You always hear about offshore product cloning, but it’s a shock to see them. We were directed to the “Good Luck Buy” site, where we saw what appears to be an almost perfect clone of the famous 3Doodler 3D printing pen: the 3D Printing Pen for 3D Prototype Modeling.
3Doodler, you may recall, recently raised a massive USD$2,344,134 from its Kickstarter launch, selling more than 25,000 units. It’s not a printer per se, but you might consider it a “handheld 3D printer”.
The clone product from Good Luck Buy is extremely similar. They say:
This 3D printing pen allows you to draw 3D objects in the air with a pen.The pen extrudes heated ABS plastic that quickly cools and solidifies into a stable structure in the air or on surfaces and requires no software or computers.
Right. That’s precisely what 3Doodler does. You may also note visual similarities between the two units. Compare this image of the 3Doodler to the 3D Printing Pen above:
Is this right? No, but legalities and enforcement probably don’t extend to China, where Good Luck Buy is located. Good Luck Buy and others will likely continue selling clone products for the foreseeable future.
One thing Good Luck Buy didn’t clone: the price. You can order an authentic 3Doodler today for USD$99, but the clone is listed at USD$112.34, with free shipping.
Via Good Luck Buy (Hat tip to Fred)
