Has anyone here used a China made Sleipner. They’re much cheaper than the “real” ones but I’m wondering if they’re that much worse than the Jaoanese made ones.
I had opportunity to use one, really far from original and even for that price you can get much better throws.
And remember, with this purchase you’re supporting just cheap fakes and you’re disrespectful to yoyorecreation.
I thought it was a real yyr just a cheaper made version by them.
Oh come on, you know YYR wouldn’t put something like that out. Ruins their whole image.
lol.
No!! They are just cheap copy, made by one chinese manufacturer. No connection to original from Japan. They just made similiary looking yo-yos(same dia and width, but really different wieght) and steal logos and package design.
Not every person in the world would be intimately familiar with YYR and their business practices to make this a “given”. I know nothing about YYR except a few names of yoyos and have no reason to think that they wouldn’t have a less expensive line of throws.
This happens all the time in other industries. I’m thinking of guitar in particular. You can get a “Made in Mexico” or “Made in Japan” Fender Stratocaster (complete with proper headstock and Fender logo decal) which uses cheaper parts and labour, or you can get a “Made in USA” Fender Stratocaster which is considered the real deal.
Fender makes these, not some other company. And I don’t think anyone would say that their image is cheapened as a result; they have just offered a less expensive alternative for people who can’t afford the U.S.A. model.
It’s easy to imagine that this could happen in many other industries… yoyos would be perfect for it. Machinists and shops at a cheaper rate, plus cheaper bearings and axles, plus lower-grade aluminum (or not), plus less expensive finishing options… an authorized product made by the company at a lower cost.
All that rant was not to disagree that these ARE knockoffs. They are. YYR doesn’t have such a branch. But I just don’t think that somebody is silly for imagining that a company could make less expensive official versions of their own products.
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Counterfeits are apparently what we are talking about. Something intended to be the real thing. Very unethical, but we’re dealing with people who lack ethics. This is a flat out and out an intent to defraud.
This is different than bootlegs, provided the company isn’t trying to pretend to be the real thing. I’m not going to argue the ethics of this, as the yoyo industry has its own problems. I have also plenty of evidence one of the companies that cries this the loudest is actually been the one technically speaking accusing those of bootlegging who are actually design holders. But that’s a whole other issue.
Just to bring into the equation a knock-off I have. I have the Qixia Champion 3, which is a knock-off of the Phenomizm. At least they aren’t pretending to be a Phenomizm.
On a more direct note:
Mackie, maker of audio gear, has a hugely successful self powered speaker: the SRM450. Great speaker, I have 6 of them. They do have some design flaws, but I’m not going to talk about that. The first runs, using the Italian made RCF speakers are, in my opinion(and it’s shared with many others) is the best. Then after Mackie gobbled up RCF, the quality stayed the same. What then happened was they outsourced the speakers to a Chinese company and then the sound quality dropped. Later, the SR450.v2 came out, entirely made in China. While they still sound good, they don’t sound great and lack the sonic character that made the SRM450’s so great in the first place, although they are 10 pounds lighter. Even so, I’d rather lift a 60 pound speaker that sounds great than a 50-pounder that sounds like @$$.(technical term). The SRM450v2 is a Mackie product, 100%.
This is similar, but different to the Fender story, which I can verify is completely accurate. There are Mexican and Japanese made Fenders that are 100% authorized and sanctioned Fender products, designed by Fender and made under strict QC by Fender. Fender maintains a heavy hand in the entire process, regardless of where it is made. And yes, generally speaking, the “Made In USA” ones are the ones people want, at least among serious players. There are some people who DO want the Mexican and Japanese made ones due to their unique sound characteristics. Yes, guitars, like yoyos, are subject to preferences, and even modifications!
While I agree that they’re far from the original, given its price point ($20) I’d say that it’s not at all mediocre. But you’re better off buying a MagicYoYo at this price point, at least they’re legit.
I know many of you may think what I said was stupid but I had a few reasons to believe that these were legit:
- The one I looked at was 85$ - not low enough to alarm me of a cheap remake of 20$
- Other yoyo company’s make legit versions in china. Ex. YoyoFactory
- I’ve never used nor do I know anything about YYR’s reputation
- I know no one personally in the community so everything I know and learn comes straight from this forum.
I’m just trying to learn… I didn’t expect to get a nasty response. Thanks for understanding GregP and Studio42