Boban backpack – Counterfeit vs Original – What are the differences?
A detailed analysis of the copy and the original Boban backpack.
If you can't be bothered to read, watch this video that sums up all the differences in 4 minutes.
Click here to watch the video - differences between the copy and original (video on Facebook)
The history of Boban in Serbia
Wait, what is a Boban backpack anyway?
It all started in April 2016, when on KickStarter appeared Bobby Backpack. A backpack with anti-theft features and useful everyday details, named after the British police officers known as 'bobbies'. The idea behind the name is simple: it looks after the belongings inside.
On that blessed Kickstarter, we immediately ordered 50 from the Dutch manufacturer (XD-Design), and that is how GeekShop was born!
Why "Boban"
How did Bobby become Boban? A friend pointed out that Bobi is a familiar dog's name in Serbia and suggested a name better suited to our local audience. We chose Boban, and it stuck.
Everyone started joking around How's it going, Boban?, shares started trickling in and the IT crowd got interested.
Copies soon appeared on Facebook
In 2017, we started receiving messages:
Why do you sell the backpack for 100 euros when the Senfi shop page sells it for half as much, for 5000 din?
(the price later changed to 2500, then 1990, and now you can even find it for 1500 dinars)
We soon realized these were cheap Aliexpress copies costing 6€ wholesale, and kicked ourselves for not getting into business with those instead.
But it is a good thing we didn't.
Those who went into the copy business simply took all our photos, videos and descriptions and started flogging them as originals at a special price.
Man, they are selling fakes as originals
How Facebook pages selling Chinese counterfeits operate:
- No phone number; customers order exclusively through inbox messages
- They mostly ship with Bex couriers and hide their address so they cannot be traced.
- They don't allow page ratings, so no one can leave them a negative review
- If you complain or leave a negative comment, they just delete it, block you and problem solved
- They spend heavily on advertising and keep selling counterfeits as originals.
We had to draw our followers' attention to this
We bought a copy too!
We bought a copy ourselves to compare, and what a sight it was.
Apart from a similar appearance, it shares none of the features that make Boban stand out among premium IT backpacks.
The backpack arrived wrapped in a used blue bag, as you can see in the photo.
What are the differences between a copy and an original Boban backpack?
Here are the differences we noticed:
The material smells like a Chinese shopping mall
As soon as we unpacked it, we were hit by a strong a smell like walking into a Chinese shop so everything reeks of that plastic material of theirs, some dodgy Chinese polyester or whatever it is.
The counterfeit is smaller and flatter than the original
Many people cannot fit a 15" laptop inside. We learned this from customers who bought a copy first and then the original from us.
Fake Boban has no protective layer
The counterfeit is not resistant to cuts, impacts or drops.
There is no protective layer under the fabric.
It's a bit silly that the copy's sellers still advertise their backpack as cut-resistant too...
Original Boban is sturdy and retains its shape
The copy is flattened because it lacks the protective anti-cut material beneath the fabric
Most counterfeits have no hidden pockets...
Their trick is to use an original backpack in the pictures. People buy it and, of course, are disappointed when they open it and find it's nowhere near the original.
The counterfeit has 5 times less foam on the back
Less padding, less air circulation between your back and the backpack. In other words: you will sweat sooner and sweat more with a fake Boban.
No reinforcement anywhere, thin stitching, poor materials
It will not tear if you do not put weight in it. But if you put a laptop, planner and other things inside every day, it will not hold up for long...
The handle is much weaker
On most backpacks, the top handle is the first thing to break. On the counterfeit, it has a thin seam that tears easily, while on the original it is the last place the backpack would tear.
External USB + not installed properly
We found an ordinary extension cable that we had to fit into the intended place ourselves.
Of course, once you put things in, it shifts and falls out. It cannot be secured. On a real Boban it is sewn in and does not move.
The copy is not waterproof
You cannot return the counterfeit if you don't like it
The warranty is now 2 years, not 6 months (the article is old)
The counterfeit has no warranty
It is fine to buy a copy, but only once you accept the differences from the original. Nobody should be fooled through lack of knowledge.
How to order an original?
You can order original Bobby backpacks only on our website, all backpacks are from the Dutch manufacturer XD-Design.
To finish:
Who might find the copy useful?
If you are a kid in primary or secondary school, you probably don't give a damn what backpack you carry.
At your age I used to rock this and never complained:
And if it is outside your budget, we understand. A good backpack is an investment, and everyone's priorities are different. What matters is knowing the differences before you choose.
Who needs an original?
If you get paid to work on a laptop, have a better-paid job, want quality that will stand up to tough days and have an expensive laptop and other gadgets, your backpack is not something to skimp on. Boban will practically become part of your work equipment, something you'll take to work every day.
I, the person typing this, am a web designer. Before deciding to launch GeekShop, I was looking for a quality backpack for myself. I didn't want to cut corners. First I bought myself a Boban, then realised there was a gap in the market for people like me, and there you go. A little marketing know-how, rather more guts, and GeekShop was born.