Quality and Continuous Improvement, Part II
In another episode of the discussion on quality and continuous improvement, one of my early adopter customers stopped by my table at the gun show to see me today.
He visited me at the last gun show to request a few additional holes to be punched in his belt since he's lost some weight, which I did. At that time, I noticed that his screws were showing some signs of rust. I offered to replace them that day but he said we could do that next time he saw me, which was today.
While I had his belt disassembled to install better Chicago screws, I decided to upgrade his buckle to a new stainless steel one too. He had one of the original nickel plated ones, and while it wasn't destroyed with rust, there were some early signs of it. The picture here shows all of the original hardware from his belt that I was using 4 years ago.
I sent him on his way with all new hardware, and he was very grateful.
I find it fascinating that on my belts, it's the metal hardware that goes bad before the synthetic belt material. You'd think steel would outlast thermoplastic polyurethane, but that's not the case.
If the steel black oxide Chicago screws that I'm currently using prove to rust the same as these awful Amazon screws in the image, I'll keep scouring the Internet for something better, but for now I need to see how they hold up. They're still an improvement over the ones in the image.
Remember, my beloved customers: if you want or need new hardware on your Vanguard Belt, I'm a phone call or email away. I'll swap the hardware free of charge. Hit me up:
Email: brian@vanguardbelts.com
Mobile: (219) 588-0532