;)
The wax was was tested on an Ocean Culture Jumpboard 'BANDIT'.
It was tested at Pebbley Beach on a hill that was about 25mtrs high and fairly steep, with a flat section down the bottom.
The day was fairly warm at about 30°, with a slight head-on breeze.
The sand was fine with some sticks and other stuff in it and was warm at the top of the dune and the steep section and hot down the bottom
N.B. Not all the wax tested is suited to these conditions, some of them are better suited to cooler sand. So the reviews below only apply to that type of wax being
used in the conditions described above.
All wax was tested twice, without re waxing in between.
Ocean Culture - Regular
Description: '60/40' Regular Blend - 45gm. All purpose sandboard wax for dry, cool and warm sand conditions.
Price: $2.75
Available: Ocean Culture
Run 1
Distance: 35mtrs
Takeoff: OK Speed
Speed: Very Good
Run 2
Distance: 30mtrs
Takeoff: Good Speed
Speed: Good
Notes: The front of the board was digging in a bit and it felt like it needed to be re waxed.
Overall
The regular wax went really good, the speed and distance were both very good, and because this wax works great in almost any condition, it makes it a must have for sandboarders.
Ocean Culture - 'Wicked' Winter Blend
Description: 'Wicked' Winter Blend - 45gm. Specially formulated sandboard wax for patchy, wet/dry and cold sand. Standard winter conditions.
Price: $3.50
Available: Ocean Culture
Run 1
Distance: 25mtrs
Takeoff: Slow Speed
Speed: OK
Run 2
Distance: 20mtrs
Takeoff: OK Speed
Speed: Slow
Notes: The front of the board was digging in a bit and it felt like it needed to be re waxed.
Overall
The Wicked wax didn't go so good while it was being tested, this would largely be because it's not at all suited to the conditions that the waxes were being tested under.
Ocean Culture - 'Glide' Summer Blend
Description: 'GLIDE' Summer Blend - 45gm. High temperature sandboard wax for warm/hot conditions.
Price: $2.95
Available: Ocean Culture
Run 1
Distance: 33mtrs
Takeoff: OK Speed
Speed: Good
Run 2
Distance: 25mtrs
Takeoff: OK Speed
Speed: OK
Notes: The front of the board was digging in a bit and it felt like it needed to be re waxed.
Overall
The Summer blend didn't perform as well as I expected, albeit the day and the sand weren't overly hot, but it was still fairly warm out there.
The Summer blend has since been re-tried on a hot day with hot sand. And it went much, much better - with very fast speed and a good takeoff. This wax is recommended for very hot days or days when the sand is very hot.
Ocean Culture - 'Buzz' Beeswax
Description: ‘BUZZ’ Bee's Wax - 65gm of 100% Pure Beeswax, made locally in SA.
It’s the fastest wax we have ever used for sandboarding and we swear by it! Recommended for intermediate to experienced riders. Very fast in virtually all conditions.
Price: $4.45
Available: Ocean Culture
Run 1
Distance: 35mtrs
Takeoff: Very Slow - Had to jump a couple of times to get it going, but I may have applied to much.
Speed: Good
Run 2
Distance: 25mtrs
Takeoff: Good Speed
Speed: OK
Overall
The wax was stickier when applying it, but it does smell very nice and also doesn't taste too bad. There wasn't a whole lot of difference between the beeswax and the regular wax, but it's definitely worth testing it again in different conditions.
Dune Sandboard Wax
Price: $2.00
Available: Dune Sandboards
Run 1
Distance: 33mtrs
Takeoff: Slow, had to jump a couple of times to get it going.
Speed: Good
Run 2
Distance: 26mtrs
Takeoff: Good Speed
Speed: Good
Overall
The wax seemed to go alright in these conditions.
Candle Wax
Description: Plain candle.
Price: $1.00
Available: Any shop that sells budget candles.
Run 1
Distance: 30mtrs
Takeoff: Very Slow, had to jump a couple of times to get it going.
Speed: Good
Run 2
Distance: 27mtrs
Takeoff: Good Speed
Speed: Good
Overall
If you've run out of wax or need a cheap alternative then this is definitely the way to go.
Surfboard Wax
Description: Regular surfboard wax that you normally apply to the tops of surfboards.
Price: $2.50
Available: Surf shops
Run 1
Distance: 29mtrs
Takeoff: Very, very Slow. Had to jump a heap of times to get it going, then it forced a wave of sand in front of it, instead of going over the sand. It pretty much just stuck to it.
Speed: OK. But only because I think the wax was rubbed off in the first few seconds.
Run 2
Distance: 26mtrs
Takeoff: OK Speed
Speed: Good. There was very little, if any wax left on it at this stage.
Overall
Surfboard wax doesn't work, it's actually better to use no wax at all then surfboard wax.
No Wax
Description: Not applying any wax at all.
Price: FREE
Available: Everywhere
Run 1
Distance: 25mtrs
Takeoff: Good Speed
Speed: OK
Overall
If you really don't have any wax, then your board will still go, just no where near as good as when you use wax.