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CalG

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I really like the "travel irons" that can be picked up at the thrift stores for a couple of bux.
Go for the old ones with the heavy steel bases.

Compact size, folding handles, adjustable heat range. CHEAP! What's not to like?
 

Dwight

Practitioner of skiing, solid and liquid
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I have the WSD and it works well. Shop I work at got the Digital SVST Iron, don't really like it. I need to bring my plate glass and sand paper to make sure it is flat.
 

4ster

Just because you can doesn’t mean you should!
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Moms...

7183A35A-A9BF-4F20-BEA3-69E9EE140B64.jpeg
 
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murphysf

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I called two goodwill thrift stores and they didn't have an dry irons (without steam holes), I also went to two of them. So I gave up driving around and wasting time looking for an old skool iron and bought the Wintersteiger for $28 off ebay. (new)

now we just need some snow in tahoe
 

Uncle-A

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Some place on this site I posted temperatures for the cloth settings on a dry iron. I think it was a thread about waxing your own skis. I used a thermal scanner to get them so they should be accurate.
 
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murphysf

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The hysteresis (temperature swing) of a clothes iron is too wide.

Additionally the thickness of the metal base of a clothes iron is too small and dissipates heat too easily which makes the iron cycle and the temp to swing up and down.

A waxing iron has a much thinker base and the temp control doesn't swing nearly as much.

If I got my hands on a dry iron one I would try it, but was wasting more time hunting around for one so I just bought a ski wax iron for $28...
 

Dave Marshak

All Time World Champion
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What's the big deal about a dry iron? What happens in those steam holes that causes a problem?

dm
 

Sibhusky

Whitefish, MT
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Presumably wax starts accumulating. Might not be a big deal if it's clean, but if you're doing hot scrapes you don't want it coming out later on in your process. Plus if you're a really fastidious type you might but want your fluoros mixing with your hydros or whatever. (I don't care, but some might.). If you're that fussy, $28 for an iron is no biggie.

And you certainly won't be able to return it to service as a regular iron ever again.
 

DanoT

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I have for years used a $5 thrift shop Black & Decker portable former steam iron that has very little temp fluctuation. As far as choosing the right temp: Hot enough to melt wax without smoking is pretty easy to set. OTOH purpose built ski wax irons for around $30 seems like a pretty decent price.
 

L&AirC

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I have learned the hard (i.e. expensive) way that going for entry level or budget minded tools, not just in skiing, causes me to end up spending more money in the long run. They either don't last and need to be replaced or I get so dissatisfied with the performance I have to replace it.

You can also end up using "Kentucky Windage". If you aren't familiar, that terms mean that you have not aim at your intended target to hit your intended target. For the iron you may find yourself doing some sort of odd thing (possibly moving it faster or slower or something of the sort).

If the issue is economics, though you would have to do it more often, Rays Ways WaxWhizard is less expensive and will do a respectable job. I would go that route prior to buying products that don't have a proven track record and aren't designed for the job at hand.

My opinion.

Also, if you PM my, I probably have one in the basement that hasn't been used in a long time. I might have already sold it but I'll check tonight. IIRC, it is an "entry" level Toko.

Ken
 

DanoT

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I once had a "entry level" palm sized travel Toko wax iron that was no good because it wouldn't get hot enough. Replaced it with a re-purposed former steam iron.
 

crgildart

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Any iron will do. Household irons are fine.. They just take longer to heat up and don't have a steady supply of power keeping the temp as consistent as a real ski wax iron does. The vent holes in the bottom of a seam iron aren't an issue. Just wipe it off with a cloth while it's still hot before it cools down and gets put away for the next use.

What you would need to watch for with either, especially household without actual temp settings, is you can burn your bases if the iron is too hot. You will know that with either iron because the wax will be smoking if the iron is too hot. Dial the iron back a bit if you see smoke... Too HOT!

What I found a ski wax iron is much better for is putting patches on my son;s scout uniform and sash.
 

trailtrimmer

Stuck in the Flatlands
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It's all about mass, look for one with a thick plate. The cheap ones just don't hold the heat needed for harder waxes.
 

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