Yaqi Single Edge AC style

...This is an advertisement. No such thing as bad publicity. ...

With no hint about where to obtain one, no price mentioned, and no model name given, it's a very poor advertisement.

As far as knock-offs go, should everybody avoid buying standard DE blades that are not made by Gillette?

This is an advertisement. No such thing as bad publicity. People will see this thread, go check out how much it costs, and some will buy it. And every time that happens, my work is devalued.

Not ads at all. Not in intention.
It's a warning, because shape remembers (long shot!!!) your Vector.
BUT, all the rest is different.
Not the geometry.
Not the material.
Not the craftsmanship.

It's for a different market.
It's for someone who search the first SE razor AC style.
And does NOT want / have the budget for.
Or, a cheap (in comparison, NOT sure the price will be a couple of bucks) backup / travel option ... in addition to others more valuable razors.
And, as always seen into aficionados communities this could be the first step into a new world (SE razors are a little niche!!) where to find other great ones as Vector or Colonial Razors General.
If this happens, this thread will be an advertisement ... FOR YOU.

As always, IMHO best way is to share information and experiences.
Let the people be free to understand the real thing.
Free to choice what it's best for them, in their situation in that moment.
Time will tell the truth ...

Long life and prosperity.

... it's a very poor advertisement.

I'm the worst marketer in the world.
I'm not able to hustle too ... FOR SURE NOT A HUSTLER.

No need to ban threads. Most people know the quality and tolerances don't compare to the real thing.

Knowledge is power.
Sharing is the key.

I agree with this as it wouldn't stop people from learning/hearing about it anyway. That said, If I were Shane, I would no doubt feel the same way.

+1

Since it is nothing more than a design stolen from Shane, his wishes should be heeded and the post deleted

Very fast.
For now, It's a prototype.
If / when hits the market, will see real specs.
I think this homage is far from the original.

Leaving this up will only help spread the word.

Filling this up with info will spread truth in the world.

Respectfully that is a 2 edge sword.

Or, with less drama, it's a symbiosis.

Let the buyers decide where to spend their $$ ...

Better inform them, before.
This is the great power of online communities.

At a deeper level, I think if the community wants to continue to see cool innovative products then we as a group need to address this. I’ve spoken to other makers who feel less interested in making new products because it’ll be knocked off. We as a community can control this and forum management can have a particularly strong impact in protecting the makers of our community.

Change the game is not work for the pawns.
We can just share info, and protect each other.
As a community.

I’d like everyone to be aware that the Moderators are aware of this thread and we are currently discussing the issues presented.

In business never let them see you sweat. Rule number 1.
When a small company, if the suppliers don't eventually F you, the copycats will. Rule number 2.

To avoid rule number 2 you need to manufacturer your own product eventually if you can't do it initially small or large. The tooling bought and skills learned if you can't hire someone to do it will make you more money than a design with no patent protection over the long term and not big enough in market share or complexity that you'll get bought out for crazy stupid money (think Mark Cuban and broadcast.com which leads into rule number 3).

Don't take money from vulture I mean venture capitalists especially ones whose TV show is called Shark Tank. At least they are honest that they are going to eat you alive and eventually take your business from you when you can't meet the demands of the investors. Rule number 3.

If you can't avoid rule number 3 then do the Harry's razor route and find some deep pocket bag holders so you turn the company into a publicly traded finanical zombie. Profit, get out and don't let your pride get in the way to avoid going down with the ship.

Designs are like drawings, you don't own the rights to a drawing. To say only you can draw something is downright arrogant and not realistic if you can't enforce it. The value is in the artistic skill not the actual drawing. That determines the cost and desirability above the market value for similar items. If the market players agree then the knock offs won't knock you off once the initial interest fades in them.

I have to disagree. If someone didn't sit down and design a product, the product wouldn't exist at all. That is the intellectual property. Designs are trademarked/copyrighted/patented (whichever applies to the situation). Yes, it helps some if you manufacture the product yourself, but only marginally. If someone in the USA rips your design off, you have legal recourse. China plays the game differently. If an item is popular enough, and China decides that the profit margins are good enough, they'll get their hands on an original and reverse engineer it. Then they'll sell that product for a little bit of nothing, which hurts the original designer. 

Whether you care about the vaping industry or not, I saw the demise of many small mom & pop shops due to China ripoffs. There were quite a few small machine shops here in the US that were producing high-end hardware. They would design and manufacture the items themselves. In a way, they were like the Wolfman razors or the vaping world. Someone would send the items to China, who would in turn produce thousands of clones, and sell them dirt cheap. A high-end mechanical mod from a mom & pop could easily run you about $300, and you'd have to spend months on a waiting list to get one. Someone would get one, send it to China, where they'd be cloned and produce them by the thousands - quickly. You can guess what happened. People jumped all over the $30 mods that they could get immediately - as a result, the mom & pop businesses couldn't compete and closed their doors. 

