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What are your opinions on 'clones'?

raqball

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Clones are basically theft. That is why Hana Modz went after the clone companies and win easy.

Think of it this way. You invest in a company and create a top selling and highly popular mod. Because of your name brand, supply and demand etc, you sell your mod for a reasonable $150 all together.

Then a clone company comes out instead of making their own design they copy inch by inch and even use your own logos and names on the device and sell it real cheap and most novice buyers buy the crap and think it is authentic. Now these people going to go around and say this company is over rated and bought a lemon device. Not to mention the fact steals profits for the guy who had the original idea and put the work in to make it a reality.

In the end it is theft imo. If I couldn't afford something I will either save up for it or say not worth it. I am not going to pay less for a lesser product just because it is a great product and it will screw the owner of the real thing because that is one of the reasons why they have to price it high to count for all the theft they project to have.

IMO it is theft and personally there is not a product out in any field that is worth me paying for a lesser product for and screwing the people who put out these great products. I either save up or deem it not worth a buy because I week not cheap out and not go broke at the same time.
x1000

I've been vaping since 2009 and I've never owned a clone and I never will..

There are plenty of authentic mods and gear that are reasonably priced.
 

Oberon75

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What if the authentic is Chinese?
It really depends. For instance the SX Mini M Class is top notch. The Chinese manufactured Vapor Shark isn't bad either. Everything else I've dealt with while works seems to be of a lesser quality though. I've yet to find a Chinese atty as good as my Aeolus or Tugboat V2's.

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dionysuskiss

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That's the reason, I stay far away from Fast Tech. But my Infinite Magma, Tobeco Velocity and Zenith v2, Cigreen Hobo and Mephisto v3 (not sure the maker, bought it at a b&m) have all performed flawlessly. Just got a Stingray X clone and it's seamless and the threading is perfectly smooth. Gonna test her out today. So my point is, not all clones are garbage. You just have to know where to look. I appreciate the hard work that goes into r&d for the originals, and I would get the authentic if I could, but my pocketbook can't stomach the $100+ price for an atty.
 

Oberon75

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That's the reason, I stay far away from Fast Tech. But my Infinite Magma, Tobeco Velocity and Zenith v2, Cigreen Hobo and Mephisto v3 (not sure the maker, bought it at a b&m) have all performed flawlessly. Just got a Stingray X clone and it's seamless and the threading is perfectly smooth. Gonna test her out today. So my point is, not all clones are garbage. You just have to know where to look. I appreciate the hard work that goes into r&d for the originals, and I would get the authentic if I could, but my pocketbook can't stomach the $100+ price for an atty.
I've owned clones from Tobeco, EHpro and Kingtu. While performance wasn't an issue, the build quality certainly was.

I also don't need a whole arsenal of attys so dropping $75 to $100 on something nice every so often doesn't bother me. I liked my Tugboat V2 so much, I bought a second one and they are now all I use. The only future purchase I'm really thinking of is a slam cap for one of them which is only another $35.

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Faceless Vapes

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I don't have a problem with anyone who used clones. I personally don't use them for one reason only. I feel like they are profiting off of someone's work. I feel like making a clone is stealing. I have friends who like using clones and have no problems out of them. I feel like clones are just fine if that's what people want to use. For me I would rather support the company who made the device instead of someone who just copied it.

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smacksy

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Agreed...but I buy authentic (mechs) because of superb customer service and parts always available should I ever need them....that said I have both the XXIX and BFM mechs from BCV now for almost two years...I dropped my copper/brass BFM and bent the hybrid top cap getting out of my 18 wheeler..
But with a simple click on the BCV website I had a couple replacement caps in less than 3 days...James at BCV takes care of his customers....can't get that kind of service from China... or this kind of quality either in a cheap clone... But that's just me I reckon...lol
d99d0ecde507e3a602caa279b9001e7d.jpg


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itsyourmove

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Good conversation and interesting replies. I've never owned a clone and I don't find authentic's affordable. Sure beats the price of cigarettes.
 

smacksy

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Good conversation and interesting replies. I've never owned a clone and I don't find authentic's affordable. Sure beats the price of cigarettes.
Agreed, authentic mods made here in the States can be a bit pricey, but are worth it in the long run... Like I said earlier, manufactures like Bay City Vapor in Seal Beach California stand behind their quality products with 24/7 customer support and parts are always available...in other words buy once and you're done!

