Baron’s Hobbies – Online Hobby Magazine

Buying Clones; Things To Keep In Mind

Posted on December 21, 2009 by aaronredbaron

To buy a clone or not, that is the question. Many products have been popping up on the market which are complete clones, or virtually identical copies of an original product. Clones can often be found for a fraction of the original’s price, and many of them offer reasonable value. However, buying a clone is not always a turn-key operation, and factoring in the extra work it may take to get your clone flying as well as the original should be considered before you buy one.  Whether you are looking at a complete helicopter, a brushless motor, a servo, or any other hobby product, consider these points.

Differences

• Parts support- Although many clones are meant to work with parts from the model they are cloned from, there are no guarantees. You may need a simple part, such as a mainshaft, but even if you match it up to something commonly available, the parts may not fit properly.
• Shipping- Most clones are shipped directly from overseas. While most shipments do eventually arrive, shipping times vary greatly from a few days to nearly a month, and the cost of shipping is usually at least $30.
• Materials- Even if it looks the same, a clone may not be built out of the same materials as the original. Cheap metals, plastics and composites could lead to in-flight failures, and clones are notorious for cheap bearings that may not be sufficient.
• Quality control- This is the perhaps the biggest issue for cloned products. Whether you are looking at hobby products or something else, cloned product’s biggest downfall is a lack of quality control, regardless of the industry.
• Manual- Don’t expect a thorough manual with clear color pictures. Clones may or may not come with any manual at all, and deciphering their cryptic English can be a chore. Measurements may or may not be accurate, so extra care needs to be paid to ensure proper assembly and set up.
• Wear and tear- Just because a clone flies without an issue at first doesn’t mean it will last as long as the original. Many parts won’t show any issues related to materials selection or quality control until after a few flights, when they wear out prematurely.
• Lack of liability- Manufactures from China have no liability to you, which can directly affect their materials selection, and quality control. Its partly this lack of liability (in the form of copyrights) which allows these cloned products to appear in the first place. If you have a part fail on a clone from China and you are injured due to the manufacturer’s negligence, they have no liability to you.

A New JR Helicopter From HobbyKing.com?

While there are many clones of the Align product line, none of them have gone so far as to use the original’s name. Perhaps the most blatant knock off  is HobbyKing.com’s new clone of JR’s new Vibe 500E 3D Pro V5E. HobbyKing used the name from JR Helicopter’s old electric design, the Voyager, and copied the design of the new Vibe 500E. But while the JR 500E is a quality kit with mostly machined metal parts and G10 fiberglass frames, the clone appears to be the same design entirely comprised of plastic. With the kind of power available in a 425mm rotor blade helicopter, the “HK-J500 (JR Voyager)” clone could be a very dangerous machine if its set up with a ton of power and a part fails. Set up properly with great care taken, perhaps it would be a good docile flyer. The original JR 500E is a solid product and is built of quality materials.

Click here to see the original JR Vibe 500E 3D Pro V5E

Click here to see the HobbyKing.com HK-J500 (JR Voyager) clone

Consider the Implications 

While its possible to find good value in some clones, others may lead you on a wild goose chase trying to sort out problems. If you buy a clone, expect the worst and it can only get better! If you are prepared to go through the whole model and replace any insufficient parts, its entirely possible to get a lot of value out of a clone. Keep an eye out for early wear and tear and be vigilant to replace any parts that seem to be wearing, because cheaper materials often wear at a much faster rate. Consider the risk before you buy, both monetary and safety as well; While there is little risk involved flying a clone of a small foam parkflyer, a large powerful helicopter is a completely different story.