Why SO MUCH difference in price between the two? For example, a Panzer clone for $30 and an Authentic Panzer for $175. Why does a metal tube have to cost $175. Why not $50 or $75 for an authentic?
Authentic/Clone Prices
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Because they have high costs with development and machining. China has a very different economy and pay scale for workers.
Chinese companies are subsidized by the government.
The economy is much different there.
Less hurdles to jump through, and machining factories looking for anything that sells to produce.
Operating costs are lower in China.
Clones are made in massive facilities.
Legit mods are mostly made by very small independent machinists, who just don't have the luxury of a massive facility.
Many legit modders are hobbyists, who Do not have the ability to source materials or labor as cheaply as a large Chinese company.
The economy is much different there.
Less hurdles to jump through, and machining factories looking for anything that sells to produce.
Operating costs are lower in China.
Clones are made in massive facilities.
Legit mods are mostly made by very small independent machinists, who just don't have the luxury of a massive facility.
Many legit modders are hobbyists, who Do not have the ability to source materials or labor as cheaply as a large Chinese company.
If you buy an authentic new from an authorized reseller, you should be fine.
Buying used can make it more difficult. Choosing one that there aren't clones of helps. Some authentics have paperwork. Or you can ask to see the receipt (although a dishonest person could have an authentic and show you the receipt, but send you a clone anyway).
Buying used can make it more difficult. Choosing one that there aren't clones of helps. Some authentics have paperwork. Or you can ask to see the receipt (although a dishonest person could have an authentic and show you the receipt, but send you a clone anyway).
Would you trust "authentics" sold at brick & mortar stores? Also, authentics should have a lifetime warranty at those prices.
Probably. But, you can always inquire first with the modder to see if they are an authorized reseller.
I don't trust anyone. The best you can do to protect yourself is to find out all you can on the authentic and the clone so you can make the comparison once you have it in your hand. If the dealer "feels" shady, look elsewhere. In the defense of some dealers, the clones produced today are sometimes so good that even they can't tell and may have been ripped off themselves.
Cost of employees, cost of material, quality of work
As far as another question that was brought up. I would trust one shop for authentics here, but not the other. The shop I won't trust tried to convince someone a Tobeco TOBH was authentic and I lost all respect for that shop.
As far as another question that was brought up. I would trust one shop for authentics here, but not the other. The shop I won't trust tried to convince someone a Tobeco TOBH was authentic and I lost all respect for that shop.
I have never seen a brick and mortar store misrepresent a clones mod as authentic. It's too easy to discover the truth and the repercussions for a store are criminal/fraud charges. It's just not worth the risk for a store with a huge investment in inventory and shop space.
Second hand ebay type purchases are a different matter.
As far as warranties go,
Most authentic modders won't be in business past a few years.
These aren't large companies, they are mostly hobbyists working out of a garage shop.
They are not established businesses with long track records.
It would depend on the B&M store and how well I knew their routines and the owners/employees. There are some stores that I would not trust to sell me an authentic but swap it as a clone and there are other stores that say they only get authentic stuff in and I fully believe them as I know the owner fairly well and she comes to some of our hill parties once in a while. So, just depends, use your gut to see if you feel something shady is going on.
Artisan business model: make thoroughly, charge as much as you can, do not bother with market share. You do not wish to make a lot, you want to have a limited supply to keep price high.
Industrial (mostly Chinese now) business model: find what customer wants, make as many and as cheap as you can to win a market share (more you sell, more you earn).
EDIT: that is why I do not wish to support "authentic" businesses.
Industrial (mostly Chinese now) business model: find what customer wants, make as many and as cheap as you can to win a market share (more you sell, more you earn).
EDIT: that is why I do not wish to support "authentic" businesses.
Sometimes. Consider the Poldiac. No one has made a good clone of it. Now my authentic Stingray and Infinite clone are virtually identical. So some mechs are easy to clone and others are much more complex designs.
There are a lot of online shops that are known for selling authentic, some ONLY authentic. I would, have and will continue to trust those sites till they give me a reason not to. B&Ms is really a case by case, example being where I bought one of my Tugboats. I knew for 1000000% it was authentic, I trust this store greatly, they would NEVER have a clone in there shop and I have bought a lot of stuff from them. If I was in a random city on vacation or what have you and walked into a store of the street I had never read about or heard about I probably would not trust it. Clones can look so close to the og sometimes even the dealer gets ripped off so you do have to be careful.
Well, some things just aren't worth buying a clone of. If it doesn't work or falls apart in a week,.you would've been better off with the authentic. The Poldiac is one. Most of the Squape R clones are garbage, too. One must research before buying.
Yea exactly. Also, some people like supporting the people who made the atty in the first place. I dont use mechs so I am strictly speaking rdas here. one of my favorites is the Tugboatv2 and I would much rather give flawless $80 and get a good quality product then give a diff rent company $30 for a knockoff. Im not tryna turn this into a clone vrs authentic debate but the bottom line is I have never seen a clone that was as good as the og, I have seen close but the og is always better quality IMO. I will continue to buy clones to TEST THE ATTY and if its trash then the company wont get a dime BUT if its a good atty and I like it I dont mind shelling out what I deem a fair price. BTW, IMO anything in the $60 range for a USA AUTHENTIC of high quality is a good deal. $70-$80 is still a decent deal but its more average, $80ish is what I consider the average price of a high quality usa authentic rda to be and then anything above that is a more pricier atty. This is just my opinion.
That's not accurate.
Many clones are better made and perform better than the originals.
A recent example would be the Dimitri mechanical mod. Better fit and finish, better machining, and less voltage drop than the authentic.
I can list dozens more.
Mass production on industrial manufacturing equipment has it's advantages.
I was speaking about attys badninja. I have my opinion, it cant be wrong because its an opinion. I IMO have never seen a clone atty that was 100% on par with the og. The materials, the posts, the screw holes etc etc something IMO is always a little off. There are clones that are damn good though I wont say otherwise.
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