hikerdogs, i wanted to point that out also, but as an employee of hwh, i thought it would be better coming from someone else.
hwh now uses a process that uses nickel as a plating/bonding agent.
as i understand it, the process is different than plating. its a molecular bonding that is supposed to be better than plating. the rods of the cylinders are now covered with nickel, as well as the hydraulic solenoids.
i haven't found any rusting or flaking in any of my field contacts with customers.
we are trying to use less black paint, which because of the flaking, tends to contaminate the fluid during installation.