To quote the great 20th-century philosopher Ferris Bueller, “If you have the means, I high recommend picking one up.” The Toko Edge Tuner World Cup is a toy -- err, tool -- that should be in every serious skier’s chest of tuning supplies. (At least those who are serious about keeping their edges smooth and, more specifically, sharp.) Few tools are foolproof, but from one fool to another, this one is pretty darn close.
I was really hoping to use the edger more over the summer than I did because, well, our test skis from last season just didn’t get skied enough to know what needed what. But this season, new skis started to arrive and our test skis started to find early-season rocks, so we started to spend more time with the Toko.
On many skis, to access the edges properly, the raised portion of the UHMW needs to be pulled back. There are different schools of thought on how to do this; I used a Swix sidewall puller. Many people will also sand these to smooth them back. (Pulling sidewalls is a process worthy of its own article.)
Once I was able to get to the edges, I ran a magic marker down the edge to see how much material I was taking off. Diamond discs are available in levels from coarse to extra fine, so I set the edger at 88° and did three passes with medium, then one pass each with fine and ultra fine. Swapping from one disc to another is simple and tool-less. As I mentioned earlier, the Edge Tuner World Cup is pretty foolproof -- you just need to pay attention. An arrow on the device shows you which direction to do the edges. Slow, steady, and consistent pressure is all you need. After the passes, I was able to achieve the measured results I was looking for. I did make a light pass with a gummy before putting the ski back on snow.
Toko's Edge Tuner World Cup won't exactly replace a Wintersteiger Trimjet (hell, even a used one of those is $15K), but it gives you another reason to “work from home” and keep your ski edges smooth and sharp, all while drinking a beverage of your choice.