Zardoz NOTwax Base Boost efficacy

[Gina D]

Always looking for the warm weather, spring slop and stick snow solution and once again Zardoz was highly recommended to me.

This is their new formulation. I'm very interested in people's experience with it. It is a Teflon fluoropolymer.

On Amazon

Thanks!

 

[chilehed]

If it's anything like the can of Toko liquid fluoro that I bought fifteen years ago then it's worth trying. I found that ironing in a very spare coat did wonders.

Lately I've been happy with FastWax HSF. https://www.skifastwax.com

 

[Yo Momma]

Zardoz is one of my "I never leave home or wax my skis without it..." products. Iron it in w/ hot wax and it lasts. Use it alone and you're only good for a few runs maybe up to half the day, depending on conditions. Absolutely mandatory for waterbars.

 

[cantunamunch]

LOL how far back?

<- Zardoz Renegade since '96

Iron it in w/ hot wax and it lasts.

Indeed. Also works great as an underlubricant on super cold days (like below 5F) with hard waxes especially in fresh snow. Also contains a rust blocker - without the rust blocker it's just vacuum pump oil - you can totally use the wipe when putting skis in box or vehicle after skiing.

Only - be super careful trying to use it with waxes that feel gummy when scraped. Very easy to wind up with a sticky messy gel. Waxes that flake under the scraper - you're fine.

Oh and, if, on a Zardoz saturated ski, you switch waxes to something you haven't used before without using base cleaner - don't be surprised if the bases look like they're rejecting the new wax. That's just the Zardoz doing its job.

 

[Gina D]

Zardoz is one of my "I never leave home or wax my skis without it..." products. Iron it in w/ hot wax and it lasts. Use it alone and you're only good for a few runs maybe up to half the day, depending on conditions. Absolutely mandatory for waterbars.

Very interesting, never heard of ironing it in. So drip some yellow wax on, spread some Zardoz on and hot wax them in together? (Or spread first, then drip, then iron.)

 

[cantunamunch]

Spread Zardoz on brushed out- base. Let soak in. Then use a slightly harder wax (ch red, BP88, Holmenkol Betamix) on top.

Yellow waxes can have either surfactants or silicone additives that don't really like to play with Zardoz. Some white universals also hate it (Hertel Hot Sauce, One Ball Jay come to mind instantly).

 

[Tony S]

For some reason whenever I get near Zardoz I become very very sleepy.

 

[Gina D]

Spread Zardoz on brushed out- base. Let soak in. Then use a slightly harder wax (ch red, BP88, Holmenkol Betamix) on top.

Yellow waxes can have either surfactants or silicone additives that don't really like to play with Zardoz. Some white universals also hate it (Hertel Hot Sauce, One Ball Jay come to mind instantly).

I'll try that for sure. Still have some Toko LF Red and Swix LF7 (purple) so I'll try the Toko on top of the Zardoz this week. Thanks!

 

[Cameron]

I didn't realize that company was even still around. I might have to pick some up again since it really is the best thing I've used in spring snow. The only thing that comes close is Dominator Butter.

 

[East Coast Scott]

Funny, I just ordered two kits off Amazon 10 minutes before I read these posts. I'm not into waxing, scraping and brushing because I don't have time and I live out of hotel rooms mostly. I bought this stuff because of ease of application and the warm weather coming. I'll be skiing at Purgatory til the season ends and from memory it gets really sticky in April.

 

[Jersey Skier]

Lasting about 4 runs today. 56 degrees out.

 

[Gina D]

Skied today with my Felix method wax job. Cleaned base. Coarse structure. Zardoz. Gently iron the Zardoz. Hot dripped Dominator Graphite Zoom on top of that, ironed in, dried, scraped, brushed.

It worked nicely, skied a morning in the 40's. Skis were like rockets even as it got very soft. By 11am it was getting sticky and suddenly the wax job helped, but wasn't enough. Elmers glue feeling.

I put Zardoz on skis on hill. 3 people. Amazing glide immediately for all of us. However it lasted about 1,200 vertical feet before it started to diminish in it's efficacy. Maybe it's good for 2,000 vertical feet.

Most people stopped skiing around 11:30 when it was getting just too sticky without applying Zardoz every couple of runs.

 

[Gina D]

Lasting about 4 runs today. 56 degrees out.

How many vertical feet per run?

 

[Jersey Skier]

How many vertical feet per run?

About 1100. I tried to stay on the shade as much as possible.

 

[Jacques]

Extended use of Zardoz Not Wax will dry out a base. One will be better served with Dominator Butter, or Dominator Elite W.
The W is fluoro free. The butter has the C6 chain fluoro. When properly applied, it can last a long time.

 

[Yo Momma]

Extended use of Zardoz Not Wax will dry out a base.
T

Hmmmm..... 20+ years of Zardoz (NotWax then Base Boost) on 30+ sets of skis with and w/o wax, for hundreds of days and I've never saw the product "dry out" a base. I have zero loyalty to the Zardoz brand and I have tons of other waxes but the stuff is relativley cheap, travels well w/ the puck set up, and is super easy and quick to apply on the fly when other waxes wear out. In fact the only time I've ever dried out a base was leaving the skis in the shed for 10 years w/o wax or use before pitching them.

 

[cantunamunch]

About 1100. I tried to stay on the shade as much as possible.

Most people stopped skiing around 11:30 when it was getting just too sticky without applying Zardoz every couple of runs.

Don't forget the other trick. When you come to a full stop, keep your legs shuffling. Do *not* just stand on your skis, or they will be sticky for the next half-minute or more after you try to move.

Yeh, I know, snowboarders are effed.

Hmmmm..... 20+ years of Zardoz on 30+ sets of skis with and w/o wax and I've never saw the product "dry out" a base.

I think he means 'without using a hot wax during that long term use to provide protection to the base'.

We can all agree that Zardoz liquid provides approximately zero abrasion/scuffing/sharp snow tearout protection.

If that is what @Jacques means, then I basically agree with him.

 

[Yo Momma]

I think he means 'without using a hot wax during that long term use to provide protection to the base'.

We can all agree that Zardoz liquid provides approximately zero abrasion/scuffing/sharp snow tearout protection.

If that is what @Jacques means, then I basically agree with him.

Totally makes sense. Then again, thin liquid waxes are not inherently designed for solo use although I have used Zardoz intermittently solo and never had an issue. I guess I'm not picking up on why the comparison of Zardoz to an iron (Edit: my bad. No iron involved) "rub on paste" wax which is intended for solo use?

Edit: Just re-read the Zardoz add and they do thread the needle on their ads. It does not make it clear that Zardoz needs to be used ONLY in addition to a more robust wax.

Not that my opinion even matters in the least but @Jacques comparison totally works for me and I agree w/ you guys, Zardoz if used exclusively, DEF will eventually dry out a base.

 

[Jacques]

Ah! I see the problem. The waxes @Jacques is referencing are rub-on pastes that he has been giving us feedback about over in the Dom Elite thread.

Above, I posted the application videos for Butter and W.
My experience with Zardoz goes back to many years ago.
At first the skis were fast on icy, or wet snow, but the effect over time lessened to a great degree.
Years later I used it again over wax, and it was just okay. I still have some.
Once I tried Butter, I was way more impressed with it, and it last way longer if it is applied over a fluorinated wax. That makes it hold much better, as fluoro likes fluoro.
Maybe the stuff has changed over the years, IDK. Anyway, my base got dried out, and the stuff just stop working.

 

[Gina D]

Yes and they're both very expensive. I got the Zardoz for $11.