Raymo2u's Authentic Goon vs Goon Clone Comparison

Thats right people another comparison...this time I took a thread out for it so everyone can easily see the review instead of digging through pages and pages of multiple threads.

This is nothing but a comparison for those who want to try either RDA....not a discussion on what side your on about the clone debate!

Lets get down to business!

This is the Description for the Goon RDA:
GOON RDA by 528 Custom Vapes

The GOON RDA by the makers of the very popular Monster RTA makes building easy for new and experienced users. This RDA features a innovative bridge styled build deck where almost any sized build can fit with ease. The large 24mm diameter allows for huge builds and a deep juice well preventing leaks. The positive and negative posts are gold plated and features PEEK insulators for great conductivity and insulation.

The designer of the GOON RDA, Blueeyedgoon83 is well known for their intricate and beautiful builds. The size of the post holes inside the "Bridge Clamp" design are unmatched in the industry allowing for many different and varied builds. This design features a flat surface with another bridge on top of the surface. You can simply put your built coil on the surface and screw down the upper bridge onto the surface, making a connection!

Features and Specs:
Dimensions: 1-1/2" x 1" (Including Drip Tip and Threads)
24mm Diameter
510 Threaded
Adjustable Top Airflow Valve
Wide-bore Drip Tip
1/2" Drip Tip
Copper Contact Pin
Gold Plated Bridge Post
Gold Plated Clamps
Hybrid Safe
PEEK Insulators
Positive and Negative Bridges are Easily Replaceable
Unique Serial Number

Now on to my Comparison!

Packaging Difference...Well to be honest, I like the clone Packaging more...but its nice to have a nice custom embroidered bag like the Authentic comes in..



First off the Symbol (Blueeyedgoons label) is bigger and stretched out of its normal structure. The lettering and engraving isnt as deep and the font is different, more rounded and cartoonish then the Authentics. The Drip tip also is smaller (uses a normal 510) and feels more rough and cheap. The material on the clone that I received almost feels like Aluminum, but it could be a thin steel.


The airflow on the Clone is much wider and the holes are not chamfered or beveled at all, this will produce a whistle at certain points of adjustment...The tolerances on the clone are not as tight as the Authentic (which I like), on my Authentic it is hard to adjust the barrle and AFC and the orings can tear apart unless they are lubed up...and even then the barrel being removed is frustrating!

You can clearly see the edge of the topcap on the clone is a straight bevel, not rounded/concave bevel like the Authentic. you can see the Font difference and the drip tip hole difference also.



The Difference with the Base/Decks...
The Posts are similar, different, and the clone has smaller-everything it seems. The bar clamps are also not beveled. This feature on the Authentic makes it easier to insert leads without having to lift the clamps as they would jump up as soon as they are touched. The bars seem thicker though, this may help with the bending issue I was having with the Authentic after a few builds..
The Juice well seems deeper on the Authentic as the outer wall seems higher.


The Authentics 510 has more threading/longer 510 pin and the screw for the Negative Post seems smaller on the Clone also, I didnt experience any wiggle or post movement issues I was getting with the Authentic though....I had to remove the Negative post screw's Oring to make the negative post more secure. The clone has more cartoonish font on the bottom and no Serial Number.


Compatibility?

Certain parts can fit the other but most of them will not...The bases seem to be able to be swapped but the Topcap/Barrels are a different story. You will have a small gap issue when using the Authentic Deck with the Clone Barrel as the lip stops it from going further... The clones Drip tip seems to slide in to the Authentics hole like a friction fit tip


Sexy Huh?


For people who wanted a Goon but couldnt afford a Authentic, Id say try the clone out and see if you'd like the Authentic....its similar and other then font/lettering/clamps sizes, and you can even use your own drip tips...using a hand file and some time you could bevel the bar clamps and have a easier time installing coils...The Goon is a great RDA for those that use large/wide coils like I do!

The Clone was sourced from 3FVape ($9) and the Authentic was sourced directly from 528 Customs ($65).

I hope you got something useful out of this Now get one and post some damn builds people!

