Chinese clones Rant / Discussion

[Pitviper]

I had a Honda once and the same thing happened @ 80k. I will never buy a foreign made car again, they disgust me.

My 94 Honda accord has over 270k and is still running strong. I love me a Honda!

 

[yzer]

The US electronics industry stopped making TVs in this country way before Walmart went national.

 

[Dzaw]

I bought a Chinese nemesis clone for $27. Would I prefer to have a real nemesis? Sure. Would I pay the price tag attached to the original? Only if it's gonna wash my dishes and fold my laundry!

As a consumer, I think I am pretty representative of the majority. I don't want top quality at any price, nor do I want rock bottom price at the expense of quality. I want the best trade off of good quality for the best price.

If cheap clones were not as good as they are, they wouldn't sell as well as they do. However, there is a real market for customers like me, who want the performance at an affordable price. Who's fault is that? Not the Chinese!

To tell me that I should pay full price for an original if I want the performance of the original is to tell me that only wealthy folk should be allowed to vape good performing gear. By being a professional in an industry that has seen incredible upheaval and dramatic drop in revenues industry wide, I made an unwise decision for my career path a decade and a half ago, and now because of it don't deserve high performance from my PV.

I would be happy to pay upwards of $50 for a good solid mechanical that looks good and performs similarly to the nemesis clone I am currently vaping on if it were made in the U.S. However, the hundreds of dollars being charged for originals is just not going to happen.

 

[minimalsaint]

I would be happy to pay upwards of $50 for a good solid mechanical that looks good and performs similarly to the nemesis clone I am currently vaping on if it were made in the U.S. However, the hundreds of dollars being charged for originals is just not going to happen.

Hamoriko SS - Mini ECIG

 

[crxess]

Hamoriko SS - Mini ECIG

Seriously?

Brand: Chels
Product Code: Hamoriko SS
Availability: Out of stock; subscribe for upd.

Next

 

[supermarket]

I buy both. You need to understand that a lot of vapers live paycheck to paycheck. Some are 18-21 and are in school. Others have families. They can't afford our justify spending 200 to 400 dollars on a mod. Then 80 to 150 on rbas..
I buy both. Buying a stingray mod for 200 and I have an hcigar nemesis. Put yourself in others shoes. A lot of clones are good. People want a good looking mod for cheap. Clones are good for them. Unless vendors make authentic that have good aesthetics and are cheap.

And don't forget......some of us don't WANT to spend $200 on a mod. Those of us, like myself, would have been fine just sticking to ego batteries or devices like MVPs....but certain Chinese companies manufacture clones and we might try them out.

Some of us would have never bought the $200-500 mods in the first place....and we prefer the clones.

 

[NerdVap0r]

All i know is, as a new guy around here, china clones are a godsend for me and other people in similar situation as me to get started into more of the big boys stuff and tweaking our pv's lol. Their cheap to get and allow us to go through unfortunate trial and errors

 

[Bunnykiller]

I use them, it allows me to be able to have something close to the real thing that I would never be able to afford or feel easy with spending that kind of money on for "what it is". I went into vaping to cut my cost on smoking.... not spend more than my budget for smoking. Not everyone here makes 100K a yr and is capable of spending 200+ for each piece .

 

[Bunnykiller]

I think US products are competitive. Quality is more important to me than price. Most people are just cheap or aren't willing to save for something...

If I were to save money for a Provari and a real 3.1 I would still be smoking not vaping and would be spending 200+ a month on ciggies since I couldnt afford the hi end stuff... but since I bought clones I am now vaping and spending the savings on old bills that were haunting me.

 

[Sucker_dad]

Then you must have done something wrong. Hondas don't die @ 80k miles. I would say you didn't change the timing belt but those aren't usually due until 100k.
I did have a Prelude that blew a timing belt @ 105k and totaled the engine but that was my own fault for not doing the timing belt. Every other Honda I've had has been still going strong @ 220k+. I wouldn't touch an American car if you gave it to me.
But we're talking china here, not Japanese...

Not the smartest reasoning I have ever seen. EVERY single manufacturer has defective products. There is not a single one that does not. I just sold a dodge that had 350,000 miles on it and ran like a top. By the same token I have had US made cars that sucked.

 

[certus11]

Go ahead and buy made in the USA and made in INDIA, and such. But should you buy MADE IN THE USA make sure that it's really made in USA and not just being assembled here or put in a box here.

I am against made in china products, if I can get a us made product I will, Yes I own things made in china because some of which you cannot find anywhere else. Everything has been out sourced pretty much. There are very few us based manufacturers left.

 

[Rocketpunk]

America:



Keep rolling our cheap cartomizers, China!



OP has no idea how many things he owns from China without even knowing it.

 

[ryanvapz0714]

I will buy whatever the heck I want regardless of where it is manufacturered. Having authentic or clones doesn't make me a better person! Its a freaking device that creates vapor and nothing else! If mark cuban vaped a vamo with a stardust knowing he prob had enough money to buy every provari or caravela ever made, I would think "damn thats cool that he vapes!" But there would be people who would look down on him bc he uses a vamo! We ALL smoked and smoked numerous different brands and kinds of cigarettes. I never looked down or talked down to my buddy when he handed me a camel turkish silver when I clearly only smoke Marlboro lights! Instead of all the "oh get a provari" when a new member asks if a svd is worth getting, how about we just help them bc this back and forth crap is getting annoying!

 

[Nikkita6]

There are many reasons our country is failing, but at the HEART of this failure, we have NO ONE to blame but ourSELVES. Through greed and corruption we have become a nation of debt, through the FED and banking practices. Had china not ever existed, things would very well likely be just as grimm as they are today for our country.

