Hello all, been lurking for a while. I'm a bit sorry to add to the ubiquitous 670 threads, but hey, a lot of people love one/want one.
I have a fake. I know it's fake because it only cost $1300 new, and the ... what's the term for the buttons on the cushions? They're closer together than one from HM or Vitra. (Also, my particular one has mismatched grain for the cushions, but I'm OK with that. At least they're not overstuffed.)
But it's a very good fake. No exposed bolts. The base has the rubber washers. The cushions are detachable, zippered, and attach with both the velcro and hook fasteners. The proportions and angling are very close to genuine. Vitra-style base. Not sure if the glides adjust, though. The backrest has plastic-looking gaskets, not rubber.
My question is, who is known to make these near-duplicate fakes? China? Other countries? I live in the Philippines. The retailer I got it from specializes in high-end knockoffs and is being cagey about names.
Chinese
Most of the American fakes were forced (due to trade dress regulations) to make alterations to the designs, or to work around patented mechanisms - like the shockmounts. You are correct in that the buttons are too close. The headrest is a little closer to the backrest than it should be as well.
Your chair is undoubtedly chinese. The look, the buttons, the fact that it is a vitra-style base - presumably they would reverse engineer a European/Asian style chair rather than the US version. I don't know enough about the Chinese companies to know which factory this is from.
Not flexy?
Thanks LRF and Lucifer. Ah, China.
Would I be right in presuming that with the rubber shockmounts (?) on the backrest, a genuine Herman Miller or Vitra 670 would be more flexible and have a generous yet trustworthy "give"?
I've contacted the official Vitra reseller here in Manila for a price check on the real one. It's probably twice my total life savings but wouldn't hurt to check...
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