#justsaynotoclones

VaporCarp said:

#justsaynotoclones

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I dont see anything wrong with them...some people cant afford the originals all the time....If it wasnt for GE I'd be only getting clones...If I could even afford them..some of us still appreciate the value of money

VaporCarp said:

#justsaynotoclones

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Yeah, that's just fucking silly Carp. Doesn't matter what anyone uses, if it keeps them away from the stinkies

I'm with carp on this one, I avoid clones unless the clone is better. I still haven't had my authentic Goon's clamps bend on me yet. I just like to show my support to the people who actually designed the product, it's nice to think the Chinese cloned stuff was made for the budget vaper but the reality is, it was cloned to steal profits away by luring in people with cheaper stuff.

Though if you buy clones, I'm not going to bash you. I just personally try to avoid it, as a modder I know what it's like (not by China, by a local fucked named Steven) to have your design 100% copied only with cheaper parts and sold for less. It's not fun when it happens to you.

I like saving money and trying new things so if I can try 6 clones to one authentic it would suck having some one steal your ideas but I am sure most all of you have downloaded free music/movies from the internet and that is really stealing at least they actually are making the clone.

Tootall said:

I like saving money and trying new things so if I can try 6 clones to one authentic it would suck having some one steal your ideas but I am sure most all of you have downloaded free music/movies from the internet and that is really stealing at least they actually are making the clone.

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Just throwing this out there because I've always found it funny, then I'm going to go find a nice wall to hide behind and a fire extinguisher for this discussion.

No, that made little to no sense. If the authentic makers asked a reasonable price instead of attempting to gouge, the clones would get no buyers. The market does not recognize whatever "pride" you get out of doing your job.

It's easy to rationalize things you can't afford as gouging, it's a very common mentality to have. I already stated I don't care if people buy clones, I also made it clear I was speaking from the perspective of how it feels to have it done to YOUR own products, something most (not all) people here don't understand. If you can't afford something, cheerio. As someone who knows what it's like to design things and take pride in it, I'll gladly buy the authentic unless the clone design has improved something, because otherwise when I like a product I enjoy showing support when I can. That's all I was saying, I wasn't saying all clone buyers are shit and should burn in hell, simply sharing perspective from a designers eyes.

Clones have done a lot of good, they've brought prices down, but authentics aren't NEARLY as high quality as they used to be, and that's a fact. $40 authentics are as good as $50 clones used to be, back in the day a lot of authentic products were top of the line quality that would usually last years. It'd be amazed if a Geekvape Griffin lasted eight months without something stripping.

I will say people charging $250 for RDA's are gouging though, because there is a limit. But $100 for something made with quality stainless steel, machined to perfection with no marks or burrs, nice engravings, made in the US. That's not unfair. But things like Scottua products are WAY more expensive than they need to be, some people really do gouge. Most don't though, US made stuff is just high.

MNaumov92 said:

That's fine man, I'm not starting an argument, I was simply giving my reasons. Seriously guys, I was just giving my reasons. Calm down.

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It's all good MN! lol

Vicious Ant is usually the worst about gouging, because their stuff is usually really wonky. The Valkyrie was a good mod, the Kraken was good back in the day, but $1,000 for a mod? My ass. They've gotten a little better, but most of their stuff is WAY overpriced.

MNaumov92 said:

I will say people charging $250 for RDA's are gouging though, because there is a limit. But $100 for something made with quality stainless steel, machined to perfection with no marks or burrs, nice engravings, made in the US. That's not unfair. But things like Scottua products are WAY more expensive than they need to be, some people really do gouge. Most don't though, US made stuff is just high.

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I felt the Goons quality was pretty poor when I got it, thats what made me want to try the clone out...I felt for $75 I paid for the Goon it should have been machine a bit better (posts/posts placement seats, tolerances could of been better, no spares, should of been coated for Brass and Copper edition, screws could of been better and bar clamps should of been SS...they bend easily! I would of paid $100 with no issue if it didnt have the issues I had with it. I was actually hoping the clone parts would fit and I could use them spares/extra's....but it didnt end that way

raymo2u said:

I felt the Goons quality was pretty poor when I got it, thats what made me want to try the clone out...I felt for $75 I paid for the Goon it should have been machine a bit better (posts/posts placement seats, tolerances could of been better, no spares, should of been coated for Brass and Copper edition, screws could of been better and bar clamps should of been SS...they bend easily! I would of paid $100 with no issue if it didnt have the issues I had with it. I was actually hoping the clone parts would fit and I could use them spares/extra's....but it didnt end that way

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It must be an issue with the Brass &/or Copper models. My SS is aces. So good I ordered a second one

Same here. Aces bro aces.

