[JBL]

I just purchased a P99 in the Titanium finish and I was wondering does the "Ti" finish have any advantage over any other finish? Other than looks is there any reason to offer it. Is it more durable than the standard finish?

 

[BreakerDave]

No advantages over the "standard" finish.  The Titanium finish replaced the QPQ finish which had problems and was discontinued a few years ago.  According to a couple of reports and Walther's recent line-up at the SHOT show, the Titanium finish version of the P99 has been discontinued.  

One of the forum's members, lunde, who has some contacts with Walther personnel had posted that Walther found the Titanium finish was not as durable as the standard finish and that is why they discontinued it.

 

[lunde]

Treat the Titanium Coated finish as you would a standard blued finish. This finish was discontinued because it was found that it did not offer better corrosion resistance than the standard black finish.

 

[BreakerDave]

A few days ago it was:

Quote[/b] (lunde @ Feb. 03 2005,8:42)] It was discovered that it had about the same corrosion resistance as standard blueing, meaning that the standard (black) finish is the better finish.

Your current post implies the two are virtually equal.

Quote[/b] (lunde @ Feb. 07 2005,5:44)]Treat the Titanium Coated finish as you would a standard blued finish. This finish was discontinued because it was found that it did not offer better corrosion resistance than the standard black finish.

Which is it?  Are we only talking about a marginal difference?

 

[MLB]

As I only have the Ti finish, I can't really compare, but in over a year of use in an unlined, fitted holster (Galco Fletch), I don't see any wear on the finish.

BTW, I don't see any contradiction in lunde's statements. Not better than blued/black, but more expensive. Seems like just an aesthetic choice.

 

[BreakerDave]

Quote[/b] (MLB @ Feb. 08 2005,4:51)]BTW, I don't see any contradiction in lunde's statements.  Not better than blued/black, but more expensive.  Seems like just an aesthetic choice.

MLB, I didn't realize he was using price as the criteria for saying that the standard black finish was "better" than the Titanium finish.

His first post left me with the impression that the standard finish had a slight edge over the Titanium. He clearly stated that the standard finish was the better of the two. His second post left me thinking the Titanium finish was simply different, and not any better or worse.

Thanks for explaining it.

 

[MLB]

I'm not sure myself, not having two to compare. Just my take on what I read. I haven't seen anything quantitative either way. I don't recall hearing any complaints from either finish actually.

 

[lunde]

The Titanium Coated finish offers slightly less corrosion resistance when compared to the standard (blackened) finish, thus the suggestion/recommendation to treat it like one would a standard blued finish. What makes this especially perplexing is that both -- Titanium Coated and blackened -- have tennifer treatment underneath.

 

[Nocturnal]

They got titanium to adhere to tennifer? Wow. What is tennifer made of anyway?

 

[P88]

Tennifer isn't a finish. It is a metallurgical process performed on the metal parts. The metal is treated with a cyanide mixture bath to increase hardness and corrosion resistance. This is not a finish but is actually impregnated into the first few microns of the metal. The Tennifer treatment is colorless. After the treatment, then the finish (blue or Ti) is put on.