 Poster: A snowHead
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I went shopping for a base file guide today and while enquiring got shown this EasyPrep all-in-one ski preperation system.
Looked very good from what I saw and am very tempted to get one. Was just wondering if any of you guys and ladies on this forum have had a chance to play with one.
http://www.easyprep.de/html/en/index.htm
Be interested to hear you guys opinion on this before I splash some cash.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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looks interesting, but I notice that to get the one with the files, rather than sandpaper, you need to go to the €399 model (or buy a more basic one and add them on)
Where were you shown it, and for how much?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Wear The Fox Hat, I saw it at Glide+Slide in Otley, West Yorkshire.
The one I looked at was the middle of the range "Profi" which had files included AFAICT. This was for just over £200 IIRC.
Thing that attracted me to it was the number of angles you could select for both base and edges.
I was going to kit myself out with quite a few file guides but after seeing how much it would cost me I wonder if this would be of more benefit?
I'm going to take my diamond files with me tomorrow and take another look at it and see if they will fit.
If anyone has any questions about it I can ask tomorrow when I go for a closer look.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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rockyrobin, I had a look at the Easyprep prior to buying my gear - not actually in person but on their website. My issues were as follows:
1. How accurate is it made, ie are the angle settings on both sides of the system exactly equal? I doubt it. The angles need to be equal otherwise you'll get different angles cut on each side of your ski.
2. Using the very short file/stones increases their wear which means more frequent replacement.
3. The file/stone holder looks to be approx 100/125mm long & with the stone/file held parallel to the ski (rather the diagonally across it). I reckon that this would make it difficult to follow the ski edge on heavily side cut skis like my b5's.
4. Repeatedly unscrewing/screwing the stone/file holder clamps to change the grade of the cutting tools would be a pain after a while and is way slower than a conventional spring clamp.
5. As you're working on both skis at once you're effectively halving the 'feel' you have which is not good for a sad precision geek like me!
6. It looks difficult to apply equal pressure to both sides of the stone/file holder at the same time so you'd be cutting different amounts off each ski.
7. As with many conventional ski vices it doesn't look like the ski clamps would work well when trying to securely hold modern skis with heavily profiled top sheets (like my b5's) for edge tuning.
8. You'd still need a conventional edge guide etc to take away with you for 'end of day' tune-ups.
9. The unit seems to be marketed as a convenience/speed tool rather than a precision tool.
10. In the world of precision tools you get what you pay for.
11. Remember, if it seems too good to be true it probably is.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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spyderjon, Cheers. Sounds like there's a lot of issues that a gear geek may come across. One i've just thought of - How do you do the edges going round the curve on tips and tails? I know when my Metrons had no edge there I noticed it immediately! 
I guess I shall have to just bite the bullet and get the guides etc instead.
I'm also after a PTex gun - Do you know anywhere that sells these?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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rockyrobin, the answer is hidden in spyderjon's #3. A file or stone with a short contact area (30-45mm say) has much less trouble following a curved sidewall.
I was impressed with the convenience of the side edge system. However, I don't think I quite understood the switch between the S1 tool to do the sides and the S2 tool for the base edges. Does one change the position of the skis in the clamps between S1 and S2?
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comprex, When I watched the S2 doing the base edge you just rotated the hexagonal blocks to the desired angle and then just popped the skis back in as when doing the side edges and whizzed the S2 back and forth just like when doing the side edges. Looked good, and I reckon most people would be more than happy with its results.
I see what you mean about following the curved sidewall. That would explain the small file blocks instead of one long file being included.
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How important is "top notch" ski tuning to anyone other than a racer? Do edge angles really matter? Do a few (or even a lot of) little scrapes on the bases have any noticeably detrimental effects?
