PSA: MHW Alchemy Jackets

[3eyedsmiley]

There are a ton going on $100 on ebay with buy it now right now. One thing: they aren't with tags on them. Are they really legit, or could they be knockoffs? I hope they are real considering I just spent 30 minutes with my dad convincing him to get one for me...

[davep]

Seems legit, that's not a ridiculously low price, seller has lots of good feedback.

Edit: Hmm, looks like I was wrong on that!

[3eyedsmiley]

Phew good. Yeah I know it isn't THAT low but I count me pennies hehe.

I'm guessing it would take forever considering the red puke trail leading from my dad's bed to bathroom...them goshdarned strawberries

[comish]

I have a chinese knockoff and totally dig it. Still performs better than my "real" Cloudveil Serendipity which now gathers dust. More wind resistent and just as comfy/breathable.

Actually had another one for sale here which I still have in the wrapper. People didn't trust the knockoff so I will just keep it. Open to offers around 70-$80ish for it, but thats not the point of my response. Great jacket, go for it.

[Mit]

For what it's worth.. Here's a post from the EBAY discussion board dated 25 Nov 2005

http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.js...=1133522077725

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to warn people that many of the Mountain Hardware Alchemy jackets being sold on Ebay currently are fakes. In particular anything coming from the UK or China (and the ones being sold from the UK are actually being shipped from China) is probably a fake. I bought one from a seller "tom_saver" who has since de-registered. I'm currently in the process of filing a claim through Paypal to try and get my money back. Here are some of discrepancies I noticed after comparing it to a real Alchemy jacket at REI:

1. The exterior tag is made of a thick cardboard material, whereas real tags are of a thinner, soft paper. There are spelling errors on the tag (such as "Alchemy Jacke" with no t) and a link to a Mountain Hardware product registration page which does not exist.
2. The interior tag at the neck area is not of the right size and does not say "made in the USA" as on the authentic Alchemy jacket.
3. The exterior Mountain Hardeware "bolt" logos are dark grey on the chest and black on the neck. The real jacket has light silver-grey bolt logos.
4. The neck and side tighteners are made of a very cheap plastic and are the wrong shape.
5. The interior fleece is not the right colour.
6. The exterior shell has a different feel than the authentic jacket, indicating a different type of DWR treatment.
7. The cuffs use velcro to tighten them, while the authentic jacket has hidden Powerstretch cuffs and no velcro.
8. The zippers are not water-tight like on the real jacket.
9. The welded pocket is not made of Schoeller Dynamic, and the welding looks noticably different.
10. The jacket is a dark navy blue color. Mountain Hardware does not sell the jacket in the colour. They use a lighter blue called sapphire.
11. The Gore Windstopper tag on the side does not use the correct font.
12. The stitching is clearly of a substandard quality, not at all consistent with a Mountain Hardware product.

BEWARE of these jackets as well as Arcteryx products coming from China. It seems that The North Face isn't the only company whose products are being bootlegged on Ebay these days. I hope this is helpful to some of you.

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

10. The jacket is a dark navy blue color. Mountain Hardware does not sell the jacket in the colour. They use a lighter blue called sapphire.

From the seller's auction:

Color is dark blue over light grey. Please note that this is a stock photo, and the jacket you will recieve is a darker blue color.

Good feedback indeed - It would appear that the seller either doesn't know they are knockoffs [unlikely,] or is banking that very few people will actually recognize the fake after receipt, and call BS and invoke his "100% money back guarantee."

Thanks for the info. I was actually contemplating pulling the trigger until I saw this.

[3eyedsmiley]

Ahh shoot. Argh I'll probably keep it anyways, just because if I have to make my dad return it I'll get crucified by him. Comish, I hope you are right about the better quality thing than that other shell. This is gonna be my only shell in the PNW so...

Yeah looking at her recent feedback, it seems that she has been on an "antique-finding" trip in China. Hmm...

[comish]

I wouldn't want that to be my only shell in the PNW, even if its an original its still not waterproof. Mine is much more water resistent than I figured, but nothing beats good old gore-tex in the rain/storm skiing.

I also saw a huge diversity in quality of the knockoffs when I was over there. Most of it is truly crap. Occasionally there was some stuff that was either close to original or one couldn't tell the difference. Good luck. I have been happy with mine, but definitely passed on a lot of crap.

[3eyedsmiley]

From Ebay's ask seller a question:

Hello - I am pretty sure this is not a copy. People have been leaving excellent feedback in regards to the jackets. I do have a 100% money back guarantee in place, so if you are not satisfied, just send it back for a full refund - no questions asked.

You can see I am a full time seller with nearly 1000 feedback score, with 99.5% positive.

Brian

On 5/30/06, eBay Member: XXXXXX <member@ebay.com> wrote:
Hey I was wondering about what country you bought this jacket from. Alot of MHW jackets on ebay lately seem to be knockoffs from China see http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.js...5&x#1002568619

Just want reassurance before considering buying.

Interesting. Yeah I was thinking about Gore-Tex jackets but I don't really care much about waterproofness unless it is so bad that I am soaking on the inside and shivering like mad. I can only afford one jacket, and so this probably would do I guess. If it really dumps I have this HUGE oakley down jacket that has no water resistance whatsoever but is so friggin bulky that it simply ABSORBS the water. No joke.

[davep]

Down turns into very heavy paper mache when it gets wet. it's no fun.

[BLOOD SWEAT STEEL]

Hello - I am pretty sure this is not a copy. People have been leaving excellent feedback in regards to the jackets. I do have a 100% money back guarantee in place, so if you are not satisfied, just send it back for a full refund - no questions asked.

You can see I am a full time seller with nearly 1000 feedback score, with 99.5% positive.

Brian

Helloooooo? Blatant plausible deniablilty, 100%