Do ProVarii become smoother as they age / are used?

[Gato del Jugo]

I noticed it yesterday when ProVari #2 arrived..

Not sure if it has to do with the specific cerakote (Black Satin vs. Bronze), or just that there's a 5-month age gap between the two, or what..


It's not a huge difference, but I could pick them out in a blind-"hold" test...


Garemlin noticed the same thing (between 2 Satin Silvers), though thought perhaps it was a blem thing..

"The first thing I noticed when holding them is the blem was not as smooth as the non blem. Very slight but it is more abrasive."

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...lver-blems-i-solved-mystery.html#post13545523


Anybody else ever notice this?

 

[WorksForMe]

My black Mini that I got in January is noticeably smoother than my bronze that I got last month. I’m not sure why, but it makes sense that something would get smoother after you’ve carried it in your hand for several hours a day for 5 months. It seems like the smoothness would be more uneven if it was just caused by wear though.

J.R.

 

[Ozwald]

The bronze & black are 2 different kinds of finish so even new they're going to feel different.

But yes, they will wear with use.

 

[Gato del Jugo]

The bronze & black are 2 different kinds of finish so even new they're going to feel different.

But yes, they will wear with use.

Yeah, earlier today I got some really up close & personal quality time with both ProVarii today, utilizing a very bright LED flashlight..


1.) They do indeed appear to be two different kinds of cerakote..

2.) Bronze is pretty dern good-looking under such close scrutiny..

3.) My 5-month-old black satin is a lot more beat-up than I originally thought.. Scratches, tiny chips, worn areas.. I don't mind, just a surprise, since it doesn't show much under normal viewing...


Anyway, I wonder if also part of the difference in smoothness might lie in the skin repeatedly leaving small amounts of oil over time, which might have some sort of gradual minor chemical reaction with the very outer surface of the cerakote..?

 

[Ozwald]

It's baked on ceramic. Skin oil isn't going to have much impact on it. Cerakote by nature isn't very abrasion resistant, so constant handling is going to wear it smoother.

 

[Train2]

There's another thread where someone thought the old ProVari they just bought might even be "black chrome" - but I think it's this: the finish does slowly, with wear, become a smoother, slightly shiny, less "flat" black.

 

[Gato del Jugo]

It's baked on ceramic. Skin oil isn't going to have much impact on it. Cerakote by nature isn't very abrasion resistant, so constant handling is going to wear it smoother.

I'm not an expert in chemistry, biology or ceramic coating, but I've got a weird little theory that in addition to wear from physical touch, that the combination of diffusing oil & heat from the hand might affect at least the top layer of atoms of the cerakote at the molecular level, causing it to change noticeably enough over time through a chemical and/or pH level kind of thing..


Anyway, I'd love to compare mine to the feel & appearance of a brand-new black satin one.. Maybe someday..

I also wonder what the bronze will be like in 5 months...

 

[lizziebith]

There's another thread where someone thought the old ProVari they just bought might even be "black chrome" - but I think it's this: the finish does slowly, with wear, become a smoother, slightly shiny, less "flat" black.

That was me -- it isn't a black chrome after all, but the finish is glossier, even inside the teardrops, so I don't think it was wear. I think the v 2.0 satin black was a different finish, just as the new satins are different from that oddball, the bronze. The bronze has some metallic flecks in the paint that make it feel like no other ProVari. I wasted a good half hour giving them all a thorough "feel test," I'm ashamed to admit. The gold, emerald and now gunmetal have a lovely thickish glossy feel.

 

[Trypno]

Cerakoted firearms tend to need recoating after awhile due to chipping and heat erosion near the barrel.

Firearms get a lot hotter than your hand, but the combination of heat and oils COULD, in theory, have an effect on the coating over time.

 

[Elantis]

I have a Black mini V2.5 that I purchased off the classies, it too has a gloss to the finish. There are very tiny spots at the edges of the teardrops where the metal shows through, but you almost have to have a magnifying glass to see them. The inside of the teardrops though still appear to have a dullness to them.

I purchased the Cigtech Tatroe extension cap in black to go with this Provari and with the naked eye the finish difference is very noticeable as you can see in this family portrait.