What you may not know, is that all stainless steels are not equal in their durability characteristics...
The typical stainless steels used in jewelry and watch making are of the 316 series of stainless alloys. Pet ID tag blanks (thin stainless stamped out shapes) are also made out of 316 stainless steel. Indeed almost all of the stainless steel id tags available on the market today are made from this alloy. It is cheap, available, and comprises 70% of the market.
Silver Paw Tags are made form an alloy called duplex 2205. It was developed in the mid 1970's amidst advancements in vacuum and decarbonization processes in the stainless industry. These advancements coincided with the advancement of the offshore oil industry which required a stainless steel that could handle aggressive environments.
Duplex 2205 is a combination of 300(austentic) and 400(ferritic) series stainless steels. It has characteristics of both which make it a superior alloy, especially when hanging around a dog's neck. It is twice as hard as a 316 stainless alloy. This means that it will wear that much better when swinging back and forth with other tags. It also has a much higher non-corrosion factor than 316 alloys. This means that it will stay bright forever and not blacken your dog's coat!
Finding this alloy and using it in our castings has meant the world to us and separates our product from the rest. It is a much more difficult material to get highly polished because it is so hard. We think the extra work is worth the effort as measured in the performance of our product!
Visit us at www.silverpawtags.com for your next pet id tag!
