I buy lots of stuff from China - especially those products that are similar to the expensive big brand products. I know the pros and cons and I can live with the moral and ethical issues, when I can get ten of something similar to the price of one.

I'd always wondered how they did it though - clearly copies, but how did they get the original?
One of my suppliers of lighting has solved this. I used to buy the 650W and 1K Arris Fresnels - the critical parts - the lens and reflector were very similar. The lamholders and focus mechanisms less good. They were similar but the metal was softer and if they jammed - which they did, I learned to NOT force the knob, because the spiral guide would just bend. However, the price enabled me to buy quite a lot and they're all still in use in one venue - where they sit on wide angle and flood a stage - they're fine.

It seems they simply buy a real unit, dismantle it - and then reverse engineer it - This I guessed, but then they simply pop them on ebay to recover the expenditure.

I feel just the opposite and will not knowingly buy obvious counterfeit products or knockoffs. My respect for the innovators who actually envision, design, and build new products exceeds my desire to save a few dollars at someone else's expense. People who willingly buy this knockoff junk are the real problem.

Thanks Doug.