Brand New P-tex guns

[blizzboy283]

still have 2 left

[mmmthmtskier]

...no Magg real-world reviews yet???

[DJMingus]

yeah, I actually used mine recently. My review is of limited value though since I have never used a 'shop grade' ptex gun to compare it to. All I can say is it's a big step up from using candles and a torch to drip fill repairs. So far the patches have held up fine; that's a couple of days skiing. For my purposes it seems like money well spent.

[bruce]

This shit sounds like NS

[TWINS]

Mine works great.The Togner I used before left more unwanted material around my base welds.This gun has a smaller tip which seems better for filling smaller core shots.Money well spent.

[trainnvain]

Stroup, from what I know of you, you're a stand-up guy. You sold me good, solid product (Beasts) in the past, and I would want for you to get nothing but good, solid product from me and others on this site.

You have obviously accepted this as a new product, NOT a glue gun. Hey, I'm not your mother and you can do as you please. But rather than lecture me about the parallel evolution of glue and p-tex guns, and write off my post as thoughtless as in:



I would ask that you take a second look.



Sigh. I didn't post that pic and link to fuck around. I posted it because it contained information...information that you didn't bother to process. That's fine, but why then take the time to post in and scold me, if you yourself didn't take the time to make the comparative analysis begged for by the photos? I ask you look again at the photos. Look carefully, please:




It isn't a similar gun. It's the exact same gun...externally, anyway. Modified nozzle, sure. Different color, yes; different pose, yes; otherwise apparently the same gun. That matters.

I wouldn't have bothered posting with something so useless as "It looks like a glue gun." I'm sure we all get that. The problem is, it doesn't just "look" like a cheap-ass glue gun--as you said, coincidentally ; It very certainly originates from the cheap-ass glue gun I linked to, modified somewhat from the original bargain-basement design, under unknown conditions, and sharing some of its construction.

That's suspicious, and it worries me. If you've now looked more closely and see what I'm referring to here, I would imagine it would worry you too.

You asked critical questions about materials and construction methodology. I would do the same, except mine become somewhat cynical rather than critical questions, now that some of this product's DNA is known:

We can see it doesn't have all new-externals; does it have all-new internals? Is that even safe?
The (cheap) detachable power supply wiring, at least at the base, is the same. Does it suddenly get higher grade inside?

Is it possible that a different, safer for high-temp shell material was cast out of those same molds? I didn't know composites could be worked in existing molds made for standard plastics, as in the original (linked) $15 version.

Is it possible a product designer crammed a new, two-stage separated heating element into the body of this existing glue gun? If so, is that safe? How does the new, second heating element not heat up the body of the gun in a place it was never designed to shield the user from heat? Could it break down the body of the gun?

These aren't unreasonable questions. They just come from the P.O.V. that this would seem to be a retrofitted version of an existing low-grade product, not a new-from-the-ground-up top-quality product. Which is in direct contrast to the seller's repeated claims. Bad sign there. But whatever.

Y'all are free people; you'll do whatever you like. I hope this turns out ok for the good people of this board. Maggots deserve it. Best, all.

How the fuck are some of you crackheads saying this is the same gun?
There are a few similarities, but aside from little vents and overall shape, they aren't even the SAME BODY!
Yes, these are based off a glue gun.
Are they a glue gun? no (well, modified).
Some of you need to gain an attention to detail.

[blizzboy283]

thanks for the reviews guys.

1 left, who wants it?

[DARYLL]

PM sent on p-tex gun

[blizzboy283]

PM sent on p-tex gun

PM returned.

I actually had two, so now that you bought one...

ONE LEFT!

[Alpinord]

As the 'Reviewer' quoted from EpicSki (and photographer of the images), we've received a lot of interest from TGR and elsewhere in these repair pistols and thought it useful to solicit user experiences.

