As I see it there are several differences between a clone and the original. Some differences are subjective and some are real.
The first difference is reputation. If the original maker wants to continue in business and get the big bucks for the product he needs to always produce a quality product. If it gets around that maker X is not producing a quality product how long will he get the big bucks and have a backlog. On the other end, if I am an unknown shop in China why would I not cut any corner I could. If I get a bad rep I can just change my name, if anyone ever knew it in the first place. The middle is a company like Hcigar. They have a reputation and their product sells a little higher than other clones. They need to keep their quality consistent to protect the reputation.
You can brag that you own an original xxxx to your friends. No one ever proudly says I have an xxxx clone; without adding and I only paid $30 for it.
Quite often the last 1% can cost more than the first 90%. A hunk of aluminum will work as a contact. Silver, gold if you want no corrosion, plated copper is better. You can plate so thin that it looks silver out of the box but as soon as it is used a few times it is gone. I would think the clone will go thin and the original will last.
Why do you want an xxxx, original or clone. It works better than other mods, you like the way it looks, a combination of the two, or something else entirely. Who is responsible for that? Probably the original. I have seen some cases where a clone has improved upon the original, usually in attys, but more often than not the goal of a clone mater is a 1:1 copy, down to the engraving, of the original including any faults. If I spent the time and sweat designing the xxxx it would be depressing to see the clone come out and steal my work. Maybe I would not work on the xxxx2 or skip the yyyy entirely. I probably want the yyyy but since there is not an original there will be no clone.
I have not seen a copyright, patent, or trademark on just about all the vape stuff so it is not illegal to clone something. I would imagine a lawyer would say that the lack of a copyright is an invitation for others to copy the work.
The person who designed the original is a creator. Sometimes visual, sometimes mechanical, usually both and they deserve to be rewarded for their efforts, if they want. I program for a living and I expect to get paid for it.
If I bought a clone I would probably send a few bucks to the originator to compensate her for the work she did, and to incent her to do the next thing.
What would I like? If the originator did not copyright, patent or trademark it I think it should be fair game for cloning. But, mark it as a clone and do not put the original makers name on the product. A Chinese company should build their own reputation, put their name on a product, and produce their own design. Small Chinese shops should continue to do what they do now, without putting someone else's name on it, and buyer beware of quality.