Good morning, Mark. I suppose you have some basis of information that supports your claim? I try to avoid brand bashing in public, even if legit, rather stating a product's specific faults. Purchased 50' of 5/16" G40 USA made ACCO brand hot dipped galvanized chain in 2015 that has spent a great deal of time in sea water. I do rinse with fresh after every cruise and it looks the same today as the day I purchased it.
The OP does not mention whether the chain was galvanized or hot dipped galvanized, which makes a big difference in corrosion resistance. When it comes time to replace, I will go with same from the Seattle based industrial chains supplier that knows the difference. ACCO makes both types; just perhaps ...
P.S. The chain in the photo appears to have a very shiny finish, which would indicate galvanized, whereas my chain has a very dull finish, normal for hot dipped galvanized. Just IMHO, FWIW.
I don't have a problem mentioning brands that I have experience with, good or bad, and I did state the specific faults I had with ours in my post.
My basis is my experience with ACCO chain through 3 replacements. Along with dozens of other people with the same problem that I personally met and saw the chain. Along with a pertinent bit of ACCO history. Then do a search for problems with this chain.
My experience: And I should mention that all of the chain I discussed was hot dipped galvanized. I know the differences in the product line.
Our first batch of ACCO chain was purchased a long time ago. I forget when, but it was in the 90's. It was great chain and lasted many years. At least as long as I would expect it to.
Our second batch of ACCO chain was purchased in 2007. That date is important, and I will come back to it. It began rusting quickly, was almost unusable by 6 months, and by the time we got to Grenada to replace it later that year, we had to take a mooring and break the chain apart in the locker with a hammer to get it out. While in Grenada, I personally met 12 other boats, just in the one harbor we were in, that were replacing rusted out ACCO chain less than a year old.
We had bought that chain through Defender, and they tried to go to bat with us by pressuring ACCO. ACCO agreed to replace the chain, but they would never deliver, and went silent as I kept asking them for a delivery timeframe. We replaced that ACCO with Maggi chain and got 8yrs out of it.
Our third batch of ACCO chain was on the boat when we bought it. That chain was purchased in 2017, and was used only once or twice by the time we bought the boat in 2018. It looked like new when we bought it, but was unusable a year later though constant use, when it was so rusted it was skipping the gypsy and kinking into balls in the locker. We replaced that ACCO chain with Laclede chain, and it is still going strong 5 years later. (a note on the timeline given here, where there appears to be a gap between where I said the chain was unusable and when I said we replaced it - covid gap, where we were stuck in a marina).
Now going back to the date thing. Peerless bought ACCO around 2007, and our second batch was purchased after this. Peerless shut down ACCO manufacturing, moved the manufacturing to Peerless plants, and changed the galvanization process. I am convinced these changes resulted in poorer quality.
Having the above experience, I also admit that I have met and heard from people like you whose ACCO chain has served them well. There are many variables in bottoms, water, deployment times, etc that can affect chain. I have never met anyone cruising in the areas we are that have had good luck with ACCO chain, so perhaps some of these variables are notable.
On the other hand, there is nothing I see in the OP's pictures that looks unusual or unexpected to me.
Mark
