I bought the OG, and every spare part I might ever need, direct from StattQualm the day it was released last Oct. IMHO, the authentic is absolutely worth every penny. I don't know how the Arise clones compare to the OG. I never bought the clone. IMO, an RTA clone of any kind will never be that which an OG is.
I would say buy the OG if you like the clone that much. You will not be disappointed. I am 100% certain you will notice differences between it and the clone straight away.
And I am more than confident in saying that if the cloners made the Arise anything like the OG it would cost nearly the same amount. After-all we are talking high end Swiss quality versus something that is anything but.
I own very few clones these days. My personal thing was to always support the authentic makers. Much like other folks do with buying high end mods. No difference really.
IMO, all the magic truly happens in an RTA or RDA not the mod. The mod is there to support the RBA.
My Arise has been in use since the day it arrived.