I received one comment about the tearing out of the weld material while scraping and contacted the distributor. His response:

The customer needs to use the front of the gun to heat the area around a repair before injecting the welding material. LDPE has a very low adhesive property, so we need the heat of both materials to weld together the material. The only way to do that is use the front of the gun to heat the base up.

The larger ski gun does run at a higher temp and heats the base of the ski or snowboard much faster. You need about 430 degrees F to get a proper weld, so it is important to let the small ski mender heat up for 15 minutes and then use the front to preheat the base before injecting the material.

Your customer is basically getting a cold weld.

What good or bad experiences have users had using this 'consumer level, light duty' repair gun? How are the repairs holding up? Any tips to share?

Thanks!

[Alpinord]

Some additional notes:
If you wish to change the color of the welding material, you have to extrude and waste a fair amount of material currently in the pistol. One option is to simply use one color only. Another is to try using the tip only like a soldering iron for small repairs with another color welding ribbon, stick or wire. A third option could be to cut the welding sticks in half prior to feeding into the gun and plan ahead for material usage.

[jondrums]

I bought one of these and here is my mini-review.

This is an excellent tool, and does very good base-welds. That's what its for, and it does it really well. I've done several coreshot repairs with it, and have been happy with the results, however there is quite a learning curve. At first I thought that this would replace my drip-candles. It turns out that I am much happier using this for major repair, and leaving the minor scratches to the drip candle. I had a lot of trouble filling minor scratches with this tool, the material didn't fully adhere, and it was very difficult to get the repair flat and smooth afterwords.

I have found that the repair material goes on very solid, so much so that it can be quite difficult to scrape out flat afterwords! I get the best results using it to fill three quarters of any very deep gouges and coreshots, then going back over those repairs with a drip-candle.

[Core Shot]

SLIDEWRIGHT IS SELLING THE SAME GUN FOR $49.95 THAT THE O.P. IS SELLING FOR $115

http://www.slidewright.com/products.php?cat=52

Product ID: PA-SMRP100
Ski Mender RP100 Base Repair Pistol**
Details

New! Perform quick and easy base repairs with our new light duty base repair gun and 11mm (7/16") welding rods/sticks. Plug in and leave this lightweight welding gun in it's metal stand for 15 minutes for the 227 degree C (440 degree F) heating element to melt the welding rod. First rough up and clean the repair area. Use the pistol tip to preheat the base repair area. Squeeze the trigger and the heated tip will extrude and smear the liquified material into small gouges and repair areas. Let cool, harden then remove excess with a panzer, body or coarse file, sharp scraper or skiver, followed by light sanding and fiber pad, for long lasting repairs. (See more info under 'Resources')
Price: $49.99

[Alpinord]

I have found that the repair material goes on very solid, so much so that it can be quite difficult to scrape out flat afterwords! I get the best results using it to fill three quarters of any very deep gouges and coreshots, then going back over those repairs with a drip-candle.

Thanks for the input.

When you say 'minor scratches' are they 'cosmetic' or 'performance' related scratches? Often scratches may bug you visually, but you could be wasting your time dealing with them.

Did you try melting (soldering) the ptex candle with the gun tip instead of burning and dripping for the final pass? The material is definitely solid. Using lighter, more frequent strokes with a cutting tool may help and reduces the chance of tear-out. A curved Sureform tool has a lot of of mini cutting planes that might help.

[telestoner]

SLIDEWRIGHT IS SELLING THE SAME GUN FOR $49.95 THAT THE O.P. IS SELLING FOR $115

http://www.slidewright.com/products.php?cat=52

Product ID: PA-SMRP100
Ski Mender RP100 Base Repair Pistol**
Details

New! Perform quick and easy base repairs with our new light duty base repair gun and 11mm (7/16") welding rods/sticks. Plug in and leave this lightweight welding gun in it's metal stand for 15 minutes for the 227 degree C (440 degree F) heating element to melt the welding rod. First rough up and clean the repair area. Use the pistol tip to preheat the base repair area. Squeeze the trigger and the heated tip will extrude and smear the liquified material into small gouges and repair areas. Let cool, harden then remove excess with a panzer, body or coarse file, sharp scraper or skiver, followed by light sanding and fiber pad, for long lasting repairs. (See more info under 'Resources')
Price: $49.99

bullshit. jizzboy is throwing in $10 worth of p-tex - so its a $60 value! get this fucker out of here.

