Would you trust? (Easton RS OPS)

[hockeymass 11]

for those of us who arent educated, how can you tell they are fakes?

The first one is easy. The Easton E on the blade is upside down and backwards, and the other blade graphics are missing (you can't see this on the second one since the blade is taped). The other clue is that the yellow graphics should be on the backhand side of the shaft, not the forehand side. This error is present on the second one as well.

[DBear 0]

The first one is easy. The Easton E on the blade is upside down and backwards, and the other blade graphics are missing (you can't see this on the second one since the blade is taped). The other clue is that the yellow graphics should be on the backhand side of the shaft, not the forehand side. This error is present on the second one as well.

So they are both fake? That in part is why I just wouldn't buy a stick off ebay. There is a guy I see occasionally at drop in who was bragging about the "great deal" he just got on an RS off ebay.

We switched sticks and he let me pass around with it. After he was like wow your X60 is really light - my RS weighs a ton.

I just didn't have the heart to break it to him that his $110 great deal was probably a fake.

[hockeymass 11]

So they are both fake? That in part is why I just wouldn't buy a stick off ebay. There is a guy I see occasionally at drop in who was barging about the "great deal" he just got on an RS off ebay.

We switched sticks and he let me pass around with it. After he was like wow your X60 is really light - my RS weighs a ton.

I just didn't have the heart to break it to him that his $110 great deal was probably a fake.

In my (admittedly inexpert) opinion, they are both counterfeits. With ebay, as with all things, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Ebay can be great if you understand the market and know that there are no blowout deals to be had on new top of the line gear. Stop and consider what the incentive is for anyone to take a 50-60% loss on a brand new top of the line stick. At no point in the chain does it make any sense.

[AfftonDad 88]

Ebay can be great if you understand the market and know that there are no blowout deals to be had on new top of the line gear. Stop and consider what the incentive is for anyone to take a 50-60% loss on a brand new top of the line stick. At no point in the chain does it make any sense.

True when dealing with someone who paid a "real" wholesale price for the item and is turning around and selling it. However, some stuff (not just hockey stuff) on ebay was "liberated" from a store or other point in the supply chain.

[hockeymass 11]

True when dealing with someone who paid a "real" wholesale price for the item and is turning around and selling it. However, some stuff (not just hockey stuff) on ebay was "liberated" from a store or other point in the supply chain.

This is true, and buying stolen property would kind of leave a bad taste in my mouth.

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

You will not find a deal on a RS stick for another 1.5 years.

If it seems too good to be true in any circumstance, it probably is. If you buy from an authorized dealer, you will buy the right product and have peace of mind that they will stand by their product.

[AfftonDad 88]

BTW... I wasn't suggesting that buying a stolen stick was a good idea (I bought my RS at LHS).

Chance that it may be counterfeit + Chance that it may be stolen + Chance that it may not have a warranty + Chance that it may have been used/abused = Not worth the risk

[MushyBushy 1]

You will not find a deal on a RS stick for another 1.5 years.

If it seems too good to be true in any circumstance, it probably is. If you buy from an authorized dealer, you will buy the right product and have peace of mind that they will stand by their product.

Yes, although HM does have some Torres pro stock sticks available for $180

The spec of the other two fake sticks seems to be the same, so keep a close eye out for the graphics if you're bidding on a 85 Flex with Hall curve

[JR Boucicaut 3805]

Pro stock isn't what we are discussing here...I thought it was pretty clear I was talking about retail product.

[jds 20]

Lower tariffs on hockey gear coming to Canada. Nice.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/tariffs-on-imported-hockey-gear-to-be-slashed-in-budget/article10051845/

[AIREAYE 248]

Wow, this is big. Thanks for the post!

This will be helpful for Canadian hockey retailers for sure and a good precautionary defense against American online retailers, who I would think could become a threat in the future. With showrooming and online retailing becoming the norm now it seems in the tech and print industries for example, this could address a fundamental cause of that, which is pricing. Although not as much of a problem in Canada as it is in the States, the fact remains that prices are still higher up here. The article says that the government hopes that the taxes lost to this would be recouped by theoretical higher sales numbers due to lower prices. The effects on buyer perception, however, will take quite a while to change, because hockey will always have that label (and rightfully so to an extent) of being an expensive sport. A lower tax probably won't be felt particularly heavily.

[hunterphfr 12]

Not much they can do to the factory. If they pull production from that plant they can kiss any of the molds goodbye and the factory will just ramp up the knockoffs and sell them to someone else. With or without changing the logos.

Look at KOR and their production/legal issues with China and the company that allegedly wound up using the KOR equipment kept in China after they moved production to Mexico.

[stick9 903]

I've seen tons of this in our business (not hockey related). At one point we had contract a Chinese plant to manufacture product for us. When we toured the plant we weren't allowed past a certain point and were given no viable reason as to why.

I've seen some pretty legit looking fakes in our business. Some where if you weren't told it was a fake, you'd never know.