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Did petzl change the finish on their ice screws?

Original Post
Nick Baker · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 86

So I just bought 7 new petzls screws from steep and cheap and when they arrived about 2/3rds of them seem to be finished with a matte finish.  The overall quality of the matte finish looks quite a bit more smooth and precise with way less machining marks.  The feel is also much smoother on the fingers and seems like it may present significantly less drag when driving in the ice (wont know until this weekend, I will report back). It almost looks like aluminum not steel (it is steel though..)    These are specifically labeled as having been manufactured august 2018 while the older finish has no date on the labels.  

 Anyone know about changes to petzl screw finishes?  Was this announced?  If not I am surprised they didn't use this as marketing thing (though I have no idea if there is any appriciable performance change).  This seems like quite an upgrade in the quality of manufacturing if it is durable. 

Acmesalute76 · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2016 · Points: 71

Not exactly the same, but I own two Petzl mini traxions, one from 08 and one from 13. The newer one has a matte finish to the cam. Pretty sure it is chrome plating, but they must have changed their process. Always been curious about it.

Nick Baker · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Jan 2016 · Points: 86

Update: Per an email exchange with petzl they changed some manufacturing process but did not provide any details on how or why.     Seems like a missed marketing opprotunity to me.

Bryan LaRue · · Munising, MI · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 50

I just took a look at mine and my old (Purchased 2017) screws have a shiny finish where my new ones have that dull finish. I also noticed that the color of the corn cob knob is a tad different as well.

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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