A "copy" ???

[houtex]

I'm not that guy that starts trouble. Tried to pm you Data.

http://niteyelight.com/product/?type=detail&id=42

[FrogmanM]

Well that is a sad sight to see...

-Mayo

[Moddoo]

Well that is a sad sight to see...

-Mayo

Agreed.

[Drywolf]

It's wrong....

[chipwillis]

What the Hell, Let's get em......................................
All I need to do is get dressed

Hotlinked Oversized Image removed. See Rule #3 Do not Hot Link images - Norm

[PhotonFanatic]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[Midnight Run]

That's a crying shame!

A long way from home too...
Fake chinese goods are not easy to hunt down.

[Launch Mini]

Looks like it is on the drawing board, as it appears it's not yet available.
Nothing like owning the original though.

[FrogmanM]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Tis true, good to see that CPF's custom creators can see imitations in this kinda light. Keep producing fun and boundary-pushing bodies/UI/leds cause you know lil hobbyists/collectors like myself will clamor for the real goods.

-Mayo

[saabluster]

This is just unreal. I cannot believe they have the gall to say their light is "unique".

[scout24]

Surely they jest...

[cmacclel]

This is just unreal. I cannot believe they have the gall to say their light is "unique".

Just like everyone says "Worlds Brightest" or "Brightest in World" as soon as I read that on any product I shake my head.

I'm shocked that how many people here are suprised it was copied. I knew it was only a matter of time.

Mac

[stoli67]

Oh well.... the people that don't know any better will by it and the rest of us that do will buy SPYs and be happy!

[milkyspit]

I'm shocked that how many people here are suprised it was copied. I knew it was only a matter of time.

Mac

Could also be fraudulent: the actual product might not even exist, might be a scam. Just saying.

[saabluster]

Just like everyone says "Worlds Brightest" or "Brightest in World" as soon as I read that on any product I shake my head.

I'm shocked that how many people here are suprised it was copied. I knew it was only a matter of time.

Mac

I'm not surprised someone would want to copy it but it is not the most straightforward of designs and would require quite a bit of work to make even if it is a ripoff. Of course it's a bit easier when someone else has already done all the engineering work for you. I assumed the eastern copiers would just prefer to copy something they could easily do on a lathe just like the millions of other lights they are used to making.

[CMAG]

[nbp]

I don't own any SPYs but I think they are fabulous lights, and this kind of crap really irritates me.

[helios123]

That is truly sad to see. I'm a huge fan of Dave's work and seeing this just feels terrible. The worst part is where they say that this is a work of art by niteye engineers where it's just a straight copy of Dave's work.

Glenn

[nbp]

I sent them a little message in their "Enquiry" box on the contact page. I just told them I was interested to hear how they thought they could call it a 'unique' design as it was clearly a copy of a light made by Cool Fall flashlights, a design that has been in use since 2005. I am eager to hear their response, if they send one.

[Data]

Nearly all of the CPF custom builders have seen copies of their lights made by foreigners. Several of those same CPF custom builders have already posted in this thread. It did not stop them and it will not stop me either. Thanks for your support everybody.



Cheers
Dave

[jch79]

They could have all the flashlights in the world, and these bastards still wouldn't see the light.

[bf1]

BUY AMERICAN WHERE AND WHENEVER YOU CAN!

[calipsoii]

BUY AMERICAN WHERE AND WHENEVER YOU CAN!

Now now, don't turn this thread into a nationalistic thing. There are lots of custom builders on CPF from other countries (Steve Ku's amazing creations spring to mind).

If you really want to prevent this kind of blatant copying, the solution is simple - don't buy it and don't advertise for them by giving them a bunch of free publicity. They're going to do it either way, so just let them wither and die out.

[helios123]

Now now, don't turn this thread into a nationalistic thing. There are lots of custom builders on CPF from other countries (Steve Ku's amazing creations spring to mind).

If you really want to prevent this kind of blatant copying, the solution is simple - don't buy it and don't advertise for them by giving them a bunch of free publicity. They're going to do it either way, so just let them wither and die out.

I agree with this.

[nein166]

I wouldn't go so far as to call it a copy that would imply the niteye will do what the SPY does.
If anything its an imitation of the form. Knock-off!

It says right on their page in bad English:
"infinitely adjustable brightness let you can choose the idea light according to you need easy"

To me that means there's a potentiometer in the knob, that's not SPY technology.
I don't think you'll find an STFu in there either

All that said its an outrage that they claim to have a unique design.

but its not going to stop China is going to continue to Knock-off Yankee ingenuity because it pays...
Sadly because we buy their Knock-Offs

[bf1]

Calipsoil,

I am in agreement with you that there are a number of great custom builders internationally. It is also apparent that China is a world leader in reverse engineering and copying anything that serves their interests.
If they can copy our downed stealth aircrafts, iPhones, etc.; they can obviously knock off any custom light builders designs in their sleep.
As long as we continue to borrow their money and not increase the tariffs on these goods, the problem will only continue.
It should be of no surprise that our government has a blind eye to the many questionable and unlicensed products China is dumping on the U.S. markets.
I do classify this as a nationalistic thing. Every manufacturer should have the rights and protections from our governments to design, build and distribute their products without the threat of China or any emerging third world country threatening their existence.