[jondrums]

blizzboy, you sir are an asshole.

when I bought the ptex gun from you it was not available anywhere else, so we couldn't do price comparo. I trusted that you weren't screwing us, and that was a big mistake!

anyway, get one from slidewright if you ever need to fix coreshots, it works great.

[buckethead]

SLIDEWRIGHT IS SELLING THE SAME GUN FOR $49.95 THAT THE O.P. IS SELLING FOR $115

http://www.slidewright.com/products.php?cat=52

Product ID: PA-SMRP100
Ski Mender RP100 Base Repair Pistol**
Details

New! Perform quick and easy base repairs with our new light duty base repair gun and 11mm (7/16") welding rods/sticks. Plug in and leave this lightweight welding gun in it's metal stand for 15 minutes for the 227 degree C (440 degree F) heating element to melt the welding rod. First rough up and clean the repair area. Use the pistol tip to preheat the base repair area. Squeeze the trigger and the heated tip will extrude and smear the liquified material into small gouges and repair areas. Let cool, harden then remove excess with a panzer, body or coarse file, sharp scraper or skiver, followed by light sanding and fiber pad, for long lasting repairs. (See more info under 'Resources')
Price: $49.99

thanks for the heads-up Core shot...have been using the iron-applied wire with success (also from Slidewright), but that's a damn good deal!

Using lighter, more frequent strokes with a cutting tool may help and reduces the chance of tear-out. A curved Sureform tool has a lot of of mini cutting planes that might help.

for repairs close to the edge of ski, i usually use a utility knife to peel the bulk of the excess material, using the edge as a guide and a little thumb pressure over the cutting plane...that works pretty well.
a couple of shaving passes with the scraper and patch ready for finishing...

[nickwm21]

who knows how to ghetto rig a glue gun to shoot ptex? that would be a good thread

[DJMingus]

that was last year and this now... I paid the $115 or whatever and got a suitable tool for the job at a price I was willing to pay. Blizz didn't rip me off.

At $50 this is a no brainer; totally worth it.

[Smails]

Go back to Epic you douche

Yup, Jizzboy283 is still a douce, a year later.

Jizz, why didn't we see you on a segment of Ski Patrol from Blue Mountain, PA this year? Isn't that where you slay the gnar buddy?

[jondrums]

that was last year and this now... I paid the $115 or whatever and got a suitable tool for the job at a price I was willing to pay. Blizz didn't rip me off. .

I was willing to pay the $115 too, and WAS happy about my purchase. Especially since a similar tool on tognar is $180. Ignorance is bliss. but now I'm just pissed off.

[Alpinord]

EDIT: SOLD

The original demo pistol is now available for $39.99. It has seen an hour's use (or so) for testing and photos. We'll toss in a (10) pack of welding sticks. Let me know color preference or combo.

[Alpinord]

I was willing to pay the $115 too, and WAS happy about my purchase. Especially since a similar tool on tognar is $180. Ignorance is bliss. but now I'm just pissed off.

Jondrums, to mollify your angst, drop a line for a discount at our store. We also felt 'your pain' (multiplied), but all in all BB did make us all aware of this option which is hopefully for the greater good.

[Alpinord]

Here's the new SkiMender web site and application video. Notice the wood scraper.

[Alpinord]

FYI, the RP 350 will be replaced next year with the RP 360 and we can get a limited quantity of refurbished guns. Available for $150 with (10) welding sticks.



Here's the Youtube Video for the new RP 360 (same process for the 350) and the RP 100: