I thought sailors would appreciate hearing this story of Tef-Gel and the new imposter (Tek-Gel...did they rip off the name just a bit?), especially because of the superior performance one gets from very, very small amounts of Tef-Gel in all kinds of dissimilar metals circumstances when exposed to salt water. What follows can also be found on Brion Toss' "Spartalk" Bulletin Board (www.briontoss.com) where one can go for all kinds of excellent coaching on rigging-related topics along with some excellent rigging tools & supplies. I'd originally posted a query there asking what anyone knew about Tek-Gel after finding I no longer could buy Tef-Gel at West Marine. Here's Brion's reply: "Oy, do I have a story for you. I checked with Tef-Gel's inventor, someone I know to be straightforward. A (somewhat cleaned up) report from him is that Good ol' West Marine teamed up with Mary Kay Cosmetics (!) to cash in on Tef Gel's good name. They found an old Dupont product called Kryotox, put it in a lookalike syringe with a lookalike name, and dumped Tef Gel, just like that. Trouble is that Kryotox is a much thinner paste, not as effective an anticorrosive, and very easy to wash away, compared with Tef Gel. A side-by-side comparison on this matter is easy to do: put a little Tek Gel on your finger and you'll see that it is much thinner, which is why the syringe it comes in has that teensy spout, so it won't dribble out. You'll find that you can wash it away easily with a little soap and water. Now put a little Tef Gel on your finger. Much thicker. Much harder to wash away. As I noted in a previous note, field reports indicate that the consistency and chemistry of Tef Gel gives it the kind of corrosion-resisting properties that you note. There are some very good, ethical people at West Marine, but the marketing geniuses who engineered this ripoff are not among them. As a final grace note, said geniuses also shot themselves in the foot, as they apparently didn't realize that the same inventor also came up with a beauty of a float switch, a switch so reliable and practical that it outperforms all others. West Marine used to carry it, but Mr. Tef Gel pulled it after the above slimey deed. As for the price, if you buy the large syringe of Tef Gel, it is significantly cheaper than the similar-sized imitation; just check the ratio of ounces or grams to price. The small syringes of Tef Gel cost more per volume, but these are really sample sizes. So if you want a good deal on a truly effective, fairly-priced anticorrosive, give us a call and we'll send you some Tef Gel. We could also track down a float switch for you..." I'm a big believer in Tef-Gel (that's with an 'F'!) after 2 years in the Caribbean and am thankful that Brion doesn't charge me what I'd be willing to pay for it. If you have a fairly new boat and can actually remove fasteners and hardware e.g. from your aluminum spars, I'd encourage you to do so, apply a very small squib of Tef-Gel to each fastner, and do a favor to your boat for the next 20 years. Jack WHOOSH, lying St. Pete Beach, FL