Ripoff going too far

[shark_za]

This has to be the craziest rip off ever, the Chinese are making fake Okapis.

At the China mall buying xmas decorations I saw this in the knife window.

Now a real Okapi costs around R60 if you get it in a rural general store; A Cold Steel Kudu costs R120 in a high end store in the golden mile of Sandton. 
That is $4.20 and $8.50 respectively

These Chinese rip off Okapis cost $30 a massive 50% off the price of a real one.
I would rather spend the R60, wow these are dodgy.

[Gerhard Gerber]

I've seen those.....almost broke my head trying to figure out.........would you describe that as a ripoff of a copy......or what? 

[shark_za]

A cheap inferior copy of a cheap functional knife.  You actually struggle to make a copy of less quality than a real Okapi. Some cheap 3CR stainless instead of basic carbon steel.


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[Gerhard Gerber]

I've only bought the CS Kudu, the quality of the new Okapi I see in stores is just too bad to even consider......now I wonder if I was even looking at real Okapis.....

[jekostas]

"Ripoff" is an exceptionally poor (and factually untrue) term to use.  The okapi pattern has been around for more than a 100 years and anybody is free to make one, Chinese manufacturers included.

[shark_za]

I disagree in part.

Cold Steel made a version and good for them, the replaced the Moon and Three Star pattern on the handle with a Kudu; and its happy days I like them.

The Chinese ripped off the recognised trademark of the Okapi and are cashing in on the history and legacy of the original product.

[toolguy]

The Chi-Comms steal every bit of intellectual property they get their hands on.

I work hard trying to avoid every product manufactured in China.Sometimes I'm not successful but I do succeed most of the time.

Knives and lights are at the top of my list for avoiding.People continue to support this theft by purchasing these product.

[dks]

Schrade USA lb7 ~ buck 110

[jekostas]

The handle pattern isn't trademarked, only the name "Okapi".  If it were, Okapi would be using that exact same pattern on every knife they make because if you don't use a trademark, it can be difficult to protect if challenged legally (see: Spyderco hole).  You can agree or disagree about whatever you want but it doesn't change the reality of the situation. 

Also, making blanket statements about how horrible Chinese companies are for doing something completely, 100% legal just makes you look like a fool.  Don't like it?  Don't buy it.

[AimlessWanderer]

The Chi-Comms steel every bit of intellectual property they get their hands on.

I work hard trying to avoid every product manufactured in China.Sometimes I'm not successful but I do succeed most of the time.

Knives and lights are at the top of my list for avoiding.People continue to support this theft by purchasing these product.

Not this again 

A lot of what is made in China is made well and made legitimately with no immoral undertone. Boycott them if you will, but you'll miss out on some nice products.    labelling everything that comes from there as stolen intellectual property, or as bad quality, is naive and misguided. There's way more on offer than sub-standard knock-offs

A take things on a case by case basis, irrelevant of country of origin.

I went into a small traditional scissor making factory today, and picked up a pair of handmade scissors. Excellent quality, and feel like scissors should feel. I have also bought fixed blade knives from two traditional cutlery firms here, one of which cares about their product, and the other just slaps together something with a very agricultural build quality. I have had both good and ropey folders too, and that's from my home city (Sheffield). Some of the companies there were copying each others products for centuries 

Judge the individual product, not just the brand, and certainly not just the geography 

[toolguy]

The Chi-Comms steel every bit of intellectual property they get their hands on.
I work hard trying to avoid every product manufactured in China.Sometimes I'm not successful but I do succeed most of the time.
Knives and lights are at the top of my list for avoiding.People continue to support this theft by purchasing these product.

Not this again .A lot of what is made in China is made well and made legitimately with no immoral undertone. Boycott them if you will, but you'll miss out on some nice products.    labelling everything that comes from there as stolen intellectual property, or as bad quality, is naive and misguided. There's way more on offer than sub-standard knock-offs
A take things on a case by case basis, irrelevant of country of origin.
I went into a small traditional scissor making factory today, and picked up a pair of handmade scissors. Excellent quality, and feel like scissors should feel. I have also bought fixed blade knives from two traditional cutlery firms here, one of which cares about their product, and the other just slaps together something with a very agricultural build quality. I have had both good and ropey folders too, and that's from my home city (Sheffield). Some of the companies there were copying each others products for centuries 
Judge the individual product, not just the brand, and certainly not just the geography 

You do as you wish and I will follow my conscience.

