Counterfeit Skate Gear Thread

[Mbrimson88]

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Here's all these goods mentioned above on this FB page:

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I would guess 80% of the stuff on there isn't genuine, aside from the locally branded decks. I've seen people ride the fake Baker boards and they perform decently if this was your first board and none the wiser about board quality. Experienced riders who skate more than flatground have reported delaminations and plys splitting apart after skating small gaps.

Gallery from Instagram posts or something:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2553824871554022&type=3

Not sure if this comes up for you guys, but this is the whole pic gallery for that place from Feb 2020, which looks like legit product, but I guess they fell off the genuine product wagon when everything dried up because some stock put up from around Sep 2020 and definitely everything within the last few months looks 100% fake.

Example:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-Wheels-Daewon-Song-Burner/dp/B07DRHGNFC

Anyone remember these wheels? 





They were from 2018, Daewon Song pro classics, but this pic is from today...

[rocklobster]

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Here's all these goods mentioned above on this FB page:

[close]

I would guess 80% of the stuff on there isn't genuine, aside from the locally branded decks. I've seen people ride the fake Baker boards and they perform decently if this was your first board and none the wiser about board quality. Experienced riders who skate more than flatground have reported delaminations and plys splitting apart after skating small gaps.

[close]

Gallery from Instagram posts or something:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2553824871554022&type=3

Not sure if this comes up for you guys, but this is the whole pic gallery for that place from Feb 2020, which looks like legit product, but I guess they fell off the genuine product wagon when everything dried up because some stock put up from around Sep 2020 and definitely everything within the last few months looks 100% fake.

Example:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Spitfire-Wheels-Daewon-Song-Burner/dp/B07DRHGNFC

Anyone remember these wheels? 





They were from 2018, Daewon Song pro classics, but this pic is from today...

I'll guarantee those Baker and Zero decks are fake.

Hell you can go onto Alibaba right now and chat with one of the woodshops or agents to these woodshops. They will openly admit that their stuff "won't affect selling".

[moonordie]

Here's all these goods mentioned above on this FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/theothersidestudios/photos/ms.c.eJxFy8ENwEAIA8GOotiY4~_i~;sTyswHe0yxZSgA6QRT38gXUZjYFoqd~_8C15ywQsH6KUXvJwFLzEAF~;UBJp4enA~-~-.bps.a.2553824871554022/2941541146115724/

Those Joslins the forged hollow ones with standard baseplate and solid axle? Lol

[LewFarrell]

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Here's all these goods mentioned above on this FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/theothersidestudios/photos/ms.c.eJxFy8ENwEAIA8GOotiY4~_i~;sTyswHe0yxZSgA6QRT38gXUZjYFoqd~_8C15ywQsH6KUXvJwFLzEAF~;UBJp4enA~-~-.bps.a.2553824871554022/2941541146115724/

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Those Joslins the forged hollow ones with standard baseplate and solid axle? Lol

Maybe the blue is throwing me off but the baseplate looks forged height to me.

[manysnakes]

Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[TwisT]

Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

I wanted to do it, but if you're in the US it's not worth it when you take into consideration the cost of shipping. Sourcing counterfeit in the US is too much trouble. If you look at a bootlegger on Aliexpress and pull up their feedback it's most of their customers are on the eastern hemisphere. Russia, Australia, and S.E.A.

[Mbrimson88]

Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

For your average skater, if you are used to the feel of certain brands (concave of wood like Baker on BBS, hardness and slide of wheels like Spitfire Formula Four, etc) then putting together a fake setup would feel very average, much like if I set up a generic complete in the shop and skated it - sure it would skate ok, but it wouldn't feel anything like what I was used to.

The fake Indy trucks still turn and grind as they should - seen some of them and had a roll on that board, as well as some fake Bones swiss that were on a second hand complete from someone (also rolled fine, but just wouldn't hold up as long as the genuine product) so it really depends on what you are used to and what you know.

From my regular genuine setup, consisting of BBS wood, Indy trucks, Bones swiss and Spitfire formula four wheels, I could definitely feel how weird a setup is with generic China made deck, cheaper wheels, etc.

For someone who doesn't know any different, setting up something like that from all fake product would still most likely feel amazing to them - it is a brand new complete - so they might not even have a clue as to whether or not it is fake.


