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BUTTERFLY Fake Products Guide

We would like to take a moment to focus on counterfeit Butterfly products.

Every now and then we find or receive products of lesser quality standard, which can be identified as fakes. Sometimes they are easy to spot, sometimes it can be more difficult. Here is a small guide on how to identify fake and genuine Butterfly products.

The safest way: www.vsenastolnitenis.cz

The easiest and safest way to order genuine Butterfly products is from a certified Butterfly Partner for Czech republic: www.vsenastolnitenis.cz . Butterfly will only accept responsibility for products bought from certified dealers.

1st clue: The price

Careful when ordering products from different online shops. These -sometimes drastically discounted – Butterfly products can be the first clue for a fake.

2nd clue: packaging of Tenergy products

Original left – fake on the right Original left – fake right

Established on the professional level, the Tenergy has become a product frequently copied, sometimes counterfeit, but copies always lack the quality of the product – and the packaging. In this picture we can see the fake Tenergy on the right. The Counterfeit comes in a simpler packaging with no holographic logo and an additional sticker on the top right corner. This sticker is a clear indication of a counterfeit product, as is the simpler plastic bag it comes in. The second picture shows a seam missing on the back of the packaging, which serves as additional proof of a counterfeit product.

Clue no. 3: The color of the sponge

Original Tenergy

Fake Tenergy

Tenergys trademark Sping Sponge is unique in quality, attributes and its orange color. In the picture on the left we can see an original and a counterfeit product with a yellow and solid sponge. A Tenergy rubber with yellow sponge is a guaranteed fake.

Clue no. 4: Tenergy with protective foil? And what’s with this logo?

Fake Tenergy with foil

The surface of the Tenergy rubber is spinny and robust – it needs no build-in protection. Sometimes fake products appear under a protective foil. These are certainly counterfeit. No Tenergy will ever be deliverd with a sticky foil.

Another indication of a counterfeit product is visible in detail on the bottom of the rubber. When we compare a real to a fake rubber, we can see the excess line under the Logo where the rubber extends below the print. On an orignal Tenergy, there is no such space below the logo (see pictures below.)

original Tenergy- no space below logo

fake Tenergy – look for excess space and additional line below logo

Clues for blades

Careful, fake products are sometimes more difficult to identify as such when it comes to blades. Counterfeit blades are often of lesser craftsmanship and value – but it can take a keen eye to find the clues. Fakes become rather obvious though at the table – Butterfly blades have unique playing characteristics that no counterfeit products can match.

Links die Fälschung, rechts das Original (Zhang Jike FL)

Zhang Jike FL. Fake on the left, original on the right

The colouring

In the left picture we see an orignal blade (right) and a fake Zhang Jike FL blade (left). The fake blade is lighter (due to inexpensive veneers) with a less even and darker shade of blue on the grip and the print. The print itself is minutely slanted.

The bottom lense

Fake lense on the left – Original on the right

The picture on the right serves as an example of lesser workmanship. The lense of the fake blade (left) is less intricate plate and glued on the bottom of the blade. The orignial lense (right) is made from brushed aluminum and integrated firmly into the handle.

Only obvoius in use: Playing characteristics

Sometimes counterfeits can be more difficult to spot. The next example shows a Zhang Jike Super ZLC blade sent back by a customer dissappointed by the performance of this product. Fake blade may look good, but they always feel “liveless” compared to genuine Butterfly blades. Butterfly blades consist of hand-selected wooden veneers that are specifically designed to work in combination with each other to create a certain feel and character of every blade. A fake blade will never match these characteristics.

fake Blade – no such serial number

The Serial Number

Imprinted on all japanese blades is a serial code. This code entails information on the production dates and parameters. Any certified Butterfly partner or retailer will be able to provide you with information regarding the authenticity of a serial number. The serial number in the left picture is plain faked – it does not exist.

Print or Sticker? Watch for the graphic design.

Counterfeit Zhang Jike Super ZLC

On the left we see a counterfeit Zhang Jike Super ZLC blade, bought at a fraction of the price for the original blade. Needless to say, the customer was disappointed and showed this blade to us, which we could quickly identify as a fake. Note the structure of the lense on the handle compared to the original on the right. The print looks like a sticker and is mirror inverted and slightly slanted. The coloring is close, but not the same as on the original.

: Original Zhang Jike Super ZLC

Often with fakes, we notice the print on the blade to be visibly just a sticker (which may be slanted – just like here). On genuine blades, the logo and graphics are printed onto the blade.

Clues to textiles and shoe counterfeits

Here our focus is once more on the workmanship and on the use of the Butterfly logo.

On the right we see two original Lezoline Sonic shoes. Fake shoes are on the left. Notice the slight off-coloring and the slightly different logo use on the front. These particular counterfeit products are a bit difficult to spot on the first look.

fake shoes

original Lezoline shoes

… but with a closer look differences are visible. The logo on the side and the rear are slanted and the tip of the shoe is bent upwards. Notice the tongue of the shoe is not visible in the counterfeit products.

The original shoe

faked shoe

faked shoe – faked logo

Textile products can be faked a number of ways. A sure way to notice is the inferior design of the micro fibers, which never reach the standard of Butterfly Micro Material. As a result counterfeit textiles can feel heavy and saggy and is in no form made from skin-friendly and breathable material.

Other indications can be the logo use or unclean and inferior seams such as we see in this picture.

poor seam on a fake shirt

In case you are not sure about origin and quality of purchased products, please contact us: info@stenmarketing.cz.