If you think you can possibly know the mindset of any manufacturer by viewing their product,then you're the one who is naive and misguided.

If you also believe you can legitimize their products by making nebulous claims about some unnamed manufacturer,then you're truly only fooling yourself.

I hope you're happy with your purchases.I'm satisfied in my quest to keep people employed in my country by patronizing American made products whenever the opportunity arises.

[Gerhard Gerber]

Consistently the worst knives I still see for sale come from Pakistan.

[AimlessWanderer]

The Chi-Comms steel every bit of intellectual property they get their hands on.
I work hard trying to avoid every product manufactured in China.Sometimes I'm not successful but I do succeed most of the time.
Knives and lights are at the top of my list for avoiding.People continue to support this theft by purchasing these product.

Not this again .A lot of what is made in China is made well and made legitimately with no immoral undertone. Boycott them if you will, but you'll miss out on some nice products.    labelling everything that comes from there as stolen intellectual property, or as bad quality, is naive and misguided. There's way more on offer than sub-standard knock-offs
A take things on a case by case basis, irrelevant of country of origin.
I went into a small traditional scissor making factory today, and picked up a pair of handmade scissors. Excellent quality, and feel like scissors should feel. I have also bought fixed blade knives from two traditional cutlery firms here, one of which cares about their product, and the other just slaps together something with a very agricultural build quality. I have had both good and ropey folders too, and that's from my home city (Sheffield). Some of the companies there were copying each others products for centuries 
Judge the individual product, not just the brand, and certainly not just the geography 

You do as you wish and I will follow my conscience.

If you think you can possibly know the mindset of any manufacturer by viewing their product,then you're the one who is naive and misguided.

If you also believe you can legitimize their products by making nebulous claims about some unnamed manufacturer,then you're truly only fooling yourself.

I hope you're happy with your purchases.I'm satisfied in my quest to keep people employed in my country by patronizing American made products whenever the opportunity arises.

Spend as you wish 

I like to think I go through life with open eyes, taking individual people, products, companies (and so on) on their own merits, and benefit from doing so. I'm not sure how that becomes a nebulous claim for unnamed manufacturers, but maybe we had some miscommunication there....

However, as this is an international forum, please be aware how your comments may look and feel to others. We have members who hail from China anf other far eastern countries, and a lot of other members for whom blanket comments deriding an entire country could be distasteful and offensive. If you want your money to stop in the US, that's fine, but there's no need to be casting aspertions about others who have a more open approach.

Oh, and my conscience is very much intact 

[dks]

Political posts can be offensive, lead to serious fights between members, and should be avoided. Various members may not be happy with the practices and policies of various countries, especially major ones, either domestically or internationally but they do not discuss it here.
It is an international forum, owned by a canadian.

[Kampfer]

Al is right!

I am Chinese and For personal reasons I been boycotting all products from another Asian country for many years, unless i have no other choices. They do make good products and i am sure i miss out of some of their stuff, but that is the way I do things.

[shark_za]

This is not political, I love Chinese knives, I don't like cheaper fake versions of really really cheap knives. Okapi is the cheapest knife out there and a national symbol. The star and moon are probably not registered but synonymous with Okapi. It's like using the companies name and that is not right.


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[Mattexian]

I think I paid $10US for my CS Kudu, with shipping on ebay.  As a simple knife,  I think it's adequate,  especially if you like the size.  (I also grabbed the Eland, it's bigger brother, after finding out CS discontinued it.) 

I find it funny that CS writes disparagingly of the Okapi one finds in SA, but then has their copy of it made in China, while CS has a factory in SA for machetes.

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[shark_za]

CS Kudu is a great modern representation, I love it. Going cheaper than the already cheap Okapi is just madness.


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