My So Horney RDA is Aces...you should see my latest build for it on my builds thread

I avoid copper/brass products simply because I don't like patina. Plus it's soft, so there's that.

MNaumov92 said:

I avoid copper/brass products simply because I don't like patina. Plus it's soft, so there's that.

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I like Brass...Most of my Mods are made out ofr it...I wanted it to match. I just let it sit in ketchup for a minute and wash it in dawn/hot water and its good to go.

VaporCarp said:

Same here. Aces bro aces.

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Hank F. Spankman said:

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Well, we don't delete posts unless they really violate our few rules. VU is an open forum, please use the ignore feature if you dislike the post or person who posted it.

raymo2u said:

Would be nice to get comments not about the review deleted cough* @f1r3b1rd cough*

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Truly, it ain't THAT bad. We've both seen a LOT worse

anschutz54 said:

You really think a company is going to reverse engineer, set up the supply providers, program the cnc machines to steal a fucking atty, and then sell it for 10 bucks? More likely the "authentic" designer got fucked by the chinese company that they farmed it out to in order to make a better profit margin, instead of keeping it in the US to manufacture. Serves them right. And as for you, you can go fuck yourself you miserable cock smoker, I'm sick and tired of hearing about how brilliant an engineer you are, how wealthy you are, and about your prodigious physical endowments.

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This actually happens a lot. A lot of the knock off Chinese shit is made in the same Chinese factory making the originals. There was a thing about it a few years ago about guitars. Forget exactly how it went down, but basically a factory was closed down and then sold or taken over with all the equipment still inside, and the new owners just hired new people and kept making the guitars with the original name, and started forging USA made guitars too. But its somewhat common, or at least not uncommon, for something of the sort to happen. Workers working after hours making more shit to sell for cheaper prices, workers stealing the supplies and making them in secondary facilities, workers taking QA rejected or blemished shit, etc. It happens.

But anyways, I have the Goon clone from 3F as well. Mine didnt come in the box like that, but the fonts are similar, drip tip is similar, really the only things Id "disagree" with in your assessment is mine has pretty spot on tolerances, the center pin seems much longer, and the logo on mine isnt as stretched out as yours. Not really disagreeing, just noting differences between the 2 clones. Could be 2 different clone makers supplying 3F? Who knows, but I love my Goon clone. Works great on my Noisy Cricket.

Ive got a good mix of clones and authentics, and really, both are great and both serve their own purposes. Really, you probably wont catch me spending $60-$70-$80+ on an RDA or Tank unless its something really special (like the Petri I just bought). Everything else, Ill just get a clone, because the pricing is prohibitive. If there was only a $5, $10, even $15 difference between clone and real, then Id go ahead and support the original designers/makers, but were talking $50-$60+ difference some times, and its just not worth that.

How long does it take to get shipments in from 3F? My one and only go took a month. But it was in the new year period. I'd like to order 10 clones to use as testers because me and a friend sort of have a hidden shop idea we're gonna use.

It'll solely be a lounge, and a place that sells local DIY juices, local DIY mods and more obscure equipment most shops don't stock. It's all in the spirit of helping, it's probably going to eat more money than it makes, but we're fine with that. The local underground community here is all over the place and limited to a few over-moderated Facebook groups. This is just gonna be a word-of-mouth lounge for local DIY people to get their stuff out and a hang out for assholes like me.

I figure the Goon clones are ideal tester atomizers. $10 each, easy to throw builds in and out of, plenty of airflow for all wattage setups, easy to wick, etc. This idea just came to me, we were gonna just use $5 cloned Derringers, but I'd much rather use Goon clones. They seem to be of decent enough quality from Raymo's review, and my authentic is easy as shit to build on. These seem fucking perfect, thanks for this review Raymo, we'd be using shitty Derringer clones if not for me just realizing this after dicking around in the thread.

