KnockOFF Juices (cloned and sold as originals)

It takes just 1 person to use this juice, have ill efects and go public and everyone will be ignorant to the 'knockoff' ordeal and smear Vaping itself

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Exactly the knock offs are going to ruin the reputation and the names involved with vaping
 
My worry is government intervention. All it takes is someone to fall ill or die from these knock offs and the knives will be out.

Or even worse... Someone could fall ill or die.
 
Regulation will happen. Whether it happens in a positive (protecting consumers, raising standards) or negative (restricting freedoms, nanny state) sense is yet to be determined. I'm also not sure that regulation will stop clone juices. For sure, having a national standard for juices and making it compulsory for all juices to comply with that standard (clean room manufacturing, approved ingredients, hygienic storage) will help. But there will always be law-breakers. We have regulations for cigarettes. Cheap 'grey market' cigarettes continue to flood into our market.

I don't think it will harm the reputation of the legit manufacturers. Has Nike's or Rolex's reputation been trashed by the dozens of cheap knock-offs? I think consumers are sussed enough, once they do some research having been fooled, to understand that they bought a knock-off due to ignorance. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. Ultimately it is up to every consumer to apply caveat emptor and look after their own interests. The government can only do so much.
 
We are not a registered vendor on here yet, so I will not name our juice or our company, but we have the means to protect local juice manufacturers against counterfeiting by means of applying a security holofoil with the logo of the juice manufacturer over that....think Hologram on your credit card, It's not a sticker, but a heat and pressure process, so it can't be removed and can't be reproduced by scanning the label and then printing it as it has reflective properties.

There is a saying, "If you make it, They'll Fake it", so I'm sure there are a lot of local juice also being counterfeit.
 
I think the problem is, when someone does get ill from the counterfeit product, and takes the manufacturer to court, it's very hard and costly to prove that it's not your product if you don't have any security measures against counterfeiting.

I heard a story of a top local South African wine, that someone had at a restaurant in Australia, and them being from SA only noticed that it was counterfeit because there was a spelling mistake on the label.

Counterfeit products cost manufacturers a lot of money, never mind the damage it can do to the industry, I know it sounds like I'm just punting one of my products, but I think with the vaping industry being so easy to target with legislation etc. they will look for anything to sink us.
 
Regulation will happen. Whether it happens in a positive (protecting consumers, raising standards) or negative (restricting freedoms, nanny state) sense is yet to be determined. I'm also not sure that regulation will stop clone juices. For sure, having a national standard for juices and making it compulsory for all juices to comply with that standard (clean room manufacturing, approved ingredients, hygienic storage) will help. But there will always be law-breakers. We have regulations for cigarettes. Cheap 'grey market' cigarettes continue to flood into our market.

I don't think it will harm the reputation of the legit manufacturers. Has Nike's or Rolex's reputation been trashed by the dozens of cheap knock-offs? I think consumers are sussed enough, once they do some research having been fooled, to understand that they bought a knock-off due to ignorance. Once bitten, twice shy and all that. Ultimately it is up to every consumer to apply caveat emptor and look after their own interests. The government can only do so much.

Rolex, L Vutton and others have definitely had their reputation tarnished. I cannot count how many of my ex girl friends have declinded the suggestion of a LV handbag as a gift due to all the fakes out there. The same goes for Rolex.

With government getting involved it could deter new talented start up juice makers amongst other issues.
 
I don't think that's tarnishing the company's reputation, though. If you buy an LG choc that turns out to be fake, do you think less of LG as a company or blame them in any way? You might be hesitant about buying a choc but if you know it's legit, you still think it's a good product and want it.

Although, that said, there is that demographic who will buy a fake, never realise it's a fake and then be unimpressed by the product.
 
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I don't think that's tarnishing the company's reputation, though. If you buy an LG choc that turns out to be fake, do you think less of LG as a company or blame them in any way? You might be hesitant about buying a choc but if you know it's legit, you still think it's a good product and want it.

Although, that said, there is that demographic who will buy a fake, never realise it's a fake and then be unimpressed by the product.

Apologies, yes but it does make me personally think twice about buying their product.
 
Would like to add to this thread that I visited a flea market today in the East Rand and was shocked that every bubbly shop there about 6 at least were selling selling "fake/cloned juices under the original name. Jam Monster, French Dude, Kilo, Barry even Hazeworks to name a few at ridiculous prices. ( Jam Monster R120 for 120ml ) and let me tell you those shops were packed. Now that can't be right! But the kicker here is that they also selling fake hardware because a Pico kit can't be R100. Now to me selling a fong kong product that could short or possibly explode because corners have been cut is not on and potentially dangerous to the public for one and vaping itself.
If anyone needs more info from me to try stop this you are welcome to PM me.
Just needed to express this as it was weighing on my heart.
Thanks
@MarkDBN
 
Apologies, yes but it does make me personally think twice about buying their product.
Well, I agree with half of that statement :p It does make me wary of buying it (eventhough I still do, but with some trepidation sometimes). It doesn't make me blame LG at all, however.
 
