[jpoprock]

Yes Brian, that is certainly a possibility. But we both know that say a UE Alum arm kit made of 7075 is NOT the same as an Integy Alum Arm kit, that is much cheaper, and LOOKS really nice. And sooner or later, people figure that out the hard way. I would have to say that even though RC is filled with newbies, most of the hard core guys (i.e RCM buyers), are educated enough to stay away from cheap chinese clones. And my point is, the people buying those cheap clones would likely not have been able or willing to afford the "real deal" at RCM. So, I would have to bet that it's not going to be damaging to Mike's business in the long run. It will have an effect for sure, I'm just not sure that it will be crippling. It may force Mike to price himself more competitively. But as of right now, there aren't enough guys selling Slipperentials (Esp those that are actually good), to merit that. And why lower your prices to counter cheaper guys? Especially when to many... it's the price difference that is the indicator of quality? Of course, the most expensive product doesn't always indicate "the best". It just indicates the most expensive! HA!!

As a matter of principle, I would agree that Mike should do something if he can. I just bet he won't be able to do much. I do know that he can sue or demand they alter their design if it resembles his product too closely. For instance, Gibson guitars go after Chinese knockoff's all the time, especially if the design resembles their patent too much. I've actually got a Chinese knock off Gibson Les Paul that looks almost exactly like a real one, with some very minor differences, and of course the name. Now, the guitar is "ok", but it can't hold a candle to my real Les Paul. Visually, it looks great, but technically, it's not even close. Cheap wood, cheap electronics, cheap hardware, etc. Does it play? yes. Do I get paid the same on it? Yep! But, there is a difference. And I've had to actually dump money in it to get it so that it was "gig ready" even. By the way... Gibson eventually put an end to that model that I have and made the company change the design. I have an early run of the guitar before the change.

Cheap stuff is cheap for a reason... it's junk! And you can't run from it no matter what. There are VERY few exceptions to that rule too. And in the RC world... Cheap is the kiss of death.