Fake/ Counterfeit AeroPro Drive Gt's - How to Tell If They're Fake

mcshift

mcshift

Rookie
So I just found 2 fake AeroPro Drive Gt's at the tennis store i work at... I posted some information about the 14 fake AeroPro Drives and Pure Drive Gt's at this thread (starting at post 35) http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=273006&page=2
Now that I know how to tell the difference between a fake and real APD GT I wanted to post a guide with pictures to show you all the differences between them...but this time i have pictures...enjoy and dont get scammed on eb*y!

I may also post some eb*y sellers that sell fake racquets and if you email me the listing i will check it out and see if it needs to be put on this list..
sorry if the pictures are too big or take long to load. Have any questions...feel free to contact me... m.w.c.360@gmail.com


And very obviously the paper cover is from last years APD
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And more...
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Excellent! Kudos for the extra effort.

APD is one of the most, if not the most counterfeited racket at the moment. Thus I would actually recommend anyone looking to buy one get the racket from a trusted source (even if u have to pay the premium) anyway.
 
You know.. I've always wondered. The mistakes that you have pointed out, together with all the others the forum, are pretty obvious ones. You would think that as a person making counterfeits, they would do a much better job with these glaring mistakes. I mean ok maybe stuff like under the butt-cap, and minor intricate details, they could overlook. But stuff like a matte APD and a glossy one, like hello? Counterfeit alert!

So is it that difficult or expensive to follow the design on a real racquet (at least with the obvious ones), or are the people who make these counterfeits lazy or just stupid?

The whole purpose of making counterfeits is so your product looks like the real deal, but probably costs cheaper to make and you are using the brand of the product for your own personal gains.

I've noticed that stuff like counterfeits of popular brands such as Nike and Adidas have these problems as well. Like two instead of three stripes on the Adidas logo.
 
SilverRhythm said:
You know.. I've always wondered. The mistakes that you have pointed out, together with all the others the forum, are pretty obvious ones. You would think that as a person making counterfeits, they would do a much better job with these glaring mistakes. I mean ok maybe stuff like under the butt-cap, and minor intricate details, they could overlook. But stuff like a matte APD and a glossy one, like hello? Counterfeit alert!

So is it that difficult or expensive to follow the design on a real racquet (at least with the obvious ones), or are the people who make these counterfeits lazy or just stupid?

The whole purpose of making counterfeits is so your product looks like the real deal, but probably costs cheaper to make and you are using the brand of the product for your own personal gains.

I've noticed that stuff like counterfeits of popular brands such as Nike and Adidas have these problems as well. Like two instead of three stripes on the Adidas logo.
Click to expand...
well honestly, its one of the best counterfeits ive seen... besides the matte/gloss, the paint job is spot on...same colors and everything. and the grommets are pretty good, except they're from last years model. On other fakes ive seen the gt see through area painted on but on this one they didnt even try...which is good for them cause it makes it less noticeable how fake it is
 
I just got some apd gts I was worried about counterfeits too. Just buy from trusted sources. I got mine from babolat usa for 90$ each new.
 
Ok. This has me very worried. I just bought the GT from a reputable place here in HK but it has some of the tell tale signs. For one thing, it did not come with a dampener...but perhaps that was just a temporary promotion?

Also, I have the APD Cortex that I am pretty sure is authentic...but it has grey gromits....is that normal? The Cortex is much less glossy than the GT.
 
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Wilander Fan said:
Ok. This has me very worried. I just bought the GT from a reputable place here in HK but it has some of the tell tale signs. For one thing, it did not come with a dampener...but perhaps that was just a temporary promotion?

Also, I have the APD Cortex that I am pretty sure is authentic...but it has grey gromits....is that normal? The Cortex is much less glossy than the GT.
Click to expand...

I am not totally positive that all of them come with the dampener but all that ive seen do so i actually just sent babolat email asking about it...
but if the racquet you have has any other of the features in the pictures than it is a counterfeit racquet.

If your (old) APD has the grey grommets and it is less glossy that it should be real cause all the fake (old) APD's ive come across have had black grommets

EDIT:
...sorry about the error. most real APD GT's do have an 0 dampener but i have also seen some real APD's that dont have the dampener...but they all do have the gret babolat logo on the plasic wrap
 
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I am now positive that all real APD GTs come with a O dampener under the plastic sleeve...I contacted someone from Babolat and it was confirmed....
"All the Aero Pro Drive GT racquets are suppose to come with a dampener under the plastic on the handle.