Just trying to put it into perspective, as I have seen a lot of "happy customers" from feedback from sellers who have fake products, with only very few who call them out and leave negative feedback (if they know, they know).

[rocklobster]

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Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[close]

For your average skater, if you are used to the feel of certain brands (concave of wood like Baker on BBS, hardness and slide of wheels like Spitfire Formula Four, etc) then putting together a fake setup would feel very average, much like if I set up a generic complete in the shop and skated it - sure it would skate ok, but it wouldn't feel anything like what I was used to.

The fake Indy trucks still turn and grind as they should - seen some of them and had a roll on that board, as well as some fake Bones swiss that were on a second hand complete from someone (also rolled fine, but just wouldn't hold up as long as the genuine product) so it really depends on what you are used to and what you know.

From my regular genuine setup, consisting of BBS wood, Indy trucks, Bones swiss and Spitfire formula four wheels, I could definitely feel how weird a setup is with generic China made deck, cheaper wheels, etc.

For someone who doesn't know any different, setting up something like that from all fake product would still most likely feel amazing to them - it is a brand new complete - so they might not even have a clue as to whether or not it is fake.


Just trying to put it into perspective, as I have seen a lot of "happy customers" from feedback from sellers who have fake products, with only very few who call them out and leave negative feedback (if they know, they know).

The setup will feel ok, not great, not shit just very middle of the road. To a newbie it would probably feel amazing, even more so they are getting brand name stuff at a huge discount. I've met good / veteran skaters who have no complaints about the fake gear they bought accidently, but they are probably the kind of skaters who could rip on a 2x4.

Over the past year I've seen lot of local truck brands pop up, mostly copying the Independent Stage 11 "single hollow" design. Either these trucks are sold as blanks on Alibaba or rebranded by a local shop with some etchings on the baseplate. So they should perform decently for the non-discerning skater.

Found an interesting review of the Venture Titanium trucks on Aliexpress. "The trucks were of different height, but the difference was minor so I'm OK with that". Puts into perspective the kind of customers who would shop on these platforms: definitely not gear nerds like those on Slap and happy to find a bargain.

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Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[close]

I wanted to do it, but if you're in the US it's not worth it when you take into consideration the cost of shipping. Sourcing counterfeit in the US is too much trouble. If you look at a bootlegger on Aliexpress and pull up their feedback it's most of their customers are on the eastern hemisphere. Russia, Australia, and S.E.A.

Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

I've definitely thought about this, but $100 is still pretty steep for a counterfeit setup, I would spend $70 tops on that. Not a fan of the dimensions of the counterfeits too (8 x 31.3 x 14) so I wouldn't be able to give an objective comparison.

Element counterfeits are making a comeback too - China counterfeiters are getting wise to the lack of laser etching on the front truck mounting bolts. In product photo shoots they will snap a photo of a genuine deck with the PS Stix serial number but the actual product won't come with any. In other cases they will just laser on some random "Shape Number" and "Serial Number". Graphics wise they run team models or have Chad Timtim, Darrell Stanton and Levi Brown pro models, all of whom haven't ridden for element in at least 7-9 years.

[moonordie]

Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

I saw an Spanish YouTuber, who seems.to be nice and skates quite well, trying bootleg Indys. Also some other Spanish guy with everything fake except the board.

[switchfrontshuv]

The worst board I ever skated was made in china, it was a girl board.

The best deck I ever skated was a skate mental (the deck I got to get back into skating) and it was also from china. Therefore your point is not only wrong but irrelevant as well

[rocklobster]

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Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[close]

I saw an Spanish YouTuber, who seems.to be nice and skates quite well, trying bootleg Indys. Also some other Spanish guy with everything fake except the board.

Got a link for that?

Edit:

[Mbrimson88]

I did a bit of digging and have the following threads to add here, more for reference than anything else, but they are worth looking at.


Note though re Bones Swiss, the FAKE ones are made in China, and some even had the barcode sticker with the words "Made in China" on the outside of the packaging, over the Bones Swiss box that had "Made in Switzerland" printed on it, which was pretty funny to see that someone had posted on their Instagram or something.

