Swix Evo Pro thoughts

[beantownace]

Hello all,

I have two smaller racers a U10 and soon to be first year U14. I am looking into the Swix Evo Pro that comes with the Fine disc only. I own the Swix roto kit and I get good wax results with some of the gels I use where many times I can go with that for a race for them versus hot wax and get a good finish so now trying to save myself both $$ and time for edging where right now I will diamond stone them but pay for race tunes all the time. Looking for some veterans comments on this product and I know about the Razor Tune so looking at that one as well.

Is the Swix Evo Pro fine enough for maintenance and in the case of a race any thoughts should I also get a more abrasive disc like the medium or course? Kids skis are small even my U14 is in about a 140cm or so she is small so balance of taking edge off but lasting through an entire race season for her. My U10 does not compete much now so the fine would be okay to deal with his all season. The other thought is I have not used my sidewall cutter I have so not exactly sure how often I would use that if at all as I don't think the shops even do that to their smaller race skis and the base edge something I probably need to think about as well.

Thanks all for any advice. Great community here I have learned a lot as a race dad and always appreciate the input.

 

[Philpug]

Here is the review of the TOKO counterpart

Review: - Toko Edge Tuner World Cup

Review: Toko's World Cup Edge Tuner

www.skitalk.com

 

[wolcoma]

The Swix EVO is very easy to use on race skis, but I would not recommend the fine disc as it's probably more for polishing than getting skis really sharp. I recommend either the medium or course. Even with the EVO if the snow conditions are hard and icy you may still need to use the diamond stone and possibly a file to get the skis really sharp. In addition you can't get the skis sharp if there is plastic hanging over the metal edge, so you definitely need a sidewall planner before you start sharpening the race skis. An easy test is to file the edges and if you see say red plastic on your file, the plastic is still hanging too much over your metal edge.

In terms of waxes or pre-race gels, the gels are a waste of time with the exception if you have the right gel to apply just before the race. We have a really good Swix rep who has taught me a ton about waxing over the years. Hot waxing the skis on a regular basis is the best way to both protect the skis and make them fast! That's why I am not a fan of junior racers having both training and racing skis. If kids are saving their skis only for race day, they will never get fast because they are not waxed or skied on enough. Save your old skis for early season skiing and drills, etc. In addition forget the fluoro as it no longer legal at any level. I am not sure they can check for flouro at junior races, but you no longer need that stuff as it's bad for the environment. Just keep waxing those race skis with the more affordable CH Swix wax and they will get fast for junior racing.

 

[beantownace]

The Swix EVO is very easy to use on race skis, but I would not recommend the fine disc as it's probably more for polishing than getting skis really sharp. I recommend either the medium or course. Even with the EVO if the snow conditions are hard and icy you may still need to use the diamond stone and possibly a file to get the skis really sharp. In addition you can't get the skis sharp if there is plastic hanging over the metal edge, so you definitely need a sidewall planner before you start sharpening the race skis. An easy test is to file the edges and if you see say red plastic on your file, the plastic is still hanging too much over your metal edge.

In terms of waxes or pre-race gels, the gels are a waste of time with the exception if you have the right gel to apply just before the race. We have a really good Swix rep who has taught me a ton about waxing over the years. Hot waxing the skis on a regular basis is the best way to both protect the skis and make them fast! That's why I am not a fan of junior racers having both training and racing skis. If kids are saving their skis only for race day, they will never get fast because they are not waxed or skied on enough. Save your old skis for early season skiing and drills, etc. In addition forget the fluoro as it no longer legal at any level. I am not sure they can check for flouro at junior races, but you no longer need that stuff as it's bad for the environment. Just keep waxing those race skis with the more affordable CH Swix wax and they will get fast for junior racing.

I have had some good luck with the Holmenkol non fluoro Liquid Race Wax red gel I put it on leave about 30 minutes use my roto buff wheel then the nylon to finish with my drill for a nice finish night before race day and my daughter has said she feels they are fast but agree if I had the time I would be using the hot wax iron scraping takes me some time. Tx for the advice on the discs if I do get it I would get at least the medium as well.

