Mountain Flow Eco Wax

[t-the-east]

Just searched about this wax and read through this thread, good stuff.

I’ve been using swix f4 bars for years and have always been happy with them, super easy to work with, except for the whole breathing in chemicals all the time part...

The Mountain Flow eco wax kept popping up on my Instagram ad so I figured I’d give it a shot. Love the concept, ordered 2 all temp, one cold, and some plant based bike chain oil.

Just waxed one pair of skis, what a nightmare this stuff is to work with. Sharp scrapers gum up right away, if you let the scraper gum up and keep scraping, it makes clumps of wax on the ski that are even harder to scrape off.

Overall, not pumped on the purchase. As the designated family tuner and waxer, the swix is so much easier and faster, I’ll give some of the tips from this thread a shot, but man this stuff was bad enough to work with that I had to type it out for others reference.

If i figure out any easier methods I’ll check back in




Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[J. Barron DeJong]

I’ve been using swix f4 bars for years and have always been happy with them, super easy to work with, except for the whole breathing in chemicals all the time

An FYI in case you weren’t aware: new F4 waxes are fluoro free (clearly marked on the front of the package) so that could still be an option if you were happy otherwise.

I can’t stand gummy waxes - have some Toko ‘backshop’ wax bars like that.

[t-the-east]

An FYI in case you weren’t aware: new F4 waxes are fluoro free (clearly marked on the front of the package) so that could still be an option if you were happy otherwise.

I can’t stand gummy waxes - have some Toko ‘backshop’ wax bars like that.

Oh nice! I was not aware, thanks for that.

[Wes Mantooth]

I really wanted to like this wax but it’s such a fucking pain to scrape. Even their warmest temp wax with a sharp plastic scraper is a straight battle. I even find i avoid waxing at this point because I dread scraping it so much

[fleaches]

Isn't Purl also an "eco wax?" That seems to scrape just fine, what's so special about this stuff?

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

[andy m]

I use the rub on and cork method a lot, and it's much harder to rub on the Mountain Flow all-temp wax compared to other brands.

[dcpnz]

I can’t stand gummy waxes

This x 1000

I really wanted to like this wax but it’s such a fucking pain to scrape. Even their warmest temp wax with a sharp plastic scraper is a straight battle.

Ugghh!
Anyone want to buy some new in packaging Mtn Flow Eco wax? - I’ve got some from the kickstarter campaign - haven’t tried it yet because feedback in this thread is consistent and not compelling.

[axebiker]

Sounds like a lot of you should just be getting DPS Phantom Glide. One and done.

I'm a Hertel Hot Sauce guy on alpine and Nordic. Best stuff I've ever used that isn't temp specific. Just bought a brick of Purl - we'll see what that stuff is like. If it sucks, I wax enough bro-gear that I should be able to get rid of it easily enough, and then I can protect my Hertel stash.

[MarsB]

Just searched about this wax and read through this thread, good stuff.

I’ve been using swix f4 bars for years and have always been happy with them, super easy to work with, except for the whole breathing in chemicals all the time part...

The Mountain Flow eco wax kept popping up on my Instagram ad so I figured I’d give it a shot. Love the concept, ordered 2 all temp, one cold, and some plant based bike chain oil.

Just waxed one pair of skis, what a nightmare this stuff is to work with. Sharp scrapers gum up right away, if you let the scraper gum up and keep scraping, it makes clumps of wax on the ski that are even harder to scrape off.

Overall, not pumped on the purchase. As the designated family tuner and waxer, the swix is so much easier and faster, I’ll give some of the tips from this thread a shot, but man this stuff was bad enough to work with that I had to type it out for others reference.

If i figure out any easier methods I’ll check back in




Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Just went through this same experience on my splitboard. I use multiple diameter scrapers in succession, have the Swix sharpener, all that. The all temp was like tree sap, gumming up the scrapers. Really wanted to like this stuff, but going back to my one ball & swix stash until I can get some Hertel ordered.

[eastcoasttreehugger]

Anyone ever try Dots wax?
https://dotswax.com/

I finished my supply of Mountainflow when putting on the storage wax and need to reload - I found scraping a bit of a pain (less so when doing crayoning and fibertex) but want to try something new and deciding between Dots or Purls Natural. Any thoughts?

[Truckee Joe]

Anyone have experience with their IR waxer.
https://mountainflow.com/products/ir-waxer-2-0


‘Waiting for the snow to fall’ -SCI

[natebob]

Anyone have experience with their IR waxer.
https://mountainflow.com/products/ir-waxer-2-0


‘Waiting for the snow to fall’ -SCI

I've used it a couple times, works fine. It took a bit to get the hang of heating the base and following that up with rubbing the wax on the base. Warmer wax was easier to crayon onto the base than colder, not surprising. Seemed to do a good job of melting the wax into the base, still have to be careful not to overheat the ski. Definitely used less wax overall, hence easier scraping. I think similar results can be had by touching wax to an iron and crayoning onto the base. With practice, I think the IR waxer could be a time saver by making it easy to heat the base, apply the wax, melt the wax and have less scraping.

[MarsB]

I think similar results can be had by touching wax to an iron and crayoning onto the base.

I had this exact thought myself when contemplating plunking down $250 for an IR waxer. Just can't justify the purchase.

