Golden Greek products have never been low budget items, that is no secret. The prices are in the top end of the market for a good reason. GG products are custom designed, well engineered, original items. They are collectors items, treasured mods and for a lot of people, a piece of vaping luxury we reward ourselves with after making the switch from regular cigarettes. For me, owning a GG is nothing to do with being elitist. We are all vapers, from the newly converted with a cheap kit to the vapers with mods costing in the hundreds. Yes, I am a GG fan, I only use GG's, I blog about GG's, they are my vaping life. But I can still appreciate a good mod or tank when I see one. But when it comes to owning a GG, I will only ever use the real deal.
Clones like the one's pictured above and below are everywhere. Watches, fashion, perfume, mobile technology, every industry has their own imitators producing clones. Importantly and more relevant to us, there are clones of mods and tanks showing up quite regularly now. Not just GG's but all of the popular high end mods have been cloned and are available online, easily findable with a five minute search. There are copies, mods that borrow design ideas and mods that copy every detail, down to logos and serial numbers. Some are very close visually to the real thing, others are obviously lacking in quality, both in construction and materials. Speaking to Imeo in the past about clones he said was aware of them and that there was not much he could do.
My 2 cents
Looking online you will find thousands of vaping items for sale. There is something for every budget, including high end mods at low end prices. Way back when I first discovered GG's they were very hard to get hold of. It would have been very tempting to buy a cheap look-a-like had they been more widely available then. So are clones an easier way for those not willing to pay full price for an original, to experience the mod they would like? The problem as I see it is buying a clone will never be the same as buying the real deal. There is a certain satisfaction in owning something that is 100% authentic especially with Golden Greek products. You can feel the great build quality and appreciate the fine machining that goes into every piece.
I've never seen a clone in the flesh but I'm certain the quality of copies can not compare to a real Golden Greek. Let's say though that a clone was able to match the build quality of an original GG, no matter how good it looks and feels, it would still be a fake. That for me is the most important part. I don't buy original because I'm a snob, elitist, etc. I do it because I only want original GG parts. I do it because I want to support my friend Imeo. I do it because I want to and that's my choice, just as you have your choice to do what you want.
Clones are everywhere now and there is no sign of them disappearing. It has become part of vaping culture. I'd like to make clear that I have nothing against people who buy clones. They have their own valid reasons and it would be wrong of me to expect anyone else to conform to my way of thinking. I would never want to prejudge someone for their buying choices, just as I hope I am not judged for mine. I don't agree with the practice of taking someone's work, reproducing it and selling it without any regard for the original inventor. That is something that doesn't sit well with me. There are no easy answers though. All I will say is that in my opinion you can not beat owning a real, Greek designed, Greek made, Golden Greek.