 

[S.H.]

For the sharpener, the Evo works well, though I'd recommend the Razor Tune over the Evo because of how the tool works. The Razor Tune is operated on a flat ski (base up). The Evo works on a ski edge-up, and requires the operator to keep the tool from slipping off and damaging the edge. Plus, you can go cordless with the Razor Tune.

I've seen a lot of skis damaged by user error with the EVO (and lots of kids blaming dad). It's a lot harder to make the same level of damage with the Razor Tune.

That said, if used correctly, they both have a good final product. I'd recommend getting something coarser than just the "fine" wheel--as @wolcoma said, it's more for polishing than sharpening.

 

[sparty]

There's a thread around here comparing the consumer-grade tools, and I'd also recommend the RazorTune over the Evo. I own an Evo but have spent a fair bit of time running a RazorTune as a coach; if I were going to buy one or the other, it would be the RazorTune.

If you do get the Evo, you definitely want the medium and coarse stones. I usually use the fine stone for touching up race-tuned skis that are still in pretty good shape, the medium for normal tuning of anything else, and the coarse for setting bevels and cleaning up rock hits.

 

[beantownace]

There's a thread around here comparing the consumer-grade tools, and I'd also recommend the RazorTune over the Evo. I own an Evo but have spent a fair bit of time running a RazorTune as a coach; if I were going to buy one or the other, it would be the RazorTune.

If you do get the Evo, you definitely want the medium and coarse stones. I usually use the fine stone for touching up race-tuned skis that are still in pretty good shape, the medium for normal tuning of anything else, and the coarse for setting bevels and cleaning up rock hits.

Awesome. Yeah the next thing I am figuring out is how to side strip these small fisher race skis. I used an old pair of my sons 110cm with the swix round side cutter and destroyed those already lol.

 

[beantownace]

There's a thread around here comparing the consumer-grade tools, and I'd also recommend the RazorTune over the Evo. I own an Evo but have spent a fair bit of time running a RazorTune as a coach; if I were going to buy one or the other, it would be the RazorTune.

If you do get the Evo, you definitely want the medium and coarse stones. I usually use the fine stone for touching up race-tuned skis that are still in pretty good shape, the medium for normal tuning of anything else, and the coarse for setting bevels and cleaning up rock hits.

How many passes do you do on a smaller race ski just curious with the Razor tune?

 

[KingGrump]

How many passes do you do on a smaller race ski just curious with the Razor tune?

If the edges were set previously with the same guide, 2 to 4 passes with a medium wheel.

Actually, I examine the edges to check the grinding pattern on the side edge has reached the base edge intersection. Otherwise, I'll do couple more passes.

Awesome. Yeah the next thing I am figuring out is how to side strip these small fisher race skis. I used an old pair of my sons 110cm with the swix round side cutter and destroyed those already lol.

Start with a side wall planer. Light to moderate downward pressure and take shallow cuts. The cuttings should come out in spirals. If the tool skips and chatter, then you are applying too much pressure. If the ski have a titanal plate on top of the side edge. Look for silver in the cutting. Do not try to rip the side wall with the side wall tool at the tip and tail of the skis with two layers of titanal Switch to a panzer file on a 7° guide for those sections. .

I'll usually rip the sidewall with a cutter after a base grind. Couple passes with a panzer for the tunes in between will usually keep the sidewall in check.

 

[Dave Marshak]

I like my EVO. I do 2 passes with the fine wheel every day or 2, or sometimes I'll use the medium wheel if it's really dull. It's not very powerful, and it will stall on any edge damage that you don't remove first. I use a panzer in a 7 degree file guide to keep the sidewall back. (Sidewall cutters are too fussy for me.)
I think it's easier to work the ski edge up than to clamp the ski in a vise like you would for a Razor Tune. I added a drill battery to mine and it balances well if you hold the ski with the base about 15 degrees from vertical. IMO that makes it almost as easy to use as a Razor Tune.

I have an infrared lamp for waxing which I like better than an iron, mostly because the scraping, brushing and clean up is easier.

dm

 

[mdf]

I'm another Evo fan.

