I ordered one of those $20 ones from eBay and have an actual Durand so I’ll post a comparison once I get it.
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I knew them personally (well, Mark’s still going strong, at 96 or something amazing) and I recall when I received it noting that the construction and overall quality was exceptional. Felt like a Porsche Design product to me, still does.
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My main point is you get what you pay for. If you’re paying 90% less than normal retail for a knock off product, don’t be surprised that it doesn’t function properly. Sure there are exceptions, but they are exceptions not the rule.
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Completely agree with this, kudos and thanks to the inventor! And I agree with Todd on the quality and design. A paragon of incredibly satisfying simplicity!
I would always prefer to support the original OEM product. I just can’t understand why often they choose to price at multiples more than necessary to enjoy some profits. If they priced 2x rather than 8x maybe they could stay relevant.
Why can’t Durand see the writing on the wall and price at ~$60 or something now that they have lost the patent? It would keep guys like me from even considering the knock-off but here I am doin just that.
It probably won’t be quite as nice, but this isn’t nearly as important as say the brakes on my car…
I have a knockoff, and it seems well built.
I would have purchased the original had it been reasonably priced.
I own the original and am happy to support the inventor. At the same time, I will absolutely be buying a few imitations once they arrive en masse because I’d like to keep them in various bags and not worry about losing a $150 wine key. The pain of loss is bad enough, when your friends and family find out that you spent $150 on a wine key and you’re forced to explain these things as though they’re rational…that might be worse! 
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Generic drugs are identical to the original ones. There doesn’t, on the face of it, seem like there is anything in either its technology or its materials that would obstruct equally serviceable, cheaper knockoffs. Before those knockoffs existed, the argument that the value merited the price had validity. Now, for those who don’t own one, the argument is whether the competition isn’t better value. If I didn’t already own one, I would happily buy a knockoff.
Not meaning to knock on you, in particular, but I do find it funny here on Wine Berserkers when people squawk about price as it relates to (perceived) quality, i.e. if what is perceived to be a higher quality product was cheaper, a person would get it…but does that person only buy ‘cheap wine’?
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If a less expensive version of, say Mouton Rothschild, were not discernibly different from Mouton Rothschild, sure I would buy it.
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I’m yet to see a wine opening note where the Durand is fetishized. When that becomes a thing maybe I’ll want to go original.
Might be a quick way for monetization on social media…ASMR opening bottles. Ooohhh that cork pop
Same here. Friend who died recently willed me his. I love it 100%.
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I’m not understanding the comparison between something you put in your body and something you stick into a wine cork but hey cheap is cheap I guess.
If the content is the same and it works the same, one generic is as good as another. Whether the item goes into your body or a cork is not germane to the analogy.
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Would anyone here request a brand-name drug selling at its original price point after its patent expires when an equally-effective, well-made generic exists at a small fraction of the cost? (I know there are a few corner cases where the original may be better for someone, but you get my point.)
The only thing generic about a drug is its name. The chemical composition is identical. The difference between tools is night and day. The only similar thing is the look.
Well, if it comes in a nice box and my friends say ooh and ahh each time I take it out
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Absolutely, zero regrets in buying the original many many years ago and would probably have even paid more. Today, if I lost or broke my Durand, I would look for a knock-off that looks to be reliable/well-made, but if none found, I would just buy another Durand. Not worth the hassle of an inferior product breaking while opening a nice (expensive) bottle of old wine.
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FWIW, exactly where I am.
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