Pippu_Paladin Posted May 28, 2020 Share Posted May 28, 2020 I'd seen someone describe the Tanfoglio "Wonder" finish as being most similar to NP3 coating, and someone make the claim that they keep their Wonder Witness under the seat of their saltwater fishing boat for years with nary a damage to the finish, but upon inquiring on here people were saying the Wonder finish is quite prone to damage. Would I be better off in the long run buying a blued slide and getting it NP3 coated over waiting for a Wonder finished one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiedras Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 I'd be inclined to get the np3 finish, I had a pair of stock 3s that I had refinished by robar with np3 on the slide/internals and their black anodizing on the frame. That's held up fairly well for competition shooting over the last few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiedras Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 Too bad Robar doesn't do their own finishing now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haiedras Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 Too bad Robar doesn't do their own finishing now.Oh that sucks. I had this done a few years back and they were still doing their own finishing then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 (edited) I have NP3 on a Beretta 96G and a Tanfo compact in the "Wonder" finish. The Tanfo despite trying to keep it clean always looks like an ape with a truckload of potato chips was eating them and handling it . The NP3 is pristine and always has been. The Tanfo finish is actually quite rugged, I carried it for years and it doesn't scratch, and the finish on "proud metal" parts doesn't wear off going in and out of holsters, it just collects dirt and always looks like crappenzola. If it were a safe queen or didn't get carried often, it would be a different thing, as I've seen some old ones that still look really good. Edited May 29, 2020 by gnappi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 46 minutes ago, gnappi said: I have NP3 on a Beretta 96G and a Tanfo compact in the "Wonder" finish. The Tanfo despite trying to keep it clean always looks like an ape with a truckload of potato chips was eating them and handling it . The NP3 is pristine and always has been. The Tanfo finish is actually quite rugged, I carried it for years and it doesn't scratch, and the finish on "proud metal" parts doesn't wear off going in and out of holsters, it just collects dirt and always looks like crappenzola. If it were a safe queen or didn't get carried often, it would be a different thing, as I've seen some old ones that still look really good. This will be a HD gun, so not often in the most climate controlled of environments, will be practiced with a fair amount because of this, and will be a BBQ gun. None of my guns are safe queens since they're either cool and I want to play with them or are something I'll use for hunting [or both, of course]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 4 hours ago, Pippu_Paladin said: Too bad Robar doesn't do their own finishing now. I thought they completely closed down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted May 29, 2020 Author Share Posted May 29, 2020 26 minutes ago, FALAR said: I thought they completely closed down? As far as I see they now work only with FFLs or the like, so you send your gun to X company and they farm the work out to Robar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted May 29, 2020 Share Posted May 29, 2020 7 hours ago, Pippu_Paladin said: This will be a HD gun, so not often in the most climate controlled of environments, will be practiced with a fair amount because of this, and will be a BBQ gun. None of my guns are safe queens since they're either cool and I want to play with them or are something I'll use for hunting [or both, of course]. I live in south Florida with hot, humid, sweaty carry conditions and aside from the grit under a truck seat, or marine I can't imagine a more hostile environment. My Tanfo compact has been my EDC on and off swapping with a S&W 4026 since 1995 or so when I got it. It's still my EDC but with a "Stock" .40 slide. Other than the ugliness factor as I said the Tanfo finish is pretty good and if it doesn't bother the owner it's not a biggie. Some shooters obsess over condition and I think warts and all discussion sheds more light than heat on a discussion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 Will an NP3 slide on a Wonder frame end up looking like an FDE FN Scar in terms of being two very different shades of silver/grey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAm Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 9 minutes ago, Pippu_Paladin said: Will an NP3 slide on a Wonder frame end up looking like an FDE FN Scar in terms of being two very different shades of silver/grey? Gotta love the 50 shades of FDE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, BigAm said: Gotta love the 50 shades of FDE! I do like that look, but I think 3 is the threshold for similar colors, or having black and silver two-tone, But for this I was hoping for one[ish] color of silver and the blue grips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 I still want to see a hard chrome Stock III. The bluing on them is kind of thin, if one of mine ever gets looking really ugly I might send it into CCR or Ford's or whoever does the best work for the HC treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 21 minutes ago, FALAR said: I still want to see a hard chrome Stock III. The bluing on them is kind of thin, if one of mine ever gets looking really ugly I might send it into CCR or Ford's or whoever does the best work for the HC treatment. And I'd die for a Wonder Stock II. Full length smooth dust cover is such a nice look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 I always "wondered" about the Wonder Finish as well. I see the same mixed reports---some saying it is durable as hell, others saying it sucks. Then for whatever reason the only ones imported here are on the lower-end models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 1, 2020 Author Share Posted June 1, 2020 1 hour ago, FALAR said: I always "wondered" about the Wonder Finish as well. I see the same mixed reports---some saying it is durable as hell, others saying it sucks. Then for whatever reason the only ones imported here are on the lower-end models. Tanfoglio makes higher-end Nickel-plated firearms? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 Maybe, I don't know what all is available overseas. I just said EAA is only importing lower end models with the wonder finish. Maybe that is all that is available, it is hard to tell stateside. Is Wonder Finish for sure nickel-plating? It sure looks like electroless nickel to me but I've never seen anything firm on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnappi Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 (edited) I read this snippet on another site, supposedly gleaned from a Tanfo brochure... but the word is that it's similar to tennifer or Ferritic nitrocarburizing Wonder finish is Tangfoglio's heat treating process for steel. It is not plating, so it will not separate from the base metal. This heat treating process increases the surface hardness, thus decreasing wear, and increasing abrasion resistance. The Wonder finish process creates a self lubricating, corrosion resistant barrier between the surface of the pistol and the underlying metal that is over 12 microns deep. It maintains the superior characteristics of iron carbon steel for rigidty and durability with the look and corrosion resistance of stainless steel. Edited June 1, 2020 by gnappi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 1, 2020 Share Posted June 1, 2020 I had read that before too, that it was more like a surface treatment than a coating. If so, that is pretty unique as any nitrocarburized finish I've seen is black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 21 hours ago, Pippu_Paladin said: Tanfoglio makes higher-end Nickel-plated firearms? Check out the Stock III in this video that they export to Canada: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 1 hour ago, FALAR said: Check out the Stock III in this video that they export to Canada: Not worth it due to all Canada's other gun laws, but I'm pretty jelly of that nickel Stock III. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FALAR Posted June 2, 2020 Share Posted June 2, 2020 (edited) The bluing on that Xtreme looks REALLY nice too compared to any other blued Tanfoglio I've seen. Yeah, no interest in their laws but how much better would it be if they (Tanfoglio) just had a stateside operation instead of a partnership with an importer? We'd have access to the whole catalog. Edited June 2, 2020 by FALAR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippu_Paladin Posted June 2, 2020 Author Share Posted June 2, 2020 A girl can dream... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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