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When is stainless steel NOT stainless steel?

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DualMagMike

DualMagMike

Member
Sep 22, 2018
1,648
1,823
NY, United States
Stainless steel is NOT stainless steel when it's a Weihrauch STL airgun!!! It seems the more people I tell this the less seem to have any clue they are not stainless nor are they nickel. No need to argue or be sarcastic and don't ask what is it, I do not know precisely what it is. Ask Weihrauch they are the ones who do know, if I had to guess I'd say it's a baked on finished but I have no proof of that. I emailed them about 2 years ago and they said it's a stainless look coating but that was it. So if you didn't know now you do, it's not stainless or nickel, brushed, plated or otherwise. If you look at HW's own web page they NEVER state stainless steel or nickel anywhere other than mention "stainless-look" finish!
 
Unfortunately for them not everybody gets fooled by their camouflage. It’s really unfortunate that a company like Wiehrauch would resort to those tactics. But you have to pay an up charge for a less superior product, about as good as titanium coated drill bits. Always comes down to the dollar.
I used to sell ice skate blades. That business had the same scam. They take poor grade of carbon steel sprayed titanium to make it look good and it sold. Again for a premium .Didn’t last but sold out. In time they corroded. They also had stainless which was not really stainless. Have an earth magnet nearby. Buyer beware. Crow 
 
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I don’t feel like it's an attempt to fool the consumer. I think its just a different look. They do charge extra for it, but it may cost more to apply. If nothing else, they have take those guns and run them through a different process. They don’t make a lot of those as opposed to blue, so economies of scale will get you if nothing else. Nickel plating would be very expensive I’m sure, and you couldn’t make the main tube out of stainless as it would be prone to galling issues where the piston contacts it. 
 
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Looking at some adverts at retailers over here, and the ads are all nearly identical - they're clearly just reproducing Weirauch's own blurb (or they're all collaborating to produce the same description in their ads, which seems unlikely).

None of them, not even Weirauch themselves, are claiming the material is stainless steel, so I can't see that anyone is being swindled in any way.

Edit - of the 30 or so ads I've looked at, ive found one that erroreously claims the barrel is stainless steel. That's probably ignorance/oversight rather than deliberate, because Weirauch's UK catalogue clearly states STL means stainless look, and does not actual claim it really is stainless steel. 

It doesn't seem a big deal to me.
 
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I see it as a COLOR being no different that Black chrome verses buff chrome or shiny silver traditional chrome. Just a surface treatment changing appearance with perhaps some other benefit or not.



I own a 35 E in this finish in a dark walnut stock .... say what you will it looks great and i like it just fine.



DSCF0701_50.1612423837.jpg

 
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The reason for this post is not malign HW or say they are trying to mislead, in the end it's buyer beware. I am trying to let any and all who do NOT know the finish is NOT stainless or nickel or chrome. As can be seen above there are those who think it is and many others here and elsewhere are under the impression that STL simply means stainless and not "look". I have been told flat out several times over I was wrong which I am not on this matter and was trying to let others do their due diligence and simply contact Weihrauch if they don't believe me or think it's actually stainless steel being used.
 
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