Clones and knockoffs

[og512]

I've been wanting to upgrade my irons but my funds are limited. I am looking for a set of game improvement irons. I have noticed that there are knockoff/clones of a lot the popular brands (Slingshot OSS, TM R7, Sumo, Big Berthas, etc...)

Would going with a clone set be a good choice until I am ready to step up to a players iron or blade? Are there any drawbacks to these clones/knockoffs?

[Elvisliveson]

  og512 said:

I've been wanting to upgrade my irons but my funds are limited. I am looking for a set of game improvement irons. I have noticed that there are knockoff/clones of a lot the popular brands (Slingshot OSS, TM R7, Sumo, Big Berthas, etc...) Would going with a clone set be a good choice until I am ready to step up to a players iron or blade? Are there any drawbacks to these clones/knockoffs?

Not for a 20 handicap with designs on improving like yourself. You are on the cusp of becoming a better player, so the last thing you need is your equipment holding you back. Clones typically use components of lesser quality and this affects performance. A good brand name mid-level game improvement iron will still be effective for you if you become say, a 10 handicap. By the time that happens, you'll need a new set because of age anyway.

[Caddyshack]

Its the old story of you get what you pay for, clones are made from cheap materials and simply dont peform as well as brand name clubs, id suggest a good second hand set over clones.

[teladog1]

yeah u can def get a cheap used set on ebay or something that would be way more effective and actually prob the same price as a knockoff.

tgw has hogan bh5 for dirt cheap right now, not a bad set at all. otherwise u can check callaway used website. adams has very nice mid priced clubs as well

[Caddyshack]

Im not sure what your looking to spend but these are only $229 on rockbottom , i have heard good reviews on all Adams golf irons.

http://www.rockbottomgolf.com/adams-...set-steel.html

got to be a better option than clones.

[Stacey_E]

  Caddyshack said:

Its the old story of you get what you pay for, clones are made from cheap materials and simply dont peform as well as brand name clubs, id suggest a good second hand set over clones.

Exactly!

At your handicap I think you are ready for some good used but brand name irons. You'll get a very nice set, regardless of the brand, for $300 or less. Then you'll put the 3 and 4 iron in the closet. Your scores will drop and you will be able to sell the clubs for about $250 and step up to player's irons if you want. With knockoffs, if you ever upgrade later, their resale will be about $100 at best for a set of 8 irons.

[dmband8985]

what about gigagolf? a practice buddy of mine just got a set of forged irons from them...he actually ordered a combo set of forged cavity backs for long irons and and muscle backs on the short irons. heads are forged from the same steel that even the highest end component makers like Wishon uses. forging processes are apparently similar too...he got his built with TT dynamic gold's with sensicore, which aren't exactly bottom of the barrel shafts. a similar club from mizuno or a company of the like would have cost him twice as much easily. even a good set of preowned would have been a steal if got them for the same price. i've hit them and they are pretty damn nice. even if they are not from as good of materials as some of you claim...for a few hundred bucks i wouldn't mind having them in my bag for a few seasons, sure beats paying a grand for some miz's or titelists

i hear the argument of resale all the time, and i'm not really a believer....first of all, unless you upgrade your equipment every season, a set of clubs that are two or three model years old don't fetch much on trade in value. second, i personally don't believe that you are using your clubs properly if they are graded in excellent conditions after two or three seasons of golf. if you are looking for a set to help get you from a high handicap to a 10 handicap you can't go wrong with clones or components...the difference in how much you pay for and get in trade in for a set of name brands will always be more than a moderately priced club that you can learn the game on well (you can always get a nice tax deduction when you take them to goodwill when you decide to splurge on oem's, assuming you haven't hit them against a tree or thrown them in the lake out of frustration). plus you can use the extra money for lessons and greens fees

[brettwasbtd]

I have done much research into clone clubs and after it all, I would recommend them. I don't want you to make your choice of new irons based on others that are brand biased. The people that responded saying clones are of lesser quality all have nice name brand clubs. Of course they think the name brands are of higher quality, they paid 3-5 times more for it (they don't want to think they paid all of that money without a good reason)! That being said, think of clones like the car manufacturer Hyundai. Hyundai produces an affordable car based off of nicer models and provides functionality at a greatly cheaper cost.

The two main and reputable clone companies are Pinemeadow Golf and Gigagolf. These two companies have outstanding customer service as well as a 30-day play guarantee and 1 year warranty. They use quality components and you can make upgrades to grips and shafts if you'd like. My roommate owns a Pinemeadow Sandwedge and has hit some amazing shots with it. I am making an irons purchase from them for christmas.

One other thing to consider about clones... They have almost no resale value, so if you want to get some money back down the road to apply to your next purchase, go with a name brand. Once again, for your purposes I think a clone set will be fine.

[Stacey_E]

  dmband8985 said:

what about gigagolf? a practice buddy of mine just got a set of forged irons....a combo set of forged cavity backs for long irons and and muscle backs on the short irons....built with TT dynamic gold's with sensicore....a similar club from mizuno or a company of the like would have cost him twice as much easily. even a good set of preowned would have been a steal if got them for the same price...sure beats paying a grand for some miz's or titelists

I just built this set online to see. You are right. With those shafts (and stock grip, length and lie angles) the total with TT gold sensicores' were $399.60. That's about half the price of new forged irons. And you are right about not fetching much on trade in value. You always get screwed on trade in. But resale is the way to go to fetch your money back. It's just a fact that as your swing evolves you will be looking for new clubs. It might not be the most frugal thing to do. But who among us isn't guilty of at least window shopping for that new wedge or driver. Who can pass on a steal on a set of irons if they have the extra cash at the time. I'd say if you are keeping your clubs forever then clones aren't a bad way to go.