The 2 orders I had with 3F took 18 days and 23 days respectively.

Guess I'll go DHL

Mine took about 2 weeks, maybe even less...guess I got lucky lol.

Zamazam said:

Well, we don't delete posts unless they really violate our few rules. VU is an open forum, please use the ignore feature if you dislike the post or person who posted it.

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I agree with Ray. And admit the ignore feature is awful nice. You don't even have to see that person posted anything.

Mythical_OD said:

This actually happens a lot. A lot of the knock off Chinese shit is made in the same Chinese factory making the originals. There was a thing about it a few years ago about guitars. Forget exactly how it went down, but basically a factory was closed down and then sold or taken over with all the equipment still inside, and the new owners just hired new people and kept making the guitars with the original name, and started forging USA made guitars too. But its somewhat common, or at least not uncommon, for something of the sort to happen. Workers working after hours making more shit to sell for cheaper prices, workers stealing the supplies and making them in secondary facilities, workers taking QA rejected or blemished shit, etc. It happens.

But anyways, I have the Goon clone from 3F as well. Mine didnt come in the box like that, but the fonts are similar, drip tip is similar, really the only things Id "disagree" with in your assessment is mine has pretty spot on tolerances, the center pin seems much longer, and the logo on mine isnt as stretched out as yours. Not really disagreeing, just noting differences between the 2 clones. Could be 2 different clone makers supplying 3F? Who knows, but I love my Goon clone. Works great on my Noisy Cricket.

Ive got a good mix of clones and authentics, and really, both are great and both serve their own purposes. Really, you probably wont catch me spending $60-$70-$80+ on an RDA or Tank unless its something really special (like the Petri I just bought). Everything else, Ill just get a clone, because the pricing is prohibitive. If there was only a $5, $10, even $15 difference between clone and real, then Id go ahead and support the original designers/makers, but were talking $50-$60+ difference some times, and its just not worth that.

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You must of gotten the First clone from 3FVape, I got the second clone...you got the one with the Kennedy sized drip tip, I was going to pick that clone up to and edit the compaison when it came in....the blocks also looks beveled on that clone!

mine came in a plain white box with two extra screws and three different sized o-rings. standard drip tip. logo is not stretched. no single coil option on the inner cap. cheesy clone font. non-beveled blocks or air holes. seems pretty solid but i have only done one build on it so far. i like it a lot right now.

i got mine from 3fv as well. when raymo posted the link to the ss one, i showed a friend and we ordered two (and a bunch of other stuff). he placed the order the day raymo posted a link to the black one. we ordered two of those the next day. according to the tracking info, the first order shipped on the 17th (some stuff was on pre-order) and hasnt landed yet. the second order shipped on the 12th, landed here on the 16th and was delivered to us on the 19th.

Mine was shipped when it still showed as waiting on delivery from suppliers on 3fVape. No fancy box, shortest screws in the whole world .....but it is a nice RDA, I can get screws, it was $10 and took only 6 days shipping....got nothing to complain about really. Still unsure how they shipped it before they got it though

MNaumov92 said:

How long does it take to get shipments in from 3F? My one and only go took a month. But it was in the new year period. I'd like to order 10 clones to use as testers because me and a friend sort of have a hidden shop idea we're gonna use.

It'll solely be a lounge, and a place that sells local DIY juices, local DIY mods and more obscure equipment most shops don't stock. It's all in the spirit of helping, it's probably going to eat more money than it makes, but we're fine with that. The local underground community here is all over the place and limited to a few over-moderated Facebook groups. This is just gonna be a word-of-mouth lounge for local DIY people to get their stuff out and a hang out for assholes like me.

I figure the Goon clones are ideal tester atomizers. $10 each, easy to throw builds in and out of, plenty of airflow for all wattage setups, easy to wick, etc. This idea just came to me, we were gonna just use $5 cloned Derringers, but I'd much rather use Goon clones. They seem to be of decent enough quality from Raymo's review, and my authentic is easy as shit to build on. These seem fucking perfect, thanks for this review Raymo, we'd be using shitty Derringer clones if not for me just realizing this after dicking around in the thread.

