We get asked pretty often “what are the difference between “Hybrid” and “V2””, our two proprietary damascus options and thought we’d write up a pretty simple summary. Hybrid is made of one stainless steel, and one high carbon tool steel- it’s bolder then Hybrid and gets bolder with age, but it doesn’t have the corrosion resistance of V2. V2 is made of two stainless steels, so no matter what you expose it to, it’s not going to oxidize/corrode/rust. It’s boldest on day one and tends to get a little more subtle with time (but you’ll still ALWAYS see the pattern!). They’ll look very very similar in pictures and practically identical in person, on day one- but as they wear…. that’s where they differ.
So, do you want a ring that gets bolder with time, oxidizes and evolves with the environment and conditions your body is exposed to- but could rust if you took it off after working in the salt mines all day and set it on the night stand for a week of twice daily lemon juice spritzes. V2 requires absolutely no maintenance, and will look a little more subtle with time- but it will stand up to the terrible set of weird life conditions described in the previous sentence.
We’ve got hybrid rings that have been on fingers for 7 years, without a single complaint. We’ve got V2 rings on fingers for 5 years without a single complaint. Both options are great- but each option is a little different.
At the end of the day, I wear a Hybrid ring- because BOLD is the goal to me, but V2 rings make up about 80% of what we do these days.
They really truly do look identical in pictures, they look identical in person on day 1- but on day 365, Hybrid will be bolder and V2 will be more subtle.
Link to Hybrid:
LINK
Link to V2:
LINK
Will Hybrid Rust? It can!
Here’s some discussion on “Do Damascus Rings Rust?”
LINK
Do we have any photos side by side for comparison?
Nope- because they honestly look identical on day one.
They look so identical, that to keep track of rings in the shop- we use Red paint on the inside of each V2 ring and Yellow paint on the inside of each Hybrid ring, they’re otherwise not discernible while sitting on the desk.