Metal used in Wilson Revolution series blades

[tstop4me]

I've read posts speculating about the metal used in the Wilson Revolution series blades, maybe stainless steel, maybe even titanium alloy.  As I had suspected, they use good 'ol carbon steel.  I emailed HD Sports (which now owns Wilson) in the UK.  They've been backed up responding to email, but I got this answer today:

"All our blades are made from the finest quality carbon steel and that goes for both the Revolution and Traditional variations."

[Query]

Oh. My bad.

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BTW, did you notice Wilson and MK have a "Lifetime Promise" on their websites:

http://mkblades.com/our-promise
http://www.worldsbestblades.com/our-promise

Our blades are designed for longevity and to endure the stresses of world-class competition. But, in the unlikely event of a problem all our products are covered by a global 12 month warranty.

As an added bonus and for total peace of mind, send us your completed warranty card or register online and you'll be covered by our extended and unrivalled lifetime promise manufacturing warranty.

Jackson Ultima's website merely says

Ultima blades are backed by Jackson Ultima's reputation for product quality, service and value.

Paramount, Skate Science and Graf say nothing about a blade warranty on their websites.

Wonder what MK/Wilson would say if you asked them to make good on their warranty for rust... 

[tstop4me]

BTW, did you notice Wilson and MK have a "Lifetime Promise" on their websites:

Yeah, don't think a "lifetime promise" is a term that a product liability attorney would recognize (maybe a matrimonial attorney?  ).  At any rate, there would be a limited number of defects that could be established as "manufacturing defects", given the lack of published specs ... and especially, as is often the case, the end customer doesn't inspect the blades before they are mounted and sharpened by the skate tech (unless you do your own mounting and sharpening).

If the chrome plating were to peel off, that would likely be a manufacturing defect.  If the braze joint failed, that would likely be a manufacturing defect (though multiple bad falls could be argued to constitute abuse).  But what if the profile is off or the edge hardness is too soft?  Well, what is the profile supposed to be?  What is the edge hardness supposed to be?  And, unless you have access to a Rockwell hardness tester and run a measurement prior to the first sharpening, one could argue that the sharpener burned the steel and softened the edge.

[Query]

I get that "promise manufacturing warranty" isn't crystal clear. But you don't think the opening phrase "Our blades are designed for longevity and to endure the stresses of world-class competition." clarifies what is covered? Surely any reasonable person would assume they are warranted against breakage, if it went to court? And many pro shops routinely successfully return (new) defective blades to HD Sports (which makes MK, Wilson, Revolution blades).

It might be interesting to see what would happen if someone sued HD Sports after a blade broke in competition - not just for the cost of the blade, but for the value of the assumed Gold Medal they lost by a very small number of points. A true public relations nightmare for HD Sports.

Anyway, lifetime warrantees don't always imply maximum quality.

For example, hand tools from Sears Craftsman, Husky, or Harbor Freight - low end "professional" tools - have a lifetime warranty. At least with Sears Craftsman, if they haven't changed, you could break a a screwdriver by using it as a cold chisel, then return it, with no receipt or explanation, and get a new one. OTOH, really high end professional hand tools, like Ideal, Klein, or Snap-On, do not, AFAIK, have a lifetime warranty - because they know that nothing can stand up to severe abuse.

Similarly, a lot of skate techs say that Jackson Ultima is much more consistent than HD Sports at shipping unwarped blades with consistent profiles and edge shapes (one of the reasons some shops prefer them - though the higher retail price mark-up helps a lot) - but they advertise no warranty.

I don't think any major brand of ice skating blade would accept the return of used blades for rust, wear or scratches.