Let's get it on!
When I started my chain waxing journey, I wanted to do it as frugally as possible. So I went on Amazon and bought the cheapest slow cooker available — the Elite Gourmet Mini Slow Cooker. It has served me well for years, and I’ve recommended it to countless riders. It can’t be beat in terms of price ($15) and availability.
Earlier this year, Silca released its new dedicated Chain Waxing System. Retailing for $99.99, the Silca Chain Waxing System is significantly more expensive than my Elite Gourmet, but it comes with a bunch of features designed to "elevate your chain waxing game to the next level."
Is it worth the extra cost? Let’s find out.
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Temperature Control
The biggest selling point of the Silca Chain Waxing System is the ability to finetune the temperature of the wax. It has a temperature range of 75-125ºC that is adjustable in 5ºC increments.
Wax viscosity changes with temperature, so the temperature of your wax affects how much wax adheres to the chain. If the wax is too cold, the chain will get caked in wax, which makes installation a pain and increases the break-in time. I’ve even dropped chains while riding because the wax was too thick. If the wax is too hot, it will be too runny and most of it will drip off when the chain is removed from the pot. Your chain will need to be rewaxed sooner, and it will negatively affect drivetrain efficiency, noise, and wear.
Most hot melt chain waxes have an optimal temperature for application. Silca recommends 75ºC for its Secret Chain Blend and 85ºC for its Hot Wax X. Molten Speed Wax recommends 93°C and no hotter for its MSPEEDWAX.
If you’re planning to use a product like Silca’s StripChip on a new chain, then you need to heat the wax to 125ºC to allow the degreasing additives to bind with the factory grease and turn it into wax, and you need to be able to drop the wax temp back down to 75ºC before removing the chain. The Silca Chain Waxing System lets you hit these temperatures with a press of a button.
180ºF = 82.2ºC
The Elite Gourmet Mini Slow Cooker, on the other hand, only has three settings: Low, High, and Warm. Using a basic instant read thermometer, I found that my Elite Gourmet heats wax to ~82ºC in the Low setting. The High setting heats the wax too high for my cheap thermometer to read, so it’s somewhere above 104ºC. There’s no in between.
165ºF = 73.9ºC
I also used the same thermometer to check my Silca Chain Waxing System and found that the wax temps are about 1-2ºC below the displayed temperature. It's possible the heating element is at the displayed temperature and the wax is just a touch cooler. It's also possible my thermometer is junk, but it's close enough for me.
How much does this matter? One thing I noticed when I switched from my Elite Gourmet to the Silca Chain Waxing System is that my chains tended to go a bit farther between waxes. When waxing at 75ºC with the Chain Waxing System, I can get an extra 2-3 lunch rides or ~60-80 miles per wax. I chalk this up to the lower temperature of the wax.
I’ve been able to get similar results by shutting the Elite Gourmet off so the wax cools before pulling the chain out. If I use the thermometer, I can wait until it reads 75ºC, then remove the chain, and the results are the same as what you’d get with the Chain Waxing System. This is a nice frugal alternative, but it requires extra attention and patience. I tend to walk off, forget about the chain, and come back when the wax has cooled too much. The result is always a big globby mess that’s horrible to install and runs like crap for ~30 minutes until all the excess wax flakes off.
Also, if you plan to use fancy Silca products like Hot Wax X or the StripChip, it’s probably worth getting the Chain Waxing System just to ensure you don’t over or underheat the wax.
Winner: Silca Chain Waxing System
Wax Melting Speed
By the time the wax in the Silca Chain Waxing system was fully melted, the Elite Gourmet still had a sizable wax puck.
One of the most annoying aspects of chain waxing is how much time it takes. Wax takes a while to melt, and keeping your chains waxed requires a bit of forethought and planning. Waxing is generally something I have to do far in advance of a big ride.
Still, having a wax pot that can melt wax quickly can make life easier. The Silca Chain Waxing System is faster because it isn’t designed for food. It doesn't use a removable ceramic pot like the Elite Gourmet, which takes extra time to heat.
To see how much faster it is, I put an equivalent amount (~400g) of Silca Secret Chain Blend in each pot. I set the Silca Chain Waxing System to 75ºC and the Elite Gourmet to Low. Here are the results:
Usable Melt Time
Wax after 45 minutes.
- Silca: 0:45
- Elite Gourmet: 1:35
“Usable melt” means enough of the wax has melted to completely submerge a single chain. There was still a solid wax puck in the pot, but there was about 1cm of melted wax above the puck. I’d want the full pot to be melted, just to ensure all the wax additives are in the mix and the temperature of the entire pot of wax is even. But if you’re in a rush, you can probably get away with just waxing a chain in the usable melt.
Full Melt Time
- Silca: 1:25
- Elite Gourmet: 2:55
“Full melt” means there is no longer any solid wax.
This basic test shows that the Silca Chain Waxing System is just over 2x faster than the Elite Gourmet. Is speed important? If you’re organized and waxing your chains ahead of time, probably not. Since I wax most of my chains late at night though, it’s nice to go to bed a bit earlier.
