Review: Marshals gages from Polar Bear Forge.

[Sean Powell]

(Ooops, originally posted under design & Construction. Moved here)

Hello, I just received 5 laser cut stainless marshals gages from polar bear forge and have been meaning to post a review:

Communication: 9/10: All e-mails responded to within 24-48 hours.

Delivery: 9/10: (USPS bulk envelope with tape reinforcement, parts wrapped in newspaper and tape). Cheep, durable, safe and only took a few minutes to slice through all the layers. Any time delay had to do with the USPS and not Jamie.

Product: 8.5/10: 300 series unpollished stainless. There is slight spatter and residue from the manufacturing process but it does not affect function (I'm having mine sand-blasted, electropolished and passivated with my name laser etched on at work so mine will be plenty shiney) I inspected 5 gages at work using callipers that had be qualified by our QA department less then 1 month ago. 1" section => 0.996-0.998"; 1.25" => 1.252-1.254"; 2" => 2.002-2.005"; 3" outside => 2.994-2.999" That is fantasticly accurate for this proces and not realistly improvable without milling and grinding. With the exception of the 3" for spear tips (which are never borderline anyway) these gages will never pass a bad product (most important) and will only fail a good product that is within the thickness of a human hair of failing anyway. The only gage I have more accurate is a hardened 1" class ZZ plug gage pin that is calibrated within 0.00014" of nominal.

There was a slight burr at the corner near the hole left from the cutting process. It was easy to buff off.

Cost: 10/10: guys I ordered 5 gages for 45 bucks. I spend twice that on Christmas gifts for people I don't like. 3 went to people in my shire and the others are my spares to keep in my armor bag as just-in-case gages.

Note: I'm an engineer and reserve 10/10 for product that excedes 3 sigma value which happens maybe 0.2% of the time so a 9/10 is about as high as I will go without extrodinary circumstances.

Overall rating: 9/10: I would and do recomend these gages to friends.

Sean Powell

Product pictures and details available at:
http://www.polarbearforge.com/

[Iain (Bunny) Ruadh]

Any idea if he's planning on making more of these (i.e. adding them to his line) and if so at the same price or adjusts now having made a batch? I can seen ordering a half dozen knowing a batch of budding marshals that need some gifts.

[Sean Powell]

NOt sure if he has them on the shelf or laser cuts them as needed but I asked for 5 and 5 showed up a week later. I'd just send the e-mail and see what's he's got. I was honestly tempted to buy as many as he coud fit in a $5 envelope and resell them at a $1 mark up at Pennsic.

Sean