I used to wax with a universal all temperature shop wax. Now that my skis have been DPS'd, I find the skis glide performance very comparable to the shop wax which is fine with me as I am not trying to win races.
I am aware that folks that don't wax their skis will say it glides fine with Phantom!Phantom will provide better performance than no wax at all, which is often the case with skiers who don't wax their skis frequently. However, using the appropriate temperature-specific wax can give you the best performance for that temperature.
Exactly. As long as you are happy, and don't mind premature base hair, then it's all good.I used to wax with a universal all temperature shop wax. Now that my skis have been DPS'd, I find the skis glide performance very comparable to the shop wax which is fine with me as I am not trying to win races.
Since you use some Dominator already, I have not fired my iron all season yet.I have been using DPS Phantom on all my skis since it came out in 2017. I have it on over 10 pairs of skis. I have a lot of experience with it, as I have applied it myself every time. My experience has taught me that DPS works well in the middle range temps. Above 40F I use Dominator Butter spring wax which really helps compared to just Phantom. Below 10F, especially 0 and below (F) I put some Dominator Bullet wax on otherwise the skis are noticeably sticky. Bullet is really hard and really difficult to scrape off, but it greatly improves the glide in those cold temps. Any other temp, the Phantom glide is just slightly improved by waxing. Now, I am talking about recreational use, not racing. If/when I race, I use Phantom and temp. specific wax for the best glide possible.
I also believe regular waxing adds lubrication to your ski bases, and prolongs the time or hours before base burn sets in. Eventually any ski will get base burn, but that just means you need a bottom grind to remove the surface damage on the Ptex and get down to fresh plastic. Without any wax, Phantom skis will get base burn sooner and require a base grind sooner. I find that my skis that get say 30 days a year use, need a grind about every 3 years. I would guess double that if waxed regularly. The ski I used most often did start to loose its glide due to base burn, but a bottom grind cured it and brought it right back. I have never had any ski loose its glide after a base grind, they always came right back to typical Phantom glide behavior.
My use model has evolved to using Phantom on all my skis and occasionally waxing on top of the Phantom. Instead of regular hot waxing with base prep wax then temp. specific wax on top, I just do "rub on" wax with SKIMD's wax wizzard on occasion and that keeps me gliding in the "happy zone".
One note to add, if you don't use base prep wax a couple times a season with temp. specific wax on top, I was only getting 1 day out of a hot wax. Once I started using the soft base prep first, every three or 4 hot waxes, I was getting 3-4 days from a hot wax. If you have a good sized quiver, that is a lot of waxing. With the Phantom, I wax when I have the time and don't really think about it anymore. I also had a pro-deal, so the initial expense was not that bad for me. I am still a big fan of Phantom, but it wouldn't say its a never wax again solution. It more of a "maintain good glide" with minimal waxing.