Found it:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=115313.0

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=115313.msg3502910#msg3502910


Another good read from 2016 re Bones Swiss made in China:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=91294.0


Or 2015 even:

https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=87896.0



This is a very relevant post as well, re Bones Bearings:

https://shop.shredzshop.com/blogs/blog/everything-you-need-to-know-about-bones-bearings/

[Mbrimson88]

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Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[close]

I saw an Spanish YouTuber, who seems.to be nice and skates quite well, trying bootleg Indys. Also some other Spanish guy with everything fake except the board.

[close]

Got a link for that?

That was really interesting to see, as well as things looking really good - a lot better than some of the older fake product I had seen pics of.

I took some screen shots of the video of the product, just because I am that kind of person.

Sorry if it is all a bit much, but it really highlights how legit everything looks, so could easily see how people can be fooled by this sort of stuff if they didn't know.

[moonordie]

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Has anyone put together a completely counterfeit complete and seen how it skates? Would be fairly interesting, especially back-to-back with an authentic and “identical” complete.

[close]

I saw an Spanish YouTuber, who seems.to be nice and skates quite well, trying bootleg Indys. Also some other Spanish guy with everything fake except the board.

[close]

Got a link for that?

[close]

That was really interesting to see, as well as things looking really good - a lot better than some of the older fake product I had seen pics of.

I took some screen shots of the video of the product, just because I am that kind of person.

Sorry if it is all a bit much, but it really highlights how legit everything looks, so could easily see how people can be fooled by this sort of stuff if they didn't know.

Don't be fooled by the horrible image, is quite a good video:

[TwisT]

damn that broken indy should tell you everything you want to know.

[rocklobster]

@Mbrimson88 - the Indy in that video has a hollow kingpin and axle, most of the fake Indy's I've come across only come in hollow kingpin. Could be something to watch out for in the future.

[moonordie]

@Mbrimson88 - the Indy in that video has a hollow kingpin and axle, most of the fake Indy's I've come across only come in hollow kingpin. Could be something to watch out for in the future.

Exactly. + Usually then spelling on the labels under the baseplate is off

[rocklobster]

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@Mbrimson88 - the Indy in that video has a hollow kingpin and axle, most of the fake Indy's I've come across only come in hollow kingpin. Could be something to watch out for in the future.

[close]

Exactly. + Usually then spelling on the labels under the baseplate is off

My friend found a pair of the Indy Chris Joslin model. Instead of "Built to Grind" it's printed as "Built to CHRIS", but only the CH is visible. Funny stuff.

The fake Mob griptape is very telling, I've seen the backing sheet of griptape tear in 1/2 on cheaper griptape. Plus the color of the sticky side is completely different (black versus grey).

[Owen]

I dont know heaps about this relating to skating but can provide some possible insight into how this stuff sometimes works.

I bought a fake North Face jacket in Vietnam in 2011. Someone at the time explained to me that there is a legit North Face factory in Vietnam. North Face orders 100,000 units, the factory makes 200,000 and delivers 100,000 to North Face as ordered and the remaining 100,000 to the markets to be sold off cheap.

My jacket came with all the tags, holograms, warranty papers etc but cost me $40 instead of $400. It last me 5+ years so I ain't mad.

[Ghost Face]

Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

[rocklobster]

I dont know heaps about this relating to skating but can provide some possible insight into how this stuff sometimes works.

I bought a fake North Face jacket in Vietnam in 2011. Someone at the time explained to me that there is a legit North Face factory in Vietnam. North Face orders 100,000 units, the factory makes 200,000 and delivers 100,000 to North Face as ordered and the remaining 100,000 to the markets to be sold off cheap.

My jacket came with all the tags, holograms, warranty papers etc but cost me $40 instead of $400. It last me 5+ years so I ain't mad.

I don't think its' the same case for the decks and trucks.

For the decks 95% of the ones coming out of Aliexpress are 8.0 (and I'm sure have the same length and WB) despite the different graphics (Baker, Toy Machine, Girl, Chocolate). Decks are probably mass produced in 1 dimension / mold, just pick from the graphics catalog to screen on, so there is a deliberate effort to produce and sell these fakes versus running a longer production cycle.

