maybe it isn't clear enough in the pic, but that doesn't look like a weld to me. it is an actual film of some sort on top of the annodizing. Looking at th epics of the aeroquip on the summit site they don't look like they have it. the pics of the summit brand though are hard to tell. maybe I should get some and compare before I take this one back. I think I have one at the house actually I can compare, I don't remember it being this way.

Red