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Full disclosure before I start this thread off: I am incredibly cheap. Cheap as in I will go out of my way to find the generic brand of cereals to save money. So when Nike took over making NFL jerseys and began implementing a number of features that made them more difficult to replicate, I was disappointed, because fake jerseys began to look terrible. I recently picked up a few for the Patriots' recent Super Bowl win, and was surprised to find out how much the quality had improved. You can certainly tell they're fake if you know what you're looking for, with the exception of a Donta Hightower (yeah, I know, better hope he doesn't leave in FA) jersey, which largely looked next to indistinguishable from photos of real jerseys/real jerseys I've seen in person. I was curious if this would be the case for people on here with a better eye for aesthetics, so I'd be interested in hearing if you guys can spot any differences.

 

For categorizing sake, I believe this is meant to be a fake of an Nike Limited Jersey. I've put some comparison photos in here with a Reebok Replica Julian Edelman jersey (which is real, I got it at a discount), a fake Nike Limited Rob Gronkowski jersey, and a fake Nike Limited Tom Brady SBLI jersey.

 

The one final caveat before this is that the SBLI patch is pretty obviously fake. But the standard jersey outside of that looked really good to me.

 

So here's the jersey in question...

 

aXkVexE.jpg

 

Here are the other ones for comparison (Real Edelman, Fake Brady and Gronkowski)

 

One thing that struck me right off the bat is people have finally learned how to draw the Patriots' logo's face on the sleeve. Compare this...

 

HaHJZ92.jpg

 

with this (sorry for upside down, my camera hates me)

yavtX0t.jpg

 

The latter one isn't terrible, but a couple of things are screwed up. Firstly, the logo's chin doesn't stick out quite as much on most fakes. The mouth isn't as much of a scowl as it should be, and the star on the...American flag hat thing...isn't as large. I've noticed fakes tend to be a lot shinier as well, which I think this picture picked up well (here's how the logo looks on the real replica if you're interested).

 

Next thing was the size tags. Real jerseys tend to have a shinier metallic color to them. I tried to pick that up in this picture (probably ended up picking too much of it up), but you can see the minor color difference. Left is the Hightower jersey, right is the Gronkowski jersey.

itAhfQ9.jpg

 

If nothing else, you can definitely tell that the Hightower one reflects light much better.

 

Speaking of tags, many fake jerseys simply won't have them in the collar, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that be the case here. Not only is the collar intact, but it's also got "Made in Honduras" written, which is usually not the norm for fake ones (Honduras and Guatemala are where real jerseys are made).

8W2xMdQ.jpg

 

i4EeRYg.jpg

 

The name stitching also seems to be much better as well. Only one loose thread, and no connecting threads between letters (which seems to often be the case for fakes)

elTBT1X.jpg

 

NCtPh4X.jpg

 

Super Bowl patch is definitely fake, but even it's above par for what I've seen from fake SB patches (Hightower patch is first, Brady second)

zprsfBT.jpg

DrOqmKe.jpg

 

So that's what I've got. I'll stick some additional photos in links here. Did anyone notice any glaring differences that would notify them that it was fake? I was genuinely surprised with how good it looked.

rsz_screen_shot_2017-02-13_at_32545_pm.png

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Ever since the switch-over from Reebok to Nike, fake jerseys are a lot closer than they used to be... counterfeiters never seemed to get the sheen of RBK jerseys correct. I have seen reviews online where a single bootlegger issues multiple jerseys of the same team with variations, so they're still hit-and-miss... some "fake" Elite jerseys actually have the Nike water resistance technology and look perfect... if you think about it, it makes sense that the big anti-counterfeit wave is hitting now that the quality of the fakes are at an all-time high.

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15 minutes ago, Yippy said:

I think I know where this is gonna go

 

Yeah.  We have an entire thread dedicated to the topic and some pretty strong opinions on whether buying (or even producing) counterfeits is OK.  

 

I think the board (at least a chunk of it) will be a little less than supportive of the OP's plight.  

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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1 minute ago, dont care said:

Chest wordmark looks sloppy

and chest numbers look stiff and might not even be kiss cut like a real jersey

pardon my ignorance, but...

 

...kiss cut?

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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9 minutes ago, dont care said:

The outline is the top most layer making there be less material used.

http://keenerjerseys.com/kiss-cutting-with-keener/

this website explains it better

Fascinating...I did not know this existed and had no clue it was being used in the pros...it must make guys .00000017% faster.  Any jersey I've ever seen close up (and most are a long time ago) had a layer per color.

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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11 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

Fascinating...I did not know this existed and had no clue it was being used in the pros...it must make guys .00000017% faster.  Any jersey I've ever seen close up (and most are a long time ago) had a layer per color.

Most sports have been doing it this way for atleast 10 years now, and it's not the weight that's the problem, it's about how stiff the numbers become due to all the layers being stacked on top of eachother. The real jerseys use more flexible materials too that make the jerseys feel much more comfortable.

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Shows where I was at...I have no jersey that is newer than 10 years old.  And I guess I have not been up close to too many...

