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Wax Irons: Is the Maplus the same as Wintersteiger?

#1
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11/2/09 at 12:34pm
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The Wintersteiger and the Maplus look to be the same iron, or very similar save for the color of the plastic. What's the difference?
Maplus is made in Japan? Is the base really 1/2 inch thick? Does not look it in photo.
Wintersteiger made in ?

Have heard good things about the Wintersteiger. Looking to replace one of the new style Swix irons that works poorly despite it's "advanced heating element".

WinterSteiger:



 Maplus: (can't get image to load here)
https://www.maplus.com/US-Maplus-Adjustable-Ski-Snowboard-Wax-Iron.html
 

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#2
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11/2/09 at 1:07pm
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Yes, the plate is 1/2" and the Maplus blue is better looking while you wax your boards. The Toko T-8 has a 3/8" plate.



IIRC, the Japanese company that makes the Maplus is Vitora. I'll bet Winterstieger does not make many of their smaller DIY tools.....some are SkiMan, BTW. The Winterstieger I have access to is rated at 1000W:



Correct iron company name (Vitora).


Edited by Alpinord - 11/16/09 at 3:23pm
Best Regards, Terry Be sure to check out our growing ACTIVITY SUPPORT products for your next outing.
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#3
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11/2/09 at 1:14pm
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I have the Wintersteiger/Maplus iron in yet another cosmetic variation: it's orange, with a somewhat arbitrary brand name.
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#4
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11/2/09 at 1:20pm
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So the Maplus and Steiger are the same?
Oh look how that cord wraps around the Toko. Nice.
So, how do you like using the Maplus versus the thinner but larger Toko?
Do you use the curved arc of the Maplus plate sideways? - handle perpendicular to length of ski?
How do you like the digital versions?

Any recommendation for heavy use, ie 3x/wk, travel etc., junior race use?

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#5
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11/2/09 at 1:27pm
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Circumstantial evidence indicates there is a very high likelihood they are in fact the same iron.

The digital is sweet and larger than both, but the Maplus digital is unavailable for a little while longer AFAIK. The Maplus/Wintersteiger/Vitron is lighter and more compact than the Toko. From TGR post:

Quote:
The Toko T-8 weighs 837gr/1 lb 14 oz and the Maplus arc-shape, 560 gr/1 lb 4 oz. The compactness and lighter weight and ease of use of the Maplus is nice and does work very well (see it on YouTube videos), but the T-8 seems a skootch nicer overall and has a larger plate, better for wider skis. I guess, at the moment, I'd lean towards the T-8, but am fine with the arc-shaped, more compact Maplus.
Regarding use. The analog Maplus has been very reliable and works fine for me and would be better for travel, IMO. I preferred the digital one better until it went on the fritz after I dropped it. Makes we wonder about getting and recommending an overhead leash for irons in general.

(Note: FTR record Maplus has merged with Briko forming the Briko-Maplus brand.)
Best Regards, Terry Be sure to check out our growing ACTIVITY SUPPORT products for your next outing.
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#6
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11/2/09 at 1:47pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpinord View Post


(Note: FTR record Maplus has merged with Briko forming the Briko-Maplus brand.)

Will the Maplus helmet line stay, go away, or get subsumed into Briko as model variety?

Now on Mondays.

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#7
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11/2/09 at 2:11pm
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Thanks for the replys and the link to the tgr post.

I like this one from Scottish Skier:

 Quote:
 

+1 for the charity shop iron
ski specific irons are for people who ski in lycra, drink diet coke, and fold their undies before putting them in the cupboard.


you won't notice the difference!

 


I wonder if there's any difference in beer? 
I guess when someone tells you to "breathe into this tube.." it doesn't matter which beer it was.
 

Question on wattage. The Toko T12 is rated at 1200w. That's a lot to run on thin extension cords and questionble motel outlets. (both the motel and power). However, maybe that amount of power is only at highest setting and frequent cyclings?
 


Edited by Tog - 11/2/09 at 2:28pm
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#8
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11/2/09 at 3:16pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by comprex View Post

Will the Maplus helmet line stay, go away, or get subsumed into Briko as model variety?
 

As far as I know, this STRATOS EVO PETER FILL helmet is what is currently available:


....along with Maplus Roller Ski helmets.

Here's the Briko-Maplus 09-10 Catalog:









Best Regards, Terry Be sure to check out our growing ACTIVITY SUPPORT products for your next outing.
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#9
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11/2/09 at 3:20pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tog View Post
Question on wattage. The Toko T12 is rated at 1200w. That's a lot to run on thin extension cords and questionble motel outlets. (both the motel and power). However, maybe that amount of power is only at highest setting and frequent cyclings?

 


Good question. I'm not sure the answer. At 1200W, that would be 10 amps, correct? One of the benefits of denser plates is less frequent cycling.