But if you buy used, and let someone else take the depreciation on a set of irons, then you can pick most of that back up in resale value later (not trade value though). This is especially true of cast irons that seem to withstand the rigors of bag wear more than softer forged clubs. The last 3 sets of used irons I bought and sold were: 1998 X12's 4-sw graphite bought in 2004 for $300 sold in 2007 for $225 1996 Big Berthas 3-pw graphite bought in 2002 for $275 sold in 2004 for $225 80's Ping Eye 2s 3-pw bought in 2001 for $300 sold in 2002 for $300 But I think your last sentence about lessons and greens fees makes the best arguement for saving money on clubs regardless of whether you go used brand name or new clones.

  brettwasbtd said:

I don't want you to make your choice of new irons based on others that are brand biased....

The first statement is very true! Each person should find what is best for them. If you look at my bag sig you will see I am definately not brand biased haha

As for the second statement, well, I'm not sure that is true. I know I look for good deals and sometimes get great deals. But I'll admit a well fitted clone would probably be better than an ill fitted brand name. Good debate guys!

[teladog1]

its not that knock offs are bad clubs. however, you can find used name brand clubs that have been tested and reviewed by many people which will have a higher resale value for prob the same price as knock offs. last i looked a full set of knockoffs will run you at least 200$+. i see no reason to spend that much money on knock offs when you can get a nice set of adams, hogan, armour, etc... name brands clubs for the same price. plus if you order a set of knockoffs u dont have the chance to hit them first nor will they have been reviewed by anyone. with name brands u at least know what u get and for about the same price.

if you are opposed to used, then knockoffs might be the right answer, however u can get new hogans and adams for good deals.

not to mention performance aside you will actually look the part.

[dmband8985]

  teladog1 said:

not to mention performance aside you will actually look the part.

alright here's a deal, you can look the part with your 700 dollar irons, your 60 dollar nike dri-fit shirt and your $175 FJ's...throw in a cool visor while you're at it. i'll keep myself busy making birdies and counting the all the extra money. i might get it all in singles and roll around in some green on the greens. bottom line is i hit my friends irons from gigagolf a club further, straighter and higher than i do my nickent 3dx redbacks which i bought at almost the exact same price...how's that for performance?

i just want to give you one piece of advice to follow...don't settle for an ill suited set of clubs just because they are brand name. if there is something out there that you hit better, who cares what name it has on the back of the club...last time i checked you hit the ball with the face of the club. 30 day money back guarantees from companies like gigagolf means YOU can hit the club and YOU can decide if its right for YOU

[Stacey_E]

  teladog1 said:

not to mention performance aside you will actually look the part.

God I knew you'd get burnt on that one. LMAO

Honnestly I know what you mean though. If nothing else it's a mojo thing. Not necessarily economical and therefore not logical. But when has mojo ever been logical? But I knew you'd get burnt....still LMAO

[wachesawgolfer]

I know lots of people who bought cheap clones and knockoffs and love them. For the most part, all this stuff, component, OEM, knock offs and clones are all made in the same Chinese factories where the quality controls are the same for all of it. Take any highend OEM set of irons to a good clubmaker and you will be amazed how off spec they are. Drivers from any manufacturer are off loft as much as 3 degrees. High end graphite shafts wobble all over the place on frequency machines. Its really how much you want to spend, whether you get what you pay for is hit or miss.

[Henry]

I have a friend who brought a R7 SuperQuad off e-bay for £90/$180 which he thought to be a great deal. He used it for about 3 months before he realized it was fake. To me it felt fine although not as sweet as my Callaway FT-3 but he hit it OK with a strong draw compared to his normal slight fade(notice how i didn't say good). His R7 came with an all black head cover instead of the usual red/yellow one. This is what made me suspicious. I told him he should let the club pro take a look at it. Once the pro had a look i turned off he had a fake shaft, fake movable weights however the club head was genuine. The pro said that he could replace those parts for £70 or $140. My mate didn't want to pay that so he asked the pro to hit it to see if its was OK to pay with. After 5 shots the pro said that the shaft felt like it was made from stone because it was so heavy and stiff and that because the weights where fake it gave the club a very very nasty hook biased. This meant that the club was pretty much useless. So he threw it in the bin and brought a Nike SQ2

This is my personal experience of fake clubs, however is this fake the same as knock off clubs because if they are i would strongly advise that you stay away from fakes like they were the plague.

Hope that has given you another side of the story to consider when buying knock off clubs.

[brettwasbtd]

  Henry said:

...a very very nasty hook biased. This meant that the club was pretty much useless. So he threw it in the bin...

Where is that trash can! I have an incurable slice with my driver! haha

Like I mentioned before the to reputable companies are Pinemeadow and Gigagolf. Ebay can be sketchy and honestly has gone downhill in recent years

[glebert]

I've got nothing against clones, but personally I prefer either preowned or new from a 2nd tier OEM. I wanted to try some stiffer shafted (graphite) irons, but didn't want to spend too much on them. I ended up finding my Laser irons (forged player's cavity backs, frequency matched ) on Ebay for $45. They totally rock, I'm glad I didn't buy the clones that I had been considering.

[og512]

I just bought a set of Taylor Made RAC 3-PW off Ebay for $84. I'm stoked. I actually got to hit a set of these earlier this summer and I liked them a lot.

Thanks for all the input guys. Much appreciated.

[Stacey_E]

  og512 said:

I just bought a set of Taylor Made RAC 3-PW off Ebay for $84. I'm stoked. I actually got to hit a set of these earlier this summer and I liked them a lot. Thanks for all the input guys. Much appreciated.

Good buy!