Vinny D’Andrea

After Sales Specialist"

EDIT:
...sorry about the error. most real APD GT's do have an 0 dampener but i have also seen some real APD's that dont have the dampener...but they all do have the gret babolat logo on the plasic wrap
 
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hi mcshift,

how sure are you about the serial number thing? fakes starting with KY.

can anybody else confirm this?

cheers
 
People check this out: Item number: 120596864959

This scammer goes above and beyond by providing TW receipt to support sale of his FAKE racquet!?!?!?! Sometimes I just cannot believe my eyes. eBau does not care as long as they get their fees...
Sad.

Great job mcshift!!!!
 
Kiet said:
hi mcshift,

how sure are you about the serial number thing? fakes starting with KY.

can anybody else confirm this?

cheers
Click to expand...

I think that the KY serial numbers were used on the original APDs (the black and blue). The one I got from the TT forum has matching KY serial numbers.
 
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BobFL said:
People check this out: Item number: 120596864959

This scammer goes above and beyond by providing TW receipt to support sale of his FAKE racquet!?!?!?! Sometimes I just cannot believe my eyes. eBau does not care as long as they get their fees...
Sad.

Great job mcshift!!!!
Click to expand...

I liked the way the seller tried to hide his details:

"Here is a sample receipt from one of my recent orders to let you know my items are authentic and come from authentic sources with personal info blacked out!"

Not so smart leaving the link to the FedEx tracking number.........

http://www.fedex.com/Tracking?action=track&tracknumbers=406463616261

So who signed for this item I wonder...

Signed for by: B.BENNETT

Date/TimeActivityLocationDetails
May 14, 2010 11:55 AM
Delivered
Piedmont, SC

So anyone know a B. Bennett in Piedmont SC?
 
The seller's about me

What everyone should know about me
I am selling stuff on **** most of which I would rather keep because I am currently unemployed and looking for work. I do side job computer work here and there. If you have and computer questions feel free to sign my guest book and ask a question.

Things I sell
New and Used DVD's and Video Games both current (xbox360/ps3) and vintage (nes, gameboy, sega, dreamcast) and accessories. I also sale Christmas items that have retired and children's books. Baseball card collections, sporting equipment, vintage Abercrombie and Fitch retired clothing and other random items.

Things I buy
Computer parts for customers whenever I have work.

Things I collect
Thank you all soo much for your bids! I really need the money just to pay my bills and keep my home. I have been an **** member since 2004!

I'm always honest with my items and shipping is ALWAYS PROMPT!


I think we would rather you kept your items as well.

Children's books - must be fairy tales...................
 
The best thing about the Internet is that nobody knows you are a dog

!!eKH07Q!(U~$(KGrHqUH-C0Erf(7o2TVBLBs3qnprw~~_7.JPG


http://i.****img.com/11/!!eKH07Q!(U~$(KGrHqUH-C0Erf(7o2TVBLBs3qnprw~~_7.JPG
 
So im looking on **** right now at the APD Gt's and i notice ALOT of them for sale have the old APD paper cover on them..
 
What is it about Babolat and Wilson that inspire a lot of fakes? I've seen some Head rackets that are fake as well but not nearly as many as Babolats.
 
mcshift said:
I am now positive that all real APD GTs come with a O dampener under the plastic sleeve...I contacted someone from Babolat and it was confirmed....
"All the Aero Pro Drive GT racquets are suppose to come with a dampener under the plastic on the handle.


Vinny D’Andrea

After Sales Specialist"
Click to expand...

Not 100% in all cases. I've seen some APD GT in a store (authorized Babolat dealer) that did not have dampeners on the grip.
 
floydcouncil said:
Not 100% in all cases. I've seen some APD GT in a store (authorized Babolat dealer) that did not have dampeners on the grip.
Click to expand...

Well maybe if the plastic wrap was already taken off. But only the APD GT comes with the dampener... the APD Gt Lite and APD GT Team does not. If it still had the wrapper on then maybe you got it confused with the APD GT team because as quoted by Babolat...there is no variance in there products and that all APD GT's are supposed to come with the dampeners so i would say it just about is 100%.
 
mcshift said:
Well maybe if the plastic wrap was already taken off. But only the APD GT comes with the dampener... the APD Gt Lite and APD GT Team does not. If it still had the wrapper on then maybe you got it confused with the APD GT team because as quoted by Babolat...there is no variance in there products and that all APD GT's are supposed to come with the dampeners so i would say it just about is 100%.
Click to expand...

