I just gave up on Dakine all temp hydrocarbon wax. $9.99 last year for 170g and now the same amount is $13.99. I used to love the smell of it but that price increase had me looking into other waxes.
In doing my research, I cam across Hertel's "Super Hot Sauce". I could not find a bad review so I decided to spring for it. Riding thin snow over mowed grass in cold (25f down to 10f) gave me similar results to the Dakine wax. It takes about the same amount of time to rub off of my trash board (heavily oxidized and gouged with lots of p-tex repairs), which incidentally, is the only board I have ridden this year. Glide is about the same though it seems to take longer to get slow and never really gets as slow as the Dakine wax. So I am very satisfied with its colder temp performance.
Yesterday, I rode my trash board on the 4th application of the Hertel's wax and I am pretty sure all of the Dakine wax has been rubbed off or waxed off. The temps were much warmer with a high or 40f. I used to quit riding at about 33f, but I did not notice that it had got that warm. The Hertel's was still fast in wet snow! I used to use high temp Racewax brand wax in high temps, but that barely gave any more glide. The difference is like night and day for Hertel's. I am sold on it and am going to see how it preforms for the rest of the season. Hopefully, we get enough snow for me to try it on one of my nice rockered boards.
In looking for an extra pair of dark snow goggles for those sunny days out in the open, I decided to do a little experiment. Though it may not have paid off economically yet, things may come out cheaper a few years down the line. I purchased some Smith "Sun Valley III" goggles on clearance for $19.99 per pair. These goggles actually fit my face with my helmet much better than my more expensive goggles. Since I was in need of some really dark goggles I decided to try some window tint on these flat el-cheapo goggles. Here is what I found.
Obviously you need to do this over a flat, not curved lens goggle.
Take the lens out of the frame to save some hassle.
The household removable PVC tint will not work since it is not optically true. You cannot see out of it as it distorts your view. I have some if anyone wants any of it.
Automotive tint is optically true but is not recommended for use on the polycarbonate or any plastic that your lenses are made out of. But this is what I used and the first application worked.
You do need to use application solution to get a semi bubble free adhesion. Unless you are a pro, there will be at least 1 pesky bubble, hopefully not right in your line of sight.
I used Gila 20%VLT UV protected automotive tint that I purchased from O'Reilly auto parts. The UV protected stuff is a bit more expensive, but worth it for your eyes. The 20%VLT is nice and dark over the orange lenses that the Smith "Sun Valley III" came with.
The job does not look professional, but will hopefully save money in the long run from buying replacement dark lenses from ProLens at $40 each (for the cheap dark ones).
Board Wax, Snow Goggle Tip for Dark Lenses
Moderator: MK
Re: Board Wax, Snow Goggle Tip for Dark Lenses
Have u ever tried bluebird wax. Thats all i use. I perfer the vanilla soy wax. U can buy it online or at zummies
Re: Board Wax, Snow Goggle Tip for Dark Lenses
Never tried it. But I would love to hear a comparison between that and Hertel's. As far as I am concerned, 53 degrees F down to 6 degrees F is all I could ever want. Does the bluebird wax actually have that kind of range?