Fakes/clones pro's/con's

[Bigflyrodder]

I know the kayfun and 91 are both from fractions of the same group from the initial design but can't recall which came first.

I use clones and authentic gear and honestly have to say that the clones were very important to me when I was just starting to use mech mods and drippers as I wasn't sure it was the road I wanted to follow long term and a $400 set up was just out of the question. Since that initial experimentation phase however I have moved to authentics due to quality. Don't get me wrong, there are some great clones out there and the ones I really liked I ended up getting authentics of those mods/toppers. I do still buy clones mainly due to the fact that it is so dang hard to find authentics of many hot RDAs, some have been great while others not so much.

 

[Nailz]

I am all for clones, I have 9 clones, and I would probably have only 1 of a original for the money I paid for them 9 clones, to say it takes away from creator is true, but when all they are selling is a metal tube with top and switch, I think it is crazy to be asking $200 for it. They did not creator the e-cig, they got a metal tube and did there own design on it. A lot of the time the clone is not made as well, but still works and looks just as good, sometimes better.

I will admit, I had a crunchy button on 2 of them, but 5 minutes work fixed that, I can take that for the 90% saved by the clone

 

[SingedVapor]

Clones are important in the community. Love them or hate them many of us wouldn't have continued vaping had it not been for a clone.

Now I myself am not gonna pay inward of 200 dollars for a metal tube that is by no means anymore unique than another metal tube. But however when I do come across a product that is revolutionary I will go out of my way to buy an authentic (says my 140 dollars that is waiting to order a REO)


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[Rossum]

There are plenty of reasonably priced metal tubes out there that aren't clones at all, they are original designs.

 

[Asbestos4004]

isn't an original Kayfun simply a clone of the russian 91%?

the russian is a clone of the kayfun

 

[FatherTime]

it depends. check reviews first. sometimes you can get a clone thats better than the authentic and sometimes it doesnt even work. i got a helios that only had half the airholes punched and i have a zenith thats just as good as the authentic

 

[Fir3b1rd]

New to vaping (3 months in) and still playing around with my kit and I'd like to ask everyone what is their views/opinions regarding the amount of fake equipment there is out there.
Locally to me (uk) I can walk into a couple of bricks and mortar and purchase innokin/kanga/vision but in the next city I can find the same but at a greatly discounted price but its obvious these are fakes/clones.
Has anyone had bad experience through dodgy kit?


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I have a mixed bag of feelings- for1 it's your money to spend it on what you want. So if you know you're buying a clone then fine. But if you're lied to and end up buying one, the seller must go.
Personally; when it comes to regulated mods not gonna happen; I would never buy anything with electronics not knowing what's inside. Something as simple as an incorrectly mounted ground can fry it. Or if some of the wiring is under-spec for the power handling; well, I would enjoy burning the cash more.
When it comes to attys or mechs especially the attys, so long as the build quality is good I have done it and will do it again. I did a massive amount of research before I hand over the money but I'm a careful buyer. I did it at first because I wanted to try a kayfun without paying out the derrière. Did some research and got an Artemis black edition; loved it!!! So I bought an authentic- I liked the clone better. Since the. I bought an ehproV2 and like that as much as the black edition. So out of the three kayfuns I have I prefer the clones more than original. All have the same fit and finish and build quality and all vape the same, the clones are just easier to fill and have easier airflow control. But as I said they all perform the same. On the same note I've tried a few other clones with varying degree of value in my opinion. But all do perform identically. Which stands to reason it's an atomizer, and mechanical in nature, the shape and mechanical design of the device dictates it's performance not a chip. So I'll continue to buy clones; so long as i know the fit and finish are how I like, so I'll but the more expensive clones; 40 dollars is still better than 100 dollars plus. For the mechs I have eh same outlook. But because of the nature of the device i do more homework.


1.21 gigawatts!!!

 

[Fir3b1rd]

the russian is a clone of the kayfun

Not really a clone buy its truest terms.
The cat that designed the kayfun left the organization over a manufacturing argument and mad a few slight alterations then came out with the Russian. But the do have interchangeable parts, go figure ... At least that's the story I've heard, repeatedly


1.21 gigawatts!!!

 

[Coldrake]

isn't an original Kayfun simply a clone of the russian 91%?

I know the Kayfun and 91 are both from fractions of the same group from the initial design but can't recall which came first.

