Italian Maggi vs Chinese-made Lofrans chain

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by rosatte

Chinese products don't belong in the cruisers world

Our iPads are the exceptions when mounted in waterproof cases.

[Ken Z]

I heard 40 years ago from commercial fisherman Italian galv. chain was the by far the best, that is what i still have and no rust, hard to find today but would be my choice.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Paul L

They also had these comments without saying what chain it was

Digging a bit deeper it looks like it kicked off a bit between the chandlery and the magazine, the chandlery saying it had ditched the supplier of the faulty chain some time before. French company.

YM and Jimmy Green Settle their differences...

[TheThunderbird]

To many, the chain is from a PO.

How can we test it, and know about the making process?

That said, are there reports of broken chains? Just a few? Or, better saying,quite none afaiK

I was told that rust does non impair strength at the beginning, and you can have it HOT galvanised again

[NornaBiron]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

I heard 40 years ago from commercial fisherman Italian galv. chain was the by far the best, that is what i still have and no rust, hard to find today but would be my choice.

Maggi is Italian galvanised chain - not so hard to find

[LongRange]

I ended up buying 80m of Lofrans chain. Cost was certainly a consideration, but so were circumstances - it was easy to obtain within wheelbarrow distance of the boat, and the transaction had built up sufficient goodwill with the chandler to have them take an old (too small) Delta anchor I was trying to get rid of for months.

The Rocna attached to the end of the new chain is Chinese-made, and the chain barrel (one of 5 on the pallet) contained a test certificate with some very detailed numbers, including breaking strain, dimensions, and chemical composition. There was even an undersigned Lofrans employee.

Had the difference in price been smaller, I would have preferred to buy the Italian chain due to the perception that it is somehow safer (not alloyed with cheese?). However, given the Italian product costs 62% more without any quantifiable advantage, my tendency to favour European-made was overruled by my wallet.

If the galvanizing wears off sooner than expected, within say a year or two, I will chalk it up to experience and try the Maggi chain next time.

[KP44]

My only input is look into price by the barrel instead of by the meter. A barrel was about 650 feet or 195 meters. I bought certified tested US-made G4 5/16 inch (8 mm) chain by the barrel and the price was 60% or less the lowest, discounted price. I had the barrel cut into 3 pieces. So I have 2 all-chain anchor rodes and a 15 meter extra piece. 12 years later it looks new.

[slegg]

Originally Posted by rosatte

Chinese products don't belong in the cruisers world

In my experience, chinese can provide very good and very bad quality merchandises. Sometimes better than US or UE. The difficulty is to find an importer that chooses good quality.

[Ken Z]

Friends in the chain business have told me that chinese chain contain more nickel and that adds greater stretch and is valuable in logging chains and skid tractor chains. Thats all i know...

[Viss]

Originally Posted by LongRange

I ended up buying 80m of Lofrans chain. Cost was certainly a consideration, but so were circumstances - it was easy to obtain within wheelbarrow distance of the boat, and the transaction had built up sufficient goodwill with the chandler to have them take an old (too small) Delta anchor I was trying to get rid of for months.

The Rocna attached to the end of the new chain is Chinese-made, and the chain barrel (one of 5 on the pallet) contained a test certificate with some very detailed numbers, including breaking strain, dimensions, and chemical composition. There was even an undersigned Lofrans employee.

Had the difference in price been smaller, I would have preferred to buy the Italian chain due to the perception that it is somehow safer (not alloyed with cheese?). However, given the Italian product costs 62% more without any quantifiable advantage, my tendency to favour European-made was overruled by my wallet.

If the galvanizing wears off sooner than expected, within say a year or two, I will chalk it up to experience and try the Maggi chain next time.

@LongRange - how did it go with the chain? We are exactly in the same position: a choice between Maggi G30 and Lofrans Chinese made...The price difference is stark!! 345 EUR vs 840 EUR.

[Tillikum]

Originally Posted by Ken Z

Friends in the chain business have told me that chinese chain contain more nickel and that adds greater stretch and is valuable in logging chains and skid tractor chains. Thats all i know...

Send a few cut links to someone with an x-ray spectrometer and get a definitive answer? Many universities have 'em.


If old Swedish chain lasts 30 years it could just be that chain manufacturers have since discovered "planned obsolescence" aka "planned failure"

[bobnlesley]

Originally Posted by roverhi

...A three year old chain used DAILY corroding would seem to be pretty good longevity out of the chain.

I'd agree, we reckoned that full time living aboard we were putting 5 years normal/average use per year onto the boat and some of its equipment - the anchor being one of them - was getting more like seven years work. We fitted a new Maggi chain in Florida in 2015 and got it re-galvanised (it'd been end for ended annually) in NZ in 2020, though if we'd had the option, we'd perhaps have done so a year earlier; we were more than happy with that performance and longevity.
That said, if we'd had the option of a cheaper alternative, we would subject to a visual inspection have considered it; indeed when we bought the Maggi chain we were anticipating buying Acco chain, but looking at it, the galvanising was appalling.