KFL+ (bit of a rant)

[Rossum]

So I want a KFL+. A real one. I will not buy a clone, and I sure don't want a counterfeit. However, none of the the reputable dealers in the US seem to have stock. So I figured I'll order one directly from the source in Germany (after all, I do speak the language). I built a cart full of stuff (including various spare parts) and go to check out, but they won't accept addresses outside of Europe. OK, there's another big dealer in Germany, but they don't have stock. Sheesh! Here's a guy who's willing to spend the money on a brand-new, genuine item (of which clones are ubiquitous) and nobody has one to sell him.

There are a couple of sellers on fleaBay that claim to have "Authentic" ones. They look real. They're priced like they should be real (around $120). However, I'm still not entirely convinced that they aren't counterfeits. Anyone know if those are real?

 

[Stosh]

So lets see, none of the the reputable dealers in the US seem to have stock, big dealer in Germany, they don't have stock. But flea-bay does?? If it were me, I would drool over one for a while longer....sorry.

 

[MasteroftheVape]

cloud 9 based in UK will ship to US. They are reputable.

 

[Kells]

Vaperev has the kfl plus v2 in stock or at least they did earlier today

 

[Rossum]

Yup, got one on order earlier today! They still show in stock as of right now. I wonder for how long?

 

[Rossum]

And now I wonder no more. Current status: Out of stock

 

[SamNapolitanke]

Vaperev has the kfl plus v2 in stock or at least they did earlier today

I ordered one of these sunday!

 

[Mitey F]

Welcome to the world of "high end"... this is one of the reasons a lot of us buy clones (at the very least as a precursor to purchasing an original).

 

[Rossum]

Welcome to the world of "high end".

Sorry, but something that retails for $99 is not "high end".

this is one of the reasons a lot of us buy clones

Yeah, it caused me considerable anguish to buy a Russian 91% used in the classies not long after I started this thread. It may be a copy, but at least it has a different finish, doesn't use SvoeMesto's name and logo, and doesn't say "Made in Germany" when it's clearly not. Anyway, I should have the real one from VapRev on Friday.

But somebody needs to whack SvoeMesto over the head and tell 'em, "Hey, you can't sell bread off an empty truck!"

 

[Mitey F]

Sorry, but something that retails for $99 is not "high end".

When the same thing can be sold for 1/3 the price, I think that makes it "high end". I think most would agree that any $100+ atty is in the "high end" category.

 

[Rossum]

When the same thing can be sold for 1/3 the price

The reason that certain Chinese vendors can sell "the same thing" for 1/3 the price is two-fold: First, they simply copied it instead of actually doing design, prototyping, and testing. Second, labor and time on a CNC machine in China costs ~25% of what it does in Germany or the USA. The question is whether I want to support the people who actually designed the thing to begin with, and elect to have it manufactured in a first-world country, or whether I want to support Chinese copycats, many of whom have proven themselves to be shameless liars by putting the original company's name and logo on their clone products, as well as making false claims with respect to the country of origin.

FWIW, I don't hate China; I have no problem buying Chinese-made products if they are original designs (e.g. Kanger, Innokin, etc) and don't claim to be something they are not.

 

[Mitey F]

The reason that certain Chinese vendors can sell "the same thing" for 1/3 the price is two-fold: First, they simply copied it instead of actually doing design, prototyping, and testing. Second, labor and time on a CNC machine in China costs ~25% of what it does in Germany or the USA. The question is whether I want to support the people who actually designed the thing to begin with, and elect to have it manufactured in a first-world country, or whether I want to support Chinese copycats, many of whom have proven themselves to be shameless liars by putting the original company's name and logo on their clone products, as well as making false claims with respect to the country of origin.

FWIW, I don't hate China; I have no problem buying Chinese-made products if they are original designs (e.g. Kanger, Innokin, etc) and don't claim to be something they are not.

I don't mean to turn this into a "clone vs. OG" thread, so I'm going to stay as far away from statements that can be construed that way as possible. That was in NO way my intention.

All I was saying is that I think you'd find most people agree that a $100 atomizer with limited availability would definitely put the KFL+ into "high end" territory. Just because you CAN spend $300 on an atty, doesn't knock a $100 KFL out of the "high end" territory. That's like saying a $100,000 Porsche isn't "high end" because a "high end" Bugatti is over $1 million. Sure, there are fewer of the latter available, and they're more expensive. Does that make the former any less desirable or "high end"?