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Skiman Bravo anyone?

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
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Looks like the same as Toko:


Same ski in both pics w/Vist Speedlocks and wow, the music. I woudl be intrigued to try them. The music does leave a bit to be desired, @Tricia wondered if I was watching porn. Yeah, ski porn.
 

Philpug

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In doing some quick research, it looks like a European only product, @Swede have you seen one in person?
 
Thread Starter
TS
Swede

Swede

Making fresh tracks
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In doing some quick research, it looks like a European only product, @Swede have you seen one in person?

No I haven't. But it's a third of the price of a Snowglide and right now there's a second hand, lightly used (so does the ad say) one for sale here in Stockholm on a local club forum. Tempted to strike.
 

smoothrides

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I would be very cautious with this machine. It uses a grinding belt and will likely smoke an edge before you know what happened if you make a mistake. Also, belt edges are crude, and require additional handwork to be ready for racing. They are also not as accurate and less durable.

It could be a nice tool for back cutting and sidewall removal.

Good luck
 

MingDao

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I have it since last season. Indeed, it is Europe only unit (I am in Europe now).
It is pretty easy to use and does the job very well. There is definitely a potential for damage if you don't know what you are doing, but overall it is safe enough.
The original belts are 80 and 120 grit. 120 is usable, but I much prefer finer 150 grit belt.
Edges are better than anything you will get manually with a fine file.
I will be bringing it to the US (together with 110/220V converter) at the end of November, since we'll be staying in BigSky for winter 17/18.
 

MingDao

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Since I received few private messages asking about Skiman Bravo, I'll post my further comments here. Over the 17/18 season I have used it extensively in both in the EU and the US (using 110/220V transformer). Have not been disappointed.
If the skis are maintained (daily grinding if skiing on ice, or weekly grinding otherwise), then one pass per side is enough. I follow with couple of manual passes with diamond stone. I found it saves the edge (less is ground with one pass), compared to manual filing.
The belts go fast. One belt lasts no more than 3-4 times sharpening (12-16 passes). I do not use the "original belts" since it would be too expensive, just order belts for stainless steel using the original measurements (372x10mm if anyone is interested). Thus, the cost per belt is roughly 0.5-0.8 Euro/USD. From experience I get better results with blue (zirconia based) belts than with brown (aluminum oxide) belts, but the former are less durable of the two.
 

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