Comparison: DPS Phantom vs. Giga Glide Instant Glide

[Teumie]

FYI All Gigaglide is back in business, though there is not a lot of detail around their current product offering. I have to imagine it is the same formulation that tested several years back that worked quite well. Looks like they want you to apply it and let it cure for 12 hours. That said very little information on the product or testing they have done on it available through their current website. Their old website had lots of details. For anyone considering Phantom this could be a great alternative.

GigaGlide Pro - 100ml

Maximum fun on the slopes, minimal effort – for extreme sports athletes, cross-country skiers and snowboards The basic coating! Top gliding properties paired with the simplest application makes the original product an all-rounder among ski coatings. Attach quickly and glide better...

shop-us.gigaglide.com

They also updated their old Kickstarter campaign site

They also now have probably the best marketing photo I have seen in a long time
View attachment 163163
They Caption it "Winter is Here" lol loved GOT but love skiing even more!

what I can make out of their website is that it is no longer a "permanent" solution, instead to me it looks like a replacement for wax that is very easy to apply and might last up to a week of skiing.
It sort of looks like polishing a shoe with no gear needed.
Anyone have experience with this new gigaglide?

is only €40 which they claim is enough for more than a season so definitely a cheaper and easier option than home-waxing ...

 

[dovski]

what I can make out of their website is that it is no longer a "permanent" solution, instead to me it looks like a replacement for wax that is very easy to apply and might last up to a week of skiing.
It sort of looks like polishing a shoe with no gear needed.
Anyone have experience with this new gigaglide?

is only €40 which they claim is enough for more than a season so definitely a cheaper and easier option than home-waxing ...

So this company has had several iterations over the years along with a couple name changes and few product changes. Several years back I tested both their permanent solution and their temporary solution. To be clear I actually liked their permanent solution more than DPS Phantom as it was much easier to apply and gave the same if not better performance. Their temporary solution did not really work for me. Their product also has a shelf life so not like you can stock up and use it indefinitely. Have not tried the current version of their product so cannot comment on its efficacy or performance. What I do know is that the underlying technology/formulation comes from a German chemical company that I have seen go by a few different names (MursallGroup and Nanoenergy GmbH to name a few). Here is a link to the current patent. So while I think the technology behind this is sound based on my firsthand experience several years back, I cannot speak to the current iteration of the product. What I can say is that after experimenting with permanent glide solutions for two seasons I have gone back to traditional wax as that gives the best performance and also preserves the base best. If you do go with a permanent glide solution, I would recommend continuing to wax periodically so your bases do not dry out. Liquid Paraffin makes this quite easy, so if you have not tried it you should as pretty much anyone can wax their skis in under a minute with this and very little mess

 

[Henry]

I just applied the current version (#3) PHANTOM Glide, said to increase hydrophobicity* and improve glide performance across a variety of snow conditions. It went on well, and the application took about a half hour for a pair of skis plus the hour+ for sun UV exposure. As always, the prep is important. My skis didn't need a bottom grind, so most of the time was removing the wax. The package contains two pouches of the product, two fiber scrubbing pads for future use, a rubber pad to smear it around, and rubber gloves. I was surprised to see the product. I'd expect the pouch to contain a paste, but this product was a water-thin liquid. Anyway, I put a streak down the middle of a ski base and smeared it around with the rubber pad until the base was thoroughly covered and the product seemed to soak into the base and get kind'a dry. Wiped off any drips on the edges and put the skis out in direct sun to cure. After the cure and a brush the bases felt smoother to the touch and a bit shiny. Thursday is the test!
PHANTOM Glide application instructions

"Using polymer technology, PHANTOM Glide uses microscopic short chain compounds to penetrate and diffuse into the unstructured sections of your ski or snowboard base. Think of it as water filling a jar of marbles, just on a molecular level. Traditional wax is not capable of doing this because wax molecules are too large to move through the base material." To prep the bases either get them ground but not waxed, or just remove all wax with your scraper, perhaps metal brush, and standard base cleaner.

