Product Review - Parma Super Braid Conditioner

What amazes me is how a product review on a item that we may take for granted is often the most popular.  This blogs' first product review was Body Armor.  It was an item that surely most people knew about already.  What we discovered was, it had massive views.  We also saw people start buying body armor and start using it with great frequency.  Even the local slot car track, who I don't think was even aware of Body Armor at the time, started carrying it because there was a demand for it.  We did a review on dial calipers and were surprised at how many slot car boxes turned up afterwards with calipers as one of their tools.  I guess you can't predict what ind of product reviews will actually be of use for slot car racers.

Parma Super Braid Conditioner, Parma #665A.

by Chuck Hendricks

I have used braid on my slot cars until it was almost gone in my slot car career. That was until I learned how much braid affected how well the car ran. Braid would burn at the end, fray, and would need the ruined ends trimmed off. I even got a steel brush to comb the braid straight if I could. When I got really competitive, I realized that if I switched braid every race, the car would maintain a quicker pace throughout the race. I would then throw the used braid in my box to be used for “practice”. Now, my feeling about replacing braid every run has changed a little because of a product I am using. When I started using Parma Super Braid Conditioner, I noticed that the braid remained cleaner and the fraying was less prevalent. Soon I was applying the braid conditioner every rotation, even if the braid looked perfect. When racing cars with less amp draw, such as the super modified cars that have the Hawk 25 motor in them, I have gotten up to 3 races on one set of braid and it still looked good. The only slight issue was that if you looked closely, you could see that it had worn a little thinner, even though the surface was still clean, straight and hardly damaged. When I am practicing, I keep track of the times my car is turning on each lane. If I stop the car in a mid-practice run, I have noticed that the next laps would be between .03-.05 seconds faster with the conditioner applied. I would recommend you use this product liberally on your new braid every rotation as it will keep the braid running like new all race long.

 Editors Note:
This product should be used LIBERALLY.  Do not just put a little on your braid and let it go.  We have found the braid should be wet on the reverse side of the braid because of the amount used.  The price is cheap for the performance upgrade and the longevity of your braid.  While I am still a fan of "replace your braid before EVERY race", I do have to concede this product will extend the life of your braid.  If you look at it from the view point of cost, it will actually save you money.  The bottle of Braid Conditioner will last for many sets of braid and many races.  Let's say you actually get a 50% increase in the life of your braid.  You thus will save many times the cost of the bottle of Braid Conditioner in braid you do not have to purchase.  If you are not currently using this product, we recommend it highly.  Get on the bandwagon and start saving money on your braid while increasing your performance.