I can say without doubt that all of the tubes that make up the majority of the body are for sure stainless. However I had a little incident involving a cat and a pair of pliers on my desk. Suffice it to say that the top collar is for sure plated brass. I'm not sure about the battery cap, but am assuming it's most likely plated brass as well. Either way the scratch on the collar isn't that obvious, and the scratches on the body don't really show at all.