chinese knock offs!

[back alley]

...in today's mail there was a knock off of the domke 5xb, in black canvas.
i bought it for 2 reasons, 1, it was so very cheap...20 bucks cdn. and free shipping and 2, i had bought a knock off of the domke f803 and i really liked it. the 803 is also in black canvas and for a good camera bag one doesn't really need much more than good old black canvas.
i emptied the dna 8 of it's eos m contents and transferred it all into the fake 5xb...the 803 already holds my 2 fuji bodies with lenses attached. i don't really need much more...maybe a knock off of the domke f6 to hold it all in one place. for now i'll have to use the real domke f6 that i have in brown wax wear canvas...though i'd really like the f6 in black!

the price of these knock offs is amazing...i have seen the real deal going for 120 cdn...that's a 100 dollar difference and with free shipping to boot!!
they look good, seem well made...

i can't help but feel a bit guilty though...

 

[segedi]

Links please 🙂
Love my F-803. Wouldn't mind a spare.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

the price of these knock offs is amazing...
i can't help but feel a bit guilty though...

Out of genuine interest, if you like Domke's products then why not support the brand (and the intellectual property and working conditions that go with it) and buy the brand?

There's reasons why the knock-offs are cheap...

 

[back alley]

bought the 803 used (like new)...the 5xb..http://www.ebay.ca/itm/390822894191

 

[back alley]

Out of genuine interest, if you like Domke's products then why not support the brand (and the intellectual property and working conditions that go with it) and buy the brand?

There's reasons why the knock-offs are cheap...

i have bought and sold dozens of real domkes in the past...i wouldn't have bought these except for the prices...

 

[BillBingham2]

Out of genuine interest, if you like Domke's products then why not support the brand (and the intellectual property and working conditions that go with it) and buy the brand?

There's reasons why the knock-offs are cheap...

Usually I'm in line with that sort of thinking, but for some reason tonight I'm not. I bought a domke bag and a couple of wraps before the brand was sold. It's not like they are putting a Domke label and trying to pass it off as genuine (assumption on my part), to me that would cross a line I wouldn't support.

How many ways can you make a messenger bag different? I hope there is a true quality difference between the knock-off and the real thing, but is it worth $100? I know I still have way too many bags, but not as man shoes as my wife has......

B2

 

[BillBingham2]

Two silly questions. Does the strap go all the way under the bag? How is the stitching on the d-rings for the strap?

Nice price.

B2

 

[BillBingham2]

Good bag for Franks walk on the digital side........

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

How many ways can you make a messenger bag different? I hope there is a true quality difference between the knock-off and the real thing, but is it worth $100? I know I still have way too many bags, but not as man shoes as my wife has......

B2

I guess the price was my point. 'Real' Domke's are still made in the US (at least mine is) and presumably pay US wages. I'd image one of the major factors in being able to charge $100 less is because they are paying a lot less for labour.

 

[Ronald M]

Not just labor, but materials. Secondly small design changes you might not notice at first like attachment of strap. I have see straps fail and gear end up on the ground. How about the sticky stitches so the strap does not slip.

 

[back alley]

i plan to use the bag this weekend and will be better able to tell if there are significant changes that might impact me.
i think the both bags are slightly bigger than the real things...the rubber in the strap is there...the hardware seems rugged enough...time will tell i guess...i'd think that if i were hard on my gear that there might be a difference but as a mostly slow walker these days i think i'm safe.

 

[FrankS]

Ahem! I have a genuine domke 803, 802, and F something else. 😉

2 of them were bought used.

 

[Godfrey]

I gave my F803 to a friend a few years ago, after using it for over 15 years. He's still using it.

Still have my F5XB, F6, and F3X. They're still in use. All three are now over 20 years old.

Still have the very old small Domke with no model number I can find that I picked up at a flea market too. It's still in use. I bet it's 30 years old.

They make good stuff. What I've seen of the knock-off replicas in recent years was poor quality materials and stitching, by comparison. Doesn't matter if you don't put the bags to any stress..

G

 

[back alley]

i wonder how the new much, more expensive, domkes would fare today? will they be around in 30 years?...i doubt that i will 😉

 

[sebastel]

I used an fx-5b for about a year, and it almost fell apart. sorry, there is no superior design, material, or whatever - except for the price. I now use a cheap Taiwanese look-similar, and I think it's even better.

if I should pay domke level prices next time, I'll see it to be worth while. my Billingham is of that kind...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I purchased big Domke camera-computer bag for everyday use.
From the States, made in the States (which is luxury these days).
But only after it was on huge discount.
I also have made by americans Gordy's stripe.

But I'm very thankful to Chinese for a lot of cheap goodies and free shipping.

 

[Ben Z]

I won't buy new items from manufacturers whose prices have grossly outpaced inflation rates and currency fluctuation. Leica lenses are a case in point. All my Domke bags were bought years ago when their prices were a better value than I consider them today. All my Billingham's were bought barely-used in like-new condition for 50-75% of new cost. I have never felt any need to buy the knockoffs, but from what I've seen a lot of the pricing is reflective of labor cost more than corner cutting in materials and workmanship. These days nearly all TV's, small appliances, smartphones, computers and countless other items from major brand names are made in China, so if I patriotically insisted on buying American-made products it would not only be a matter of paying more, it would also involve doing without a lot of things.

 

[B-9]

I love my Genuine Domke F4AF, but have a knockoff 803 made by "Godspeed" that I keep my flash kit in. Also, excellent quality at a huge discount. Ive had the knockoff for 7 years now, still in one piece.

 

[carlb]

Mine arrived today and it looks like it will suit my purposes absolutely fine. I can fit my "grab and go" kit of a DSLR and 18 -135 zoom in there with a few other bits and pieces. It does look a bit like a man bag but I'm now at an age where I don't care about that any more.

Construction and materials look good, but I did cut off the "Dollice" tag on the corner of the flap.

 

[MikeAUS]

Is this even a 'knock off', it looks very similar to my FX5b - except for the label! The velcro looks a bit thin, otherwise the stitching, zips, etc. look spot on. Anyone compare to the original in person - side by side ?