I'm wanting to order my licp but am wondering what the difference between aluminum and steel are?

I've been told that steel retains heat more then the aluminum and of course the weight is also a difference. Other then that what else is different about them?

I was told aluminum is much more expensive yet I see many companies selling their steel pipes for the same price as AMS's aluminum licp.

 

no difference, maybe a poundor two.

 

ive heard steel is 5 vs 1 for aluminum

 

The steel reatining more heat than the aluminum I'm not to sure about and the weight difference of both the steel and aluminum LICP is not drastic enough to make a difference. Steel LICP are usually a bit cheaper than aluminum LICP to produce depending on who manufactures them.

But when it comes down to it, they both do the same thing.

 

yeah...thats why im confused, the ones who make the steel are right at the same price as the aluminum AMS if not more...

Is there any difference in mild steel and stainless steel?

 

Yes metal wise. Also stainless is generally polished or plated on.

Here's a brief run down:

Mild steel is the most common form of steel as its price is relatively low while it provides material properties that are acceptable for many applications. Mild steel has a low carbon content (up to 0.3%) and is therefore neither extremely brittle nor ductile.

Stainless steel is defined as a ferrous alloy with a minimum of 10% chromium content, up to 26% in harsh environments. It is also more brittle than mild steel.

 

FWIW, Nisei sells their 1018 steel Lower for $139 and their aluminum for $225. If other companies are selling steel versions for the same amount as aluminum pipes, they either are making a higher profit margin on the steel pipes or their production costs could be higher (ie: 1 piece vs 2 piece design, support brackets, outsourcing vs in-house production, etc.)

 

+1 for nisei

 

nisei is out of stock till at least after or around christmas, the hpf one is mild steel at 199 and thats the only decently priced steel one. I may just order the ams aluminum on monday...

 

I'll sell you my steel NISEI LICP (just got it and is still in the box) for $165 + shipping...

Remember also that the steel is stronger than the aluminum LICP....

 

Ah...are you sure?

Alum. is stronger than steel, but it is not as plastic (i.e. it will not flex/bend as much).

 

Aluminum is not stronger than steel you will see in the break down that even a good alloy like T6 is just barely over normalized steel.

Tensile strength breakdown:

 

Steel is stronger, aluminum expands easier and is lighter.

 

Does it really matter?? You're not going to see any difference in performance or anything...

 

You need to take a few basic engineering courses or volunteer at a metal fab shop and work with steel and aluminum....

Now back to topic -- you may want steel over aluminum in case the LICP blows off (read other posts)....If you run over an aluminum LICP it is game over, if you have steel you may be ok....


Happy Thanksgiving!!