Discussion: Stainless Steel vs. Nitrided Steel

Living in a coastal city, stainless was the right call for me. My nitrided instrument developed rust within months even with regular oiling. The stainless has been zero maintenance for 18 months.

I have one of each — nitrided Kurd is warmer and more intimate, stainless Pygmy has incredible shimmer. Different tools for different moods.

Stainless steel is overhyped. Yes it's louder and rustproof, but the warmth of nitrided steel is what makes a handpan sound like a handpan. Every stainless instrument I've played sounds like a steel drum to me. Happy to be proven wrong though — what stainless makers do you recommend?

I played a friend's cheap instrument last week and my ears were ringing afterwards. The overtones on budget handpans are so sharp and metallic it's actually painful to play for more than 10 minutes. It sounded exactly like a steel drum, not a handpan. The harmonics were completely off — no warmth, no depth, just this harsh tinny ring. That's the real danger of cheap instruments: they don't just sound bad, they can literally put you off the instrument forever.