So you're in the market for a new snorkel?
Odds are you’re a little unsure about what finish will best suit you and your vehicle - and who can blame you! Polished, seamless, powder coat, colour coded and clear coat all have their strengths
In light of this, we’ve put together a guide to walk you through all the different finishes we offer to put your mind at ease and help you shop for your new snorkel with confidence!
Stage 1 - Non-Seamless / Seamless
Before we get into the coating side of things, we first need to decide on the weld finish. Our snorkels are constructed from straight sections and mandrel bends welded together to form the final badass product you’ll see on your car. It’s quite the transformation!
Non-seamless is our entry level snorkel finish. In this configuration the tig welds through out the snorkel are left visible. Sounds visually unappealing? WRONG! When coupled with a brushed or powder coat/painted coating you’d be surprised just how much the welds are hidden. Yes, they are very visible up close however take a few steps back and they can be quite hard to see. They certainly don’t stand out as you’d expect! A great aspect of the non-seamless finish is the budget friendly price tag.
Seamless finish is our premium snorkel. All tig welds are ground down to perfection as though they were never there in the first place. End result? A sleek, sexy, slim looking snorkel that looks top tier brushed or coated! If you’re looking for the premium product for your ride, look no further then a seamless snorkel.
Stage 2 - Raw Brushed / Coated
It’s now time to decide on the main snorkel appearance. This is more a breakdown of the different coatings and their benefits as a lot of this comes down to personal preference. But here’s our 2 cents worth.
Brushed finish gives the snorkel a uniform raw stainless appearance. In a non-seamless application, this removes the colour from welding and gives a uniform presentation. For a seamless snorkel this will appear as one piece of uniform finished pipe. While our snorkels are made from stainless steel, they can still be susceptible to light staining and discolouration from contaminants. As can any raw stainless snorkel!
Visually, a brushed finish will stand out the most on the vehicle. If you want the snorkel to be a highlight and catch your eye, this will do just that. We generally recommend brushed will look best on darker vehicles as the contrast looks the goods!
Black Powder Coat is available in 4 finishes - gloss, satin, matte and textured. These are self-explanatory! Gloss will shine and show reflection, satin still has a glimmer but not quite as bright (our recommended finish), matte has no shine. If your considering a matte finish we strongly recommend you opt for the textured option. Being textured it’s an extremely scratch resistant coating that won’t mark easily. If your snorkel's getting put to good use in the bush a textured finish will stand the test of time.
Visually, the black snorkel is extremely versatile. We find the black blends in nicely on a wide range of vehicle colours, especially if your vehicle has other black accessories like a bull bar, scrub bars or a roof rack fitted. If your car is white, the black snorkel contrasts well!
Clear Powder Coat is a new coating we offer for our brushed finished products. As the name suggests, this is a clear layer offering protection from staining and discolouration. While this sounds completely unnecessary, we have worked with our coatings specialist to deliver this option to protect your investment. As we touched on before stainless can be discoloured or etched. Salt, bird droppings, tree sap and even car wash can leave its effect on a brushed snorkel. Clear powder coat will act as a layer of defence for your snorkel and keep it looking amazing for years to come!
Custom Powder Coat and Paint allows us to colour match snorkels to your vehicle or your chosen colour. When selecting this option upon purchase, you’ll be prompted to leave a description of your required colour. A colour code or description helps us accurately price this for you. Custom paint colours will generally be cheaper then powder coat, however powder coat offers superior durability.
We sure hope this clears up any confusion around choosing your snorkel. If your still in need of clarification or have any questions regarding our products please don’t hesitate to get in contact, we’re keen to help where we can!
Happy Shopping!
The Team At Angry Arc Fab