I have most certainly seen a lot of fake juices in and around SA. It's mostly sold by guys on Facebook, Tobacconist and at Flea Markets. I highly doubt a Vape Shop would risk selling fake juices. The price of the juice is a dead giveaway!
 
The price of the juice is a dead giveaway!

We should at least be thankful for that. Imagine the juice pirates were as sly as the battery counterfeiters, pricing their product the same and even slipping bottles of fakes into shipments of the original!
 
Can anyone explain though... why Cloned Pico kits are being sold and supported? Its already cheap... I mean I can understand (and support) cloned over priced/scarce mods and atties like the Goon and Skyline, but an authentic full kit for R750?

:SERIOUSLYLOL:

Most people know though, if youre buying a Levi jeans from a store under a gazebo in a flea market, it is most probably fake, regardless of the costs. People purchase cheap electronic devices from China Malls all the time... things that plug into their walls - despite knowing the great plausibility of 5th of November happening in the comfort of their homes. Maybe natural selection is the way to go in this regard.
 
It's a weird thing, they cloned the Tsunami RDA. One can only wonder why, that is a budget dripper. If you can afford the clone, chances are you can afford the authentic. It's only R100 or so more. So why clone it?
 
Economies of scale guys. Most clones are made by the same factory that makes the genuine article.
It's cheaper for factories to order materials to make more, than what is ordered.
The remainder is then usually sold as "clones".
Of course in some cases there are direct copies of a unique item too, but those are usually made because they are high priced items.
Apple had huge problems during initial manufacturing operations in china because of this. So do other companies who manufacture there.


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The Fantasi juices are somewhat easier to tell, the colour on the bottles are off and they come in plastic bottles and it smells like alcohol!

The Nasty juices are on a whole other level, the packaging is almost exact, the smell of the liquid is almost identical and then u vape it and all you taste is alcohol.

Loaded and Ruthless are cloned as well.

The prices at the China malls / flea markets are a dead giveaway excuse the pun!

Its sickening quite literally.
 
I have seen clone aliens and picos, they feel lighter although looks just like the original
Would like to add to this thread that I visited a flea market today in the East Rand and was shocked that every bubbly shop there about 6 at least were selling selling "fake/cloned juices under the original name. Jam Monster, French Dude, Kilo, Barry even Hazeworks to name a few at ridiculous prices. ( Jam Monster R120 for 120ml ) and let me tell you those shops were packed. Now that can't be right! But the kicker here is that they also selling fake hardware because a Pico kit can't be R100. Now to me selling a fong kong product that could short or possibly explode because corners have been cut is not on and potentially dangerous to the public for one and vaping itself.
If anyone needs more info from me to try stop this you are welcome to PM me.
Just needed to express this as it was weighing on my heart.
Thanks
 
Hi thought I would join here as I've found a lot of clone vape flav the problem with them is that they are way to close to the original ones in looks and tast you can put them side by side with the real thing and there's no difference but it's the price that gives it away at the fact that you are paying R100 to R160 for 60 ml of imports there's only one that was quite doggy will put the pic to show
 

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What is considered too cheap for juice?

There is a shop, about 5 of them operating under the same name, that sell juices per ml. So to fill a 30ml bottle is only R75. I've bought a couple of times, and to me they are fine. Don't want to name the store, but I wasn't able to find any details on this forum
 
What is considered too cheap for juice?

There is a shop, about 5 of them operating under the same name, that sell juices per ml. So to fill a 30ml bottle is only R75. I've bought a couple of times, and to me they are fine. Don't want to name the store, but I wasn't able to find any details on this forum
Well to make a juice costs less than R1 per 1ml.
HOWEVER. To develop a recipe takes months, and that cost is recovered by a higher price per ml. Some people obviously go overboard and overprice their juices to infinity.
For international juices, with importing etc included, if it's anything below R6 per 1ml I'd be wary.
 
Question, most of the local juices sold in S.A. are made in a garage, lounge,kitchen, spare room or a "clean room". What makes them so safe compared to the these fakes? Let's not lie to ourselves that they are made in a lab.
 
Question, most of the local juices sold in S.A. are made in a garage, lounge,kitchen, spare room or a "clean room". What makes them so safe compared to the these fakes? Let's not lie to ourselves that they are made in a lab.

Afaik, most of the well known local juices are made in a lab.
 
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