Not really a clone buy its truest terms.
The cat that designed the kayfun left the organization over a manufacturing argument and mad a few slight alterations then came out with the Russian. But the do have interchangeable parts, go figure ... At least that's the story I've heard, repeatedly

Not true. The Russians are clones of SvoëMesto Kayfuns. The Russians were not made by anyone who ever worked for SvoëMesto. Someone stole the designs, changed the name, and in my opinion, are the ones who started the rumors. The rumors were a brilliant marketing strategy, as evidenced by the above quotes.

https://www.facebook.com/svoe.mesto

SvoëMesto
January 22
Dear SvoeMesto friends,

normally we wouldn't interfere with debates going on in the vaping community, but it has come to our attention, that people get into arguments over a rumor that insistently hold itself especially in the American community. As this can be settled by a simple clarification, here is some information you might find helpful:

SvoeMesto was launched not by 2, but 3 gentlemen, one from Russia and two from Germany. And all three of them are still the shareholders of the company. There has been no split up within the founders whatsoever and we all work together with full enthusiasm.

We hope that this post can prevent further unnecessary arguments, so we all can concentrate our energy and more important and more positive things.

To all of you:
Have a wonderful day!



NorCal VaperDude "Thanks! Can you clarify then, what's the Russian in relation to the Kayfun? Knock-off, clone, totally different?"
Like · Reply · January 22 at 3:49pm

SvoëMesto "Where ever it has come from, it was not from a former or current associate of our company."

Like · 10 · January 22 at 3:57pm

 

[edyle]

Not true. The Russians are clones of SvoëMesto Kayfuns. The Russians were not made by anyone who ever worked for SvoëMesto. Someone stole the designs, changed the name, and in my opinion, are the ones who started the rumors. The rumors were a brilliant marketing strategy, as evidenced by the above quotes.

Whatever one may think of the russian, since it has a 510 drip tip, and the kayfun uses a different interface drip tip, not all the parts are interchangeable and therefore it cannot be called a clone.

 

[Keith Butt]

In the uk vaping seems to be the latest fad and retailers are popping up everywhere selling equipment ..I'd ask this from my original post I said people are selling obvious clones etc is it a case the retailers know what they are selling or is it a case they are buying in bulk from the likes of alibaba etc just seeing the name and selling what they've been told is "original" I'm sure another uk member would agree most city's either have pop up concessions or market stalls selling equipment near to me in Great Yarmouth on one side of a road a guys selling MVP 's sealed in hologramed box on the other side of the road another guys selling them unboxed at the same price and they don't "feel" the same but both say they are genuine


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[KenD]

Whatever one may think of the russian, since it has a 510 drip tip, and the kayfun uses a different interface drip tip, not all the parts are interchangeable and therefore it cannot be called a clone.

But wouldn't that apply to all copies that aren't 100% identical to the original?

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[edyle]

But wouldn't that apply to all copies that aren't 100% identical to the original?

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I don't know what your question is.

If you have a product, and somebody makes a cheap knockoff clone of it, he makes it with the same threading and the parts from one should fit on the other.
- If he makes 1 alteration like threading and the parts don't fit as a result, then it's incompatible and therefore no longer a clone.
- If the original has rounded edges and the knockoff has sharp edges because that's cheaper to produce, that's just cosmetic and the parts still fit together interchangeably so its still a clone.

Does that apply to all products not just the Kayfun and the Russian? Of course it does.

 

[edyle]

In the uk vaping seems to be the latest fad and retailers are popping up everywhere selling equipment ..I'd ask this from my original post I said people are selling obvious clones etc is it a case the retailers know what they are selling or is it a case they are buying in bulk from the likes of alibaba etc just seeing the name and selling what they've been told is "original" I'm sure another uk member would agree most city's either have pop up concessions or market stalls selling equipment near to me in Great Yarmouth on one side of a road a guys selling MVP 's sealed in hologramed box on the other side of the road another guys selling them unboxed at the same price and they don't "feel" the same but both say they are genuine


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1: is it a case the retailer know what they are selling
- there will be all cases; some who know, some who don't, and some who couldn't giveadamn either way
2: some buying in bulk and selling based on rumour
- sure theres some of that
3: both say they are genuine.
- talk is cheap, but obviously the hologrammed one has a leg to stand on.

 

[KenD]

I don't know what your question is.

