Knock-offs

Jimihat316 · #1 04-24-2007, 11:07 PM

Does anyone here have any experience with knock-off clubs? I see them all the time on Ebay. I'm assuming that they're not as good as the real thing, but can anyone confirm?

CubicZirconia · #2 04-25-2007, 02:31 AM

I've been using ping G2 knock-offs for several years now. I just recently tried the real thing, and the only difference I noticed was cosmetic.

Quality may differ from knock-off to knock-off, but I honestly have a hard time believing brand-name clubs are going to play any better than knock-offs. Provided the clubs are a proper fit to you, I don't see any problem in playing with "fakes." I've had good success with them.

I should note that I did not buy my clubs off Ebay. A friend of my father runs a golf shop out of his garage, and I bought them though him.

thehankstar · #3 04-25-2007, 04:10 AM

Pinemeadow golf.

Best knockoff clubs I have EVER used (other than a set of Rawlings Fairway Woods I used in high school)...

Great Prices and Great Customer Service in my experiences there.

pinemeadowgolf.com i believe is the correct address...

ZBTHorton · #4 04-25-2007, 04:45 AM

The one thing I've noticed about knock-offs is that they seem to break a lot easier than the name brand clubs.

I think pretty much every one of my friends in high school with knock off clubs doesn't have a full set b/c he's snapped a head off the club or something totally random.

Ron Burgundy · #5 04-25-2007, 07:06 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Quality may differ from knock-off to knock-off

[/ QUOTE ]

The quality is ENTIRELY dependant on who made it.

Most knockoffs are inferior quality. Ask yourself this: If a company had the ability to make a product as good as the top name brands, why wouldn't they create their own brand identity and market it?

Some knockoffs are good enough clubs, and mid-high handicappers won't notice a difference. But generally, people who buy knockoff clubs are rubes.

DirtyDiggs · #6 04-25-2007, 10:58 AM

This is a function of weather you mean Knock-off or component.

If it is called a Tailor-maid or Big-Bursar, then it is likely a peice of [censored].

But there are lots of golf companies out there that make good stuff without the need for huge marketing budget and tour endorsement. They can pass these lower cost on to the consumer. Such is the nature of Chinesse production right now that these companies are only about 1 year behind the majors technology wise. Thats pretty good considering that you have Driver technology having leveled off in the last 3-5 years and irons not really changing significantly in the last 15.

Some good component/niche manufacturers are Aston, Bang, KZG, Golfsmith, Golfworks, SMT, Raven and Zero-Tolerance

The Big companies generally make a good product, but they don't have a patent that on making "magic."

Doug Funnie II · #7 04-25-2007, 11:08 AM

KZG makes awesome irons for better players, but not so great for beginners.

CubicZirconia · #8 04-25-2007, 05:45 PM

[ QUOTE ]
If a company had the ability to make a product as good as the top name brands, why wouldn't they create their own brand identity and market it?

[/ QUOTE ]

There's already a glut in the high-end club market? Marketing is expensive? They can make more money selling inexpensive clubs? Why do we have generic food brands and drugs?

Ron Burgundy · #9 04-25-2007, 05:50 PM

[ QUOTE ]
This is a function of weather you mean Knock-off or component.

If it is called a Tailor-maid or Big-Bursar, then it is likely a peice of [censored].

But there are lots of golf companies out there that make good stuff without the need for huge marketing budget and tour endorsement. They can pass these lower cost on to the consumer. Such is the nature of Chinesse production right now that these companies are only about 1 year behind the majors technology wise. Thats pretty good considering that you have Driver technology having leveled off in the last 3-5 years and irons not really changing significantly in the last 15.

Some good component/niche manufacturers are Aston, Bang, KZG, Golfsmith, Golfworks, SMT, Raven and Zero-Tolerance

The Big companies generally make a good product, but they don't have a patent that on making "magic."

[/ QUOTE ]

Knock-offs and component companies are totally different things.

Component companies as a whole have gotten an undeserved bad reputation because many knock-offs are also sold as components.

Ron Burgundy · #10 04-25-2007, 06:02 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If a company had the ability to make a product as good as the top name brands, why wouldn't they create their own brand identity and market it?

[/ QUOTE ]

There's already a glut in the high-end club market? Marketing is expensive? They can make more money selling inexpensive clubs? Why do we have generic food brands and drugs?

[/ QUOTE ]

Generic food and drugs are usually the same thing as the brand-names, and it's easy for people to tell the difference if they aren't.

With knock-offs, 99% of the customers don't know whether the manufacturing quality is anywhere near the brand name.

There's no "glut" in the high end market in golf. The golf industry just doesn't work that way. If you make a good club, get a few pros to use it on tour, then you'll have instant demand. Golfers are obsessed with what clubs the pros use. This type of marketing is not very expensive at all.