If you are in need of an air compressor, it is important to steer clear of fake products, refurbished machines, and badge-engineered equipment. Let’s first examine the products that are a part of the “fake” category.
Fake products
First, companies claiming to be an official manufacturer but is nonexistent. To make their sound like their manufacturer is recognizable and credible, such sellers often label themselves as a certain corporation or joint stock company, or use the name of another well-known and reputable air compressor manufacturer.
And sometimes they go as far as fabricating an entirely fake name, like XYZ Industrial Manufacturing or Joe’s Air Supplies Enterprise. These companies may even include Hong Kong, U.S or European, implying they are internationally recognized companies with official import status.
Refurbished machine
The second type of scam is a refurbished machine offered dirt-cheap under the guise of quality. These “refurbished” machines are usually old, overhauled machines or even poorly reconditioned stuff, resulting in subpar performance, safety concerns, and overall costly consequences of sudden mechanical breakdowns or out-of-spec operating standards.
In order to avoid falling into this particular trap, carefully research the manufacturer prior to making a purchase. Conduct a physical examination and move on to study suppliers, inquiring in-depth about their credentials from those with prior purchasing experience. Soliciting long standing, authentic compressor manufacturers or brands/vendors can also help to avoid purchasing refurbished compressor machines.
Badge engineered equipment
In fact, badge-engineering equipment is a more manipulative con than the first type of counterfeit product. Badge engineering happens where brands mask their true origin by stamping different brand names on their products produced by factories with lower manufacturing costs.
In previous years, air compressor industry in China had a production license system. Air compressor manufacturer had to meet certain production conditions to obtain the “Production License” and legally produce air compressors.
However, this system was abolished in 2018, which led to a large number of OEM air compressors. What kind of companies are these OEMs? The majority are intermediate traders and commercial enterprises who obtain air compressors from manufacturers and then affix their own brand labels. Today, there are a significant number of professional air compressor manufacturers that specialize in producing OEM machines. The configuration, parameters, and basic features of these machines are all the same, but the color of the machine can be customized according to the user’s branding. Additionally, the brand label, instruction manual, and other materials can be easily produced in one-stop service.
