Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

(Original) https://forthenrycustomknives.com/shop/flashlights/custom-barrel-flashlight/

…vs…

(Copy) Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

Not trying to drum up business for them, just fascinating to see.

Ah, sorry, I wasn’t clear. I’m thinking the custom light is real, and the Ali guys are copying.

I noticed them shortly after the hanko look alike came out. You can also get pocket clips with those stupidly impractical skulls on them.

I didn’t realise it at first. I fell in love with their black version, then they said the blacks were faulty and couldn’t be sold. So I went looking to see if anyone else had them, and stumbled across the original.

Nice looking flashlights!

I especially like the $40 clone because I can afford it (if I wanted to buy it.)

those look great. didn’t buy the Hanko clones, but put the item in my bookmarks. thought one day I’d get them.

Like reps of luxury watches I truly don’t think anyone that would/could buy the genuine article is going to get one of these instead, and they certainly don’t seem to be marketed as the real thing. If you like the look of a boutique light but don’t care about any of the stuff you’re actually paying for with the real deal I guess these could be for you?

If the black ones were available, I’d still buy one because I thought it was fine “as is”.

Saw these today.

Ooh! A carton of Easter eggs. :slight_smile:

The hole spacing in the cheap clones is not triangularly symmetric and looks much worse :frowning:

That slogan applies to haircuts. When it comes to products it may be illegal.

Copper :+1: got a link?

I know it’s been going on years, but I’m just about done with shoddy Chinese copyright practices (and environmental damage, but thats another topic).

Buying these knock-offs is voting with your wallet that you support the blatant copying, that’s not something I feel comfortable with any more.

@gravel, i agree with you on this. Shoddy practices and many times shoddy products.

My peeve is with tools made of crap cast metal that are copies of a good tool made of forged steel, e.g. a nail-puller pry bar that broke a tang off when pulling the first nail—it was false economy to buy that cheap POS.

no.

Do you feel the same about the many brands like Solarforce that aped the look of the Surefire 6P or the hordes of extremely similar (in some cases identical) tube and “C8” style lights?

Where is the delineation between where copying aesthetic elements of a product is unethical and/or illegal?

Should major watch brands like Seiko, Steinhart and Squale be held to the same standard for their models that are direct homages of Rolexes and other luxury brands?

The price on the original torch was USD1295. No-one buying that is going to buy a $40 knock-off. And no-one looking at $40 knock-offs is ever going to shell out $1295.

My feelings have evolved over the years, originally I thought the same as many on here and jumped at the opportunity to get 85% of a product at a knock down price…

In bold- the legal aspect is obviously for copyright lawyers. Morally, we must each make decisions we are happy with. As I originally commented, buying these products is a ‘vote’ for the manufacturer to continue blatantly copying, which is not something I feel comfortable with… If a manufacturer is willing to cut corners and copy somebody else’s design, I highly doubt they are willing to go to any other lengths we (as western consumers) would consider important, such as protecting their employees or the environment…

There is no excuse to just copy others designs, with widespread 3D modeling/design software, and remote working, these manufacturers could get (pay) somebody to create a design for themselves, and consumers would benefit from a greater variety of design/asthetics to choose from.

If you look at flashlight products, they somehow often copy another innovation or design. The first Solarforce lights were modeled after the SureFire 6P. You could argue that most tube shaped flashlights kind of look similar, as there are only so many ways to house a battery and LED with a switch.