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You have to look at the page. It states: usually ships in X days. The issue isn't their shipping to us. It's them obtaining the item to ship. I'd put them pretty high up on the Chinese vendor list tho

5150sick said:

I wish that just one good china company offered good quality clones without the fucking logos on them.
Let's be real about the clone thing.
I don't buy a clone to somehow trick people who see me with it into believing i bought the real thing I buy a clone to see if I like it enough to consider buying the real thing.

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Ive had a few from FT without logos, not the Goon but Im sure there will be logoless clones in the future...I agree and I think they should be logoless anyway. Clones are a good way to have something similar for less money, its good for people that cant afford the authentic due to their income, but I think they should be logoless as it takes away from the original creator, Im sure any one that CAN afford them will buy the Authentics.

5150sick said:

I wish that just one good china company offered good quality clones without the fucking logos on them.
Let's be real about the clone thing.
I don't buy a clone to somehow trick people who see me with it into believing i bought the real thing I buy a clone to see if I like it enough to consider buying the real thing.

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One of the FT Diablo clones comes with no branding, I love it. There's a reason I like Jaybo's stuff so much, because he doesn't plaster the thing with his logo, it's just there somewhere subtle. I hate branding. So in general I'd instantly consider the clone superior to a lot of the things out there if they simply didn't include the logos.

JERUS said:

One of the FT Diablo clones comes with no branding, I love it. There's a reason I like Jaybo's stuff so much, because he doesn't plaster the thing with his logo, it's just there somewhere subtle. I hate branding.

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You mean this one?

Nice! That clone came out pretty fast...

raymo2u said:

You mean this one?
View attachment 48949

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Yup, I love it. I didn't realize the distinction when I bought mine, but I lucked out and that's what I bought.

just a quick update: my ss goon clone came in and its the same as the black one, only the plain white box was totally crushed

mach1ne said:

just a quick update: my ss goon clone came in and its the same as the black one, only the plain white box was totally crushed

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I see some clones come with a white velour drawstring bag just like the Authentic but its white bag/black embroidery and not black bag/gold embroidery..

I'm still waiting on my bulk shipment to get here, DHL is usually pretty fast getting things to the US from China but I guess we'll see. I'm eager to actually FEEL and USE the clones myself, because that's how you get the best idea of quality comparison. I wonder if you could take the thicker clamps off the clone decks and put them on the authentics? This could solve the bending issues for people having them.

drawstring bag would be nice lol. these goons are my first clones and i feel i really got the full clone experience. the little white box my ss one came in was crushed to bad that the goon and spare parts bag were just all loose in the package with the rest of my stuff. the clones themselves seem good though. im a few builds in on my black one and still no issues with loose posts or anything. im going to bevel the clamps though. they look so easy to work with like that. i end up flipping the whole works upside down so they stay open while i put the first coil in.

MNaumov92 said:

I'm still waiting on my bulk shipment to get here, DHL is usually pretty fast getting things to the US from China but I guess we'll see. I'm eager to actually FEEL and USE the clones myself, because that's how you get the best idea of quality comparison. I wonder if you could take the thicker clamps off the clone decks and put them on the authentics? This could solve the bending issues for people having them.

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Nope the blocks and screw holes are a different size...I tried already..The clones have smaller posts/blocks and the screws are closer together.

Im going to get a TM Squared from Tobecco and do another comparison, its supposed to be the best TM Squared clone out. The ones from 3FVape arent 1:1 Clones....

Could you drill through the holes in the clone clamps to retrofit them to the stock screws on the authentic?

MNaumov92 said:

Could you drill through the holes in the clone clamps to retrofit them to the stock screws on the authentic?

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You would be making a slot style screw hole, it would just be a few mm over from the edge of the existing hole but it could be done. The Block wouldnt make it all the way to the sides though

I was just thinking of using small bits of SS and drilling holes through it and using it, Im sure theres something that small that we could use as a replacement with better strength

I have like, 220 or so drill bits all in metric and imperial sizes, some are hella small. So I could probably do it, how different are the hole sizes?