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f1r3b1rd

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- some do, not JDTech. Authentic stingray XTI- I Fucked up and cross threaded the lock ring. I got it off, but the lock ring is all scratched up and I rcan't find a new one. I emailed them and while he'll take it back and fix it--if I wanna send it to the Philippines--but he doesn't have the lock rings. I offered to buy it but looks like I'm stuck like chuck
Then again if it were clone there would be no one to answer emails and if there were I would still be translating the first response.
I will say, he's a good dude, very cool, its my fault for buying a Pilipino mod, the nemesis people and praxis people were all cool too,
But from here on out I'm sticking with American made or at least American presence .
temporary_zps2qtbaxep.jpg

Agreed, authentic mods made here in the States can be a bit pricey, but are worth it in the long run... Like I said earlier, manufactures like Bay City Vapor in Seal Beach California stand behind their quality products with 24/7 customer support and parts are always available...in other words buy once and you're done!

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itsyourmove

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Agreed...but I buy authentic (mechs) because of superb customer service and parts always available should I ever need them....that said I have both the XXIX and BFM mechs from BCV now for almost two years...I dropped my copper/brass BFM and bent the hybrid top cap getting out of my 18 wheeler..
But with a simple click on the BCV website I had a couple replacement caps in less than 3 days...James at BCV takes care of his customers....can't get that kind of service from China... or this kind of quality either in a cheap clone... But that's just me I reckon...lol
d99d0ecde507e3a602caa279b9001e7d.jpg


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Sharp looking mod.
 

philup23

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The only thing I don't like about clones is dishonest people. 1:1 clone would be hard to tell from an authentic. So if someone bought a clone then wanted to resell it as an authentic, it could pass with a couple lies. I have been looking at the clones of the tugboat and I cannot find a way to tell the authentic from the clone.
 

smacksy

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The only thing I don't like about clones is dishonest people. 1:1 clone would be hard to tell from an authentic. So if someone bought a clone then wanted to resell it as an authentic, it could pass with a couple lies. I have been looking at the clones of the tugboat and I cannot find a way to tell the authentic from the clone.
Good point..But to avoid that possibility of being ripped off I don't think I'd buy a mod that might have been cloned second hand... Be safer to get the real deal brand new from a reputable vendor I would think..just sayin

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whitepony1986

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i have authentics and i have clones they both work and seem to work the same. nothing wrong with a clone
 

RobbieR

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I think using the word "clone" is being generous, these products are counterfeits and the people who make them are thieves. They are stealing other people designs & hard work. Authentic's cost more because someone put time & money into designing them & they need to be compensated for their effort. I also don't trust the craftsmanship or materials used in counterfeits. I know some counterfeits are made in the same factories as the originals, but I question weather they are made to same standards as the authentics. I would never bash anyone for buying them, but I personally don't support it.
 

robot zombie

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With mechs, I have no qualms about buying clones. I'm not paying 80+ bucks for a pretty metal tube with a switch and some threading. I don't care what goes into it. Many authentic mechs are ridiculously overpriced for what you get, not what they have to do to produce and distribute them. They may be able to justify the price on their ends, but I can't justify spending that kind of money on the finished product. It simply is not worth the money. At the end of the day, a mech is a mech to me.

Attys should be a non-issue these days. I don't know why anyone would want to buy a cloned atty when there are plenty of excellent authentic ones out on the market at the same price point as many clones of other attys. I mean, China is dominating the low end of the market in that regard, but at least they're making original products, right?

