I bought my first Reo from a then-german-dealer, because I was sick of dripping and looked for improvement.
At the time I would have bought from any source, and I would have probably fallen for the low price.
Nearly 4 years passed since then, other Reos followed and went through spas and upgrade kits.
In a way, I don't buy Reos, but buy Rob's support together with a superior device.
China may sell clones, but they don't sell Rob...
Another thought:
Even if the Chinese sell many of this cheapo devices, Rob would probably never have reached these customers anyway.
A lot of those customers will try it and shelf it right away, because it was a cheap buy.
Others will learn to appreciate bottom feeders and convert to squonk believers.
And if they do, they will learn about Reosmods and the original thing, maybe even about this community.
This might even increase Rob's customer base in the long run.
After all, $180 is a lot for just a try, but not much for the long term device you get for your money.
You have to know the device to appreciate it.
I've seen a lot of cloning throughout my life, starting in the 60th with subsidiced furniture clones from communist East Germany.
They were partly successful, because German dealerships wanted to make a buck and secretely replaced the orginal with the clone.
It didn't help them in the long run, though.
As long as he restricts his business to Reosmods.com, I think Rob will be ok.
If he blows up his business and sells via B&M stores, he should watch out.
It is the nature of those guys to optimize their business...