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Cordless iron

Rich_Ease_3051

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We need a Razor Tune version of irons man.

First of all, I think Swix and Toko and Wintersteiger are making a mint with their irons. Especially the world cup ones.

I mean they're just irons. Not much different to clothes irons except for the steam holes (or the absence of) and the digital thermostat.

Good clothes irons can be had for $50-$100 Aussie, which is, I don't know, $35-$60 USD.

Ski irons are in the AUD$200 and above price range. And that's just the basic, non-thermostat one.

I'm not one to complain about prices for anything ski related. I'm used to paying top dollar for ski shit.

But ski irons man.

It's just a fucking iron.

Irons are like toasters. You can get toasters for 5 bucks because the technological principle is not that complicated and have been around for like, what, a hundred years?

I don't mind paying for AUD$500 bucks for a ski iron. But for god's sake, make it cordless like clothes irons already are.
 
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James

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Irons aren’t just irons.
Tognar used to sell a dinosaur iron, which was like a new old stock GE from the rarly 60’s late 60’s. No holes thick base, lots of power. Maybe $40-50, 20 years ago
The temp swings are large though.
You could install a PID system in it.

Get a Star/Hohlmenkohl.

And how many cordless toasters are there?
 

Dave Marshak

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I have an electric induction hot plate that I use to cook steaks outdoors. It's temperature controlled so it would make a perfect heater for an old fashioned solid iron. I've been fooling around with it for waxing skis but I haven't found anything that retains enough heat and has a good enough surface. It's not exactly cordless but the cord doesn't get in the way because it's not attached to the iron.
For now I'm using a travel iron. It's a smaller size so it's better for skis. I can also use half power to mitigate hot spots by setting it to 220v. It also helps to let it warm up a long time, even overheat it a little then let it cool to the working temp. I wouldn't use it for high melting point waxes but it's fine for the universal wax I use. YMMV

dm
 

eok

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I have an electric induction hot plate that I use to cook steaks outdoors. It's temperature controlled so it would make a perfect heater for an old fashioned solid iron. I've been fooling around with it for waxing skis but I haven't found anything that retains enough heat and has a good enough surface. It's not exactly cordless but the cord doesn't get in the way because it's not attached to the iron.
For now I'm using a travel iron. It's a smaller size so it's better for skis. I can also use half power to mitigate hot spots by setting it to 220v. It also helps to let it warm up a long time, even overheat it a little then let it cool to the working temp. I wouldn't use it for high melting point waxes but it's fine for the universal wax I use. YMMV

dm
Heh heh.

You know, back in the "olden times" when personal transport had 4 legs, we'd keep an old hunk of iron with a handle on top of the cabin's wood burning stove & use that for ironing our Sunday church clothes. Fast forward to 2022: putting a hunk of steel with a handle on an electric hot plate doesn't seem like much actual progress.
 

eok

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Irons aren’t just irons.
Tognar used to sell a dinosaur iron, which was like a new old stock GE from the rarly 60’s late 60’s. No holes thick base, lots of power. Maybe $40-50, 20 years ago
The temp swings are large though.
You could install a PID system in it.

Get a Star/Hohlmenkohl.


Sorry, tecnically the toaster is not cordless.
 

Dave Marshak

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You know, back in the "olden times" when personal transport had 4 legs, we'd keep an old hunk of iron with a handle on top of the cabin's wood burning stove & use that for ironing our Sunday church clothes. Fast forward to 2022: putting a hunk of steel with a handle on an electric hot plate doesn't seem like much actual progress.
Wrong. Electric induction stoves are a huge technological leap. Safer, cleaner, better controlled, less wasted energy heating up the kitchen, easier to work and more environmentally friendly. What's not to like?
Waxing your skis or ironing your clothes with an upside down hot plate attached to the wall is what should be obsolete.
dm
 

eok

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Wrong. Electric induction stoves are a huge technological leap. Safer, cleaner, better controlled, less wasted energy heating up the kitchen, easier to work and more environmentally friendly. What's not to like?
Waxing your skis or ironing your clothes with an upside down hot plate attached to the wall is what should be obsolete.
dm
No worries, your argument is reasonable. I was just trying to make a humorous comparison.
 