Boxes, I would never buy clones of simply because I don't trust strange chips. That aside, I think a good regulated box is actually worth what they tend to be priced at.

I think that at some point, the market is going to become so saturated that the prices of authentic devices will have to come down and clones will no longer be able to compete. This is already starting to happen. The problem right now, as I see it, is that it is difficult for assuredly much smaller manufacturers of originals to come up with business models which would allow them to compete with the mega-factory complexes in China for that low-income market.

Supply and demand... ...and right now, the demand for more cheaper high-end devices so high that I bet some of these US manufacturers could make enough to up-size if they would just bring their prices down a little... ...vaping is not a niche market anymore. It's a billion-dollar industry and they're still asking us to pay mom-and-pop prices.
 

f1r3b1rd

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So rather than the 45$ authentic the 35-40$ clone?

There was a time when you couldn't find an authentic for under 100$ that's not the case anymore
 

robot zombie

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So rather than the 45$ authentic the 35-40$ clone?
Other way 'round. If the authentic is $45 and the clone is only $5-$10 cheaper, I'd imagine that most would buy the real deal. Did anybody buy a cloned Mutation X v3 for 5 dollars less? lol

There was a time when you couldn't find an authentic for under 100$ that's not the case anymore
Yeah, it's getting there. But a lot of the cheaper authentics are not made in the USA.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Actually I've seem several people save the 5-10$
And correct most less expensive stuff is not USA made but its not 'stealing' the design and you get your own tube design,
40$ for a stingrayx clone (china made)or 45 for a phantom by wotofo. (china made)--- in other words--both are made in china, only the phantom is authentic.

Have you seen clones made in the USA?
 

StanM

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I have both authentic and clones. Although you get better craftsmanship from most authentics, sometimes their availability is a deciding factor. Take in point, my favorite rta is the silverplay. VaporDNA is no longer making the original version. Therefore, to get another, I have to get a clone. Otherwise, I will buy an authentic if it's available and affordable.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Have you tried the v2? I have the v1 and its ok, the bilow2 dethroned it for me and not so sure about the silverplay2 being I still use the silverplay1 in rotation but curious about the 2
 

StanM

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No I have not. I was kind of waiting to see if they dropped the price a little first.
 

f1r3b1rd

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No I have not. I was kind of waiting to see if they dropped the price a little first.
I think they did. wasn't it 60$ at release? Its 50$ yesterday
 

ChrisL

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Hey F1, how much for the P3? Provape has new Blems for 189.00. Authentic...
 

f1r3b1rd

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Hey F1, how much for the P3? Provape has new Blems for 189.00. Authentic...
Its one of the betas that they sent to vendors before the market version was released. But it has the current firmware. I think I paid about $100-$120 if memory serves.
 

ChrisL

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I have settled on a Vapor Shark clone as the next piece for my collection. I will get an authentic Provari soon though.
Prices keep dropping.
 

f1r3b1rd

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Which clone?
 

ChrisL

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60 watt by Geeko. Maybe the 1.1 by Vapllife. it's only 40 watts. So is the ISmoke. Not comfortable with the Vapor Shark logo plastered all over the last 2. The Vapllife has the larger display, while the Geeko and ISmoke have the
older, smaller screen. Not sure about the chips. Anyone have anymore info? Both for sale at efun.top
 

f1r3b1rd

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Why not look into some of the pioneer for you or sigelei mods? Those are fairy affordable with proven yihi boards.
You can get a sig 150 for 68-70$ and a ipv100tc for 70$(ish)
They also have the sig75tc small single battery, temp control and authentic with US support through asmodus for under 65$
 

ChrisL

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I have a Sig 150. Love it. Don't want to wait for the IPV D2. What can I say, Im a fanboy of Provaris and Vapor
Sharks. I want to be like you and have both.
 

nabibrian

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If it works and its cheap yeah, I'm gonna consider it.
However if the authentic is much better in terms of performance and quality, I don't mind paying the extra cost.
 

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