# Tell me about your knock-offs **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019 "2024-01-12T19:49:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/1 "2024-01-12T19:49:43Z")
Ever buy stuff that is clearly a knock-off of a popular, more expensive item? Tell me all about it! I love my SUNWILL Stainless Steel Vacuum Insulated Double Wall Travel Tumbler, aka YETI knockoff. It was just $25 for two of them. I’ve never owned a YETI but I can’t see how it would be all that much better. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/2 "2024-01-12T20:42:06Z")
YETI cups are not cool unless you personalized yourself with a cool metallic sticker. 😊 I love my Crocs. I tried some knock offs. Nope… didn’t do it for me. Bomba socks are nice. But I can do just as well, cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/3 "2024-01-12T21:51:53Z")
I bought a pair of Rolex and Omega watches on NYC’s Canal Street 15 years ago. Both still look and work just fine. Or should I have typed that “Rolecks” and “Omeega”? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/4 "2024-01-12T22:05:45Z")
I went to Thailand in 1993. One of my friends asked me to get him a fake gold Rolex. It’s a terrible fake and fools no one but he still wears it and it still works. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/5 "2024-01-12T22:16:07Z")
I found a pair of fancy Birkenstock knock-offs at the Goodwill shop a few weeks ago. They hadn’t been worn, and at $25 I couldn’t resist. Now having worn them almost continuously since then, I see the sole is wearing down quickly and may only last a few months more (unlike my regular Birks that go for years before dying). I googled the brand and found they’re only about $30 AUD from the online retailer anyway! But actually they are lighter than real Birks, and desperately comfortable to scoot around the house in, so I may well end up getting another pair when this pair carks it. And they’re ‘prettier’ than Birks. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/6 "2024-01-12T22:28:06Z")
I dug out a pair of fake Varnault (spelling varies, don’t know the correct one) sunglasses that I found years ago and rediscovered in a drawer recently. I’ve started wearing them, because they don’t have any scratches like most of my other glasses, and have a real nice tint for skiing. They are probably worth $3, but I kinda like em! Plus, they look the part. _My_ YETI cup is cool, indeed! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2024, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/7 "2024-01-12T22:59:29Z")
I forgot I have a knockoff RIDGE wallet. Real ones are $100 - $200. My knockoff was $9.95, and I’m really not sure what the difference is between them. Zero marketing budget is my guess. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/8 "2024-01-13T00:19:43Z")
> [@HubZilla](#): > > I bought a pair of Rolex and Omega watches on NYC’s Canal Street 15 years ago A friend of mine is really into watches and has several real Rolexes. He also collects fakes at both ends of the spectrum; extremely crappy one’s and extremely well done ones. One of his fakes is made up of all real parts. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/9 "2024-01-13T00:33:05Z")
I have a knockoff Montblanc ballpoint pen that I thought was real until recently (on the fountain pen hobby message board I frequent, someone posted photos of their pen that was exactly like mine, and several people pointed out the ways in which it differed from the real thing). I don’t remember how much I paid for it, it was a long time ago. I used to use it at work, although I grew to prefer gel pens. So my chagrin was mediated by that length of time. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/10 "2024-01-13T01:07:01Z")
I no longer have these, but I found them around 2000 in a flea market for $1.00 each. (Photos taken with ancient digital camera.) [![](https://i.postimg.cc/vZWFmd6L/Star-Warrio-grid.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/vZWFmd6L/Star-Warrio-grid.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/11 "2024-01-13T01:10:33Z")
Now that’s funny. They must have gotten a deal on that packaging card. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/12 "2024-01-13T02:06:20Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I forgot I have a knockoff RIDGE wallet. Same here. Looked at Ridge, choked at the price for two pieces of metal and some elastic and went with “Mountain Voyage” for $25ish bucks. It even has a swanky wood exterior which Ridge didn’t offer. I though the wood might crack since it’s just a thin layer screwed on the exterior but it’s been over a year and held up fine. I own about 15-20 sets of polyhedral dice that I bought off AliExpress for $1.50-3.00 a pop versus ~$15 for a set of Chessex dice. Some experimentation showed the dice I tested were as random as the Chessex dice and I wouldn’t be surprised if they rolled off the same conveyor belt. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/13 "2024-01-13T05:22:58Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I have a knockoff Montblanc ballpoint pen that I thought was real until recently (on the fountain pen hobby message board I frequent, someone posted photos of their pen that was exactly like mine, and several people pointed out the ways in which it differed from the real thing). I don’t remember how much I paid for it, it was a long time ago. I used to use it at work, although I grew to prefer gel pens. So my chagrin was mediated by that length of time. I forgot all about the one I had. Those pens were all the rage in the 90s. Mine was a shitty fake and never felt comfortable to me so I tossed it or gave it away. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2024, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/14 "2024-01-13T17:57:01Z")
Knock off Swiss(ish) Army Knives. Cheap. Get em at American Science and Supply. I got a buncha them for $30, & give em away as Xmas gifts. Folks mistake me for classy. Also, Kroger knock-off Breathe Right strips. (IMHO, the Kroger ones _work better!_) ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/15 "2024-01-14T00:02:02Z")
In Türkiye - specifically Kusadasi and Efes - there’s a chain called Genuine Fake Watches. I have no need for one so I didn’t browse, but I admired their cheek. j ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/16 "2024-01-14T01:00:01Z")
Not bought, but I have gotten both “Sketchers” and “Air” shoes (no Swoosh) for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/17 "2024-01-14T01:25:10Z")
A hefty plaster grotesque named Carl with a Mona Lisa smile ©️infringement stopped production. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/18 "2024-01-14T03:28:32Z")
I have a couple guitars that are knockoffs. A Gibson Flying-V made by Hondo in the 80s and a Fender Telecaster made by Squier. The latter is a licensed knock-off while the first is now referred to as a “lawsuit Gibson”. I previously owned a 4-cylinder 1988 Ford Mustang that was a piss-poor knockoff of a proper pony car. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/19 "2024-01-14T03:52:12Z")
The only example I can think of offhand is, rather oddly, in the area of groceries. The Loblaws chain of supermarkets (and the half-dozen other chains they currently own) used to be headed by a really cool guy named Dave Nichols, who famously traveled the world looking for new flavours and food ideas for his stores. These were incorporated into a line of premium store-brand products carrying the “President’s Choice” label, most famously the PC line of internationally-inspired sauces and marinades. But where “knock-off” comes in is that the PC brand also features store-branded versions of many commodity products, and because of the legacy of quality inspired by Nichols, many of these “knock-offs” are actually superior to national brands. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2024, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019/20 "2024-01-14T05:21:34Z")
from the bar: I will vouch for Sabroso coffee liqueur as a solidliy good substitute for Kahlua at a fraction of the price. Cruzan makes a coconut rum that’s actually a bit better than the way-more-popular (and expensive) Malibu. Royale Orange is every bit as good as Cointreu Triple Sec for your margaritas and other such uses. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-your-knock-offs/996019.md?page=2)