The main benefit I notice from servicing comes from the waxing. Servicing of my skis is normally done only when I have big holes in the bases or holes near an edge. When the pistes are hard packed I may use a small diamond-stone to remove any burs and polish the edges. I do like rubbing on wax every two or three days. When skiing skiing with friends over a few days it is noticeable whose skiis have dry bases and whose have recently been waxed, particularly on fast sections or on flat schusses - thinking of the piste from top of Boulin-Fress chair to La Folie Douce/La Fruitière
For rockyrobin's P-Tex gun you could visit http://www.tognar.com/ select base repair tools and then select base repair pistol. I bought some stuff from them. We exchanged a couple of emails about items and postage. Paid by card and the goods arrived in about a week. They seemed very keen to provide a good service to their customers.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The effect of base scratches depends at least in part on the type of snow you are skiing on, if the temperatures are low even quite large scratches will only have a slight effect on stability, however if the snow is relatively wet it's a different matter, you will then find the snow sticking to the base of the ski which can result in some very unplesant skiing indeed.
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rockyrobin, Re a p-tex gun. Check-out either the Snoli 801/P or 801/TEC gun on http://www.maislinger-snoli.com or the Kunzmann 3380 Base Doctor kit on http://www.kunzmann-skitools.de
The above are imported in to the UK by Ronnie at Kandie Products on 01324 861 296. The guns are really a pro tuners tool & are only cost effective if you're making very many repairs. I've got the Base Doctor which works off lighter fluid (it's a kind of soldering iron & the jet just heats the tip & doesn't contact the base) & is only £40, about a third of the price of a decent gun. With the correct flat repair p-tex and a bit of practice it works just as well as a gun and waaay better than a melted candle repair. It's also light & compat which is ideal for a Verbier flat!
BTW, I was at my HQ today in Harewood which is only a few miles from Glide & Slide so I went and had a play with the Easyprep at lunchtime.
As you probably gathered from my earlier post I was a little sceptical. It's actually quite an impressive piece of kit although I still think it has a number of flaws as a precision tuner - although to be fair I don't think that's really the target market.
I'll re-address my earlier comments:
1. How accurate is it made, ie are the angle settings on both sides of the system exactly equal?
The clamps hold the ski against three angled octagonal(?) posts postioned between the skis at tip, centre & tail. Each opposite faces of the post being the same angle. Rotating the posts brings a differently angled pair of faces around to the clamps. The posts are made of plastic and have to be removable. I don't reckon that all six faces will be the same angle that often. The sales pitch says that you can set different angles on different posts to vary the tune along the edge. This certainly looks possible.
2. Using the very short file/stones increases their wear which means more frequent replacement. Still true.
3. The file/stone holder looks to be approx 100/125mm long & with the stone/file held parallel to the ski (rather the diagonally across it).
The holder is this long but you can put a short stone/file as comprex says and this will allow edge contact on a heavily sidecut ski.
rockyrobin this short stone/file still won't allow you to follow the edge around the upward bend on the tips as as the gap between the two tips gets wider the holder just falls out between the skis.
comprex, yes I pretty sure that the skis are upright for both side and base edge tuning. although I didn't try the base edge tool.
4. Repeatedly unscrewing/screwing the stone/file holder clamps to change the grade of the cutting tools would be a pain after a while and is way slower than a conventional spring clamp.
True.
5. As you're working on both skis at once you're effectively halving the 'feel' you have.
True.
6. It looks difficult to apply equal pressure to both sides of the stone/file holder at the same time.
True.
7. As with many conventional ski vices it doesn't look like the ski clamps would work well when trying to securely hold modern skis with heavily profiled top sheets like my b5's.
Not true. I tried a pair of b5's in the Easyprep. You can move the end clamps along the supporting bar so it's easy to position them on a flat area of ski for a secure hold. The centre clamp also moves so you can find an area over the binding for a secure hold also. Sort of blows the idea of being able to tune different areas of the edge to different angles though.
8. You'd still need a conventional edge guide etc to take away with you for 'end of day' tune-ups.
True.
9. The unit seems to be marketed as a convenience/speed tool rather than a precision tool.
I think that the Easyprep is a great tool for anyone not wanting a 'precision' tune & as such is not for me. At just over £200 it seems good value when compared to buying the equivalent number of conventional guides etc., although anyone wanting just a basic tune would probably only buy one guide.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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