I did see Aero Pro Drive GT frames (not Team, not Lite) at an AUTHORIZED Babolat dealer, and SOME of them had dampeners and some did not. Frames were all new, unstrung and all of them had plastic wrapped around the grip.

Take this information for what its worth.
 
floydcouncil said:
I did see Aero Pro Drive GT frames (not Team, not Lite) at an AUTHORIZED Babolat dealer, and SOME of them had dampeners and some did not. Frames were all new, unstrung and all of them had plastic wrapped around the grip.

Take this information for what its worth.
Click to expand...

Well you may be right but im just going based on the information I have from Babolat and my knowledge working at a tennis store. Most people think we are an authorized babolat dealer and that we get our sticks straight from babolat but in fact we dont...since babolat has such a large minimum sales quota we cant get racquets from babolat since we dont sell enough (and babolat is our most sold racquet)... but we are authorized dealers of just about every other brand since they dont have near as large quotas. And because we have to get our babolats else where my boss accidentally bought a couple fake babolats (the one in the pictures) and since discovering them we've removed them from our wall and left the confirmed real ones up. so my point...most smaller tennis shops are not able to get babolat contracts so there is still the possibility that their are counterfeits out there...
 
BobFL said:
People check this out: Item number: 120596864959

This scammer goes above and beyond by providing TW receipt to support sale of his FAKE racquet!?!?!?! Sometimes I just cannot believe my eyes. eBau does not care as long as they get their fees...
Sad.

Great job mcshift!!!!
Click to expand...

Well, actually the seller is no longer registered and buyers have got refunds.

This is the seller's homepage:
http://myworld.****.co.uk/gamesndvdz

The dog in the photo used in the eb*y picture is called Pedro
m_a013062ff502ee37ae2e006daabd18e9.jpg


AND here is the main man himself

l_63eef264e8d58b7f428caae7bb6d4cde.jpg


He is a hotshot at tabletennis

l_f5612eeb6e357950b8ef5ddc9eb31754.jpg


Hands up if you are busted

l_938f14f2d5542c47e80f86ca3dd05052.jpg


Some philosophy from the man himself:

"The difference between love and loving is the difference between fish and fishing. "


Books Sun Tzu & Makevelli & the Bible

Heroes Good, Honest people. Most of all Family. They are the most supportive during vague and tough times

Occupation: a little bit of every
 
The e-bay sellers really do take people for a ride with these fake racquets in terms of ripping people off. Personally I don't have so much a problem with fake/copied items so much as I do with scamming sellers trying to rip people off. I'm a cheap baestard myself and don't mind buying something cheap here and there...as long as I'm paying the actual cheap price and not getting ripped off. I know in China, you can actually by fake Pure Drive GT and Aeropro Drive GT racquets for about $25 each. As a tennis gear nut, I wouldn't mind buying one for $25 just to mess around with. I do remember reading a post here where a guy said he liked his fake APD better than his real one after he had customized it by adding weight to it and so forth.
 
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floydcouncil said:
Not 100% in all cases. I've seen some APD GT in a store (authorized Babolat dealer) that did not have dampeners on the grip.
Click to expand...

actually you are correct...sorry about the error. most real APD GT's do have an 0 dampener but i have also seen some real APD's that dont have the dampener...but they all do have the gret babolat logo on the plasic wrap
 
Right ive been bought an aeroprodrive gt, my dad wouldnt tell me where he had got it from as it was a present, i didnt have the heart to tell him it could be fake, ive looked it over, the paintwork is immaculate my worries are:
1. The trapdoor of the buttcap is plastic with a metal overlay sticker onto which the babolat logo is placed if that makes sense, is that normal?
2. I took the grip off to see if the serial numbers match up, they do but the second label under the grip is plain white with the barcode abd serial code but no babolat logo, these are my main worries,

Also i have compared the racquet to others in shops and these are the two things i cannot really compare, but what i have noticed is that the plastic wrapping over the grip has white writing for babolat so perhaps US and EU versions differ slightly (im in the uk)

