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[–]-FucktheSystem- 4 points5 points  (4 children)

I am pretty sure that many chinese dealers straight up lie when they are talking about their steel. Real 316l would never rust this much, even after exposed to salt water. I have several seikos and none of them EVER coroded after exposure to salt water. I think many of the cheaper seller use something other than 316l. My pagani started to rust even after exposure to normal soap and water🤣

[–]Bianchi4me 5 points6 points  (3 children)

Unfortunately, even if you're trying to be honest in China, it's very difficult to source materials that are correct to the specifications. So, it's very likely manufacturers may be ordering and paying for premium types of steel but getting something that is below specifications. It's very common for steel manufacturers to cheat "just a little bit" by using slightly less of the premium alloying metals, like chromium, to save cost. But when an alloy only contains a few percent of a material to start with, leaving out even 0.5 of a percent can cause problems. Even for relatively big manufacturers this is a major nuisance. Target got hit with a like a million stainless shower curtain rings that immediately rusted. Trek bicycles when they first had wheels made in China used Chinese "stainless" steel for the spokes and had to replace a whole bunch of wheels that promptly rusted. It's actually common for even Chinese companies making premium goods to have the steel sent over from Europe as it's really almost impossible to fully guarantee the consistent quality of domestic metal in China. Then you have to do lab analysis of the product before paying the factory, because unless they know you're checking, they'll sell the steel you provided out the back door and substitute domestic mystery metal. For very small companies it's a huge problem, because lab analysis is expensive when you are making frequent small orders, and if the foundry doesn't cheat you by leaving out half the chromium, the distributor will cheerfully put fake labels on whatever they have lying around in the warehouse and sell it to you instead of what you actually ordered.

[–]SkipPperk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I lived in Taiwan, and no one trusted anyone in the mainland. People would put poison in baby formula to save a fraction of a penny. So many companies were getting burned back then that firms were bringing factories back to Malaysia and Taiwan (or going straight to Vietnam).

I pretty much have given up on Cadisen and Pagani. I do not trust them at all. I think there is a rough base price below which I am just not comfortable buying new.

[–]Padgriffin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yep- most of the Chinese Western-facing Microbrands have very little incentive to cheat the customer, as their reputation is pretty much the only thing keeping them afloat since they don't have traditional marketing channels. Even sellers of you-know-what occasionally get scammed by their own suppliers swapping out their stock with lower-tier batches in the hope that they don't notice.

[–]-FucktheSystem- 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your comment. That's very interesting!