One of the more frequent questions we get is: "Which coating is the best?" This question, however, doesn't have a simple answer unless you really think about all the variables involved in picking a finish. Ask yourself the following:
What materials are you having refinished...steel, aluminum, polymer?
What kind of shape are the surfaces in...any pitting or other surface damage?
What kind of tolerances are there...hand fit or factory?
What is the function of the weapon...Carry Weapon, Safe Queen, Match Shooter, Military or LEO?
What are your goals with your project...Restoration, Concealment, Cool Factor, One-of-a-Kind, Wild & Ornery?
What do you like?
What do you not like?
How much can you realistically spend?
Understanding our customers helps us to point them in the right direction. Don't be afraid to ask questions or advice. No one is born an expert. And remember that there is a lot of misleading sales jargon and personal opinions floating around out there. Just because someone saw an add in Uber Tactical Zombie Slayers for Law Enforcement Magazine  that said,
"You have to have Finish-A or you are not tactical," doesn't add up to squat in the real world.
 

Our advice to begin with is simple:
1) Pick a finish with reputation and real world data to back up its performance. Use the same common sense you would use in choosing a carry weapon that your life depended on and you will end up with something you are happy with.

2) Whether you use PBI or someone else; use a company that is not afraid to show their work. It is easy to print a price sheet up and call yourself the best if no one can prove it either way.

3) Be open to suggestions and do not hesitate to bounce ideas off us. Ask questions, send pictures...what ever you need to do...we are here to help!

4) Approach your project with a slightly flexible budget. Going half way or settling for the next best thing really means you didn't get what you wanted. Plus, a lot of times we get jobs in hand and see problems, worn out parts, and also simple upgrades/other services we can do that will really improve on the overall appearance and set up. We will already have it in pieces anyway, why pay someone down the road to do it all over again.

It boils down to this...Everything we use meets or exceeds Mil-Specs. If it wasn't a good product, we wouldn't offer it. If the companies that manufacture the products we use did not have a reputation of quality, we would never carry them. If we did not get consistent results with anything we use, we would drop it. So as far as which finish is best...realize that there can be several answers depending on the variables of condition, use, and aesthetics.

So you have looked around online and found this finish or that finish, and the company offering it touts it as "The single greatest coating ever to grace the surface of a firearm." Buyer beware! Many companies use some of the very same products we do only they call them something else, implying that they have some magic finish available only from them and charge you more to boot...Not us. We list every product we use, by the name it was given by its manufacturer so you can do your own research separately. Below are the manufacturers we use and links to their web sites, and we encourage you to check the facts:

True, there are in fact other finishes out there, and some of them are in fact excellent. PBI continues to test available finishes on the market, and should we come across one that can provide a finish to our standards without emptying out a customer's wallet in the process...we will add it to the line-up.