Orange Peel Texture Knives-are they really snailtrail resistant?

I

IceCreamNKnives

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May 30, 2022
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I heard someone say that they own a WE Espirit and that it has plain titanium but it’s orange peeled. They claim that it’s scratch resistant and has way less snail trails compared to other titanium knives. Because of the orange peel texture. Asking the other people that own Titanium Orange Peeled Textured Knives- are they snailtrail or scratch resistant? Does this remain true if you anodize them?

Please tell me your thoughts and experiences and other orange peel texture knives! Thanks
 
Sorry ahead of time for the pics, it's hard to get a good picture of orange peel close up.. but I have an Esprit so yea..
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As for the technicals, I have carried this Esprit probably around 30 or 40 times, still not showing any real signs of wear, and the pocket clip has been drug across more than one doorframe..

Now, is orange peel technically more scratch resistant.. idk, but I would say probably not. But I would say that the orange peel does help to "hide" imperfections much more than other types of finish..

As for the anodizing part, idk.. never really messed with anodized textured Ti... But maybe someone smarter than me will come along shortly and enlighten us both 😁
 
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Corton93 Corton93 is right. The orange peel texture doesn't change the properties of the metal such that it resists scratches (although it can help with how the surface scratches). It mostly works by hiding or blending scratches and dings. In that sense, it's like the difference between a flat, white, smooth sheet of copy paper versus newsprint or construction paper that has grain and texture. A light pencil dot or streak will stand out more starkly on one versus the other.

"Snail trails" are a particular type of wear that I don't think I've ever noticed on an orange peel surface. Orange peel is probably the nicest of these kinds of finishes for titanium. I'm also partial to rough stonewashing, such that lots of little random scratches and dings create a sparkle in sunlight. (That's especially good versus visual wear on blades.) Where it starts to go the other way for me is in very fine stonewashing or bead-blasting such that a uniform texture can get broken up by a scratch.
 
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