It's interesting that no one has responded to an otherwise very "respond-able" post. After all, ECF is nothing if not an opinion magnet. What is it? Fear, lack of knowledge... or lack of interest? Perhaps that's the more interesting question.
So pizza... this is the way I see it. If all you're buying are clones (not a slight - just an observation), then it's more like... what was genuinely new 2-4 months ago, and is available as a clone now?
Recent clone introductions of note are the GP Heron, HID Ruzgar, Footoon Cerberus and Faceless Veritas. Everything else is more of the SOS - with repositioned or more fins, lamer logo and dumber name... IMO.
What hasn't been cloned... yet? The Inverno Erlkönigin and Gus Estia.
When good quality 1:1 clones started to make their appearance, I had mixed feelings. Innovation for the masses - and even decent quality. Now... with the "grace period" before the forgeries showing up getting shorter and shorter, another question might be... where is this cycle of - genuine design followed by a 1/8th cost forgery in two months or less - leading us?
If a genuine maker opts to make more than a few hundred of a design, it gets copied. The originals lose both some of their value as well as their panache. Is this why genuine makers, of late, have been producing such small runs... so they might be (hopefully) overlooked by the Chinese?
Many things to consider... if one has a mind to. ;-)
