Below is general information about the Toko WaxCat and WaxMouse waxing irons that SkiWax.ca would like to convey to you to help you in your purchasing decision. Much of this information is from our actually using this equipment; the rest from research.
The information on clothing irons is provided as a service -- there are too many clothing irons being used at the wrong temperature in too many wax rooms. By giving some technical details about them, hopefully they will be used more safely. Spread the word, it's your lungs too.
IMPORTANT: Always allow your iron 15 minutes to warm up. This allows the iron to repeat several heat cycles. This will mean a more consistent temperature as you wax. When setting the temperature to warm an iron do NOT set it to its maximum temperature. Set it to the recommended temperature for the wax and let it warm up at that temperature. The iron will perform better this way.
A few notes that are common to all of the irons discussed below:
Toko Wax Cat Iron should be set to 600W only for Nordic skis according to Toko's literature. However, if you are working outside with hard/cold wax the 1200W setting may be preferred and should present no problem as long as the iron is kept in motion. It has a temperature range of 120°-170°C (255°-320+°F). There is a °C and °F temperature table on the Wax Cat Iron. Toko warns that none of it's waxes should ever be heated over 200°C (392°F). Vauhti warns that none of it's waxes should ever be heated over 300°C (570°F). Skigo sets an iron maximum of 200°C as a recommendation to avoid altering the composition of the waxes. You should never need to have your iron anywhere near these temperatures. Always work in a well ventilated room and use a recommended respirator. Always set your iron to the lowest possible temperature for a particular wax; keep the iron in motion too.
Always allow your iron to cool before packing it away. An insulated iron cover for the WaxCat is a good idea for packing sooner as it can be placed on the iron at 35°C and cooler. The iron cover will also help prevent scratches to the iron base and keep the corners of the iron poking soft objects in your wax kit.
When using the Wax Cat with a new wax, set the temperature in the 110°C to 120°C range. It is easier and safer to start with an iron that is too cool for a particular wax than too hot. A setting that is too hot will burn the wax and create smoke. The temperature table on the iron for Toko waxes is a recommendation only. You can go cooler. In fact we would recommend for the warmer waxes that you do go cooler. Some of the older Toko waxes (no longer sold but in many wax boxes, such as the "passion waxes") do have a lower melt temperature.
The performance of the WaxCat is very exceptional. The temperature consistency of this iron makes hot waxing much easier. No worrying about the heating cycle causing a "heat spike" that could damage your ski base. The flat base with light diamond ridging helps keep a constant thickness of molten wax between the iron and the base -- further ensuring that your ski base will not be neither scratched nor heat damaged.
Before and after each use you should wipe the iron's base with a paper towel to remove wax. Be careful as the iron will be warm. This will prevent accidentally mixing waxes. If you notice a brown gunge appearing on the iron base it can be cleaned as recommended in the Wax Cat Owner Manual. The appearance of this brown gunge indicates that at least one if not several waxes have been overheated. Try reducing the temperature by 10°C to 20°C. You may have to take longer to drip wax onto the base and you may have to move a little slower while ironing the wax into the base. But the wax will not be transformed, the ski base will not get overheated, less fume/smoke will happen and brown gunge won't appear on the iron base.
This is the ideal iron if you are a racer, having to wax multiple skis at a time, servicing a team (wax tech) or are a fitness skier with a technical orientation. This iron out performs "clothing irons" by a long, long, long distance.
The Cat iron comes with an electric cord of about 249cm meaning it will reach from an electic socket at one end of your ski vise to the other end and remain plugged in. The base thickness at 3mm may seem thin at first glance but there is additional mass on this base with the two heating elements and additional structural supports. When in 600W mode only one of the heating elements is used.
Introduced into the 2006/07 season this is an excellent iron at a very strong 850 watts. It comes with a very long electric cord (about 244cm) meaning that an electric outlet can be at one end of your ski profile and the iron will still be plugged in when you reach the other end. In North America it is a 120V/15A/60Hz iron while in Europe it is 240V/50Hz. The base of this iron is thicker than either of the Toko irons. There are two areas in the iron's base: the outer and central areas. The outer area thickness measures 6mm and the central area measures 9.5mm. The edges of the base are rounded at all edges to easily ride over all waxes (in particular powders). The temperature control is infinite adjustment from OFF to MAX. The instructions list MAX as 160°C but we believe from testing that it is higher than this by 5° to 8°C. While going through a heating cycle the orange light comes on.