Please note the balance is perfect and it came with the O dampener

Cheers
 
Jpetre said:
Right ive been bought an aeroprodrive gt, my dad wouldnt tell me where he had got it from as it was a present, i didnt have the heart to tell him it could be fake, ive looked it over, the paintwork is immaculate my worries are:
1. The trapdoor of the buttcap is plastic with a metal overlay sticker onto which the babolat logo is placed if that makes sense, is that normal?
2. I took the grip off to see if the serial numbers match up, they do but the second label under the grip is plain white with the barcode abd serial code but no babolat logo, these are my main worries,

Also i have compared the racquet to others in shops and these are the two things i cannot really compare, but what i have noticed is that the plastic wrapping over the grip has white writing for babolat so perhaps US and EU versions differ slightly (im in the uk)

Please note the balance is perfect and it came with the O dampener

Cheers
Click to expand...


Honestly, the best way to tell is to look at the graphite tungsten. Look to see if the GT is really there, look to see if its painted it on. If you're in doubt, post some close up shots and I can tell you on the spot if it's fake
 
Jpetre said:
Right ive been bought an aeroprodrive gt, my dad wouldnt tell me where he had got it from as it was a present, i didnt have the heart to tell him it could be fake, ive looked it over, the paintwork is immaculate my worries are:
1. The trapdoor of the buttcap is plastic with a metal overlay sticker onto which the babolat logo is placed if that makes sense, is that normal?
2. I took the grip off to see if the serial numbers match up, they do but the second label under the grip is plain white with the barcode abd serial code but no babolat logo, these are my main worries,

Also i have compared the racquet to others in shops and these are the two things i cannot really compare, but what i have noticed is that the plastic wrapping over the grip has white writing for babolat so perhaps US and EU versions differ slightly (im in the uk)

Please note the balance is perfect and it came with the O dampener

Cheers
Click to expand...

Well you should be able to take the butcap off and see inside the handle if not it is fake but the post above is right...the best way to tell is to look for the graphite/tugnsten fibers on the inner side because there is no way for them to replicate that...
 
Another thing i noticed on **** is ALOT of them dont even the dampener in the sleeve, do the authentics ones that are brand new in package ALWAYS have the O dampener in there?
 
I went to a local tennis shop and saw that their Babolat APD GT don't have the O dampener. However, close inspection shows the graphite tungsten to be real.

So maybe the first few batches from the factory didn't have the O dampeners and new one coming out of the factory do?
 
w4kj4k said:
Another thing i noticed on **** is ALOT of them dont even the dampener in the sleeve, do the authentics ones that are brand new in package ALWAYS have the O dampener in there?
Click to expand...

sorry about the error. most real APD GT's do have an 0 dampener but i have also seen some real APD's that dont have the dampener...but they all do have the gret babolat logo on the plasic wrap
 
Hey I recently bought an APDGT in February from a reputable dealer near me, and everything checks out with it except for 1 thing. It didn't come with a dampener, I have a feeling it was only offered with a dampener for a limited time so that quells my worry. However the parts of the racquet that are holographic, aren't as flashy as another racquet of mine, is that a problem?
 
just want to add that not all the APDGT's come with an O dampener. I work at a store and have opened up the boxes straight from the UPS truck from babolats distribution house and not all of them had the O dampener
 
you guys need to start buying babolats from reputable dealers.
3 things to spot a fake.

1. Look at the gt technology, make sure its actually there and not painted on (easiest to spot)

2. take off the replacement grip and make sure there are no chinese letters

3. open the trap door and make sure there are staples not nails.


Seriously number one is the easiest to spot. If youre buying online such as the big auction (which i suggest you dont) and request pictures. Ask them to take close up pictures of the graphite tungsten. You will know in a second if its authentic or fake
 
AeroFan said:
Hey I recently bought an APDGT in February from a reputable dealer near me, and everything checks out with it except for 1 thing. It didn't come with a dampener, I have a feeling it was only offered with a dampener for a limited time so that quells my worry. However the parts of the racquet that are holographic, aren't as flashy as another racquet of mine, is that a problem?
Click to expand...

The last poster is right....look for the tungsten weave. Just look at all the pictures I posted on the first page and you'll be able to tell. Remember, if your racquet doesn't have all the same features as the real racquet on the first page (minus the O dampener) then its fake...
 
Well mine has all the telltale signs of a real racquet except for not coming with the dampener n the hologram being somewhat dull.
 
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