For the life of me, I can't understand how folks think it's ok for someone else's design to be stolen, just so they can get (basically) the same thing cheaply. It's morally and ethically wrong. On both ends - both the person (or company) doing the ripping off, and the people who support the counterfeit items. I can't afford a Rolex, so I don't own a Rolex. Simple as that. I'm not going to support the counterfeit industry by buying a "replica", as they like to label them. And, don't kid yourself about the quality. They are very capable of producing high quality pieces if they feel the profit margins warrant. The "replica" watches? Many are so good even trained jewelers have a difficult time distinguishing them between the authentic Rolex. I'm not saying that will be the case of the Vector knockoff, but merely stating they *can* do high quality work. 

I saw some people in this thread feel that the quality of the Vector knockoff won't be as good as the original. Maybe it won't, but that's still beside the point. Shane's original design and hard work is being ripped off and devalued. His time and effort to design the products that he does, all of which are highly regarded, are well worth the price they sell for. He deserved to be compensated for it. That's his job, and it's how he makes a living. Although he doesn't produce the products himself, they are still his designs - and the Blackland line of razors wouldn't exist without his designs. 

Sure, he could've avoided being ripped off by working with a Chinese manufacturing company to offer his designs at lower prices. Instead, he decided to have the razors produced here in the USA - providing jobs for others here in the USA. I wish more companies would chose to do the same, instead of looking to make a quick buck. 

I'm not a fan of censorship in general, but there are certain times where something needs to be done. By showing a photo of the ripoff razor, and jokingly referring to it as the "Victor" is still advertising for it, intentional or not. It's supporting the counterfeit industry. Shane is a standup guy, who works to provide great products for those of us in the shaving hobby. I'm glad that there are still a few like him left that do their best to have products made here in the USA (creating jobs), at the highest possible quality, and provide excellent customer support.

I have to disagree. If someone didn't sit down and design a product, the product wouldn't exist at all. That is the intellectual property. Designs are trademarked/copyrighted/patented (whichever applies to the situation). Yes, it helps some if you manufacture the product yourself, but only marginally. If someone in the USA rips your design off, you have legal recourse. China plays the game differently. If an item is popular enough, and China decides that the profit margins are good enough, they'll get their hands on an original and reverse engineer it. Then they'll sell that product for a little bit of nothing, which hurts the original designer. 

Whether you care about the vaping industry or not, I saw the demise of many small mom & pop shops due to China ripoffs. There were quite a few small machine shops here in the US that were producing high-end hardware. They would design and manufacture the items themselves. In a way, they were like the Wolfman razors or the vaping world. Someone would send the items to China, who would in turn produce thousands of clones, and sell them dirt cheap. A high-end mechanical mod from a mom & pop could easily run you about $300, and you'd have to spend months on a waiting list to get one. Someone would get one, send it to China, where they'd be cloned and produce them by the thousands - quickly. You can guess what happened. People jumped all over the $30 mods that they could get immediately - as a result, the mom & pop businesses couldn't compete and closed their doors. 

For the life of me, I can't understand how folks think it's ok for someone else's design to be stolen, just so they can get (basically) the same thing cheaply. It's morally and ethically wrong. On both ends - both the person (or company) doing the ripping off, and the people who support the counterfeit items. I can't afford a Rolex, so I don't own a Rolex. Simple as that. I'm not going to support the counterfeit industry by buying a "replica", as they like to label them. And, don't kid yourself about the quality. They are very capable of producing high quality pieces if they feel the profit margins warrant. The "replica" watches? Many are so good even trained jewelers have a difficult time distinguishing them between the authentic Rolex. I'm not saying that will be the case of the Vector knockoff, but merely stating they *can* do high quality work. 

I saw some people in this thread feel that the quality of the Vector knockoff won't be as good as the original. Maybe it won't, but that's still beside the point. Shane's original design and hard work is being ripped off and devalued. His time and effort to design the products that he does, all of which are highly regarded, are well worth the price they sell for. He deserved to be compensated for it. That's his job, and it's how he makes a living. Although he doesn't produce the products himself, they are still his designs - and the Blackland line of razors wouldn't exist without his designs. 

Sure, he could've avoided being ripped off by working with a Chinese manufacturing company to offer his designs at lower prices. Instead, he decided to have the razors produced here in the USA - providing jobs for others here in the USA. I wish more companies would chose to do the same, instead of looking to make a quick buck. 

I'm not a fan of censorship in general, but there are certain times where something needs to be done. By showing a photo of the ripoff razor, and jokingly referring to it as the "Victor" is still advertising for it, intentional or not. It's supporting the counterfeit industry. Shane is a standup guy, who works to provide great products for those of us in the shaving hobby. I'm glad that there are still a few like him left that do their best to have products made here in the USA (creating jobs), at the highest possible quality, and provide excellent customer support.

The product aka a single edge razor was already designed prior. That is not the issue it is a case of interpretation.

I'm still thinking on the issue at hand as it puts DFS in a no win situation.

That issue aside though for now, is every modern razor not a copy, of some sort, of previous razors with slightly different iterations from the original design?

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