UPDATEAlright guys, took me the weekend and a better part of this afternoon going through all this stuff. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to send them back. My sincere apologies for an overly long GB that still doesn't look like it will be finishing up soon. I've made comments during this GB that I have become unhappy with our manufacturer. This only further solidifies that point. Regardless, I will make this right but I'm going to need some input.
These are the issues I noticed:1. Micro scratches very prevalent on Brass weights Orion and Blackbird. Can't feel them and need the right light and angle.
2. Circular marks on the screw holes for the stainless steel weights
3. Different sizes and engraving used for stainless steel Orion and Blackbird
4. While they are mirror finished, the brass looks to have tarnished a bit but elbow grease seems to clear it back up.
These are the good things:1. Mirror finish is actually mirror finish unlike the Octagon V2 weights
2. Thanks to thesircheddar, black bird weights confirmed to fit. Though that should not be surprising as these CAD files are from Duck. He can chime in here with what he saw. The pictures really don't catch the extent of the issues.
What I Propose:I have come to the conclusion that mirror finish to the level of Duck is very hard to do even at the higher price point we are at. The Duck weights straight from Duck are over $90+ shipping. But those are made somewhere in Asia and may have reduced costs. I estimate that we need to be hitting $120 or more to get that kind of quality. I've looked at some of the recent customs that have come out and their weights are actually of the brushed variant. I may have been too overconfident and over positive in this endeavor. For that I once again apologize to you all.
In the pictures I have also included my Octagon V2 weight. That is a brushed finish and looks really good actually. My proposal is to have my manufacturer polish ALL the weights in the same way. It will get rid of all the scratches at the cost of the mirror finish. I'll also be talking with him about some potential reimbursements.
In regards to the engraving, that completely threw me off course, I'll have to talk with him more regarding what happened.
But of course this is a GB for you guys. I don't even have a Blackbird/Orion so the decision is all yours.
Would you prefer to:1. I don't care, no one sees the weight anyway, just give it to me. I'm tired, let's get it over and done with, you suck.
2. Wait a little longer, it sucks that it's going to be brushed, but at least there won't be any scratches
3. Have him redo this whole order...I can wait another couple months...sigh....
4. <Your proposal here>
I really don't want to do #3. Either way, I'm gonna try and come up with some form of refund, this is totally unacceptable.