LOL..my istick 50 w lasted all of 2 days and then started giving me the "power low" error. On it's way back to Vaportek as we speak. And these days, it's just as bad to buy originals. Look at all the problems that they've had with nearly if not all of the TC devices coming out namely the Vaporshark. I agree with Nails, if I lose $47, it'll suck, but not NEARLY as bad as if I lost $200. But hey Mroutlaw, if you got that kinda cash to burn, more power to ya brother! The vape world is NOT always "you get what you pay for". Often times you get the short end of the stick no matter what you pay. That's the joy of everything being made in China...LOL
Its not about money for me as to why I won't buy clones. Its more about knowing whats in it and who made it and a warranty. Thats why until recently, I used the same 2 provari's for 3 years. When it comes to attys, I only buy clones, unless its something like a troll or Kanger sub tank or something else cheap. I'll never spend $100 on an rda. When it comes to mods, I'd rather know the company who's making it and what they put in it. For me, it doesn't have to be a $200 sx mini, I'm just as happy with my heatvape invader mini which is $50 and I just ordered an epic vt for $60. If I buy a clone from fasttech or gearbest (or even an authentic for that matter), and theres a problem, its a lot harder to do something about it. Many US sellers that do offer clone mods often don't even offer a warranty other than a DOA policy.
If I'm going to spend money, like with the SX mini or when I bought a provari, it has to be quality built otherwise I won't buy it. Thats why I said that at least with an SX MINI clone, at least if it turns out to have a crappy chip, you have a body that will fit an authentic chip.
Fortunately over the last 4 years, the only mod that I've ever bought that had problems was the VS RDNA-40 and Vaporshark exchanged it right away for me.