Counterfeit ARB Lockers

[Unforgiven]

Apparently China is now counterfeiting ARB air locking differentials.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewt7f-h8Wn4&feature=player_embedded[/media]

Kind of makes you wonder what else is being counterfeited that we don't know about.

 

[Flyingvan911]

It figures. Most stuff that comes from China is shifty and poorly designed. As long as people are willing to place orders, the manufacturers don't care. Chinese factories are notorious for changing specs, allowing equipment to lose calibration, using cheaper materials, etc.

 

[fuzzytoaster]

I'm sure more stuff than you think is counterfeit. Just a matter of time until people realize this I hope...but not betting.

 

[Flyingvan911]

I know jewelry, clothing, watches, etc are hot spots for counterfeiting. It would be interesting to see a complete list. Heckler & Kock went on a big legal crusade against airsoft and paintball gun makers recently. Most of those come from China and vicinity. Glock sued HFC because they make an exact airsoft replica of the G18c.

 

[Squirt-Truck]

Careful here guys, my company makes a lot of money testing and rejecting China products.
But they do not have a corner on the cheap junk market. As stated, the consumer is to cheap to buy good stuff, that is where we will put a stop to this mess.

 

[Unforgiven]

As I understood the video, they are selling the inferior products as actual ARB's. I don't think it's a matter of knowingly buying the cheapest out of all the competition. It's a matter of willful counterfeiting using an established company's name. If I pay a grand for a Rockwell ARB, I'd like to know my money actually bought an ARB & not a knock-off packaged in a counterfeit box.

So how's a consumer to know unless you are already an expert with the product?

 

[MO MV man]

The hot rod parts market has been hit HARD.
SO many of the parts (intake manifolds, ignitions, cylinder heads, etc.) are blatant clones of USA-engineered (and most times patented? Edelbrock, for example) items.

I can't say I'm surprised abouto the ARB's.
Standard fare: tried and proven design cloned and marketed as "the same".
You gotta love the obvious lack of quality of the clone's internals. It's laughable.
What a shame.

But you're all right.......
Folks are bent to save money these days and buying cheap Chinese c**p is "it".
Even if they have to buy four of the junk item to last as long as the original quality item, it's the initial purchase price everyone is obsessed with.
I do not wish to start an argument but I bet many folks here would agree that the initials WM are who started this downward spiral to total China dependence in this country.

It's a vicious circle.

It's become HARD to find non-Chinese items these days.
Sorry to rant but this is a real hot button for me.

 

[swbradley1]

I do not wish to start an argument but I bet many folks here would agree that the initials WM are who started this downward spiral to total China dependence in this country.

There for a microsecond I thought you meant Wreckerman (WM) then I remembered everyone slamming Walmart.

Cheap knockoff parts are bad enough but you have to think back in the last two years the pet food that killed so many pets and crippled others and the kids toys with lead in them as well.

sw

 

[MO MV man]

There for a microsecond I thought you meant Wreckerman (WM) then I remembered everyone slamming Walmart.

Cheap knockoff parts are bad enough but you have to think back in the last two years the pet food that killed so many pets and crippled others and the kids toys with lead in them as well.

sw

Whew. Sorry about the confusion.
I enjoy Wreckerman too much to give him a hard time.

So many things.....as you said, the pet food, kids toys with lead....the McDonalds Shrek glasses with lead in the paint, the toothpastes that had something horrible in them (wasn't it like anti-freeze?) and untold numbers of other incidents we, as consumers, NEVER hear about.

 

[mudguppy]

no, you can blame capatalism for WM. the free people and desire for less expensive goods are what has lead to WM's success.

however, the willful product infiltration is solely on the shoulders of China. last i checked, WM sells alternative brands, not knock-offs relabled as name-brands. those are two completely seperate discussions and only one of them has a place in this thread.

i, too, would be devistated if i payed at or near full-price for an ARB and found out it was an imposter. mainly because there would be nothing you could do at that point - everyone would claim ignorance and you'd be out money and have a broken locker.

 

[MO MV man]

no, you can blame capatalism for WM. the free people and desire for less expensive goods are what has lead to WM's success.

however, the willful product infiltration is solely on the shoulders of China. last i checked, WM sells alternative brands, not knock-offs relabled as name-brands. those are two completely seperate discussions and only one of them has a place in this thread.

i, too, would be devistated if i payed at or near full-price for an ARB and found out it was an imposter. mainly because there would be nothing you could do at that point - everyone would claim ignorance and you'd be out money and have a broken locker.

