Neeves
Well-Known Member
Rocna originally used Bis80, an 800MPa steel from Bisalloy in Australia. They then went through bendy shank saga and were simulataneously advising on their website the use of this steel but actually using something very different. It took them a long time to confirm that things had gone wrong. Part of the brouhaha was their claim on the website contradicting the reality. Manson used the same steel, Bis80, in the Supreme.
Once CMP took over the claim of using Bis80 was dropped and all they said was that the steel was 'strong enough'. Part of this was sensible as it might, then, have been difficult to buy Bis80 in China and expensive to ship from Australia. Many steel makers make the same grade and accessing that quality would have been easier - though they never said they used that quality only 'strong enough'. There is no evidence, at all, that the steel they have been using since for the shanks is not 'strong enough' there has been no mention of issues since. I don't know what Manson now say on their website but I was told they stopped using only Bis80 and use steel from any source of a comparable quality - they buy based on availability and cost.
Things have changed Bis80 is now made by Jinan Steel who have a JV with Bisalloy. The steel was made in Jinan - but they removed the steel works and its now somewhere on the coast, in Shandong Province.
All credit to Peter Smith - it was he who first used Bis80 and its use was an excellent selling point. Its a pity he let his eyes stray of the game and then took so long to confirm that reality and then take remedial action. Anchor Right also used Bis80 in the shank of their Excel and have since moved to an even stronger steel, still from Bisalloy. They also use a Q&T steel in the shanks of some, maybe all now, of their original anchors the SARCA, now called the Super SARCA. Delta uses, I think Vyv has said, a high manganese steel and I don't recall seeing comment that anyone has bent a shank.
Since the bendy shank saga Mantus originally introduced their anchor, which enjoyed bent shanks (beggars belief), they then upgraded to (I recall) an 800 MPa shank. But they were distributing the original shanks when they knew they were to upgrade the shanks, Noelex had one and bent it (which was quickly replaced). How do I know - I had mentioned to Mantus that they needed to use a better steel (their shank is quite narrow), they investigated the issue and told me they had the replacement shanks being shipped and simultaneously Noelex started his Pictures of Anchors thread. He obviously would have had an old shank and Mantus knew the new shanks were 'on the way'. And people wonder why I look critically at Mantus.....if only it were the only example.
Now, of course, Mantus do not speak to me, though I am, was?, still on the mail shot list.
Knox use , from memory, a 900 MPa steel (it was from Corus). Its a short shank, quite beefy, lovely welds and the roll bar is integrated into the shank (like SARCA) and looks totally indestructible. If you want a bullet proof anchor - look at Knox.
Vyv has a lovely little test you can conduct on any steel to identify roughly what the quality is. You need some standards, its a comparative test, and high tensile bolts are good source of standards as they are all marked with a code defining what quality of steel/bolt they might be. You need a ball bearing, vice and clean steel (no gal). A shank is actually quite difficult to check as you need to clamp the, say, bolt (or nut), shank with the ball bearing sandwiched in between - then tighten the vice and compare the size of the indent. I have a 'set' of nuts and bolts and bits of Bisalloy steel I keep as my 'standards'. You can get to within 100 MPa. Hardness is roughly proportionate to tensile strength (and abrasion resistance). You can use the same test to check the steel used in your chain. Take a complete link, grind it flat and then use the flat surface to make the indent with the ball bearing with the HT bolt as the other side of the sandwich. Best if you start using a bolt (or your standard) being similar to what you think it should be, then work up or down in terms of MPa.
Jonathan
Once CMP took over the claim of using Bis80 was dropped and all they said was that the steel was 'strong enough'. Part of this was sensible as it might, then, have been difficult to buy Bis80 in China and expensive to ship from Australia. Many steel makers make the same grade and accessing that quality would have been easier - though they never said they used that quality only 'strong enough'. There is no evidence, at all, that the steel they have been using since for the shanks is not 'strong enough' there has been no mention of issues since. I don't know what Manson now say on their website but I was told they stopped using only Bis80 and use steel from any source of a comparable quality - they buy based on availability and cost.
Things have changed Bis80 is now made by Jinan Steel who have a JV with Bisalloy. The steel was made in Jinan - but they removed the steel works and its now somewhere on the coast, in Shandong Province.
All credit to Peter Smith - it was he who first used Bis80 and its use was an excellent selling point. Its a pity he let his eyes stray of the game and then took so long to confirm that reality and then take remedial action. Anchor Right also used Bis80 in the shank of their Excel and have since moved to an even stronger steel, still from Bisalloy. They also use a Q&T steel in the shanks of some, maybe all now, of their original anchors the SARCA, now called the Super SARCA. Delta uses, I think Vyv has said, a high manganese steel and I don't recall seeing comment that anyone has bent a shank.
Since the bendy shank saga Mantus originally introduced their anchor, which enjoyed bent shanks (beggars belief), they then upgraded to (I recall) an 800 MPa shank. But they were distributing the original shanks when they knew they were to upgrade the shanks, Noelex had one and bent it (which was quickly replaced). How do I know - I had mentioned to Mantus that they needed to use a better steel (their shank is quite narrow), they investigated the issue and told me they had the replacement shanks being shipped and simultaneously Noelex started his Pictures of Anchors thread. He obviously would have had an old shank and Mantus knew the new shanks were 'on the way'. And people wonder why I look critically at Mantus.....if only it were the only example.
Now, of course, Mantus do not speak to me, though I am, was?, still on the mail shot list.
Knox use , from memory, a 900 MPa steel (it was from Corus). Its a short shank, quite beefy, lovely welds and the roll bar is integrated into the shank (like SARCA) and looks totally indestructible. If you want a bullet proof anchor - look at Knox.
Vyv has a lovely little test you can conduct on any steel to identify roughly what the quality is. You need some standards, its a comparative test, and high tensile bolts are good source of standards as they are all marked with a code defining what quality of steel/bolt they might be. You need a ball bearing, vice and clean steel (no gal). A shank is actually quite difficult to check as you need to clamp the, say, bolt (or nut), shank with the ball bearing sandwiched in between - then tighten the vice and compare the size of the indent. I have a 'set' of nuts and bolts and bits of Bisalloy steel I keep as my 'standards'. You can get to within 100 MPa. Hardness is roughly proportionate to tensile strength (and abrasion resistance). You can use the same test to check the steel used in your chain. Take a complete link, grind it flat and then use the flat surface to make the indent with the ball bearing with the HT bolt as the other side of the sandwich. Best if you start using a bolt (or your standard) being similar to what you think it should be, then work up or down in terms of MPa.
Jonathan