Best Regards, Terry Be sure to check out our growing ACTIVITY SUPPORT products for your next outing.
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#10
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11/2/09 at 5:04pm
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I have the green Wintersteiger pictured in the beginning of this thread, and I do use it sideways (handle perpendicular to the ski) to take advantage of the concave edge to better distribute lower quantities of wax dripped down the center of the ski - over the whole ski base. It works well, and is the best iron I've used to date. Temperature seems consistant.
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#11
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11/2/09 at 11:27pm
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Tog if you want to have really good iron, go with Toko. Back in my days on WC as serviceman, I have been using quite few, but noone of them compares to Toko. Swix irons, even the most expensive ones, are joke. They can't keep temperature, and if you have bad luck and are working in colder conditions, it's almost impossible to get it hot enough.
I can't say about Wintersteiger or Maplus, but Briko irons were nowhere near Toko irons few years ago. So my choice would be Toko... or old household iron, which I was using for a year when we were stuck with unuseable Swix irons.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tog View Post

Have heard good things about the Wintersteiger. Looking to replace one of the new style Swix irons that works poorly despite it's "advanced heating element".

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#12
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11/3/09 at 12:47am
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That Maplus/Wintersteiger seems to be the lowest common denominator in all the company ranges - Swix and Toko both sell exactly the same thing, just in red and yellow respectively.

I had a Toko one which was really nice. It kept a good temperature which pretty much agreed with the readings on the dial. Then one day it just went BANG. So I bought another one. Damn thing could hardly melt CH8 even on the highest setting (in an indoor environment). I got a replacement which was a bit better in the temperature department, but the base wasn't true which caused nasty scraping sounds on the edges.

At this point I decided to cut my losses and buy a slightly bigger Swix iron (T74) which served me very well last season.
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#13
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11/3/09 at 8:51am
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Had a Toko Wax Mouse iron, never worked great then kept getting worse.  It would kick in, smoke the wax then kick out - thermostat must have gone bad.

Just got the Winterstieger Digital and so far its been awesome.  Really nice to work with.
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#14
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11/3/09 at 12:23pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alpinord View Post

Good question. I'm not sure the answer. At 1200W, that would be 10 amps, correct? One of the benefits of denser plates is less frequent cycling.
 

That's about the same as regular clothes steam irons.    

Fortunately the maximum draw is only at the very beginning when the heater coil is cold.

Now on Mondays.

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#15
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11/3/09 at 12:36pm
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 In fact, that's what a hair dryer will use, except the hair dryer will draw far more power.
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#16
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11/3/09 at 4:37pm
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Well, you can't get more than 15 amps*, so you're not going to draw more than ~1800 watts. And to do that, you'd better not have anything else plugged into the same circuit.

So far as I can tell, irons (at least non-super-expensive ones) just use a simple thermostat, so that at any given moment, the heating element is either on or off: which is to say that it's always either drawing the full 1200 watts / 10 amps (or whatever power it draws), or nothing. While it's heating up it'll be on for several minutes or so, then it'll probably be off most of the time and only on in short bursts.

I'm somewhat curious if people have managed to blow a circuit breaker with a wax iron. Say, for example: you plug the iron and a power drill into a pair of outlets. If you leave the iron sitting, plugged in, while you use the power drill to rotobrush a pair of skis, I think you could get at least right to the verge of 15 amps.
_____
*Unless: (i) you use a 20-amp outlet, which most people don't have, plus they use a funny plug, or (ii) you unplug your clothes dryer and use the 240V 30-amp outlet, but that has really funny plug, or (iii) you just defeat your fuse or circuit breaker in a crazed attempt to burn your house down.
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#17
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11/3/09 at 6:51pm
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Just use an old Iron, if you don't have one maybe look at yard sales. 

But, if you use your wife's or mom's good Iron, it is a problem unless the base and steam holes are not cleaned.  If not cleaned properly, a shirt might stick to your skin.

An old Iron works fine !   
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#18
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11/3/09 at 8:47pm
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I got the Wintersteiger digital iron last year and have been very happy with it.

-Z
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#19
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11/4/09 at 8:46am
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 An old iron has very wide swings in temperature.  That's a good way to burn your bases.
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#20
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11/4/09 at 10:39am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sjjohnston View Post

Well, you can't get more than 15 amps*, so you're not going to draw more than ~1800 watts. And to do that, you'd better not have anything else plugged into the same circuit.

So far as I can tell, irons (at least non-super-expensive ones) just use a simple thermostat, so that at any given moment, the heating element is either on or off: which is to say that it's always either drawing the full 1200 watts / 10 amps (or whatever power it draws), or nothing. While it's heating up it'll be on for several minutes or so, then it'll probably be off most of the time and only on in short bursts.

