ChainGang Metal/Quality Concern
To preface this, I've been wearing chaingang weights 24/7 over the last 2 years.
For the last year, my 50mm CG bullet has been my go-weight without any issues.
A couple months ago, I purchased a 70mm bullet on sale from CG. I wasn't quite ready for that weight, but also didn't want to miss the sale.
After receiving the 70mm bullet, I noticed a few odd things about it:
- The weight felt like it had some sort of coating on it, a greasy like that film that would come back after many washes (without it ever being worn).
- The screw it came with was quite short and more importantly, the replacement screws I ordered with it were a different size (which is all very minor).
- The cut out where you insert the Allen key was very rough (not smooth like other weights). It looked like it was either poorly machined or had seen some abuse.
- One of the weight halves had a small nick on it. It was very shallow but still noticable.
At the time, I didn't really think much of any of it. But I think that may have been a mistake on my part.
After trying it out, I had left it for a 2 days and came back to find it rusting. Now, I hadn't given the weight a full clean. Though this was weird, as the weight was worn briefly and 2 days was not a long time for rust to form.
The more concerning thing was that it did not wash, soak or scrub off no matter how much I tried. Eventually, I got it off using a baking soda + water paste.
I blamed myself at the time (and it was my fault) but it also felt very unusual for a weight to rust like that with minimal exposure.
Fast forward a few months, and I'm finally really to wear the 70mm bullet full time. After a week of full-time wear, I start getting a rash on my thighs that only gets worse right up until I take the weight off.
I gave myself a week break thinking it was a reaction to exposure over time, and then went back to my 50mm without any issues.
I'm about to give the 70mm another try, this time paying close attention to any developments of a rash. If it does happen again, I'll update this post.
My hunch is that the weight was either previously used (and possibly returned once or several times), or it was just very poorly machined. Because all this feels like mental leaching.
I wanted to share and ask if you guys have had a similar experience, or maybe better understand if something else is going on.