This is why I make an effort to purchase goods made in America whenever possible.

Now now, don't turn this thread into a nationalistic thing. There are lots of custom builders on CPF from other countries (Steve Ku's amazing creations spring to mind).

If you really want to prevent this kind of blatant copying, the solution is simple - don't buy it and don't advertise for them by giving them a bunch of free publicity. They're going to do it either way, so just let them wither and die out.

[fyrstormer]

I'm not surprised someone would want to copy it but it is not the most straightforward of designs and would require quite a bit of work to make even if it is a ripoff. Of course it's a bit easier when someone else has already done all the engineering work for you. I assumed the eastern copiers would just prefer to copy something they could easily do on a lathe just like the millions of other lights they are used to making.

In fairness, almost nobody outside of CPF has ever heard of a SPY 007, and anyone seriously considering buying one of these is not going to be swayed by whistleblowing that it's a copy of a limited-production light an order of magnitude more expensive.

Cheap copies are only a bad thing if they undercut the original creator's target market. That almost never happens with boutique goods like SPYs and Gizmos and Macs, because the people who buy those goods aren't shopping for the best deal, they're shopping for the best product. As we all know, cheap copies are never the best products -- that's *why* they're cheap. Cheap copies just let people who can't afford the high-priced, high-quality original get something like what they want instead of going without.

Another possibility to consider is that someone who *does* have the money for a SPY might discover their existence by way of purchasing a cheap copy. That's how I discovered McGizmos -- I bought an Arc6 and later found out where the design came from. Now I own 13 Gizmos, 3 lights that use McGizmo-licensed designs, and 2 lights that use McGizmo parts.

I imagine Gottlieb Daimler was rather annoyed when Henry Ford started making cheap copies of Daimler's autocarriage -- or possibly he wasn't annoyed, because people's concept of intellectual property was different a century ago, but it's still a valid comparison. In any event, Henry Ford's cheap copies don't seem to have adversely affected Mercedes sales too much, since someone who's thinking of buying a Mercedes isn't going to be happy with a cheap Fords, and someone who's thinking of buying a cheap Ford probably can't afford a Mercedes. In fact, all those cheap Fords opened a market for big highways, which probably helped Mercedes' sales substantially. Likewise, every cool flashlight sold increases the market for more efficient emitters and higher-density power cells, which benefits everyone, including boutique manufacturers like Cool Fall.

[fyrstormer]

If they can copy our downed stealth aircrafts, iPhones, etc.; they can obviously knock off any custom light builders designs in their sleep.
As long as we continue to borrow their money and not increase the tariffs on these goods, the problem will only continue.
It should be of no surprise that our government has a blind eye to the many questionable and unlicensed products China is dumping on the U.S. markets.
I do classify this as a nationalistic thing. Every manufacturer should have the rights and protections from our governments to design, build and distribute their products without the threat of China or any emerging third world country threatening their existence.

It's not that simple. We're not borrowing money from them. We sell them I-O-Us so we can justify printing more money, and in exchange we buy their goods with that money. At the end of the day, we have stuff we want, and they have a pile of cash they can ONLY spend in the United States, because the United States is the ONLY place in the world that US Dollars are legal currency. That means we have a functioning economy now, and the promise of China buying stuff from us to keep our economy functioning in the future. It actually *is* a stable situation, which is why it's been going on so long -- though social conservatives love to twist it around and make it sound like we're indebted to those filthy red Commies, because that helps them get votes from certain segments of the American populace.

[bf1]

If I buy into the stable situation concept; why should we tolerate a disparity pertaining to our trade imbalance? Certainly has nothing to with social conservative views. I think this falls under the guidance of Economics 101.

[fyrstormer]

If I buy into the stable situation concept; why should we tolerate a disparity pertaining to our trade imbalance? Certainly has nothing to with social conservative views. I think this falls under the guidance of Economics 101.

Trade imbalances are impossible to sustain forever. Eventually China (or whoever ends up with China's stash of U.S. Dollars) will have to spend that money in the United States. Sure, we're "bleeding" money like crazy into other countries right now -- but ultimately U.S. Dollars are only valuable here, and here is where their owners will have to spend them. Someone PMed me with the factoid that oil is bought using U.S. Dollars, but what will oil suppliers do with all the U.S. Dollars they've collected from their customers? They can't very well buy their own oil with their U.S. Dollars, that accomplishes nothing, so they'll have to spend it here eventually.

So, since the money will have to come back to the United States eventually, it's a good thing for us to tolerate trade imbalances for a while (which may well be decades or centuries), because that trade imbalance causes two things to happen: 1) it allows other nations to build themselves up to the point that they can afford to be our customers in the future, and 2) it gives them a significant interest in not attacking the United States for the foreseeable future, because then their U.S. Dollars would become worthless.

This is getting way off-topic now, but I did want to make the point that if other countries have piles of U.S. Dollars in their banks, that's actually a good thing. They'll have to spend them here eventually, and they won't want anything bad to happen to us until they've spent all that money.

I lvoe my SPY Tri-V, by the way.