• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

Strange boots - counterfeit or kosher?

skipress

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
Posts
386
Location
GB
So I has a quiet half hour and tripped over these:

boots 1.png

boots 2.png

This is the site: Boots

Now they are extraordinarily similar to 'cough' well known brands which begs the question - are they the skiing equivalent of a 'chinese Rolex', are they the real deal, made for the suppliers but for the Chinese market [with these being 'own brand versions of the real boot], or are some of the supply chains for ski boots more a'hem complicated than they seem?

Anyone have any information on these. I've reached out to the brands too.
 

Philpug

Notorious P.U.G.
Admin
SkiTalk Tester
Joined
Nov 1, 2015
Posts
42,624
Location
Reno, eNVy
A lot of them look uhhmmm...familiar. LOL
 

KingGrump

Most Interesting Man In The World
Team Gathermeister
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
12,196
Location
NYC
I don't believe you can call them counterfeits since the graphic on them are not the same as the major European brands.
Since the front toe lugs on all the pictured boots are intact, I doubt they will pass the kosher test. :ogbiggrin:
However, I would definitely call them knock offs.

That totally makes me wonder if they're gonna do bindings next.

Those are special. You have to buy a pair of ski to get them.

Screenshot (354).png


Screenshot (356).png
 
Thread Starter
TS
skipress

skipress

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
Posts
386
Location
GB
I've reached out to the press office of a couple of the brands and asked questions.

There's also an expression in watches of 'a homage' - a look-a-like, ostensibly not designed to mislead [not marked as Rolex] but one that looks identical save for the branding.

I must admit my suspicion is more that these are sort of legit - built to spec, albeit unbranded. There's an expression in the garment trade over here of 'cabbage'. Cabbage is when a factory is contracted to make a garment legitimately for a company [as a sub contractor] but instead of stopping at an agreed quantity they keep going but put their own badge on it.

Given the size of the Chinese market and Amer being owned by a Chinese co' now it would/could make sense to produce 'em there.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,885
Location
Behavioral sink
I must admit my suspicion is more that these are sort of legit - built to spec, albeit unbranded. There's an expression in the garment trade over here of 'cabbage'. Cabbage is when a factory is contracted to make a garment legitimately for a company [as a sub contractor] but instead of stopping at an agreed quantity they keep going but put their own badge on it.

My question is what substitutions are made in the overage - of items like liners and buckles and pivot pins.
 

chopchop

so many skis, so little time
Skier
Joined
Apr 1, 2020
Posts
325
Location
Too far
So I has a quiet half hour and tripped over these:

View attachment 103390
View attachment 103391
This is the site: Boots

Now they are extraordinarily similar to 'cough' well known brands which begs the question - are they the skiing equivalent of a 'chinese Rolex', are they the real deal, made for the suppliers but for the Chinese market [with these being 'own brand versions of the real boot], or are some of the supply chains for ski boots more a'hem complicated than they seem?

Anyone have any information on these. I've reached out to the brands too.

If I was K2, Salomon or Atomic might have a problem with this. What say you @onenerdykid?
 

dbostedo

Asst. Gathermeister
Moderator
Contributor
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Feb 9, 2016
Posts
18,095
Location
75% Virginia, 25% Colorado
My question is what substitutions are made in the overage - of items like liners and buckles and pivot pins.
And more than that, what quality control is being implemented if any? If there's a "bad batch" will it be caught or recalled? And are things even tracked/checked to prevent a bad run?
 
Thread Starter
TS
skipress

skipress

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
Posts
386
Location
GB
<<My question is what substitutions are made in the overage - of items like liners and buckles and pivot pins.>>

<<If I was K2, Salomon or Atomic might have a problem with this. What say you @onenerdykid?>>

<<And more than that, what quality control is being implemented if any? If there's a "bad batch" will it be caught or recalled? And are things even tracked/checked to prevent a bad run??>>

That s probably at the heart of this. Do the companies know that these guys are making 'their' boots, do they know they are selling them under their own label.

If they really are chinese rolex then lord knows what's in them, buckles could be banana peel and used gum. If they are a legit contractor [albeit one who might not be allowed to sell 'own brand'] then they might be the real deal with real 'bits'.

