wax iron difference-

just by looking swix looks like it has a heavier weight to it, which is nice to spread the wax with, and it has a light to indicate "its ready"

l'm pretty sure someone else bought this in a conversation last time, but it does take awhile to use a normal iron to do it in comparision to a waxing iron. Comes down to how much you value your time

The first one looks like the dakine one so maybe they're actually the same thing but different brand label on it.  It gets the job done.

I think if you want a proper one you should invest some decent money in an actual waxing iron, I bought a small demon wax iron ($50 NZD, when all the other irons I could find were around $100NZD) and its actually pretty crappy. The temperature is not constant at all which makes a simple quick wax job a little harder

I got the swix one. Bought it with a friend of mine for cross country skiing, but it works well for our snowboards and slalom :)

- P

yep what muse said the swix one is a way better choice, I recommend the Toko T8 I've got one it's coming up on a full season of full time shop use still going strong i'm pretty sure it's the best iron in it's price bracket. This is the best price I could find on it.

To be honest, if you know how to wax your sticks... It doesn't matter if the iron base is super thick or just normal. The cheaper iron isnt going to make that much of a difference. The swix will be nicer... but the advantages might not be worth the extra $$$

thanks for the heads up rye, appreciate it

I actually own the Swix (well, the more $$ version) but looks almost like this one. Since it's my first real waxing iron and I've noticed:
Heats up fast!!
The entire base heats up and not just certain spots of the iron
Spreads wax nicely
Works well on the noses and tail (curved area)
I use lot less wax then a regular iron
Small, nice for storage
Has a temperature knob (good for knowing which temp you're using)
Has a nice weight to it
The power cord bends (good for setting the iron on it's back/side if you're taking a break. Not sure if this one has that bendable power cord)

That's all I can think of atm.

Originally posted by not-ewrx 7 dollar walmart iron has never done me wrong.  Even has temperature control.

Yeah I got one too. I just hate the fact that it shuts off when it hit a certain temp unless you're cranking it all the way up to hold that temp. With my swix, it does that a lot less because it holds heat better.

I have the Dakine one which looks like the top one and it works excellently.  No problems with heating inconsistency or anything.  Gets hot in less than a minute, melts wax, does the job.

Originally posted by heisenbise My only gripe with it is that it looses heat too fast when in use.  I have to stop a few times while spreading wax to allow the iron to heat back up.  I wish the base were significantly heavier to hold heat longer.  Its not annoying enough for me to get a new iron though.

if anyone was interested, l decided to pickup the swix one for my waxing need

Originally posted by heisenbise Maybe mine's just defective?  Dunno, I always just chalked it up to being a cheap kit iron.  Could also be that I don't have the temp cranked up high enough, I tend to keep it closer to the melting point than the smoking point of the wax.

It's a common problem with lower end/smaller wax irons. They're for casual use and ease of carry.