P-Tex and Edge Material Specifications

[Ski Beaver]

Just wondering whether someone can explain to me the difference between;

* P-Tex 2000 die cut base (Volkl Gotama), P-Tex 4001 (Bro Model), P-Tex 6000 bases (AK Na Ka Oi), Okulen 3000 die cut base (Sanouk) and also how these compare to your average base material (if there is an average one).

*Wider 360 steel edge (Gotama) and Extra Wide rockwell 48 edges (Bro Model) and again how these would compare to your average edges.

[Dexter Rutecki]

The number in the p-tex spec refers to its density (roughly equivalent to hardness, I suppose). So p-tex 6000 is denser, and therefore better, than 4000. All p-tex should be sintered and not extruded, which suck (it's just pushed out into the form of the base, as opposed to sintered which is chemically made and bonded into the shape at higher density). I think 6000 isn't even at the high end anymore, though. I honestly haven't paid attention to the numbers in years, since all race skis are at the very high end. Yo u want a base with some graphite density, too.
There's a lot of mystery to whyy some bases are fast,though. Lots of waxing makes a big difference.
Wax your head, bitch!

[Ski Beaver]

Thanks for that,

Anyone know the difference between Okulen and Die Cut.

Also I read in all the threads that the Bro Models were always going to have a P-Tex 6000 base, now on the website it says 4001 P-tex.

Any reason for this?

[mtbakerskier]

Ptex is made from polyethylene, the same stuff that milk bottels groceriey bags etc are made from.
Where as grocery bags are LDPE aka low density poly ethylene
milk bottles and extruded-non sinistered bases are made from HDPE aka high density polyethylene
Sinistered ski bases are made from UHMWPE aka ultrahigh molecualr weight polyethylene.

Basically as the abouve have said the high the p-tex numbers translate into a more dense, better base material. However, p-tech numbers are not really on a linear scale, so just because a number is twice as high doesnt meen that it is twice as dense. The numbers are more for marketing BS than anything.

The cool thing to know form all of this is that if you are piss broke and in desperate need for a minor p-tex repair, u can use thouse plastic beerbottle rings that hold 6 packs together, or even bits of a milk bottle

[splat]

Thanks, Grant (he took materials science), I was just addressing this issue in Ski Beavers thread elsewhere here in TT. I was saying that the difference between one manufacturers 4001 and another manufacturers 4001 can be like day and night. And that 6000 is what appears to be someones name for a burly 4001. Only by knowing the true thickness and density of the material will you get a true indication of it performance. Oh, and testing it firsthand.

[splat]

Thanks for that,

Anyone know the difference between Okulen and Die Cut.

Also I read in all the threads that the Bro Models were always going to have a P-Tex 6000 base, now on the website it says 4001 P-tex.

Any reason for this?

I don't know what Okulen is but it might be screening clear bases for designs that show on the bottom and therefore looks like a die cut. A proper die cut is when a design is actually cut out of the base and other colors inserted. Of the two methods, die cuts are more expensive, tedious, and harder to do cleanly with regard to laying the pieces into the cutouts without gaps. I heard Burton has nix'd die cuts in favor of screened bases for their boards. I imagine we'll see more of it in skis next year.

[EstoBum]

Just wondering whether someone can explain to me the difference between;

*Wider 360 steel edge (Gotama) and Extra Wide rockwell 48 edges (Bro Model) and again how these would compare to your average edges.

These are two different things:
360 steel edge means that the metal edge in the ski goes around the whole ski including the tip and tail. ie. the outline of the ski looking down from the top. There are multiple ways that this can be implemented, using one or two peices. The majority of skis do not have this instead using some sort of metal or plastic peice at the tip and tail. It is more common in twin tip skis though.

The Extra wide rockwell 48 is a profile of the edge. i.e looking at a cross-section of the edge. Most edges look something like an L with the long part as tabs sticking into the ski, which holds the edge to the ski. I don't remember what rockwell means, although it could be the hardness of the metal (Using the rockwell hardness system, although it really would need to specify the scale A, B, or C)

You really can't compare the two statements, since its really apples and oranges. All these are saying is that its Wider vs. Extra wide, with no discernable measurement. You would need the exact dimensions of the edge profiles to really tell the difference

Much of what ski companies advertise is some small statement like these that makes it really difficult to compare. Basically a wider edge is going to be more beefy and durable, while a skinnyer edge is going to be slightly faster because there would be more base material, which is faster than the metal. But then you throw in the corrosion resistance of different metals, and how well people take care of their edges, that will ultimately be a bigger factor