I'm somewhat curious if people have managed to blow a circuit breaker with a wax iron. Say, for example: you plug the iron and a power drill into a pair of outlets. If you leave the iron sitting, plugged in, while you use the power drill to rotobrush a pair of skis, I think you could get at least right to the verge of 15 amps.
_____
*Unless: (i) you use a 20-amp outlet, which most people don't have, plus they use a funny plug, or (ii) you unplug your clothes dryer and use the 240V 30-amp outlet, but that has really funny plug, or (iii) you just defeat your fuse or circuit breaker in a crazed attempt to burn your house down.
I've blown breakers with small hairdryers and questionable wiring, necessitating dark trips to the basement. I think that dryer was only 1000 watts. I suspect though that the draw from a 1200W hair dryer might be more than the 1200W iron when it first turns on.

As far as home irons, forget it. Been there. I had a decent dinosaur iron once, no holes and very thick plate. Tognar sold them at one time but this I found in a thrift shop. Prob. from the early 50's.

Lungs are expensive and not easily replaced. Dedicated irons work much better.
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#21
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11/4/09 at 2:03pm
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Most electric heaters are rated at around 1500 watts.  I've run them many times at home for long amounts of time with no trouble.  Most other appliances use little, so imagining the average shop with fluorescent lights and a few little things on the same breaker as an iron, there should be no problem.  If there is, you might want to look where the power is going.  If you're trying to run a milk house heater to warm your garage while you wax ... that could be a problem. 
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#22
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11/4/09 at 8:28pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tog View Post
 I think that dryer was only 1000 watts. I suspect though that the draw from a 1200W hair dryer might be more than the 1200W iron when it first turns on.
Because of the massive inductive load of the 10W fan in the dryer?  1200W of resistance is pretty much 1200W of resistance.

20A circuits aren't rare.  The outlets are rare, but the codes have required the circuits in several situations for a bunch of time.  This built-in-the-eighties house has them in the laundry, basement, and garage as far as I can tell from a quick glance.  No idea about motels.

I plug a wax iron into the same circuit as my burly drills on a daily basis, and I've never, ever popped a breaker.  Yes, they get used simultaneously.

BigE's statement is right in that the duty cycle of a hairdryer is 100 percent while the iron is less.  But a wax iron gets surprisingly close putting cold wax on (I can tell when mine is cycled on) and the period of the typical wax iron (superfancy excepted) is long...long enough that to a breaker it isn't any different.  As in, 10 seconds on at a current high enough to trip a breaker is long enough, even if the iron is going to turn off for 5 seconds.

+1 for overhead iron leash.  Have a bungee strung across a range hood...power cord threads over bungee to outlet. 
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#23
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11/4/09 at 9:14pm
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-

Edited by comprex - 11/4/09 at 10:22pm

Now on Mondays.

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#24
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11/6/09 at 10:15am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Garrett View Post

Quote:

Because of the massive inductive load of the 10W fan in the dryer?  1200W of resistance is pretty much 1200W of resistance.

+1 for overhead iron leash.  Have a bungee strung across a range hood...power cord threads over bungee to outlet. 
 
Yeah, that massive fan in there...  Ok, maybe not...
Here's one load balancer for tools, that could suspend the iron, althought you might need a stronger one for the bigger irons.

http://www.proxxontools.com/store/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=36&idproduct=59#details

Here's another:
http://www.grainger.com/1/1/111967-aero-motive-rb2gg-tool-retractor-5-2-ft-1-0-2-0-lb.html

This now means you could walk into a hot iron....

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#25
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11/6/09 at 9:40pm
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Yes the irons that look alike (many other examples in other styles as well) are all made by the same companies in Asia.  They change the color for the different companies they sell them to.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tog View Post

The Wintersteiger and the Maplus look to be the same iron, or very similar save for the color of the plastic. What's the difference?
Maplus is made in Japan? Is the base really 1/2 inch thick? Does not look it in photo.
Wintersteiger made in ?

Have heard good things about the Wintersteiger. Looking to replace one of the new style Swix irons that works poorly despite it's "advanced heating element".

WinterSteiger:



 Maplus: (can't get image to load here)
https://www.maplus.com/US-Maplus-Adjustable-Ski-Snowboard-Wax-Iron.html
 



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#26
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11/7/09 at 12:30pm
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Well I have the Kunzmann that looks simlar but is metal


Used to use a £2.50 travel iron. The travel iron worked well and melted the wax very well and evenly, but using a infrared thermometer I could see 30 degree swings in the temperature

The kunzmann, gets to 90 degs on the 120 deg C setting, and swings through 10 C each cycle, its slower to melt wax and thus requires a longer and slower waxing session. Using Dominator zoom and ironing till it goes clear and flows (no smoke) for 3-4 passes a ski gets the base to 65 C max and the heat soaks through to the top surface at 47 C

One of the advantages of NOT having to use dodgy US electrics is that running at double the voltage (240) means half the current for the same wattage so no problems for our 13 amp circuits, plus our plugs are safe, dont spark and you cant touch anything live when inserting them (and they are fully earthed so much safer)
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