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For example, isn't the melonite superior to stainless steel in durability and maintenance requirements?

Is the only reason the bi-tone guns are more expensive (and significantly so) simply the aesthetics angle?

What is your experience with bi-tone vs. black?

Besides the aesthetics, what is the reason for the higher prices of bi-tone vs. black or melonite?

Looks is the main reason people will pay more. People willing to pay more is the main reason they sell it for more.

ATDM wrote: Besides the aesthetics, what is the reason for the higher prices of bi-tone vs. black or melonite?

Police departments don't order bi-tone pistols.

Seriously, it's supply and demand, and there's only about 1/100th of the demand for bi-tone, so it takes extra tooling time to change the line for bi-tones. Extra time = money. I'm sure there's a "vanity fee" in there as well, but it's not just about the manufacturer wanting to gouge you because something is pretty.

For most manufactured things, the cost of running small quantities (OD green frames, for example) is higher than the cost of running high-volume things. Sometimes by a very wide margin.

For example.... Let's say my setup cost for running my injection molding machine is $500, which includes labor and materials to remove the molds, clean all the black plastic residue out of the machine and the mold, prime, test and QC the new color... Now I run 100 frames in OD Green and move on. That's $5/frame in setup costs alone. Chances are that small-quantity ODG resin is higher cost than high-quantity basic black too. If I switch back to black my setup cost is the same $500, but my production run might be 1,000 pieces instead of 100. That's only $0.50/frame. ODG= +$4.50 (plus markups at each level of distribution) right there.

Anything that reflects the unique color of the ODG production item will be similarly affected. Manuals? Product literature? Shipping cartons? etc.

RoyGBiv wrote:For most manufactured things, the cost of running small quantities (OD green frames, for example) is higher than the cost of running high-volume things. Sometimes by a very wide margin.

For example.... Let's say my setup cost for running my injection molding machine is $500, which includes labor and materials to remove the molds, clean all the black plastic residue out of the machine and the mold, prime, test and QC the new color... Now I run 100 frames in OD Green and move on. That's $5/frame in setup costs alone. Chances are that small-quantity ODG resin is higher cost than high-quantity basic black too. If I switch back to black my setup cost is the same $500, but my production run might be 1,000 pieces instead of 100. That's only $0.50/frame. ODG= +$4.50 right there.

Anything that reflects the unique color of the ODG production item will be similarly affected. Manuals? Product literature? Shipping cartons? etc.

I wish OD glocks were only $5 more

gigag04 wrote:I wish OD glocks were only $5 more

I was just illustrating a point... Keeping the math simple... for me..

What's the main reason police departments and other Law Enforcement agencies don't order bi-tone guns?

Is it to save money, or is there a more pragmatic reason?

One has to wonder...

AndyC wrote:Because they don't need them

Because they clash with their uniform.

I was told that Springfield's stainless/bitone guns are still melonite coated.......which I guess means that melonite is not necessarily black.....although that doesn't square with what I always thought—that "melonite" has the same etymological root as "melatonin" and "melanoma," referring to darkness of color.

My Karh PM9 and S&W M&P45 are both melonite coated too.

ATDM wrote:What's the main reason police departments and other Law Enforcement agencies don't order bi-tone guns?

Is it to save money, or is there a more pragmatic reason?

One has to wonder...

Because they have no sense of style.

The Annoyed Man wrote:I was told that Springfield's stainless/bitone guns are still melonite coated.......which I guess means that melonite is not necessarily black.....although that doesn't square with what I always thought—that "melonite" has the same etymological root as "melatonin" and "melanoma," referring to darkness of color.

My Karh PM9 and S&W M&P45 are both melonite coated too.

You are right about the etymology part (had to study the terminology in med school). Melas/melanos is "black" in Greek. I didn't realize the a bi-tone can be coated melonite... Do you know it for a fact?

ATDM wrote:

The Annoyed Man wrote:I was told that Springfield's stainless/bitone guns are still melonite coated.......which I guess means that melonite is not necessarily black.....although that doesn't square with what I always thought—that "melonite" has the same etymological root as "melatonin" and "melanoma," referring to darkness of color.

My Karh PM9 and S&W M&P45 are both melonite coated too.

You are right about the etymology part (had to study the terminology in med school). Melas/melanos is "black" in Greek. I didn't realize the a bi-tone can be coated melonite... Do you know it for a fact?

Actually, I don't know it for a fact. I was just now researching that. It may be that the person who told me that was woofing out his hind parts. Several sources I've looked at speak of black melonite coated slides, and stainless steel/bitone slides. That same person also told me that both the XD-S pistols have SS slides, just one is coated and the other is not. I don't think that's right either.

However, on Springfield's own website — http://www.the-m-factor.com/html/specs_11.html — they say......

Available colors: Black, Bi-Tone SS/Black

.....which is pretty ambiguous. I guess you could read that as "either A) all black, or B) Bi-Tone stainless slide with black frame; but the wording is kind of clumsy.

The Annoyed Man wrote: I guess you could read that as "either A) all black, or B) Bi-Tone stainless slide with black frame; but the wording is kind of clumsy.

I guess, after the recall boom is over, I am going to call them to find out. I have two Springfield guns (XDm 4.5"-.40 and XD-S 9mm), but I am planning on buying an XDm 3.8" to add to my Springfield collection. I just want to get it in bi-tone. However, I want to make sure that the bi-tone XDm is equal to the melonite XDm in all qualities, durability, maintenance, longevity.