Fakes

[dewaltdisney]

I have an open mind about fakes. In some respects, it is wrong to copy others' ideas that have been bolstered by expensive marketing to establish an elitist brand. On the other hand, are these elitist brands worth it? I have had a couple of pairs of Ray-Ban originals for a number of years, these were purchased from a proper retailer so I know they are not copies. I do have a fake pair I use for swimming when needed and I have to say I think that the lenses in this knock-off pair are actually better. Mrs D is a sucker for copy handbags but I realised that having a fake only works if you look like you could afford an original. I have never seen the Omega watch thing and I would never wear one anyway. Unless you look the part it does not work and a real one makes you a thief target, why put yourself at risk for something that your smartphone does much better?

It was brought home when a lady next to us in a hotel we were staying in admired Mrs D's fake Louis Vuitton small bag when we were at dinner. She said she would love to have one and was waxing on but Mrs D did not have the heart to tell her it was a copy (a good one) and she felt rather ashamed later when we talked about it. I said that the important point is that the lady believed it for herself, and it does not make a difference if it is real or fake it is the perception. All these elitist items do not work if you cannot carry it off and if you do not look like you could afford an original then people will assume it is a fake, the opposite of Mrs D's encounter.

Anyone got a good fake?

DWD

DWD

[Someone-Else]

I have to admit, I have some copy cat clothes. (Can't be fake as I can wear them) but the odd thing is, I did not know of the "genuine brand" for quite some time. I saw said clothes, bought some, liked them, got more. One day saw the self same items at nearly 4 times the price. The original people had a sale, so I got some. In all honesty, I prefer the copy cat ones, not because I found them first, but the feel of the material, I think is better. The only downside is the genuine ones are available in a few more colours, can't have everything.

If I showed you a copycat sitting next to a genuine, I would put money on it that you (anyone) would say the genuine ones are fake. They both have printing on the fabric, one looks better than the other, odd really.
I also think they both come from the same factory.

[dewaltdisney]

This is a good example of a copy being as good as the genuine brand. I think this might be true of many copied so called premium brands, I never understood the Caterpillar brand. Why would a brand of bulldozers be desirable as a premium clothing line.

DWD

[Bob225]

China - especially electronics, you get a clone of a clone that's actually better than the real deal but then others make a clone that is utter junk

the problem with fakes tho is how the item is produced and the materials it's made from, most link back to serious gangs or the drug trade

[wine~o]

I also think they both come from the same factory.

My Mrs. has a genuine Jimmy Choo handbag, don't ask how I know but the same factory marketed thousands of fakes (only fake because they weren't "authorised" by the Jimmy Choo company) exactly the same materials/design etc.

Years before that I applied for a Barclaycard, a free welcome gift was a watch. From a distance it was indistinguishable from a rolex, looked identical, didn't feature the rolex name though and the mechanism was a cheap Chinese job.

The danger with fakes is the electrical goods, poor quality, lack of safety devices. Just look at the LI-Ion fires from fake batteries and chargers.

[dewaltdisney]

I have a copy Lacoste polo that washes up nicer than my real ones.

DWD

[Argyll]

I bought four Ralph Lauren shirts in Thailand in 2019. The quality has been excellent.

Funny story. I bought a genuine North Face cargo bag here in the UK about eight years ago. It cost me about £140. The same year I was in Vietnam and saw the same bag for £60. I tried to haggle with the stall holder telling him it was fake but he got quite angry insisting it was genuine. I couldn't haggle him down any more so I left it. When I got home I was unpacking my genuine bag and noticed the label inside said 'Made in Vietnam' . The stallholders bag must have been genuine after all.

[dewaltdisney]

I think if it looks right, feels right it must be right. As I said earlier it is if you look like you could afford the real thing and it works for you. Some people can look good in a Primark suit (not the ones in court) but a lump would not look good in a Hugo Boss suit.

I recall there was a rash of counterfeit tools a few years back. I saw these Makita drill sets for sale at a market. You could tell they were no genuine but at half price a few were going. I often wondered how long they lasted.

DWD

[Argyll]

I've had a 4ah Floureon fake Dewalt battery for about 8yrs. It's still going strong.

[dewaltdisney]

I think with batteries it is the luck of the draw as you may recall from my duff batteries thread.

DWD

[Argyll]

Saying that I've bought some shite.

I got stopped in Glasgow in the 90's by two dodgy guys in a car. They gave me some cock and bull story about having genuine Armani jeans for £20. I bought them and it fell apart in the first wash.

I also bought some Chanel t shirts in Turkey. They were half the size when they came out of the wash. They fitted my 5ft hight mum

[big-all]

i have never been a slave to labels, i only ever go on value and what i like
the only exception was IRN-bru that i stuck with through thick and thin at £1.25 for 2L
i finally relented when asda put the price up to £1.50 and there own iron brew went from 44p to 5 for £2

[dewaltdisney]

BA try Wicked Fruits from Aldi, 85p for 2 litres. It is a knockoff of the Fanta Twisted Fruits and is much tastier in my opinion. I got miffed at £3 for 2 Fanta Orange 2 litre bottles in Tesco and I now buy the Aldi equivalent that is 65p for 2 litres and tastes better. Copies are often better but not always.

DWD

[Someone-Else]

When I got home I was unpacking my genuine bag and noticed the label inside said 'Made in Vietnam'

A company I know every so often bring out a new range of T shirts. (So what?) The T-shirts are quite good, but they seem to go with who is cheaper, (I can understand that) So far I have seen them made in Vietnam, Venezuela and Turkey (Not at the same time) my point is, it is not always made in China.

[Grendel]

When it comes to clothing I know very little about designer gear , I tend to live more or less in my working clothes . Some of my “better” clothes have come from charity shops. My wife tends to get it and will only buy if it seems like decent quality and doesn’t cost a fortune. My re-enactment clothing I tend to make myself which I think falls into the “copy” category rather than a fake. I do buy bits and pieces of genuine East German stuff but apart from a few “fantasy” pieces fakes are pretty rare as it’s probably not worth the effort.
As a extra to this whole fake thin I’ll mention cameras , specifically wartime Russian cameras. In the 1930’s the Russians copied Leica cameras , these weren’t labelled as such and came as Zorkis and (I think) feds . Many fell into German hands during their invasion but because of the labelling there grew up a small industry largely in Poland “converting “ them to Leicas. Many were good but there are a lot that are over the top with associations with famous nazis and so on . Despite being fakes these rebadged zorkis have generated their own niche in the collecting world. Collected just because they are fakes…