<<Reminds of TENCO that SportChek used to sell, or maybe they still do...>>

I ve only been into a couple of Sport Cheks, so not 100% sure but on this side of the pond Tecno aka Tecno Pro is a 'real' private brand sold through the Intersport group. Happens with Decathlon too, big retailer goes to a mfgr and essentially says make us 50 000 of those with our brand, what's your best price. Tecno seems more legit
 

fatbob

Not responding
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
Decathlon do some pretty nice looking boots chirpy cheep cheep. They are definitely legit and will stand by their product with their ski brands run just down the road from Dynastar/ Lange and Salomon.
 

cantunamunch

Meh
Skier
Joined
Nov 17, 2015
Posts
21,885
Location
Behavioral sink
Decathlon do some pretty nice looking boots chirpy cheep cheep. They are definitely legit and will stand by their product with their ski brands run just down the road from Dynastar/ Lange and Salomon.

Yeh, OP did a thread on those a while back.

 

graham418

Skiing the powder
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Posts
3,460
Location
Toronto
Alibaba.. Lots of manufacturers there. Order up a hundred pairs.(or more) Boots , Skis, Poles, whatever you want. Put your own name on them. Sell them on Ebay or Amazon. Become rich and famous!! :roflmao:
 

onenerdykid

Product Manager, Atomic Ski Boots
Masterfit Bootfitter
Manufacturer
Joined
Feb 18, 2020
Posts
1,265
Location
Altenmarkt, Austria
This looks more like a scam than anything. You can't select the model(s) of boot(s) you want to buy, and all of the images look super doctored. If they are actually selling boots, are they even the boots that are pictured? Chances are they bought super old close-out stock by container from eastern European discounters but are using current images. The typical path old products take is originating in central Europe which then gets offloaded to eastern Europe, which eventually gets offloaded to Asia. There's no way you are finding 100 pairs of 2019 Hawx Prime 130s for 69 bucks a pair.

China isn't capable of making ski boots (yet)- they simply lack the know-how at this time and we know this. They don't have their own production facilities for ski boot injection molding, that's a fact. It's not an industry there and no brands are injecting over there. Will this happen in the future? Who knows.
 
Thread Starter
TS
skipress

skipress

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
Posts
386
Location
GB
This looks more like a scam than anything. You can't select the model(s) of boot(s) you want to buy, and all of the images look super doctored. If they are actually selling boots, are they even the boots that are pictured? Chances are they bought super old close-out stock by container from eastern European discounters but are using current images. The typical path old products take is originating in central Europe which then gets offloaded to eastern Europe, which eventually gets offloaded to Asia. There's no way you are finding 100 pairs of 2019 Hawx Prime 130s for 69 bucks a pair.

China isn't capable of making ski boots (yet)- they simply lack the know-how at this time and we know this. They don't have their own production facilities for ski boot injection molding, that's a fact. It's not an industry there and no brands are injecting over there. Will this happen in the future? Who knows.

Thanks Matt - I assume that you know this. It was certainly the case when eastern europe was opening up that lots of close outs went east - and it was to everyone's benefit.

I'd expect sooner or later that we must see production opening up in China:
  • Huge potential market
  • Increasing chinese ownership of western brands
  • Shipping costs from the west
  • Ongoing risk of tariffs in trade disputes
  • Wider expertise - ok, they may not have the boot expertise yet but there's a heck of a lot of expertise in moulding 'stuff' over there which must be highly transferable.
  • Possibility of [as a result of low labour costs] shipping stuff west - though the tariff issue could play both ways.
There's obviously a reasonable amount of ski production in Japan and Rexxam with boots [is there anyone else making boots there?].
 

graham418

Skiing the powder
Skier
SkiTalk Supporter
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Posts
3,460
Location
Toronto
I'd expect sooner or later that we must see production opening up in China:
It already is. Check out Alibaba website. You can have anything made. Skis. boots, poles goggles etc. Some you can order as few as 2 units.
 

fatbob

Not responding
Skier
Joined
Nov 12, 2015
Posts
6,288
Thread Starter
TS
skipress

skipress

Getting off the lift
Skier
Joined
Apr 4, 2019
Posts
386
Location
GB
"It already is. Check out Alibaba website. You can have anything made. Skis. boots, poles goggles etc. Some you can order as few as 2 units."

That was my thought too but onenerdykid says 'China isn't capable of making ski boots (yet)- they simply lack the know-how at this time and we know this. They don't have their own production facilities for ski boot injection molding, that's a fact. It's not an industry there and no brands are injecting over there' and with his CV I assume he's a reliable source.

The accessories are a given and I am sure I recall at least 1 ski co' trialling manufacture in China years ago.

Edit: It was of course K2 "In cost reduction moves initiated in 1999, K2 completed the move of its remaining ski production to China in 2001 and closed the Washington ski manufacturing facility during 2001". Not sure if they still come out of there or not.

Bob, I ve a feeling you'd get 6 CD ROMs, despite the video it looks to me to be an arcade game :).
 
Last edited:

Sponsor

Staff online

Top