Best Pegs – independently tested quality you can trust

Back in 2018 when I was thinking about selling stainless steel pegs, the first question my husband asked me was “What grade of stainless steel are they?”. I was confused and replied “What do you mean?”. He then patiently explained that there were different types of stainless steel, I had never thought about this!

Then began a learning journey. I discovered that there are three main types: 201 grade; 304 grade and 316 marine grade. The grade of stainless steel is really important if you want steel pegs that won’t rust:

Will steel pegs rust? Yes, they will, if you buy cheap steel pegs made from 201 grade stainless steel, even 304 grade stainless steel will corrode over time when left to the elements. I definitely wanted to focus my efforts on selling marine grade stainless steel pegs since so many Australians live on the coast. However, I wanted to be sure that the marine grade pegs I was selling really were made from 316 stainless steel. I found a NATA accredited metallurgist, based in Melbourne, who tests my peg samples using X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF).

XRF is a non-destructive analytical method used to determine the elemental composition and the grade of the alloy. Portable XRF (PXRF) is a portable form of elemental analysis instruments based on an energy dispersive principle. The PXRF is placed in contact with metallic materials and products to be analysed, and chemical analytical results are immediately apparent for material identification and verification purpose.

I not only test my pegs, I have also tested pegs from competing brands who claim their pegs are made from marine grade 316 stainless steel and the results thus far have been eyebrow raising!

Here’s the results of the most recent test, in December 2022. The first table shows the typical composition of 304 and 216 stainless steel:

And here are the results, the competitor name has been blacked out but I have tested their pegs on several occasions and they have never been made from marine grade stainless steel!

These tests are not cheap, but I think they are worth it to assure that Best Pegs marine grade 316 stainless steel pegs are the real deal.

Want quality marine grade metal pegs from an Australian small business you can trust? Shop for Best Pegs marine grade stainless steel pegs here.