Consistently flat and sharp scraper edges every time!
Okay…now I know some of you are going to think I’m nuts, and I think people that wax their skis a lot might be the only one’s to appreciate this. Upon returning back to work from my extended leave last week, there was one new addition to the tech-shop that I have really come to enjoy…The Edgr!!!
The Edgr is a motorized ski/snowboard wax scraper sharpener. What’s the big deal? Well…for those that wax their skis, it’s an incredible device that will keep your scraper perfectly flat and as sharp as can be. Scraping rock hard cold wax can be a really pain in the butt, especially when your skis are 155cm wide at the tip, like the BD Megawatt, so it’s important and beneficial to keep your wax scraper sharp. The problem is…with many wax scraper sharpeners out there, they inevitably make the scraper edge uneven…or flat. And because your ski bases are flat (at least you hope), a flat scraper works best.
Though almost like cheating and kind of gluttonous at $219-239, the Edgr is more or less a router, mounted to an aluminum guide that keeps the scarper straight and level as you run it through. The plexiglas shavings come shooting out a small hole on the side of the guide. Each pass of the scraper should be about 2-3 seconds. Too many ridges on the edge of the scraper means that you’re moving the scraper too fast. Debris stuck to the router blades means you’re going too slow.
I pretty much sharpen wax scrapers every time I wax my skis, so a tool like this really comes in handy. If you do a lot of ski work, you really need to check the Edgr out, or get your boss to buy one for the shop. It seriously is the best thing since fat skis and rocker tip!!!
Nice device.
I am superlazy – after waxing the ski with the regular iron (ie, not the special one) I leave it as it is. After about 100 meters of skiing all excesive wax is gone. I am not a GS racer so the first slow meters are not a big deal for me.
Waxing is my way of relaxing. It is a nice time during the evening in the basement with the skis. Better than watching TV (which I do not have :).
Nice…I would love to see a full poor man’s tuning tutorial if you ever were so inclined.
Have you been out in the Teton’s since your return? It is really grim at the village and I am wondering how the touring has been farther north.
Thanks much
indeed a bit excessive….but i would love to have one!
I sharpen my plastic scrappers against a metal scraper at home, and my shop techs sharpen them with a stone grinder once a season. Seems like if you already have a stone grinder to work on skis with, like most ski shops would, you wouldn’t need this device.
Matus…I would agree waxing is therapeutic.. But in the backcountry when your skiing powder, it takes a bit more to ski-off the wax…unlike when skiing at a ski area. For that reason…I like to scrape and brush my skis after waxing.
drew…i skied the park last week. it was good up high, but the approach was full of deadfall with thin conditions down low and at mid elevations. With the hollow snowpack we have now, it was challenging skinning as well.
harpo…while i would agree that a stone grinder can easily sharpen a scraper, it is much more convenient to do it with a nice table top unit right at your waxing bench. As well as reduce the wear and tear on your $$$$ stone grinder. here in the tetons, we often use very cold, hard, wax…and it really helps to have a very sharp scarper.
I’ve been thinking about buying a scraper sharpener, but I alas don’t have $200+ to spend on one now.
Colin, Toko makes a nice little hand sized sharpening unit …sells for around 25 bucks i think.
wow–that looks awesome, but at >$200 there’s no way i’m buying one. i’ll just have to be content to drool over it.
i, too, appreciate a sharp scraper on cold wax.
at $5/scraper and at least 4 usable edges per scraper, that’s a lot of scrapers to go through to justify the cost. (yes, i know re-using is better than throwing scrapers out; i’ll have to live with my ghetto sharpening methods that surely do not produce as solid results.)
thanks for posting this!
I wax a ton since my kids race. I’ve tried many methods of sharpening scrapers…most of those hand jobbies aren’t that good and ultimately leave your scraper uneven. The best hand method i’ve found is to stick your scraper in a vise, buy a 12" panzer file and use that to stroke across teh scraper. Then, polish with by putting a strip of auto-body sandpaper on the bench and rub the scraper back/forth. Works well but it’s still labor intensive.
Once you use a super sharp scraper, you realize how nice they are.
I’m splurging and getting an Edgr. I think the $200 will be worth it to have perfectly sharp scrapers all the time. It also saves your hands as my worst tuning injuries typically occur when i’m hand sharpening scrapers…
john…you will not be disappointed. the edger kicks butt!!!