Same goes for the trucks. The fake Indys in circulation only have hollow kingpins versus hollow kingpin and axle of the genuine ones. There was a conscious choice to rip off the design, logo and colors, instead of producing an extra 10,000 pairs and selling them as "B-grade" stock.

Also, stickers and holograms are easier to replicate versus wheel urethane color for Spitfire wheels. Yet somehow the China counterfeits stickers are still riddled with spelling errors.

Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

Thanks for that, looks like a similar case for these guys mixing genuine and fake products into their product line up. Their earlier posts show them carrying Indy Stage 11, Tensors and some DSM boards. Later on it's fake Baker / Toy Machine decks.

They also posted up a pic of the fake Venture Titanium I mentioned earlier.

[Ghost Face]

this guy imports all the fake stuff in SA and distro's it out to other stores and I assume none of them know.

https://www.instagram.com/johnosskateshop/

[Mbrimson88]

Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

Ha yep the conical full shape, as you can see the sharp point to the middle edge, rather than rounded the way Radial wheels are.


This post looks like it is almost if not completely all fake too:

[rocklobster]

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Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

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Ha yep the conical full shape, as you can see the sharp point to the middle edge, rather than rounded the way Radial wheels are.


This post looks like it is almost if not completely all fake too:

Baker and Chocolate boards in the rear too are suspect.

[Mbrimson88]

A bit of a dead giveaway with Baker boards when team riders like Nuge, Spanky, Cyril decks are "NEW JUST IN" unless you found a container load from last decade...

Yes that is a bit overboard, but you get what I mean, I would think (those guys not having pro boards for a while / no longer on Baker).

[moonordie]

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@Mbrimson88 - the Indy in that video has a hollow kingpin and axle, most of the fake Indy's I've come across only come in hollow kingpin. Could be something to watch out for in the future.

[close]

Exactly. + Usually then spelling on the labels under the baseplate is off

[close]

My friend found a pair of the Indy Chris Joslin model. Instead of "Built to Grind" it's printed as "Built to CHRIS", but only the CH is visible. Funny stuff.

The fake Mob griptape is very telling, I've seen the backing sheet of griptape tear in 1/2 on cheaper griptape. Plus the color of the sticky side is completely different (black versus grey).

These are those fake Indy x Thrasher in which the originals are standards. These had only hollow kingping, some guy DM at my podcast account (skateboarding talk podcast I do with a couple of friends) telling me that he thinks he was ripped off and he was. Good thing because of the info I provided to him he could confront the "skateshop" and he got his money back.

[Mbrimson88]

Follow up to a friend getting caught out when he bought fake Spitfires from ebay (got his money back too, which was good) but this is the post I made about it which has the real set (from 2015) they were copied from.

[Red Eyed Swimmer]

Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

its been awhile since I had the radials but doesn't the set only with one snake head wheel?

[rocklobster]

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Here's the fake SF Radial Slims

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its been awhile since I had the radials but doesn't the set only with one snake head wheel?

Genuine set I have:
1 head, 3 body

Fake set I passed a homie to test out:
4 heads

Follow up to a friend getting caught out when he bought fake Spitfires from ebay (got his money back too, which was good) but this is the post I made about it which has the real set (from 2015) they were copied from.

Nice one @Mbrimson88 - noticed a similar thing with the graphic flaking off instead of rubbed off gradually. Ride-wise the are round and roll decently but far below the standards of F4.

[manysnakes]

I dont know heaps about this relating to skating but can provide some possible insight into how this stuff sometimes works.

I bought a fake North Face jacket in Vietnam in 2011. Someone at the time explained to me that there is a legit North Face factory in Vietnam. North Face orders 100,000 units, the factory makes 200,000 and delivers 100,000 to North Face as ordered and the remaining 100,000 to the markets to be sold off cheap.

My jacket came with all the tags, holograms, warranty papers etc but cost me $40 instead of $400. It last me 5+ years so I ain't mad.

A similar thing was common in the bike industry, where Specialized's carbon fiber molds (or the SolidWorks digital models for these molds) were being sold by employees of Merida (49% owner of Specialized and one of the largest OEM bike makers in the world) to dodgy companies who would use their carbon technology to make fake Specialized bikes which were then sold via Aliexpress and eBay.