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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The material used for the 54 looks puffy, and the white outlines aren't the same thickness all the way around.  Clearly fake.

Smart is believing half of what you hear. Genius is knowing which half.

 

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2 hours ago, PaleVermilion81 said:

"Hey guys. I intentionally bought stuff that is technically illegal to sell in the U.S. What do you think? Pretty cool, huh?"

 

I've clearly struck something of a nerve here. My intention wasn't to show off, it was legitimately trying to get the opinions of people who probably have a better eye for aesthetic details than I do. I'm not trying to start (or restart?) any debate over the morality of buying counterfeit products, but rather just trying to see what differences people could spot.

 

With that said, if the mods think this is a sore spot and a topic with flame potential, I have no problem with it being shut down.

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24 minutes ago, MTZehvor said:

With that said, if the mods think this is a sore spot and a topic with flame potential, I have no problem with it being shut down.

So here's the thing. This topic doesn't have the best track record here. 

 

I'm inclined to let it go, but with a few notes I'd like everyone to keep in mind. 

The first is something that should hold true for all discussions. Respect. You showed a lack of it by saying you "hit a nerve" when someone responded in a way you didn't like. Try not to insult people who disagree with you. 

I mean the person you directed that to is right, after all. You knowingly bought illegal merchandise and then broadcasted it to the world.

Which brings me to the second point I want everyone to keep in mind...

 

Ad revenue allows Chris to keep this site up and running.

Google sells this site to advertisers as a sports forum with an emphasis on uniforms and logos. Advertisers agree to advertise on this forum understanding it to be that. 

So do not, under any circumstance, promote a website that sells counterfeit goods or otherwise promote the sale of counterfeit goods. Advertisers don't sign up to advertise on a site that promotes the purchase of illegal merchandise. If they see that a thread here is promoting that behaviour the entire site's revenue stream (which we need to keep the site up) is threatened. 

 

You guys can discuss counterfeits and how close they may be getting to officially licensed merchandise. Disciplinary actions will be considered for anyone who actively promotes the sale of illegal merchandise, however. 

 

If everyone keeps all of this in mind? The thread can stay open.  

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46 minutes ago, MTZehvor said:

I've clearly struck something of a nerve here. My intention wasn't to show off, it was legitimately trying to get the opinions of people who probably have a better eye for aesthetic details than I do. I'm not trying to start (or restart?) any debate over the morality of buying counterfeit products, but rather just trying to see what differences people could spot.

 

With that said, if the mods think this is a sore spot and a topic with flame potential, I have no problem with it being shut down.

Part of the reason it hits a nerve is because a lot of people on here are designers or interested in making a living that way.  (I am not one of them).  Someone taking someone else's work and making money off of it (particularly while being deceitful about authenticity) can impact a designer's livelihood.  Sure, the high-profile ones are hurting big, bad corporations like the NFL (not that this is truly ok, either), but it all contributes to the culture of being very cavalier with intellectual property.  You'll find this board, thanks to its makeup, has an above-average understanding of why intellectual property protection is supportive.  You'll also find that we have OCD-like attention to uniform detail.  

Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse."

 

BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD

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1 hour ago, MTZehvor said:

I've clearly struck something of a nerve here. My intention wasn't to show off, it was legitimately trying to get the opinions of people who probably have a better eye for aesthetic details than I do. I'm not trying to start (or restart?) any debate over the morality of buying counterfeit products, but rather just trying to see what differences people could spot.

 

For me it's more about the legality of it all. All the arguments on the morality of it and jerseys being too expensive is something that I'm not trying to get into. Your full disclosure instantly rubs me the wrong way, though, as it seems to try to excuse (and encourage) knowingly purchasing illegal merchandise. I think buying merchandise that is illegal to sell is not the same as buying off brand cereal. A better comparison would be rather than buying a $100+ jersey from a jersey retail, instead going to Kohl's or Target and buying a $30 jersey type shirt that is a jersey but isn't really a jersey. One is generic, the other is real. As opposed to one is an illegal fake, the other is a legal real.

 

But seeing that counterfeit jerseys are getting better to me isn't a good thing. It just means that more and more crap is going to go up on eBay and more and more people are being deceived into buying stuff that they think is legit. It's not something I'm going to celebrate.

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I will agree that some fakes are harder to distinguish, from a distance. I also hate this fact. Before I knew what I was doing, I bought a few fake jerseys off of a certain website with Ali in the name. I had no idea, I just thought I was great deal. Looking back those, and knowing what I do, now. They're cringe-worthy fakes. 

 

Back on topic, though, I still like to get a good deal, and check ebay a couple of times a week. The fact that fakes can pass, based on pictures, alone, sometimes, makes me nervous every time I buy off there, though. I bought two jerseys off the amazing sale FullMoonJerseys did, with players traded in the off-season. They're a well known entity, but the fact that I was getting replicas for $50 and $40, NWT, gave me a doubt, in the back of my mind, that wasn't eased until I got them in my hands (they were legit).

 

TL;DR version: yes, more authentic-looking fakes are being made (part of the reason companies mix it up, every so often), and it's frustrating, for those who abhor them, but still shop the second-hand jersey market.

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