If you use it frequently, the fine can be enough. But you have to take out any rock damage with a hand stone first, and you need a medium or coarse to change angles.

You do need to pull back sidewalls. It isn't powerful enough to brute force through wall material, and it would probably clog the stone.

 

[sparty]

You do need to pull back sidewalls. It isn't powerful enough to brute force through wall material, and it would probably clog the stone.

No matter what you use for edge sharpening, you need to pull sidewalls back first. Even tools that don't immediately choke on sidewall material can be pushed out of alignment and prevent you from sharpening the whole edge, especially when they skis have a structural edge above the one you're trying to sharpen (and that includes hand tools).

 

[Burton]

Here's another voice saying the Razortune is less prone to user error than the Evo. In any discussion of ceramic disc edge grinders, I'll add the PSA that the edge should always be polished with a diamond stone after using the grinder to remove any micro-serrations, and if your kid is training and racing on skis tuned with these tools, please consider investing in cut-proof base layers. I've seen first hand the results of both using cut-proofs and not using them, and I now view them as one of the most important investments you can make in a racer's equipment.

 

[Wade]

I'll add the PSA that the edge should always be polished with a diamond stone after using the grinder to remove any micro-serrations

I don't think that's a universally agreed truth. There's a school of thought that the stirations from machine tuners may increase grip.

I'm not sure if I necessarily believe that, but I don't feel the need to polish the skis further after completing my passes with the Razor Tune (other than to tidy up tips and tails in some cases). I don't notice any adverse ski performance characteristics from making my final pass with the Razor Tune when compared to a hand tune.

 

[Dave Marshak]

I finish mine with either the fine or the medium EVO wheel. I haven't come to any conclusion about which makes for better grip. I think maybe a little coarseness on the edge is grippier but a little slower, which is a good trade off for me. I have no way of knowing whether that's true or whether I'm just too lazy to finish the job with a fine stone.

The consensus is that the Razor Tune is easier to use, but you need to be careful how you clamp the ski in the vise. With my EVO I just drop the ski into a slot in a wooden block. There's no vise and no clamping. Putting a battery on it eliminated the power cord wrangling which makes the tool much easier to control. I'm sure I'm faster with the EVO than I would be with the RT just because holding the ski is easier. YMMV

dm

 

[KingGrump]

you need to be careful how you clamp the ski in the vise

With the standard Swix/Toko vises that have the small rubber pads on top of the clamp towers, the RT can sharpen most skis with a flat top sheet without clamping.

 

[Rudi Riet]

I've used both the Swix EVO (and it's Toko twin) and the RazorTune. Both work very well, but I prefer the RazorTune for all of the reasons mentioned by @sparty and others above.

Let's just say the RazorTune lives in my travel tuning kit and sees a lot of use - as do my sidewall planer, panzer file, diamond stones, and other tricks of the trade. The Evo is a backup.

 

[Dave Marshak]

With the standard Swix/Toko vises that have the small rubber pads on top of the clamp towers, the RT can sharpen most skis with a flat top sheet without clamping.

I can hold any ski securely edge up without any rubber that would deteriorate on my outdoor bench. For me the hardest part of the EVO was dealing with the power cord. An RT power cord might be less prone to catching on the bindings/brakes, but either way it's better to just use a battery. Maybe it comes down to that I've always been more comfortable working on a ski that's held edge up.

dm

 

[Wade]

With the standard Swix/Toko vises that have the small rubber pads on top of the clamp towers, the RT can sharpen most skis with a flat top sheet without clamping.

Same here. I can't remember having to clamp skis for my RT. The friction from the rubber on the end towers is plenty to keep the ski in position for tuning with a RT.

 

[Rudi Riet]

Maybe it comes down to that I've always been more comfortable working on a ski that's held edge up.

I know from that - been tuning my own skis for 40 years now and was taught hand-filing by having the skis on edge. Adjusting to the RazorTune didn't take much, though I had to get new vises to properly accommodate the RT (and to be frank: I needed new ones, anyway).