The fact is, the world is going through growing pains. In just a short span of a few hundred years, pretty much every nation on this planet has gone from being relatively isolated with the exception of minor trading, to becoming involved in a global infastructure. It was never possible for this to be a smooth ride, for ANY country. Things are changing, at an exponential rate, and no one knows how this human experiment is going to end up.

Having said that, I understand your frustration at symptoms of this globalization, such as global trading, but realistically it is inevitable.

We are 'supposed' to believe in a free market, right? Well, China is doing just that. If we actually were as strong as we would like to think....we wouldn't NEED to buy 'inferior' products as you call them, as a cheaper price. The fact is, people buy what they WANT. Whether it is from China, or made in the US, people want what satisfies their needs.

You see an inferior product, and part of that is your bias, as you admittedly avoid ALL THINGS CHINESE. I see it at competition, that prevents the US companies from over-charging, and remaining stagnant in product design.

Thank you for saying something that can actually hold its own weight in water ... But I have to say that I feel these threads are laughable, the motives behind them are disingenuous, and the objective is nonexistent.

But I guess that is just the nature of being bored, and on the internet right?

 

[Rossum]

If mark cuban vaped a vamo with a stardust knowing he prob had enough money to buy every provari or caravela ever made, I would think "damn thats cool that he vapes!" But there would be people who would look down on him bc he uses a vamo!

How is this relevant to a discussion of clones? As far as I can tell, the Vamo is an original design, not a clone of someone else's product.

 

[ryanvapz0714]

As far as I can tell a metal tube that holds a batter is an original design of a flashlight but your right and im sorry...maybe if he used a hcigar nemesis! Is that better?

 

[Steamix]

Globalization is a tilted playing field...

Nevertheless, with all things electronic ( these are many ) and all things lithium ( these are many more ) it's next to impossible to bypass China. They happen to sit on top of the largest known deposits of rare earths and lithium, just like the Middle Eastern countries are sitting on the biggest crude oil deposits. And they have no qualms using that :

Japanese trade barriers are high when it comes to exporting stuff to Japan. As the constant hold-ups and snags wore out their patience of the Chinese, Japanese importers of raw materials like lithium and especially rare earths ( essential for electronics ) found themselves all of a sudden at the end of a very very long waiting list for their orders...

 

[Jazzman]

Until quality products are made at a reasonable price in the US, China is going to dominate the ecig market. Some US manufacturers are starting to get the picture. Look at Cigtech for one manufacturer who is "getting the picture". They are manufacturing The Big Nasty for $139. This is made in the US by Tatroe, who do exceptional work. Their machining will stand up to the best in the world IMO. This is a quality mod for what I consider a very reasonable cost... and it's made in the US. Bravo to them for bringing a quality product to market at a reasonable price. And they offer a one year guarantee. The Big Nasty may not be the mod for you, but this is a good trend that I hope other US manufacturers follow. I will pay a bit extra for a US product with a guarantee, but I think the majority of US manufacturers price themselves out of the market and make Chinese clones an attractive alternative.

Just to be clear, I have no problem with a Chinese clone that costs me $50, and is 90% of the quality of the real mod that costs $220. Sorry if that offends some, but most originals are not trademarked or patented so there is nothing unethical about this from a purely business standpoint. If a manufacturer wants to bring in the exorbitant prices we see in most products made in the US, they need to pursue legal measures to protect it. There is a reason iPads are not cloned. Apple has protected their intellectual property... even in China.

Those that believe that cloning these unprotected items is wrong are speaking from their moral biases and not considering this from a business perspective. That might make you feel better, but is not a valid argument for manufacturing and selling clones. If it makes you feel better not to buy clones, don't. But please leave the rest of us alone. Your arguments have no basis in business law.

 

[Rossum]

Nevertheless, with all things electronic ( these are many ) and all things lithium ( these are many more ) it's next to impossible to bypass China. They happen to sit on top of the largest known deposits of rare earths and lithium, just like the Middle Eastern countries are sitting on the biggest crude oil deposits.

I've shot this down before, and I see I have to do it again. Most of the world's accessible lithium is in South America; in fact more than half the world's known supply is in one country: Bolivia. And North America has vast deposits of rare earths as well; the biggest reason we don't mine 'em is due to environmental regulations.

 

[numbskull]

I will say this....

I use clones, and love them. I honestly do not care where a product is made, however, if I have the opportunity to support a local business I'm all for it! Now the bottom line is...well.... the bottom line.... I want a tube that holds a battery and has a 510 connection with a button so I can vape. Thats all! Basically, if I had the means to spend $200+ on a mod I would, but alas I'm middle class. Sure, with what I've spent on Marlboros I could have bought a few high end mods, but dropping $5-$6 every few days is a LOT different then dropping $250 at once. If it weren't for these Chinese clones, I might still be smoking.

Secondly, I have a 2004 Chevy Monte Carlo.....and well...NEVER buying US car again! (Except a '66 Continental or '67 Rivi...someday )
Now I know "It was probably manufactured in China" and "Most Hondas sold in the US are manufactured in the US" But at the end of the day, If I buy from a US company, I want it made in the US. End of story. How does it help our economy to buy from a company that is outsourcing to other countries? It does not.

In regards to OP's statement about the film on Netflix-"Death by China" I have seen it, found it very interesting BUT I don not like how the narrator accuses China of currency manipulation when the Federal Reserve does exactly that!

Anyways....I feel if you have the cash to buy authentic, by all means, but never look down on someone because they have a China made clone. If there were affordable clones made state side, I'd be the first to buy. Hell, if there were affordable mods made state side even better! lol Buy what works for you, I don't care if it's from the US, Canada, Mexico, Russia etc. as long as it keeps you vaping and away from cigs, VAPE ON

Well guys that's my

CHEERS!