Well put, Travis.
Thanks.

 

[Unforgiven]

So how do you know if it's a genuine ARB? Is it best to order directly from ARB & spend an extra $100 per axle to ensure what arrives is a real ARB? It's kind of late to realize, after $3K + shipping, that what arrived at your door was an imitation ARB. Undoubtedly the retailer will argue otherwise & you're stuck with the Chinese clones.

There's a BIG difference between a snapped axle and a ruined differential. I'll take the snapped axle any day if it's a choice of the lesser-of-two-evils.

 

[cjtroutt]

Any one would see the diff is the machine work and harding and shot peen done to a part not casting marks imposters be warned.

 

[fuzzpuss]

I would like to point out there are some folks who have never owned an ARB and would have not a clue what to look for. I personally like mechanical lockers, plain and simple! Not bashing ARB just not my cup of tea. As for why we have knockoffs, its all about cost and companies getting cheaper labor and making more money,it seems to me that lots of the "Cheap" knockoffs aren't that cheap anymore, and you can't get the quality product anymore so you are stuck with the knockoff because the real deal couldn't afford to compete and bellied up.

 

[Unforgiven]

No, you have missed the point.

It's not about the original being too expensive.

It's about CRIMINALS selling clones that are labeled as the original.

It's like you going to the Chevy dealer to buy a new Silverado. You paid for a Chevy Silverado. You expect a Chevy Silverado. It says Chevy Silverado. But a few months later you find out that it's really a Chinese clone with a Chevy logo.

It's not about cheap customers. It's about knowingly fraudulent Chinese companies criminally counterfeiting brand-name goods. The consumer didn't choose the Chinese product. They unknowingly are the victim of fraud.

That's why I said I would pay more than fair market to ensure the product I receive is the true product, not a repackaged, fraudulent, Chinese clone.

 

[Silverback]

They have also done this with Aimpoint, EOTech and leupold and Trijicon. I have had several customers who "got a killer deal" on their optic only to find out that they bought an inferior Chinese clone. Buyer beware.

 

[rchalmers3]

No, you have missed the point.

It's about CRIMINALS selling clones that are labeled as the original.

It's not about cheap customers. It's about knowingly fraudulent Chinese companies criminally counterfeiting brand-name goods. The consumer didn't choose the Chinese product. They unknowingly are the victim of fraud.

That's why I said I would pay more than fair market to ensure the product I receive is the true product, not a repackaged, fraudulent, Chinese clone.

Unforgiven,

Are you claiming that Chinese Nationals are coming to the US and opening businesses to defraud us?

I don't think so.

I see there being 2 groups of Americans making this whole thing happen:

Group A) Americans who want cheap goods and are willing to buy something too good to be true, and

Group B) Americans who profit from supplying Group A with low quality, imitation, second rate goods. Which happens to be made in China.

I say that the American demand for junk parts is driving the American junk parts industry. The crap being sold could come from anywhere. In fact, didn't we Americans moan about Japanese quality stuff after WWII? didn't we learn later the Japanese were selling junk to us because it was spec'ed that way from US buyers? Something about history repeating itself may be happening here...

Capitalism with no morals or ethics is an efficient economic model and the Chinese are good at it. Tromping on patent rights is just another way for Chinese manufacturers to cut costs and deliver to their American clients the junk parts at the lowest possible cost.

Lets not blame or point a finger at anyone but ourselves when it comes to what is happening. Buyer awareness is what I recommend for consumers. Manufacturers like ARB will have to rely on their government to protect their patent laws in the international arena. Which is a whole 'nuther conversation these days...

My .02c

Rick

 

[shovelheadmike]

There is a.lot.of.counterfeit merchandise out there, if you buy from a.reputable ARB dealer, this will not be.a problem. The trouble.starts when you deal in the "grey market".

 

[firebuilder]

So the obvious difference (besides the failure) is that the ARB gear is machined and the knock-off is simply cast or maybe forged.

 

[Jones]

Problem too is that some counterfeiters are as good at copying the markings and packaging as they are at duplicating the "look" of the original.
Big problem that came to light a while back was sub-standard parts and fasteners (nuts and bolts) that were supposedly certified airworthy.
Bad enough when something craps out and you roll to a stop in your vehicle-- when the 747 you're in does the same thing it's a whole different story.