*Hydrophobicity is the association of nonpolar groups or molecules in an aqueous environment, which arises from the tendency of water to exclude nonpolar molecules.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/hydrophobicity

Continued maintenance, quote:
A PHANTOM Glide™ treated base will continue to have consistent and fast glide as long as the base is kept in good
condition. In practice, this means that some maintenance is required at regular intervals.
When the bases begin to look dry/white, this is a sign that abrasion has formed micro-hairs on the base. Regular dry
polishing using the PHANTOM Glide polishing pad and intermittent polishing with water will help keep bases clean and
maintain glide performance. For hard to remove adhesives and residue such as skin glue, use a citrus base cleaner or
rubbing alcohol.
Dirt and grease may also need to be cleaned off periodically. In this case, use an approved base cleaner, and follow up with
polishing. After using any solvents on the gliding surface, always make sure bases are completely dry before thoroughly
polishing.
If the structure of the bases becomes damaged or severely abraded, a base grind is recommended. A base grind should
always be followed by polishing

 

[Teumie]

there is a blackfriday deal on at Gigaglide.
Not sure what I'll do with 2 pots, might donate one to a friend haha

 

[cantunamunch]

there is a blackfriday deal on at Gigaglide.
Not sure what I'll do with 2 pots, might donate one to a friend haha

Get some of the Race and tell us how it is.

 

[Tom K.]

Giving it a whirl. Merry Christmas to me!

 

[cantunamunch]

Giving it a whirl. Merry Christmas to me!

Phantom or Giga?

 

[Teumie]

Get some of the Race and tell us how it is.

I was actually thinking of getting the normal 'pro' - not sure what the difference between the two is.
But I'm by no means a racer, not even a pro but since they don't have a mediorcre version I was thinking of sticking to the pro

 

[cantunamunch]

I was actually thinking of getting the normal 'pro' - not sure what the difference between the two is.
But I'm by no means a racer, not even a pro but since they don't have a mediorcre version I was thinking of sticking to the pro

Well, since there a sale, you can get both, no ?

I have no idea what the difference is. I observe that even if there is no difference in macro ingredients and only a difference in % of solids or average size of the nanomolecule, it might show up on snow. Or not

 

[Teumie]

I might get both, I've mailed them to see what the difference is.
If Race is strictly better than I don't see why they would still have the Pro for sale.
It is slightly cheaper but given the statement that one tube is enough for a least a whole season the €10 difference is nothing

 

[cantunamunch]

Well, in the US store we don't get the good stuff, or the XC, or the touring, or the skin lube - so we're all relying on you

 

[Tom K.]

Phantom or Giga?

Giga Pro.

 

[Teumie]

So here is the response from GigaGlide about my question on the difference between Pro and Race.
Even though I am impressed by the response time, not so sure about the answer:


Hi Tom

The only difference between PRO and RACE ist the speed - RACE is faster!

best regards


anyway, not sure what to get now haha

 

[cantunamunch]

anyway, not sure what to get now haha

One of each, ofc.

Put one on the left ski and one on the right ski. Mark which one has which with a piece of durable tape.
Then have the wife/boyfriend/postman put a second piece of tape on so you can't tell which is which

 

[cantunamunch]

Giga Pro.

Cool, me too, you can cover the super-cold side. I suspect I'll get the slush and filth long before you do.

 

[Lilledonmarco]

Gigaglide applied to 2 pairs of skis. Will post results in a week

 

[Teumie]

Just received mine - not sure when / how to apply.

My skis are brand new, so supposedly they have been factory waxed?
When applying gigaglide, do you wipe it down with a cloth or leave it as is?
their website is not very clear (or I'm just too noob)

 

[Teumie]

should I just apply it or do I need to brush or remove existing wax?
I don't have any gear so was hoping to just put it on

 

[Sibhusky]

I tried to order some of the back country stuff for skis and skins to be a Christmas gift, but can't get it to accept addresses.

 

[Tom K.]

should I just apply it or do I need to brush or remove existing wax?
I don't have any gear so was hoping to just put it on

From their FAQ:

• GigaGlide can be applied onto both waxed and unwaxed equipment, whether you are using your own pair or rental skis and snowboards

Lots of tidbits here (and lots of marketing fluff): https://shop.gigaglide.com/en/pages/faq