# Quality of knock-offs?



## jojosasser

I have been looking online at some of the knock-off clubs (such as the T7's, which are knockoffs of the TaylorMade R7), and I was wondering if anyone knew anything about these? I currently play with a set of Ram Rhythms. Are the knockoffs a decent alternative to the real deal, or is it just a farce? I would like to upgrade, but I cannot afford to buy the actual TaylorMade's right now. Thanks in advance for your help.
Joey


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## missin44

I'm wondering the same thing...


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## BBQBrew

I have a set of of Ozzy O.S. from GigaGolf...copies of Nike SlingShots. These clubs are very well made...I have played several rounds with the Ozzy's and they play great. High quality product. I would recommend them to anyone.

Granted, I'm not a scatch golfer...but for the price you cannot beat them!! The GigaGolf website has an "eFit" system that makes sure you are getting the right length, grip size, etc. Real custom fit clubs at a fraction of the cost of "Name Brand".:thumbsup: :thumbsup:


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## xiphos

Do not get Knock offs. If you are on a budget go with a compent company such as SMT or Bang. Golfsmith has some very nice stuff that is cheep. Here is a link to review on the SMT 455 deep bore. 
SMT 455 Deep Bore


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## BBQBrew

xiphos said:


> Do not get Knock offs. If you are on a budget go with a compent company such as SMT or Bang. Golfsmith has some very nice stuff that is cheep. Here is a link to review on the SMT 455 deep bore.
> SMT 455 Deep Bore


Have you reviewed products from GigaGolf or Pinemeadow ? Don't see them on your site. How can you just say "Don't buy knock offs?" I have read tons of reviews on GigaGolf and Pinemeadow clubs and most of them positive. Have you done business with any of these companies? You imply they are not competent. Not trying to start a war or anything...just curious what you base your reply on. I don't work for any of these companies so I gain nothing from someone buying products...I just know what I have experienced.


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## xiphos

Here is the main reasons I do not support knock off clubs. They are knock offs. It is the same reason I do not download music for free from the net, eventhough I can. 

I never said they are not competent, nor did I imply that. Pinemeadow makes high quality stuff, but is it as good? I doubt it. For the roughly the same price as a Pinemeadow club you could get an SMT. SMT has dominated the long driver tours for about 5 years now. Why would you get a knock off when you can get original designs? Look into a company called Innovex. You can get their stuff dirt cheap and they designs that are their own. 

Why would you get knock offs when you could get original stuff from SMT, Bang, KGZ, Golfsmith, Innovex or even Tour Edge for that matter, for roughly the same cost?

My site will have a ton of reviews shortley. It just launched. As for Pinemeadow, I may not have any thing on them ever with the exception of their Double Wall driver. 

I am not compensated for my reviews of any thing on my site. The adds on my site are given to the companies in exchange for products so I do not have to buy the stuff I am reviewing. 

Sorry this reply was a little dis-organized.


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## BBQBrew

One problem with your comparison to downloading music. What Giga and Pinemeadow are doing is not ILLEGAL, they are not putting fake Nike logos on the clubs and claiming they are Nike.

The point I was trying to make was....I liked the Nike clubs, didn't want to pay the ridiculous price that was asked for them, so I got clubs that play just like the Nike clubs without having to pay for advertising, PGA bonuses, etc.


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## xiphos

They are not the same clubs though. They look the same, but I assure you the Pinemedow knock-off is not the same as my Nike. That does not mean they are not of high quality, but they are not the same thing. If they made a dead on knock-off so it did prefom the same, it would be ILLEGAL. The fact that they are in business, and not being sued by every manufacture, is a testament that they clubs are different. The fact that they are differnt makes the two clubs not equal. The Giga Golf or Pinemeadow may be good, but they are not the same as the real clubs they are copying.


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## BBQBrew

A common myth is that the higher the price of a club, the better your game will be: "This club cost me $799.00, I must be playing great now!". Just think about it, are drivers really worth $600 to $1000 and iron sets $1500 to $3,000? The big manufacturers spend millions of $$ to promote their stuff and still make huge profits. Who you think pays for that? Paying high prices does not lower ones handicap, but a properly chosen club will, even a cheap one. The amount actually spent for research and development by the golf club industry is not nearly as large as the money spent for advertising. The real dollars go toward convincing everyone to buy the name brand club and paying the middleman to get them into our hands.

Clones are not to be confused with the branded products they may seek to flatter, but they are made from essentially the same materials and design principles, use many of the same shaft and grip suppliers, and perform similar to (or often better than) the name brands. The important point is that the clone companies buy heads, shafts, and grips from the same small community of golf manufacturing suppliers.

An illegal knockoff and/or counterfeit is a product that violates the legal trade dress rights, trademarks, patents or copyrights of another company. Historical examples of trade dress violators were the makers of the "king snake" which was an illegal knockoff of Cobra's King Cobra. An illegal knockoff rips off the violated company because it confuses the consumer and in some cases seeks to fool the consumer into thinking their product is actually the Name Brand Company's product.


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