bootlegs vs. originals

[eric03]

so...,i have always been a supporter of supply companies and builders who only sell to real tattooers in shops. that being said, it seems that a few of my co-workers are buying knock offs of the dragonfly n saying how I'm a sucker for spending the money on the original when theirs was only $70 bux. so aside from saying how buying knock offs destroy our business and the ppl who have worked hard to give us new machines, has anyone had any bad experiences with these said machines or explain why they are bad, construction wise, to help me have some sort of proof for my argument with my co workers other than just saying , "ur a cheap bastard, fuck off" when they want to say I'm the sucker.hahaha.thanks for the info

[OwlsDen]

Well I have tried a few of the Swiss knock off machines, all garbage. The power and the torque of the real machine are never matched. The quality of build is never the same. All the little things like bearing just don't last. And they aren't as quiet. I would like to also say that these are the cheap copies not the similar machines. ( such as the Peter Tiegs or Slava ) just the cheap Chinese ones.

I also have used a Chawk ( hawk copy ), and it is sad to say, it really is close. Not perfect but really close. The motor isn't as good and the noise is a little more noticeable, but it works.

[eric03]

yea i had a stealth but for me, it just felt so cheap that i sold it soon after using it on one tattoo.my co worker bought it n then bought 2 more for $20 bux on ebay. a knockoff of a knock off. the dragonfly copies are being sold at the swap meets out here.its so sad how they literally took a dragonfly n just made an exact mold. i wanna buy one just to take apart to see what it really is working with.

[Justink]

It's unethical, ok I get thinking behind try before buy ,but
I doubt forum users would buy knock offs.tell your co workers
To buy quality gear from people either directly in the industry
Or working closely along side it otherwise tattoo money
Is going out the door to people looking to exploit and make fast buck.
If you buy off a builder and endorse his product he can build more great
Stuff in the future because he can afford to,without good customers
None of us could do what we want to be doing I'm sure if someone
Imitated your style of work and did it loads cheaper after you had drawn it for em you would
Be pretty pissed

[eric03]

oh no, I'm not asking bc I'm interested in buying.the only one i bought was a stealth but i was curious based on the reviews. i have seen numerous forum members, mainly builders, buying knock offs to see how they tickn to post reviews to why they are bad. so i figured if someone on here had some knowledge as to why they suck, more than the obvious reasons, it might make my co workers think twice bc they are more concerned with their wallets than their morals.

[skinmech]

I was given a Firefly (Dragonfly copy) by a Supplier..Physically it looks the same, realistically, the motor was slightly underpowered, and parts used were pretty flimsy...An upgraded motor was fitted, and sturdier parts were swapped over for the original ones....All in all, it works, but it is what it is a cheap copy. These Machines have reached their ceiling price of £100/$150, and the price will keep dropping now. The Swashdrive Whip copies are "the new kids on the block" how they got away with such a blatant copy is beyond comprehension...Copies are what they are, parts used will be the cheapest available in a bid to reduce costs and maximize profits.

[eric03]

yea, it seems like the only thing good about the "firefly" is the casing. haha. these guys buying them seriously think spending $70 bux is worth it even if it only lasts a few months. the whole premise is that they are cheap n throwing away money for a machine that most likely will take a shit sooner than later. it defeats the purpose in my eyes. i love my dragonfly n think its the few rotaries out there that is well worth the price tag.

[gangstajay]

hey Eric03 since you have a real one and they have a fake one..just lay them next to each other and let your co-workers see the difference in person. shit all they have to do is pic it up and run the machine to see and feel the difference.

[Bishopbyname]

I fully understand the ethics of this discussion BUT a lot of name rotaries are built around cheap but quality motors and plastics that are cheap also so i honestly believe the difference in quality isn't as great as the difference in price. I have a stealth copy that cost me £20 that i use regular as it shades and packs just as well as machines i've bought that were X15 more expensive!!!! I will continue to support the original builders purely on ethics and principle NOT necessarily because of the value of their products.

[nivek]

From a logic point.. who do you think would make it better - the guys that designed it, from scratch or the guys that are making one that looks like it. The reality is most of the chinese knock offs are not made by machine builder, so they don't even understand what they are making and why or how it should work.

I'm not saying all knock offs are garbage, but in most cases there is a reason why they like a cheaply made version of they are supposed to be. When you make something from scratch - whether its a tattoo machine (coil or rotary) you understand more about it. Making my own tattoo machines always gave me a better understanding of what did what and why it did it.

That experience and ability to make the tool means you grasp what you using. Go Bot or Transformer, one was a knock off and is now just a joke, one is still being produced and people know and identify with it. I know that's a fucked up analogy but if you look at it this way. Seth C started by taking machines apart and moving stuff and trying stuff and making it work and learning what makes it work. His machines can actually increase in value because, they are made by a dude that GETS what he is making. Not to mention the customer service and quality that comes with it.

You get what you pay for, and a knock off is usually just an uneducated copy of the original. The dude in China make be able to make a machine that looks like the original but simply put it doesn't work as well because he just doesn't understand the hows and whys of it being made. He doesn't tattoo and he doesn't test the machines because he has no idea what it supposed to do.