Anyone use the Black Rapid knockoffs?

[Restomage]

I'm looking at buying a Bllack Rapid DR-1, but they're so expensive. I was looking on Ebay and found this knockoff. Has anyone had any experience using any of the knockoffs? The mounts don't look that great but I can always buy the Black Rapid mounts for $10.

New Professional Double Shoulder Belt Strap for 2 Cameras for Canon Nikon DSLR | eBay

 

[D-B-J]

I'd be afraid to hang thousands of dollars worth of gear off a 10 dollar strap... A black rapid strap seems like a worth-while investment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[brunerww]

Several reviews of the same $16 strap sold on Amazon say that the clips broke and they dropped their cameras.

I'd spend the extra $44 and get a $59.47 (on sale) Black Rapid RS-7. That's a lot less than the repair cost for a dropped camera.

Good luck and best of the holidays!

Bill

 

[SCraig]

My experience has always been that when someone advertises their product as being "Just as good as XYZ" then I personally want the XYZ product.

 

[Tee]

I truly don't want to come off as an ass but you have thousands of dollars of gear in your sig but you're not willing to drop $130 to protect it?

 

[Stevepwns]

I have both a Black Rapid strap and a knock off. I saw no difference in the two, aside from very slight difference in the material used. Not enough of a difference to make me not want to use it. Ive been using it now for awhile and have had no problems. I paid 25 bucks for that one and 75 for the Black Rapid. Its a choice you have to make. In my opinion the only parts that matter are of course the hardware they use to attach the camera and the stitching. On my knock off the quality of the construction was in NO WAY any different than the Black Rapid model. The hardware was identical. I may be in the minority here but I would buy another knock off before I spent the money on the name brand. 50% of the price is in the brand.

 

[robbins.photo]

I truly don't want to come off as an ass but you have thousands of dollars of gear in your sig but you're not willing to drop $130 to protect it?

Wow.. you really came off as an ass there. Normally I wouldn't mind but dang it, that's my job! Lol

 

[robbins.photo]

I have both a Black Rapid strap and a knock off. I saw no difference in the two, aside from very slight difference in the material used. Not enough of a difference to make me not want to use it. Ive been using it now for awhile and have had no problems. I paid 25 bucks for that one and 75 for the Black Rapid. Its a choice you have to make. In my opinion the only parts that matter are of course the hardware they use to attach the camera and the stitching. On my knock off the quality of the construction was in NO WAY any different than the Black Rapid model. The hardware was identical. I may be in the minority here but I would buy another knock off before I spent the money on the name brand. 50% of the price is in the brand.

Well I'd be highly suspicious of anyone that said a nylon strap supposedly broke. They just don't have a tendency to do that. Even your really cheap nylon straps are usually put together in such a way that you can support the weight of a good sized guy like myself without having them break. I've got a buddy who has one of the knock offs, and like you I think the one area that would really make a difference would be the hardware that attaches to the camera and the hardware that attaches that to the strap. The one he has (and I'm guessing most of the rest are the same) the main strap is one continuous section of nylon. Odds of that breaking are pretty slim, not without a serious amount of very visible wear.

Me I prefer the Black Rapid. I like the construction, it's comfortable, gives me good piece of mind and it does the job I need it to do - but as far as the knock offs being "dangerous", well I think as long as the hardware between the camera and the strap seems well constructed and fairly solid your probably ok - big thing I would advise though is to check to make sure that the hardware that attaches to the tripod mount is screwed in securely before removing the camera to the bag. If there is a common point of failure that would probably be it, things like that have a tendency to loosen over time.

 

[Restomage]

Thanks for the help guys. In response to Tee, if the product works the same then who cares if it's not a name brand? There are certain things I splurge on and others that I won't if it's not worth the investment, hence why I'm asking if anyone has any experience with this particular knock off product. I do have a RS-7 right now and it's great, but I honestly don't see how someone could screw up making a similar product.

 

[robbins.photo]

Thanks for the help guys. In response to Tee, if the product works the same then who cares if it's not a name brand? There are certain things I splurge on and others that I won't if it's not worth the investment, hence why I'm asking if anyone has any experience with this particular knock off product. I do have a RS-7 right now and it's great, but I honestly don't see how someone could screw up making a similar product.

Well the black rapids do use ballistic nylon which is even sturdier than the normal stuff but the normal stuff is really really difficult to break or tear to begin with, so really the only thing that would concern me would be the mounting hardware portion that attaches to the camera. The one my friend owns looks like it's pretty sturdy, metal carbiner, a metal plate that attaches to the bottom of the camera, etc - he's had it for quite a while now and used it with no issues.

If you do end up getting the dual strap keep us posted, as it turns out I'm currently in a situation where I'll soon own two DSLR's myself, so I'll be interested to hear your review.

 

[hamlet]

Thanks for the help guys. In response to Tee, if the product works the same then who cares if it's not a name brand? There are certain things I splurge on and others that I won't if it's not worth the investment, hence why I'm asking if anyone has any experience with this particular knock off product. I do have a RS-7 right now and it's great, but I honestly don't see how someone could screw up making a similar product.

It comes down to how its made. These things are usually made in third world working conditions, the workers are usually inexperienced and overworked. Try to buy your things local and spend a little more so your money doesn't go to death factories.

 

[robbins.photo]

Thanks for the help guys. In response to Tee, if the product works the same then who cares if it's not a name brand? There are certain things I splurge on and others that I won't if it's not worth the investment, hence why I'm asking if anyone has any experience with this particular knock off product. I do have a RS-7 right now and it's great, but I honestly don't see how someone could screw up making a similar product.

It comes down to how its made. These things are usually made in third world working conditions, the workers are usually inexperienced and overworked. Try to buy your things local and spend a little more so your money doesn't go to death factories.

Well it's a nice sentiment, and I really hate to break this too you, the vast majority of stuff is made that way, or at least contain components or parts that are made in such factories. Where do you think your local retailers get this stuff from?

 

[hamlet]

Nihilism ensues. I need a drink.

 

[18.percent.gary]

I've been using a BR knock-off for a few years now with no problems. I'm pretty rough with my gear too LOL.

The knock-offs actually have a better mounting system than the BRs in my opinion. The knock-offs use a large rubberized plate that presses against the bottom of the camera (lots of surface area to prevent twisting and loosening) whereas the BRs use a simple tripod screw that can loosen itself if the camera spins on the strap a lot.

Regardless of which system you use, in my opinion it's simple common sense to use a backup strap. I made one that connects directly to the strap and clips to the camera's neck strap lug. That way if the carabiner/mounting plate/battery grip, whatever, fails there is a separate method attaching the camera to your body. A quick snap of my setup:

 

[ratssass]

Nihilism ensues. I need a drink.

....hammy,i'm gonna have a drink with you...if for nothing else,your posts always make me smile,in the least,if not outright chuckle.And I mean that in a good way!!:cheers::cheers: