Hot waxing a chain usually means youve crossed a line.Not a bad line. Just a very specific one. You now own a dedicated waxing crock pot (or a Silca Chain Waxing System). You know what factory grease smells like when its finally leaving the chain. You probably have a rotation of chains somewhere, and your workbench might look like a scene from House of Wax. Oh, and the most important thing, you swear that waxing your chain is the best, because saving watts isnt just a goal, its your religion. Squirts new Performance Hot Wax feels like its trying to make that whole scene a little less intimidating and a little more approachable.Squirt Performance Hot WaxIts still hot wax. You still need the process. But compared to harder blends Ive used, Silca, Golf Wax, Molten Speed Wax, and other more traditional paraffin-style setups. The new Squirt hot wax formula feels softer, a bit easier to live with, and much more familiar if you already like the original Squirt drip lube.Thats the deal here. This doesnt feel like Squirt tried to copy every other hot wax on the market. It feels like Squirt made a hot-wax version of Squirt.Looks Delicious The wax itself is soft, much softer than the harder hot waxes Ive used. It looks like white chocolate, and it has a similar hand feel but you cant (shouldnt) eat it. It has a similar personality to Squirts bottle lube: pliable, waxy, and less brittle than the usual blocks or pellets. That softness makes it easy to work with. It melts well, coats the chain nicely, and doesnt feel fussy. You dont have to stir the pot to mix the magic; it just melts like chocolate.Squirt also includes a spoke-style dipping tool, which is a cool bonus. Its simple, but it makes the process cleaner. You can lower the chain in, swish it around, pull it out, and hang it without turning the bench into a wax crime scene.Not flashy. Just useful.Temperature and Compatibility NotesSquirts instructions are more specific than some waxes. The target temperature falls within a narrower window (93-95 C 200-203 F), so this is probably one of those products where a temperature-controlled pot (like the Silca one shown) makes sense. Its not the wax Id want to cook blindly in some mystery thrift-store warmer.Its also worth keeping the system clean and in its family of products. Squirt recommends sticking with its own drip lube if you want to top off between hot waxes. That makes sense. Wax formulas are not all the same, and mixing brands can muddy the performance.If youre switching from another hot wax, Id clean the chain first. You dont need to act like youre prepping a surgical instrument, but a good reset is smart. No Awkward First RideThis is where Squirt really stands out.Some hot waxes feel terrible right after a fresh dip. The chain is stiff, crunchy, and loud for the first few minutes. Yes, you can break the wax loose by hand or run it through a cool homemade (or 3D-printed) tool before installing it, but theres usually still a short period when the drivetrain feels like its waking up.The Squirt wax skips most of that. The chain feels good almost immediately. Quiet. Smooth. Ready to ride. There isnt that rigid, locked-up feeling that you get with some harder waxes. That makes the whole experience feel more approachable, especially if youre newer to waxing or just tired of the fresh-wax crunch.Ride Feel: Quiet, Soft, and Very SquirtOn the road and trail, the Squirt Performance Hot Wax has a different feel than harder waxes.Its not dry and glassy. Its smoother and more muted. The chain feels quiet without feeling overly sealed off. It has that soft Squirt character, more cushioned than crunchy, more familiar than sterile.That feel works well for the dirt side of bike life: gravel, mountain, and cyclocross. The main reason is that the Squirt wax is soft and slightly less impervious to water, dirt, grit, and other debris that takes most wax off. Squirts original drip lube has always been good in that space because its hearty and stays on the chain. Its a staple in my cyclocross go-bag and is well respected by many. The hot-wax version carries much of the same personality; the lube stays on no matter the conditions. The Soft Wax TradeoffHeres where my experience was a little more mixed.Because the formula is softer, it seems to allow more debris and contamination into the chain than a harder hot wax does. Not in a disastrous way. Not like a wet lube turning your drivetrain into black paste. But compared to a harder-waxed chain, the Squirt treatment didnt stay as crispy clean for as long in dirty conditions. The wax is still on the chain, but small contaminants also come in, with sand being a common theme during beach-style cyclocross training. A harder wax tends to shed dirt better. It flakes off, carries junk with it, and gives you that very clean wax-chain feel for a while. Squirts formula feels better sooner and has less of that break-in hassle, but it behaves a little more like a wax lube once real-world grime gets involved. The Squirt Hot Wax is very condition-based. If youre riding indoors, logging lots of road miles, and in dry conditions, the Squirt Hot Wax will last a very long time and deliver an excellent coated ride feel. If youre in the creek crossings, training in rainy, muddy cyclocross conditions, the chain will need the same attention you give to the Squirt bottle-style lube. Cleaner Than Lube, Not Always Cleaner Than WaxCompared to regular oil-based lubes, the Squirt Performance Hot Wax is much cleaner. No surprise there. Compared to harder hot waxes, its a little less tidy to handle. Youll need to reapply more frequently (with a Squirt bottle top off or re-dip in the wax), and that means more quick links and some hassle (that is, unless you have three chains in rotation like a pro) If you need to touch the chain for a flat, a wheel swap, or a trailside fix, it can feel a little waxier on your hands than some harder formulas. Indoor Riders / Racers Will Like ThisOne underrated point: the low-shedding behavior is nice.Some fresh, hot wax treatments can leave snow-like wax flakes all over the floor, especially after the first few rides. Thats annoying outside and extra annoying on the trainer, where every little wax shaving ends up under the bike, on the floor, on the pulley wheels, and sticks around like drivetrain dandruff.The Squirt wax doesnt shed much. That makes it easier to use indoors and less messy in general. Again, its part of the soft-wax personality.So, Is It Better Than Original Squirt Lube?Thats the real question.Ive used the original Squirt drip lube a ton on road, mountain, and cyclocross bikes, and I still love it. Its easy, its reliable, and it handles bad conditions well. Its one of those lubes that makes sense for real riding because it doesnt require much ceremony. Apply it, let it dry, ride. You can easily clean it off with Dawn Soap and some elbow grease, and no special kit is needed.The hot-wax version gives you much of the same feel, but with the added work of immersion waxing.That makes the answer a little tricky.If youre already a hot-wax person, Squirt Performance Hot Wax is easy to recommend. Its quiet right away, easy to use, low-shedding, and very smooth from the start. If youre an indoor rider/racer meet your new favorite wax lube. If youre not already waxing chains, Im not sure this is the one that changes your life. The original Squirt drip lube delivers much of the same real-world performance with way less effort. No pot. No chain rotation. No process. Just lube straight from the bottle, dry, ride.For off-road, Id still reach for the drip lube most of the time. Its just too convenient.Final ThoughtsSquirt Performance Hot Wax is a very Squirt take on chain waxing.Its basically the drip lube with a more thorough application. The packaging is cool, the dipping tool is a nice touch, and the ride feel is excellent and lasts a long time.The downside is that the softer formula doesnt feel quite as clean or sealed as harder waxes in gritty conditions. It may need more attention depending on where and how you ride. But it also avoids the worst parts of hot waxing: the crunchy break-in, the mess, and the stiff-chain feeling.For dedicated chain waxers, this is a strong option, a very different feel from the harder waxes out there, and for sure worth a try at the $48 asking price.For everyone else, the original Squirt lube is still hard to beat.The hot wax is good. The bottle is just really, really easy.Price: $48Squirtcycling.usThe post Review: Squirt Performance Hot Wax Hot Wax Without the Crunchy Break-In Drama appeared first on Bikerumor.