# Hot waxing for $15 and 20 min?



## Mel M (Feb 2, 2012)

Went to my local ski shop (Ski Barn - Lawrenceville, NJ) and they said for $15 they'll hot wax my board and it will take just 20 or so min. That seems a bit on the cheap side since I thought it was at least $20 and it seems a bit quick. From all the vids I saw on the internet, I was under the impression that it takes about 30 min to include cooling time.

Does this sound right, or am I just being paranoid? Just like being an informed consumer and making sure it's not some cheap rush job.


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## zealandblack (Sep 26, 2011)

Cheap? Damn, over at Northstar in Tahoe, I see signs for $5 jobs, though I've never had someone else wax my boards so I can't comment on the quality. Dunno about the 20 min. I usually let my wax dry for like 20 -25 min, but maybe it's fine to scrape after less time, who knows (probably someone on here). If you want to assure yourself of quality, wax and an iron is really cheap. Just buy the hardware and do it yourself.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I wouldn't do it. Twenty bucks is to much and twenty mins is way to quick.


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

I can do a wax job in 20 mins if you only let the wax cool for a couple of minutes. The key is to learn the minimum amount of wax necessary so there isn't a lot of excess. Using a metal scraper speeds things up too


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## redlude97 (Jan 9, 2008)

BTW usually the $5 jobs are "hot waxed" on a belt waxer


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## d15 (Jan 12, 2012)

$15 is "cheap"? Are you serious?

1) You can buy a legit bar of wax for $10 and still have some left over after a single board.

2) Start investing in your own iron and waxing. You'll save money and learn the process while doing so.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I could get my board waxed in vail village for $10 and 30 minutes..... To me thats still too expensive. Just get your own shit. Do it yourself


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## zealandblack (Sep 26, 2011)

redlude97 said:


> BTW usually the $5 jobs are "hot waxed" on a belt waxer


That's cool... I guess... I don't really even know what a belt waxer is. I don't think I seen anyone employing the services of the $5 job on the mountain. I'll just stick to waxing my boards.


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## Kapn.K (Jan 8, 2009)

If I didn't have to fly to my destinations, I would do my own wax. For me, it's an iron, wax, and scraper that takes up weight in my bag. If I lived within driving distance, I would definitely do my own(I try to do everything myself). As I'm writing this, I'm already thinking about changing my opinion. I could do it before I fly out but I always go in the spring so I usually get another wax, mid week to help through the flat catwalks and bottom of the runs. I've almost done a face-plant from bombin' down a run and then hitting some damp, high suction/friction snow at the bottom when I wasn't expecting it. It also seems like a good shop has different temp waxes and can custom blend if they're using a belt waxer. 
Steve


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## Rufus (Nov 7, 2008)

zealandblack said:


> That's cool... I guess... I don't really even know what a belt waxer is. I don't think I seen anyone employing the services of the $5 job on the mountain. I'll just stick to waxing my boards.


The belt waxer is the machine sitting next to the "$5 Hot Wax" sign. A quick machine wax can help a little on sticky spring days but the wax wears off quickly.


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## Ryan_T (Oct 18, 2011)

It's $15 around here too. So I bought an iron, wax and scrapers instead. Already broke even.

The job they did was good though - although they left my tip and tail dry...probly to show off that the rest of it is nicely done.


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## Mel M (Feb 2, 2012)

Sorry fella's. Seemed like I pushed the wrong buttons here.

I didn't mean to say "cheap" to sound snobby. I have seen work from other fields that involve much less mechanical aptitude and/or elbow grease that charge for a lot more money. I recently had my car inspected by a mechanic and all he really did was insert a chip to diagnose my car and little did I know that was going to set me back $50. That was all but two minutes of work. Starbucks Latte for $6 anyone? 2-3 min of work and probably much less production overhead than what you would get from a snowboard tuning shop. Hell, the company I work for just signed off to having consultants come in and get paid $250/hr. Definitely makes me think I'm in the wrong line of work. 

I'm new to the world of snowboarding, so excuse my ignorance, but there's no need to be snappy. If $15 is on the high end of things, then that makes me a happy camper. 

Sorry, didn't mean to go on a rant, but from running a side business, I ALWAYS think of labor cost, cost of materials, equipment maintenance, etc. In my mind, $15 for a quality wax job that I thought was supposed to take at least 30 minutes doesn't equate in my mind. Maybe the retailer makes minimum profits, or even takes in a bit of a loss to keep customers coming back to buy merchandise...


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## Rufus (Nov 7, 2008)

You need to ask them what kind of wax job they are doing for $15. If they are doing a good hand wax then it's a pretty good deal and 20 minutes is pretty fast. If it's a machine wax it seems a little high. A machine wax only takes a minute or two.


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## Mel M (Feb 2, 2012)

Rufus said:


> You need to ask them what kind of wax job they are doing for $15. If they are doing a good hand wax then it's a pretty good deal and 20 minutes is pretty fast. If it's a machine wax it seems a little high. A machine wax only takes a minute or two.


Awesome! Thank you. That's what I'll do when I go to the shop next time.


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## Pixel8tedOne (Feb 7, 2011)

My local shop hand waxes for $10, and the mountain belt waxes for $7. The local though you usually leave it overnight, or at least for a few hours. Mountain pretty much does it and hands it back to you. I will probably try to learn myself for next season, I'm just worried about screwing my board up.


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## AcroPhile (Dec 3, 2010)

I'm out of the loop on prices because I always wax my own but $15 dollars and 30 min seems a bit cheap and quick and for a hand wax but way expensive for a machine wax. No? :dunno:


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