James

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I’d say the wood stove option is more efficient than the induction plate. Even in Norway. The wood stove is on anyway.


Waxing your skis or ironing your clothes with an upside down hot plate attached to the wall is what should be obsolete.
Yeah, like the fax machine, but that went on for decades because it worked and was easy.
Washers with mechanical timers are obsolete too, but have advantages over computers.
 

Swiss Toni

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Waxing irons are so very 20th century. Search AliExpress for “infrared paint curing lamp”, you should be able to pick one up for as little as AU $25. Just make sure that it’s fitted with a replaceable lamp otherwise you will have to throw it out when the lamp burns out. Infrared radiation is readily absorbed by polyethylene and wax.
 

Seldomski

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Lithium ion batteries are about 200 W-hr per kg (lets just ignore for now what happens when they get really hot...). How long does the iron need to stay hot and how big of a battery do you really want to be carrying around? Where do you put the battery for the iron? Is it in a backpack?

usb_toaster.jpg
 

James

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Lithium ion batteries are about 200 W-hr per kg (lets just ignore for now what happens when they get really hot...). How long does the iron need to stay hot and how big of a battery do you really want to be carrying around? Where do you put the battery for the iron? Is it in a backpack?

usb_toaster.jpg
“Make up to four pieces of toast in thirty minutes”
At that rate, maybe a pet dragon is a better option.
 

Andy Mink

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Irons aren’t just irons.
Tognar used to sell a dinosaur iron, which was like a new old stock GE from the rarly 60’s late 60’s. No holes thick base, lots of power. Maybe $40-50, 20 years ago
The temp swings are large though.
You could install a PID system in it.

Get a Star/Hohlmenkohl.


Apparently I produce enough power to keep the bread at room temperature.
 

Dave Marshak

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I’d say the wood stove option is more efficient than the induction plate. Even in Norway. The wood stove is on anyway.
Nope. We are the beneficiaries of 5000 years of civilization and the heirs of Enllightment science. I didn't go to engineering school and work a 50 year career in the utility industry to go back to burning wood. YMMV

dm
 

Dave Marshak

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Lithium ion batteries are about 200 W-hr per kg (lets just ignore for now what happens when they get really hot...). How long does the iron need to stay hot and how big of a battery do you really want to be carrying around? Where do you put the battery for the iron? Is it in a backpack?
I have an 11Ah 12v battery to jump start my car. That will do about 400 watts for about 20 minutes. It weighs about 24 ounces. An 18v 6Ah drill battery wil do almost as much. The travel iron I use is 325 watts at half power, and it works fine. You should be able to maintain temperature for long enough to do a couple of pairs of skis, maybe more. A lot more if you preheated the iron from a 120v source,
Battery power doesn't seem that crazy anymore. Use 5 or 8 mm sole and a PID controller and it will work fine. Getting rid of the cord was a game changer for a lot of electric tools, and it might be for irons too.
dm
 

Dave Marshak

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Waxing irons are so very 20th century. Search AliExpress for “infrared paint curing lamp”, you should be able to pick one up for as little as AU $25. Just make sure that it’s fitted with a replaceable lamp otherwise you will have to throw it out when the lamp burns out. Infrared radiation is readily absorbed by polyethylene and wax.
That's a good point. When you are lookking for tools for skiing or sailboats, always look for stuff that's marketed for some other, less fun purpose.

dm
 
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Rich_Ease_3051

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Waxing irons are so very 20th century. Search AliExpress for “infrared paint curing lamp”, you should be able to pick one up for as little as AU $25. Just make sure that it’s fitted with a replaceable lamp otherwise you will have to throw it out when the lamp burns out. Infrared radiation is readily absorbed by polyethylene and wax.
Does the lamp drip and spread wax all over the base? Can you explain how it's used vs iron? Never heard of this.
 
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