Sorry... but you've prompted me to editorialize just a bit. Read all at your own peril... or just jump to the last sentence.
Outright, 1:1 forgeries are a criminal act, IMO. Although, after speaking with several original manufacturers, some are of the opinion that when someone buys a forgery, the become familiar and like the design enough to want the real thing. Kind of a trial run before the big purchase. I get this perception, but I think it might be very limited in it's scope.
The surprisingly new attitudes about 1:1 forgeries by the Chinese that has occurred in, what seems to be only the last few months, is disappointing.
I've always thought that with China's rich artistic and design history, they could make some really interesting, classic and well developed devices of their own that would be good competition for the best and the brightest mod makers.
The Chinese however, and on the other hand are (although there are a few occasional exceptions), like most... in it for the fast buck. Money driven goals, not artistic or of honorable merit.
In my mind, I've developed my own levels of product theft.
- The first being a "facsimile"... a device similar, but not identical, with no stolen logos or proprietary shapes. These devices I have no issues with, and will occasionally buy.
- The second is a "clone"... a device very similar to, but not 1:1 of a genuine device. I tend to avoid these, but not at all costs.
- Third is forgery or counterfeit. Obviously... a stolen from whole cloth, 1:1 device... represented by the current crop of Nemesis, Chi you, Ba gua, Poldiac, Kraken, SvoeMesto Kayfun... et al. No different than a Chinese Mercedes or Maserati. I will not support theft.
The above is neither here nor there regarding your comments, so... A China mod or China mech sub-forum would be nice, or inversely... leave it as is, and a "genuine only" sub-forum.