While the Skigo iron is targeted to the Nordic skiers it works equally well for Alpine (Downhill/Snowboard) because of it's 850W and thick base. In fact the well rounded edges means it's really good with snowboards.
We recommend this iron for recreational, fitness and racing skiers. If you are a racer with several pairs of skis needing waxing at a time we recommend the WaxCat iron instead.
The Mouse's base is about 4mm thick on the bottom and is heated by one 800 watt element cast into the base.
With the advances that this WaxMouse has the temperature recommendations and care are the same as with the WaxCat: if the wax smokes try reducing the temperatujre dial by 10°-20°C, clean the base between waxes to prevent mixing and if any brown gunge appears on the iron clean it & try reducing the temperature.
Note that the temperature at which a P-Tex base will begin melting is 125° to 135°C. The temperature varies depending on the materials used. At 125-135°C you will not visually see the damage, but the surface of the base will have begun to seal and amorphous portions nearby will also be damaged. (The amorphous portion of a ski base is what absorbs the majority of the ski wax.) A wax layer between the iron and the base insulates the base from the iron's heat. The thinner the wax layer the less insulation. You should not ever have the iron contact the base directly. Do not press the iron into the base as this will thin the wax layer; the weight of the iron should be enough. Always keep the iron moving. The tips and tails of the ski can heat up more quickly than the centre of the ski so more care should be taken about the length of time the iron is kept there.
This information is obtained from manufacturer or representative information.
| Toko | Temp | Vauhti | Temp | Ski*go (NF/LF/HF) | Temp | ||
| Yellow | 140°C | Hardeners (10/20/30) | 110°C | C242 | 125°C | ||
| Red | 145°C | Gels | 110°C | Yellow | 130°C | ||
| Blue | 150°C | Fox Powders | 120°C | Violet | 130°C | ||
| Synthetic (XCold) | 150°C | Fox Nappi | 120°C | Ultima | 145°C | ||
| TexWax | 150°C | Warm Glide | 100°C | Newsnow | 130°C | ||
| Repair powder | 140°C | Cool Glide | 110°C | Blue | 145°C | ||
| Jetstream powder | 110°-120°C | Cold Glide | 120°C | Graphite | 145°C | ||
| with ironing cloth | +5°C | Basewax | 115°C | ||||
| C22 | 190°C | ||||||
| C44 | 145°C | ||||||
| C44A | 145°C | ||||||
| C55 | 140°C | ||||||
| C99 | 140°C | ||||||
| C380 | 150°C | ||||||
| C75 | 150°C | ||||||
| P16 | 155°C | ||||||
| Bloc Fluoro | hand/roto-cork | ||||||
| Fluro Fluids | hand/roto-cork |
If you insist on using a clothing iron, and we don't recommend you do, you should use a new iron. Not an iron that was manufactured 50 years ago with a fraying electrical cord! A new clothing iron is low cost and more reliable than the older clothing irons. We still recommend you purchase a real waxing iron such as the WaxCat or WaxMouse. Be aware that the heating cycling on a clothing iron is much wider than a waxing iron. This could result in your ski bases being exposed to too high a temperature which could result in the base surfacing sealing. A typical Black & Decker iron, for example, has a temperature variance in it's heating cycle of ±8.3°C by specification, but may vary larger than this.
You should never have any need to set a clothing iron for waxing purposes higher than "Cotton Blends" in special circumstances. Regular circumstances should have the clothing iron no higher than "Rayon". Any higher settings will result in excessive wax fumes and potentially smoke from burning wax. If you see people setting an iron too high tell them! This will make it safer for you and all others in the wax room. Typically you will set the iron between "Acrylic" and "Nylon/Silk". Let the iron warm up for 15 minutes first at this low setting.
| Setting | Temperature °C |
| Acrylic | 107 |
| Nylon/Silk | 121 |
| Rayon | 132 |
| Cotton Blends | 149 |
| Wool | 166 |
| Cotton 100% | 193 |
| Linen | 204 |
If you have any questions about this web site or it's content please contact
with e-mail to "Askus at SkiWax.ca" (replace 'at' with '@') or
telephone (519) 747-8032.
SkiWax.ca, 535 Blue Beech Blvd., Waterloo, ON, N2V 2T4.