Every major designer fashion brand has its counterfeiters – fake knock-off products designed to look like an expensive product. It’s not unusual to find fake Rolex watches or fake designer clothing being sold as the real thing.
It’s even happening in the shooting sports, where expensive Leupold rifle scopes are being knocked off – and the factory folks aren’t happy:
The Outdoor Pressroom: Leupold issues counterfeit riflescope alert
Optics maker Leupold® has posted a customer alert on its Web site regarding bogus Leupold products that are apparently being illegally imported from the People’s Republic of China. According to the posting, counterfeited Leupold Mark 4® riflescopes have begun to arrive with increasing regularity at the firm’s Beaverton, Oregon, headquarters for service in recent months.
Naturally, the Underground sees a business opportunity has got to ask: Why not counterfeited high-end fly rods or fly reels?
How hard would it really be to knock off a high-end Sage or Winston or Orvis fly rod? Anything with distinctive, limited-availability hardware would likely be difficult, but since most graphite blanks look fairly similar, I wouldn’t think reproducing the overall look (guides, wraps, grip, etc) would pose a challenge.
If a decent reproduction could be crafted on a low-cost blank, would we see the knockoffs popping up on eBay and on less-scrupulous online sites – “bargain priced” $750+ rods selling for $100 or less?
My guess? The market’s simply too small.
The worldwide market for a Rolex knockoffs is huge. The worldwide market for high-end fly rods or fly reels is really pretty damned small.
And yes, most rod sales still take place via fly shops, which would presumably know the difference (and most of their rods come straight from the manufacturer).
Still, will the day come when some trenchcoat-wearing guy steps out from behind a tree on your favorite river, opens the coat to reveal a half-dozen rod tubes and says “pssst… buddy – you looking for a great deal on a brand-new Helios? Only $50…”
See you on the river, Tom Chandler.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
NOW I understand why the faux-Sawer Killer bug yarn scam never really got any traction. Sully(Quote)
With a potential global market numbering in the low teens, I’m shocked to hear it didn’t work. Tom Chandler(Quote)
Well there was such a thing in reels but they never tried to copy the name. Heddon, berkely, daiwa and many others copied Pflueger designs as well as MANY hardy copies. They just called them something different. You can sometimes even swap parts out of the reels. They almost always came out of japan. But right here on my shelf sits a heddon 320 “daisy” reel (a nice reel in itself) that is exactly the same design and size as a hardy princess.
So not they were never sold to be confused with the original, but this seems to indicate some kind of market for such (cheaper) products. toby(Quote)
sorry to visit the dead but i’ve been reading about Bogdan copies (probably going to be a lot more now that they’re closing up shop) and thought of this article. How to tell a fake pictorial. Although after looking at it i still can’t tell the difference:
http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/topic/16126/t/Bogdan-quot-isn-39-t-quot-photos—Bogdan-copy-UPDATE-make.html?page=1 toby(Quote)
Interesting. I wonder if it was built to be a fake Bogdan, or just made by someone interested in copying the style? Tom Chandler(Quote)