[eastcoasttreehugger]

Anyone ever try Dots wax?
https://dotswax.com/

I finished my supply of Mountainflow when putting on the storage wax and need to reload - I found scraping a bit of a pain (less so when doing crayoning and fibertex) but want to try something new and deciding between Dots or Purls Natural. Any thoughts?

For the benefit of anyone wanting to use these non-petroleum waxes but annoyed with how sticky they are to scrape off, I highly recommend Dot's. Not enough comparisons in identical snow (nor a good enough skier) to be able to tell a difference in performance, but just based on ease of scraping I'd rank it Dot's > Purls > Mountainflow

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[AlecO]

The complaints about it being hard to scrape are true. One thing I’ve noticed that helps is to let it dry and cool completely before scraping. (Overnight even?) When the wax is still even a little warm, it’s just a complete disaster to try to scrape. (Hot scrapes are…not ideal…) The crayon method for sure makes it easier.

But, I think the stuff is fast — I use it for my weekly beer league without hesitation.

[MarsB]

Not sure if it is petroleum based or not, but Hertel claims to be biodegradable and Hot Sauce is best all temp wax I've ever used. Scrapes like a dream, too.

[eastcoasttreehugger]

The complaints about it being hard to scrape are true. One thing I’ve noticed that helps is to let it dry and cool completely before scraping. (Overnight even?) When the wax is still even a little warm, it’s just a complete disaster to try to scrape. (Hot scrapes are…not ideal…) The crayon method for sure makes it easier.

But, I think the stuff is fast — I use it for my weekly beer league without hesitation.

good to know as I still have a bar of warm temp mountainflow left. I am impatient and only wait 20min typically before scraping

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[axebiker]

Not sure if it is petroleum based or not, but Hertel claims to be biodegradable and Hot Sauce is best all temp wax I've ever used. Scrapes like a dream, too.

I still have the bar of Purl I picked up a couple years ago - still in the package. I'm still using the old Hertel Hot Sauce, and couldn't be happier. Best stuff ever.

[wantriot]

Has anyone tried the mountain flow race wax and compared it to the new non-floro waxes from Swix or Toko? Perhaps the new race formulation is a bit less goopy than initial Mountain Flow formulas?

[ZomblibulaX]

Haven't used the Mtn Flow Race yet, but the new Toko liquid paraffin line is as fast as almost anything they ever made, and though I haven't gotten in to their whole lineup, the Swix PS and HS stuff I have used is ripping as well. I would say that getting a good finish is a little more important than it used to be with fluoros, but I've been very impressed with the new product.




I hadn't checked in on this thread in a while, and in case anyone is still paying attention, here's some answers to questions from last year:

-Hertel uses a paraffin based hydrocarbon wax, like most companies do. They claim to have invented the first fluorinated wax, but they've since moved on from fluoro like everyone else, but still use encapsulated surfactants to reduce surface tension. Super Hot Sauce is still awesome when water is present in the snow (aka old, warm, or wet).

-Purl's original lineup is a microcrystalline wax, it's derived from petrolatum (aka vaseline) rather than petroleum or coal like paraffin. That means it has a smaller and finer crystalline structure, it's denser, and more elastic than paraffin. On the bench, that means it's harder, has a higher melting temp, and is usually a bit more durable than paraffin waxes. It's great for protective waxing (like preventing base burn along the edge), cold environments, and yes, lazy people who don't want to wax as often. Temp range is a bit limited but it's durable. They use a shitload of dye because microcrystalline wax is darker, and it will stain your base, but it doesn't affect performance.

Their natural stuff is sunflower oil-based, see below:

-Mountain Flow is based in carnauba wax, probably mixed with beeswax to make it less brittle. Other eco wax companies will use carnauba or some kind of stabilized vegetable oil base (meadowfoam, soy, etc.) The eco wax companies don't always publish what's in their stuff so it's kind of a guessing game, but you can find a lot of the same ingredients in cosmetics. Carnauba is decent at making things shiny and hydrophobic (like your car), which is kind of what you're looking for when you're finishing a ski base. It's soft, and needs to cool completely (preferably overnight) before scraping so it doesn't gum up as bad. It's actually pretty good in mid-temp ranges, but starts to fall apart in very dry/cold/new snow, and in very wet/dirty snow. Durability kind of goes out the window with all natural waxes, but they're working on it.

[F#*k you cat]

Pure Purple or hertel hot sauce does the trick for me.

We use SVST and Wintersteiger wax at work.

Never messed with the eco wax.

Sent from my Pixel 8 Pro using Tapatalk

[3pin]

I’d toss Wend Waxworks out there for eco consideration.

Transparently, I do some work with them, but they have a good range of temp options for all-mountain to race. There’s some non-petroleum waxes, but most of the line is paraffin with Meadowfoam - all fluoro-free.

If I can hook up some kind of TGR deal, I’ll add here.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[MarsB]

I'd be down to check out Wend wax. I've only heard of them as the factory wax that comes on new Jones and Arbor boards. Never have come across it in the wild.

[Sargentdrufus]

I'd be down to check out Wend wax. I've only heard of them as the factory wax that comes on new Jones and Arbor boards. Never have come across it in the wild.

Wend is what I use I like it way more than mountainflow.