Noob question about clones...

[Switters]

I apologize for the noob question. What do merchants mean by selling a device as a "1:1 clone"? I'm not familiar with this term.

 

[Signmaker]

1:1 means an exact duplicate as far as dimensions and appearance go. However it's worth noting that it is rarely the exact same materials and finish quality.

 

[Train2]

Clone (in this business) means a copy of a popular device.
1:1 means it SHOULD be exact same dimensions and part shapes.
So a "kayfun clone" is NOT the Kayfun, as designed and built by svoemesto in Germany. It's a copy, probably made in China. It may still be decent - there are a dozen sources of clones, at varying levels of quality.

I apologize for the noob question. What do merchants mean by selling a device as a "1:1 clone"? I'm not familiar with this term.

 

[Switters]

Thanks for the responses and clearing that up for me! So a 1:1 clone is supposed to be closer to the original, than a clone that doesn't say 1:1? Once again, thank you for the help!

 

[cloudguy00567]

It doesn't necessarily mean it's closer to the original. Size wise yes, but like previous posters said they could have sup-par contacts etc which put them far away from the original in my opinion. Whether it's a 1:1 or not, make sure it's made of good materials before you purchase anything. There's a whole world of clones out there, each just a little different than the last.

 

[Switters]

Thanks. Some of the items I've looked at say 1:1 clone, but they even have the scratch off authentication. haha Gets a little confusing as to what's an "authentic," and what's not.

 

[Wolfenstark]

Its like people have said though its best to read from people who have one of the clones you are looking at to see if they like it.

 

[methodz]

I got an authentic Madz Modz V4 and my boss liked it but not the price I paid. I didn't like the price I paid. Anyways we went to ebay and bought 2 1:1 Madz Modz clones for cheap. When they came in they passed the eye test but just didn't have the same feel in hand or in weight or in performance. The holes in the contact posts were smaller and more difficult to coil.

This is just one instance of a clone though. I got an EHPro kayfun clone as well as an authentic and can't tell the difference. Only difference between them was I was unable to thread in the nano kit on the clone and it went on easy on the authentic. I guess what I'm trying to say is clones can be a mixed bag.

 

[cloudguy00567]

To be honest a lot of clone companies make mods that are the same quality as the authentics. I personally don't think I should have to pay an extra hundred bucks for a name. Just look at reviews, because i've known people to be really happy with their clones, but hate their authentics.

 

[Switters]

Thanks. Yeah, for example... I was looking at the Aerotank V2 (Marked as authentic) vs. a 1:1 Clone Aerotank V2. I'm sure there is no way I could tell a difference without talking to someone who owns both items. There's only a $10 price gap, so not a big deal in this case, but I do find it strange they can sell items that look identical right down to the packaging. I've read that the original manufacturer can sometimes put out their own version of a clone, but I'm not sure about that. (Doesn't make a whole lot of sense) Ha! What incentives could there be if that were true?

 

[v1k1ng1001]

Don't buy a clone without knowing the manufacturer and/or having read reviews.

With clones, the best bet is stainless steel and a simple design becaue of the metallurgy.

Also, a clone listed at 1:1 is not necessarily 1:1 as the first batch of 4nine clones taught us.

Again, read the reviews and don't get stuck with a pile of junk.

 

[spkok]

I have purchased several clones from FT (2xKayfuns, Nemesis mode, Ithaka clone, etc.) My experience shows that this is actually a lottery. There is no way to be sure unless you read all the reviews to be positive for a specific manufacturer. In general when something is simple to be copied (a mechanical mod for example) you have more chances to be successful. If it is complicated and difficult to be copied you better seek for the original !

 

[beez0527]

FT is the proverbial luck of the draw sometime i purchased 2 kayfun 3.1 one was perfect the other had a stripped screw on the deck couldn't remove it with a screwdriver had to use pliers so just know that sometimes its the luck of the draw.

 

[Switters]

Thanks to all of you for the knowledge and advice. I've yet to purchase a clone but I have been thinking about it. Now that I know a little more about them and what to look for I can, at least, feel like I'm making a (somewhat) educated decision. It's just... When you're low on funds, those clones look a whole lot more appealing. Or, it sounds like it could be money down the drain also. Hmmmm... Decisions. Decisions.

 

[Fogboxhaze92]

Not all clones are made the same... All of my mods are clones just for the price. For example, a few people recommend the nemesis... That was my first mod, an hcigar clone... Literally the first day the spring broke and over time the top contact fell apart and sometimes when trying to unscrew the mod it got stuck and ended up being a huge pain. In the ...... Hope this helps =)

 

[thekraut]

Clones can be very well made... but this not very common. I order my clones from fasttech because I don't have a shop around that sells clones. Before ordering a clone i use to read the reviews and have a look in the discussions for that product on fasttech. This often tells me if I should give it a shot or not.

 

[bullet08]

been very lucky with FT. my penny 1:1 clone with tobh 1:1 clone has been working like a charm.. then again.. how can you go wrong with these simple devices? only problem with penny clone is, some of the attys will not sit flush on it, but taifun gt and tobh sits flush enough. magma and stillare v3 won't sit flush, but they work just fine. i was at local B&M the other day. one of the customer saw my penny, and he purchased penny clone there. he paid 3 times what i paid at the FT. when i was checking out with my bottle of e liquid i told the sales person, "i guess he doesn't use internet too often". the sales guy laughed.

 

[Switters]

Alright then. Looks like I'm gonna pull the trigger on a couple of clone tanks from Fasttech. Thanks ya'll. It'll be a wonder if I see them before February with Christmas and Chinese New Year though. I also noticed the how FT describes items as either, "authentic" or "styled". Interesting.

 

[edyle]

Alright then. Looks like I'm gonna pull the trigger on a couple of clone tanks from Fasttech. Thanks ya'll. It'll be a wonder if I see them before February with Christmas and Chinese New Year though. I also noticed the how FT describes items as either, "authentic" or "styled". Interesting.

the ones labelled as 'styled' are the clone types.

I've noticed recently they have a few products that they no longer identify as a clone but have a different name instead; for example a search for 'squape' on the site comes up with the 'triangle windows' rta.
a search for 'heron' comes up with 'stainless steel rebuildable atomizer'

so I'm guessing 'squape' and 'heron' are now trademarked.

similarly, on some of their products you'll find descriptions saying something like 'this item has no logo'

 

[EBates]

I am a fan of FT. I have bought in the neighborhood of $2K of mods, tanks, batteries, etc over the last year. Anything that has not worked properly they have replaced and paid for shipping. They even replaced a vamo that failed after about a month of use.
I own 8 FT kayfun 3.1 ES kits from them that, although they are "style", have been great. I've yet to find out who makes them but I've been very happy with them.