We spend an arguably unhealthy amount of time thinking about metals at MetMo. I mean, the clue *is* in the name. It would be much easier if there were one objectively perfect metal, but unfortunately for us materials science refuses to be that convenient.

Pure aluminium, for example, is lightweight, corrosion-resistant, and easy to shape. It’s also relatively soft; useful for kitchen foil, slightly less useful when you’re asking a Pocket Driver to tackle a stubborn bolt.

Mix aluminium with elements such as copper, magnesium or zinc, however, and you can produce alloys with dramatically different properties. That’s why aerospace-grade aluminium appears throughout our products.

The aluminium Pocket Driver uses hard-anodised 2024 aluminium to keep it lightweight while providing the strength needed for an actual working tool. The Fractal Vise uses aerospace-grade aluminium for its body, paired with hardened stainless-steel jaws where wear resistance and clamping strength matter most. Elsewhere, we use 6061 aluminium for components such as the Grip’s adjuster, where adding unnecessary weight would be rather unhelpful.

But aluminium isn’t automatically the correct answer.

Sometimes we want the reassuring weight, corrosion resistance, and toughness of stainless steel. Sometimes we use hardened tool steel for a mechanism that will repeatedly take loads and rub against other components. Brass makes an excellent bearing material and also possesses the useful engineering property of looking extremely handsome.

Then there’s titanium: lightweight, strong, corrosion-resistant, and impressively difficult to machine without inventing several new swear words.

The point is that material choice isn’t simply **expensive metal = better product.**

It’s about selecting the right grade, treatment, and finish for what each individual component actually needs to do. Strength. Weight. Wear. Friction. Corrosion. Machinability. Feel. Even the sound a mechanism makes can enter the argument (and frequently does for us). 

Which material do you prefer in a MetMo product: lightweight aluminium, substantial stainless steel, brass, or titanium?

Why don’t we just make everything from the “strongest” metal?