There have been a few occasions where the speed of the Silca Chain Waxing Station has allowed me to wax a chain the day of a big ride. I turn it on when I wake up and plop my chain in while I get ready. By the time I’ve had breakfast, digested, and taken care of my morning business, the wax is melted and I can pull the chain out to cool before my ride. The Elite Gourmet is too slow for this sort of last minute waxing.
Winner: Silca Chain Waxing System
Wax Capacity and Overall Size
Silca Chain Waxing System
- Capacity: 600 ml
- Dimensions: 9"D x 8.5"W x 14"H
Elite Gourmet Mini Slow Cooker
- Capacity: 1.5 qt (1419.53 ml)
- Dimensions: 9"D x 7.8"W x 8"H
If you look at the photos in the above Wax Melting Speed section, you may notice that the Elite Gourmet is only half full. That’s because it has over double the capacity of the Silca Chain Waxing System.
At most, I can wax two chains at once in the Chain Waxing System. It’s a bit cramped, but I can carefully swish both chains to remove air bubbles without spilling any wax. I’ve successfully waxed four chains at once in the Elite Gourmet, with plenty of room to swish. If I wanted, I could likely do five chains with no issue.
I’m not sure the ability to wax four to five chains at once is something every rider needs, so the utility of increased wax capacity is questionable. As for overall size, the Elite Gourmet is bulkier, but the Silca Chain Waxing System is taller. In terms of how much counter space they need, it’s a wash. I’m calling this round for the Elite Gourmet.
Winner: Elite Gourmet
Extra Features
The Elite Gourmet has no extra features. It’s a regular old slow cooker. If you clean out the ceramic pot though, I guess you could use it for stew or queso. That might come in handy for someone.
The Silca Chain Waxing System tries to add value with the addition of a drip stand and cable coupler for the chain. The drip stand allows you to hang a freshly waxed chain directly above the wax pot so excess wax can drip right back into the pot. With the Elite Gourmet, I would dunk chains using a bent spoke and hang them from a random cabinet handle in my kitchen. The drip stand that comes with the Silca Chain Waxing System is far more elegant.
I broke my Silca cable coupler after a couple of months.
Unfortunately, I’m not a huge fan of the cable coupler and I think it is the weakest component of the Chain Waxing System.
The flexible cable is more tedious to thread through a chain than something rigid like a bent spoke or coat hanger. I also don’t like how the cable attaches to the coupler handle. One end of the cable is crimped inside the handle while the other end has a threaded head. It's hard to get the threaded head fully screwed into the handle because the cable can't spin. When swishing the chain in the wax, I've had the threaded end come unscrewed, dropping the chain into the pot so I have to fish it back out with a spoke.
I also find that the handle of the coupler doesn’t always like to stay outside of the pot. I’ve had several instances where the weight of the chain dragged the entire coupler into the wax. Something rigid, like a bent spoke or coat hanger can stand up out of the wax more easily.
My coupler also broke after a couple of months of use when the crimped end pulled out of the handle. I emailed Silca and got it replaced for free. Based on reviews, this seems to be a common issue. Silca has since released an updated coupler that is bigger and beefier.
I’ve just gone back to using bent spokes though. I bent a few spokes into a shape that allows me to hang them from the drip stand. I prefer using spokes because it's easy to thread a chain on and pour boiling water over it for cleaning, they don’t fall into the wax pot, and they make it much easier to swish the chain in the wax to remove any air bubbles.
Winner: Draw?
Price
$14.99 vs. $99.99? No contest. The Elite Gourmet delivers a knock-out punch in terms of value.
Winner: Elite Gourmet
Aesthetics
Very different vibes.
My partner HATES that I wax chains in the kitchen. Fortunately, the Elite Gourmet looks like any other kitchen appliance. Her mom even came over once when I was in the middle of a wax session and didn’t notice anything weird. If it matters to you, the Elite Gourmet is more discrete.
When I bust out the Silca Chain Waxing System, there is no hiding what I'm doing. Every time it shows up on the counter, my partner sighs and impatiently asks when I’m going to be done. It’s an eyesore. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you want an appliance that looks like a vintage '70s sci-fi prop, this is it.
If you have a garage though, this probably doesn't matter…
Winner: Elite Gourmet
Final Thoughts
All praise waxed chains, whatever the method.
We chain waxers are an odd bunch. We like to think that we’re superior to all the unenlightened riders still using drip lube. We love to proselytize about efficiency gains, wear reduction, and cleanliness. We worship at the altar of marginal gains by dunking our perfectly prepped chains into a pot of melted wax.
I’m not here to convert you. I’m just here to say there are many ways to worship, and I don’t think there is one right way to do it. Elite Gourmets, Silca Chain Waxing Systems, ultrasonic cleaners, double boilers on the stove — whatever you want to use is cool with me.
My reliable little Elite Gourmet Mini Slow Cooker has served me well for years. I’d likely still be using it if curiosity hadn’t gotten the better of me.
I prefer using my Silca Chain Waxing System these days because it’s a little more refined. I like the temperature control and the extra speed and convenience. At $99.99, I don’t feel like I spent a fortune to get it. The one thing I’d wish for is a bent spoke/coat hanger style “swisher” to be included as an alternative to the cable coupler.
That said, the Elite Gourmet Mini Slow Cooker is still my number-one recommendation for anyone looking to try chain waxing for the first time. You simply can’t beat that price!
Overall Winner: You decide...
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