WHEN HUMANS STRIVE AT THEIR HIGHEST IN SPORT — REX CLEANS, PROTECTS, AND LUBRICATES THE EQUIPMENT.
Rex is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of ski waxes. We continuously collaborate with the world’s best national ski teams to develop new and even better ski waxes. Rex is particularly known for its race waxes, widely used in the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup by all leading teams. Rex race support travels around the world during the winter, testing and servicing the world’s best national ski teams.
Founded in 1952, Rex has an uninterrupted history of over seventy years in ski wax manufacturing. Rex is a Finnish family-owned company with deep-rooted traditions in Finnish winter sports spanning multiple generations.
Contact information, Hartola factory
Oy Redox Ab
Keskustie 62
19600 Hartola
Finland
Phone: +358 3 876 0750
Email: info[a]rex.fi
Rex’s story, or how it all began
An Unfortunate Ski Trip in 1949
In the spring of 1949, three young chemists faced difficulties with their skis in the Lapland conditions. Sometimes the skis didn’t glide, other times they lacked grip, and at times they froze. During their evenings while gathering their strength, the men pondered whether they could improve ski waxing.
The need for effective waxes was pressing, and the basic idea was in place. They concluded that the waxes of a new era should be developed from synthetic raw materials that would always maintain consistent quality. Two years of hard work in the laboratory at the Helsinki University of Technology produced results. The waxes made from new materials and using innovative methods performed promisingly in tests.
The Bringer of Light to the Helsinki Olympics
One of the skiers on that fateful Lapland trip, DI Aarne Mahnala, founded Oy Redox Ab to handle wax production. However, the company’s first product was not ski wax but the torch for the Helsinki Olympic Games. After its completion, Rex waxes made their way to the Olympics and have been part of every competition, enhancing the performance of skiers.
The first REX products came to the market for the 1952-53 ski season. Skiers eagerly embraced REX, and Rex immediately entered into close cooperation with active skiers and wax masters. REX waxes performed excellently, and both competitive and recreational skiers adopted them. Over a few decades, Rex established a dominant position in the Finnish market, and its wax exports covered the entire skiing world.
At the Forefront of Ski Wax Development
The development of waxes has been and continues to be ongoing. Rex had a complete and widely-used wax series that had won medals in major competitions when wooden skis transitioned to polyethylene-based skis in 1974.
New REX waxes were quickly developed to meet the changing demands. Similarly, Rex has kept pace with the adoption of new materials such as silicones, fluorides, molybdenums, and polymers.
The company has relocated several times to accommodate the changing demands and production expansion. After Helsinki and Hyrylä, Rex settled in Hartola at the turn of the millennium.
Rex’s Partnership Teams
Rex continually develops and tests waxes in collaboration with the world’s best ski teams. Waxing solutions that perform well in competition are published in our race reports section. New products are developed and tested with the help of professionals before they reach store shelves. Rex waxes have contributed to winning numerous international medals!