide over the high slopes.

Also, watch out for the wear and tear of the board bottom and maintain regular tuning and waxing sessions to ensure longer life of the board.

2. What different supplies will I require to set up in my wax kit?

You can have different tools according to your preference, but the essential items are:

• Suitable wax
• Proper vise
• Scrapper and base brush
• Base cleaner
• Waxing iron

3. How can I judge the quality of the wax I am using for the board?

When you put wax on the bottom side of the board, it should make a thin layer, and very little proportion of the product should come-off while scraping. A good quality wax will never form a thick or dense coating.

4. How to safely wax my favorite snowboard?

Here are some tips to follow

• Safely tighten your favorite board on the vise.
• Put on the wax on the bottom side and iron it to spread it evenly.
• Let the wax cool down and then scrape the excess off.

Final Verdict

Tune your sluggish board with an appropriate wax kit and race your way to the top heights with your talent and capabilities. Having proper snowboard wax kits under your possession allows you to maintain your board quickly without any hassle.

This guide brings all the details on different elements of the kit. Deem about them and assemble an appropriate package for yourself.