TL;DR: Cloning is bad for the industry!
The following was written in response to a customer who asked for my thoughts on clones and their impact on the industry (specifically balisongs and folders). I believe these thoughts have broader implications beyond just our industry. Understand that there is much more nuance to the following than I explore. Additionally, I’m coming at this from the perspective of a maker first and a consumer of balisongs second, so my thoughts are biased by this lens.
Thankfully the community has been extremely good to us and we get to continue to produce first class products. Much of the below is a reflection on cloning as a practice and not an inditement of consumers who choose to purchase from cloners. Do with your money as your please, but recognize that there are larger ramifications to a purchase then simply getting the product you paid for.
Alright, all these caveats aside, let's dive in!
Time, Effort, and Investment:
At MachineWise, we put a lot of time, effort, and emotion into the design and production of our products. We are a small business, and we do our best to supply the community with products that we truly love. When you buy a MachineWise product, you're not just paying for the physical item, but also for the development time behind it. A clone company, on the other hand, skips all that—they skip the cost of marketing, development, brand-building, and establishing consumer trust. This is a punch in the gut for us, as we've had to fight and claw our way to get to where we are today.
Consumer Trust:
When a consumer buys a clone to "try" a product, they may believe the clone is a 1-to-1 replica of the original. If they have a bad experience with that clone, the negative emotion is now associated with our brand. This is especially problematic with clones that try to pass as the real thing (e.g., including a QC card, box, logo, serial number, etc.). Now, there's a product in the world that we had no hand in creating, that is being falsely associated with our brand. Even if the original buyer knew it was a clone, the product could eventually lose the "clone" label/distinction. For example, if someone tries a clone from your collection they now associate that experience with x-brand positive or negative.
Demand and Devaluation:
At MachineWise we pay our employees well. Our whole team has 401(k) with matching contributions, unlimited PTO, and fully funded health insurance. We really value treating our employees and customers well, while creating a great product. All of this obviously costs money, and this forces us to price our products in a way that allows us to stay in business. Clones, however, arbitrarily drag down the perceived value of products. A clone company reaps the benefits of someone else shouldering the costs of product development, marketing, and building trust. I can't speak to every company but my assumption is that clone companies do not pay their employees as well or maintain as nice of a work environment, which allows them to sell their products for much cheaper.
At MachineWise, there’s a limit to how many products we can produce in a week. Clone companies can often produce more and faster than we can, and by flooding the market with clones, they effectively take our future demand. This is possible because as a gross generalization consumers are not willing to be "patient." Regularly consumers want immediate gratification and lower prices. Which is used to justify buying a clone now and with the promise of eventually buying the real thing. This is often a lie. The clone satisfies the curiosity, and the real product is no longer as special. Now the consumer doesn't have to go to the original maker to test the product or satisfy their interest. Instead, they tried the clone, got the data point, and moved on to the next shiny new thing.
Unfair Playing Field:
This one is more emotional than anything else, but it frustrates me nonetheless. At MachineWise, we have to develop our own product line from the ground up. A clone company can take products from any brand they want. "Oh, consumers want Gaboons, Tsunamis, Orcas, etc.? Okay, we’ll just make clones of those!" They get to choose only the "winners." They watch the market and copy the successful knives that the community wants, while we, as makers, take risks with every new design. Maybe our next design flops, and the community doesn’t want it. If that happens, we lose a lot of time and money in development. Cloning, by nature, is predatory. The clone companies are simply targeting the low-hanging fruit because consumers don’t care. I see the argument "I would have bought from [X brand] if it was available," Supporting clones closes the door for original brands to ever come back to the market with legacy products.
Morality:
Clone companies sometimes have great machining, finishing, and assembly. These companies could 100% be making kick-ass original products and contributing to the industry and community with innovative new designs. They could play in the space with the rest of us and actually offer something interesting. Instead, they take the easy road and copy existing products for all the reasons outlined above. What’s really frustrating is that customers support it. Every time you (not you specifically, but as a general audience) support a clone company, you’re telling them to keep doing this—copying instead of making cool new things.
Thank you for reading and hearing out my opinions on the mater. The above is a living document and I will likely edit it as I reflect on the subject more. Any edits will be accompanied by and (Edit: date) tag. Have a great day and remember; the most important thing to do in this hobby is have fun.