I'm noticing a substantial change regarding the cheapo stainless steel cups and water bottles I'm bringing home these days.

Used to be that when I got used stainless from a swap meet etc. I would bring it home and soak it in a strong bleach solution. This seemed prudent; you never know where it's been. The effect of the bleach on the steel itself was nil.

But I'm noticing that some of the thin Chinese-made stainless seems highly susceptible to corrosion. A bleach solution will start causing rust spots within minutes, and I have one canteen that developed a pinhole all the way through the so-called stainless steel wall.

I wonder if this is at all related to the "nickel pig iron" that China is producing to get around the price of high-grade nickel.

Anyway, heads up.