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12/01/2021 11:19AM  
I was watching a camping video on YouTube and they used a twig stove (which they liked) and referred to it as "a cheap Amazon knockoff of a Bush Buddy stove".
I could see it was the same brand stove as I have and got a little defensive. The "knock off" is an Ohuhu174 and costs me $27 as opposed to $85 to $100 for the bush buddy. I have used the Ohuho stove well over 100 times and can't find any fault with it, except for some discoloration from smoke it is the same now as when I bought it.
The point I'm trying to make is if you are looking to acquire your own gear there are alternatives in the outdoor equipment world.
Is there any interest in a lower cost or off brand vs the top brand topic ?
For instance, I have a camp chair marketed under the name Berserker Outdoors that I paid $44 on Amazon . Helinox sells for $70 to $100+. The Beserker has stood up to my 240# ass camping, sitting in a muddy duck blind and uneven deer stand for three or four years now. I have no regrets with my purchase and the only difference I can see is it is a little heavier at2#
Does anyone else have any examples they want to put forward?
 
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cyclones30
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12/01/2021 05:31PM  
So you're not so much looking @ gear reviews but for cheaper but good alternatives to some gear?

I like the basketball net for an anchor....pick up a small rock or two and leave it again when you're done.
 
12/01/2021 06:42PM  
See the "is there a better cup?" thread below . . .
 
andym
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12/01/2021 07:16PM  
To me the issue with a knock-off is whether they simply took a design done by someone else. In some cases that may be ok, for designs that are too simple or obvious to gain legal protection. But other times, I suspect it is just too hard for small companies to protect their intellectual property. We have to each judge for ourselves whether that is happening and whether we care enough to pay more to reward the originator.

Note that I am not commenting on the Ohuhu stove versus the Bush Buddy. To me, those look somewhat different and like they both fall in a broad range of similar stoves.
 
OMGitsKa
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12/01/2021 07:34PM  
With the initial use some of these products may be comparable, but are they going to stand the test of time? Or are you going to have to keep replacing the cheaper item of an item that would've costed more but lasted much longer.
 
12/01/2021 10:53PM  
OMGitsKa: "With the initial use some of these products may be comparable, but are they going to stand the test of time? Or are you going to have to keep replacing the cheaper item of an item that would've costed more but lasted much longer. "


I agree with you 100%. Cheaply made is never a good buy. The point I was laboriously and confusingly trying to make was there were good, quality products out there at a much lower price then the top brand names. The stove and chair I mentioned in my original post were meant to illustrate that.
 
MidwestFirecraft
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12/02/2021 07:29AM  
andym: "To me the issue with a knock-off is whether they simply took a design done by someone else. In some cases that may be ok, for designs that are too simple or obvious to gain legal protection. But other times, I suspect it is just too hard for small companies to protect their intellectual property. We have to each judge for ourselves whether that is happening and whether we care enough to pay more to reward the originator."

I appreciate you mentioning this. As well as what are we looking for in gear? If you are looking for a handcrafted wood gasifier made by employees in a small business in the USA than it is hard to beat the Bushbuddy. If you are just looking for a gear that works, then yes there are many other options. For cookware I love Japanese titanium because I have found it to be the purest, best constructed I can buy, and that matters to me. As Merlyn noted, there are certainly much cheaper alternatives to my $50 Snow Peak double walled titanium mug, but it is worth every penny to me. "Suum Cuique"
 
thistlekicker
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12/02/2021 11:26AM  
"One thing is for certain; there is no stopping them; the low-cost knockoff products will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new overlords." - Kent Brockman (probably)
 
12/02/2021 01:04PM  
One has to wonder how these products can be made this cheaply... obvious many of our products are overpriced. But many of the knock offs can leave you scratching your head the difference. There are diesel heaters for campers made here in the US for $1100... the same heater from China is under $200 complete.
 
LilyPond
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12/22/2021 09:17PM  
Post deleted.
 
12/23/2021 02:10PM  
OMGitsKa: "With the initial use some of these products may be comparable, but are they going to stand the test of time? Or are you going to have to keep replacing the cheaper item of an item that would've costed more but lasted much longer. "


Look up the term, "future value of money". Buying the less expensive model and replacing it after a period of time may be much less expensive than buying the better quality item that would last longer.
 
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