the welds on curtis bikes are extremely good, i wouldnt have said any better than iolo's current ones. the powder coat i got on my curtis was not really up to scratch, lots of little bubbles and blotches etc. my one was a t1 and rode amaazingly, well i liked it infact i still have it, just been rewelded for a small crack under the eheadtube by curtis, practically invsible dent on the down tube and 1 on each chainstay, brand new powder coat and stickies, looking for about 260.