There Are Pandas, and Then There Are Pandas.
And this isn't either of them! The Pandas we're talking about here, are watches, not bears. And what got me thinking about them (again) was a link posted this morning by @cm.rook who pointed a few of us to the very attractive (and not terribly priced) Yema "Rallygraph" Panda which, in it's most traditional arrangement, looks like the one on the left, but can also be had in the version on the right: The model on the left is a true Panda, while the model on the right is called a reverse Panda. The reason for that distinction is clear--Panda bears, only come in the first arrangement. Now at this point, everyone should be thinking about the most well-know Panda, The Rolex Panda, which is actually a Daytona, and among Rolex Daytonas, the most famous of which is the Paul Newman Daytona, which was famous first, because it was Paul's, and second because it sold at auction for $17.8 million (US Dollars). The story of that auction is well-known so I'll only...
Nov 8, 2019
Edit: wait no, that one doesn't mention any other brands of stakes or grades of Ti, hmm...
Anyway, having done some reading it does seem that Grade 5/6Al-4V is the stuff to use for lightweight, strong gear and anything else is a bit of a compromise. But that's fine, as long as the compromises are made in the right places.
I have some grade 9 stakes sitting here in the office, it is a really good compromise for building titanium stakes, bendable yet strong, though it does tend to cost more than grade 5 or 2. But, if the tent stakes(or other tools) last twice as long in grade 9, as they would in grade 2, it would seem to be the way to go. That takes market education, which has been lacking, even in the more informed UL community. Some one should look at doing grade 9 stuff, that is a big part of what I am saying here. I am just not the one to it, at least not right now. hint, hint, for those paying attention.