If you have a product, and somebody makes a cheap knockoff clone of it, he makes it with the same threading and the parts from one should fit on the other.
- If he makes 1 alteration like threading and the parts don't fit as a result, then it's incompatible and therefore no longer a clone.
- If the original has rounded edges and the knockoff has sharp edges because that's cheaper to produce, that's just cosmetic and the parts still fit together interchangeably so its still a clone.

Does that apply to all products not just the Kayfun and the Russian? Of course it does.

I don't disagree. It's just that gear is considered cloned even when it's not a 1:1 copy. Technically, of course, it's not a clone in that case (well, technically something that's not an organism can't be a clone )

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[Tinkiegrrl]

I'd stay away from clones of Innokin and Kangertech and things like that. Clearos are already prone to leaking. The clones of them are even worse with the issues. The real versions are cheap enough if you order online. Things do get pricey in the brick and mortars.

For mech mods, it's best to stick with the well know clone manufacturers. Hcigar, Ehpro and Infinite. There are no electronics, so there's less that can go wrong. Even so, there may be a couple things wrong with the firing button and the threading may be less smooth. It's still a risk, but in this category the real versions are so hard to find that I actually recommend getting a clone as a first mech mod, to see if you like it. Better to waste $40 on ark duct that's easily attainable the. $200 on something that takes some time to track down. I'm also convinced that some of the pricing on mech mods is being inflated due to manufacturers purposely cutting down in how many they produce. This increases demand and the price.

RBA'S and RDAs are the same deal. The originals can be hard to find and expensive when you do find them. Take Kayfuns for example. The lite versions I've found are around $90 and I've only found them at 2 vendors so far. Meanwhile, Ehpro makes a great clone of them. I did get a stopped post screw in one, but I had spares from a fat daddy Kayfun rebuild kit. Managed to get the stripped screw out with a rubber band and replaced it. If I didn't though, the vendor I dealt with would have happily replaced it. The risk in this case was possibly waiting longer to use it then I wanted to. I saved myself $60 though.

 

[Fir3b1rd]

In the uk vaping seems to be the latest fad and retailers are popping up everywhere selling equipment ..I'd ask this from my original post I said people are selling obvious clones etc is it a case the retailers know what they are selling or is it a case they are buying in bulk from the likes of alibaba etc just seeing the name and selling what they've been told is "original" I'm sure another uk member would agree most city's either have pop up concessions or market stalls selling equipment near to me in Great Yarmouth on one side of a road a guys selling MVP 's sealed in hologramed box on the other side of the road another guys selling them unboxed at the same price and they don't "feel" the same but both say they are genuine

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In the US from what, I have seen, clones are identified as such. Most wholesalers of genuine equipment won't let retailers sell genuine and clones at brick and mortar stores, they can sell one and not the other. In my area, at least, one store sells all genuine and another all clones. However, when I bought my legit gear I went to provape for the provari, vaperev for the Kayfun and MVP. One mfg and the other lic carrier from the mfg. I wanted to ensure that i was getting legit. When I buy the clones I'm aware thst is what I'm getting and I'm ok with it. However;!i ensure I buy reputable clones from companies known for making high quality products using high grade materials: ehpro and hcigar. I'm paying a few dollars more than some other clone; but, those two companies make such a high grade clone that if feels and looks like something that cane from a top notch mfg process. Smith threading and great finish. Makes me wonder why they don't make their own line of products they are so nice.






1.21 gigawatts!!!

 

[Coldrake]

Whatever one may think of the russian, since it has a 510 drip tip, and the kayfun uses a different interface drip tip, not all the parts are interchangeable and therefore it cannot be called a clone.

 

[Zealous]

The one more popular store in my area does label their clones with the proper names (ie Ehpro, etc.) so someone in the know would know they're not the genuine. However they didn't always do that & at that time even if you asked an employee they couldn't tell you if it was a genuine or clone. But they weren't trying to charge the price of a genuine so I didn't necessarily consider them being dishonest. Just uniformed.

But the shop closer to my house has had problems with buying things like Kanger heads from a source for a "reasonable price" only to go & register the authenticity number & find out it's been registered 50+ or 70+ times. So in their case they did think they were buying genuine & didn't know they weren't until they tried to use the authenticity code.

 

[Zealous]

Things do get pricey in the brick and mortars.

Yea they can. The place up the road from me charges 6.95 for 1 Evod head and the one that's farther away but more popular charges about this much too but requires you to buy 2 at a time. That's more than I want to be paying.