How to tell if it's truly stainless?

Could you post a link to the device so we can see it?

There's not a good way for the average person to tell the difference. You could try scratching a section and sprinkle some salt water on it... but if it rusrsz then you'll have a scratched rusty cage.

 

Hard to tell. If you didn't pay a lot for it, then no major loss.

And yes, some 300 series stainless steels can have slight magnetic attraction after "cold working", ie, bending and forming into shape.

 

Cheap Chinese devices are usually 302/304. 316 is more expensive.

 

It's likely plated because there are so many others just like it on dhgate. I suggest the best way to discover if it matters or not is to wear the device a lot and see if the plating wears off. You will eventually see darker areas or flaking. You will eventually be able to tell. It might take weeks or longer so better get started!

 

You kind of pay for what you get I think.

my looker 2 is 7 years old and it’s on me now and looks the same as it did the day it arrived

 

The A272 that I bought five years ago for $30 is stainless, as were some of the other cheap DH Gate and AliExpress devices. However, some of then had welded rings and I question the quality of the welds.

 

A good indication of the quality of the device will be the quality of the welds.
It doesn't translate to which steel has been used, or if it even is stainless steel, but it will give you a warning or confidence in buying a cage.

If the welds are very lumpy and uneven then warning, if they're smooth and even then better, if you can hardly see where the welds are then best.

There are a number of things you can look for
- a very poor or non-existent ability to stick to a magnet is good.
- a slight colour in the shine of the steel can be good, a faint blue or yellow tinge to the metal.
- if it has an absolute mirror polish, then that's often bad, as a good quality stainless is more often a dull shine, and often matt rather than mirror like.

 

Most likely it is 302/304 stainless steel if it is inexpensive and comes from China. I have stainless steel Nub from DH Gate and it has not tarnished in two years of daily use. The cage is not magnetic.

 

Yes, only metal makes me feel totally secured. The Cherry Keeper looks nice but do not like plastic.

 

At work, I had reason to question what type of steel a component was made of due to concerns about the manufacturer. A major steel company representative came in to check for us. He used a handheld X-Ray Fluorescence analysis gun which was able to tell what grade of steel the component was made from by analysing the x-ray return of each element in the steel. Instead of a high chromium tool steel, it was a budget Chinese stainless steel

Obviously not a practical solution to this question, but a guaranteed way of telling one lump of steel from another.

 

Thank you, interesting way to determine alloy of steel.