Factor 55 introduces a new line of Aluminum Hawse Fairleads. The 1.0 is CNC machined from inch thick USA 6000 series aluminum bar. The industry standard fairlead thickness is .75 inches thick. The thicker aluminum bar results in a larger outer fillet radius for the synthetic rope to slide against. This results in less stress on the rope fibers during high angular pulls, increasing the life of your synthetic rope. What is the best surface finish for Hawse aluminum fairleads? Without a doubt it is a Type III hard anodized coating. Not cosmetic Type II anodized finishes, not powder coated, and not raw or polished aluminum. Why? Because a hard coating can resist the abrasion damage from a dirty/gritty synthetic winch rope rubbing across it. Especially during extreme side pulls where rope fiber stresses are extremely high.