Counterfeit SharpStone Grinders & Presses

It has come to my attention that a number of sellers on eBay and across the internet have been selling fake SharpStone Grinders and Pollen Presses for quite some time. The counterfeit grinders are unfortunately very low quality and have begun to severely affect the reputation of the products. There have been numerous reports of customers buying counterfeit grinders and seeing metal shavings or having teeth easily break out.

There is currently an ongoing lawsuit in US District Courts to address the counterfeiting operation and shut it down, however this will take some time. In the meantime, if you are searching for a SharpStone grinder or pollen press, or you are a current owner, I advise you to take a look at the guide I've written. It clearly goes through all of the things to look for in Authentic SharpStone Products!

Here is the link to the SharpStone Counterfeit Guide:
The Other Side Vapes: SharpStone® Grinder & Pollen Press Authenticity Guide

I spent quite a bit of time working on the guide, and I hope that you guys find it helpful!:thumbsup:

Neat guide, mr mojo. I just sort of stumbled upon this and figured since I own both a sharpstone grinder & dowel press, I'd read through your guide.

I bought their mid sized grinder with a clear top (off eBay - probably last year). It's seen heavy use no doubt. Long story short, isn't a knockoff.

Now, I did buy a sharpstone pollen press (not the T) off an unauthorized seller. Successfully pressed some kiefer sutherland w/ great shape, but there is space surrounding the dowels, not as exaggerated as your comparison picture.

Needless to say, the grinder has experienced hardships, so I'm in the market for another, thought I'd maybe ask before shelling out $

Very interesting thread, but in my case it created more questions than it answered as my SharpStone grinder does not appear to correspond to either your authentic or counterfeit examples. Perhaps you could help me to determine if mine is authentic or not?

http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp1.jpg
From the top, lettering looks correct however it has a "TM" and not an "R" so does that mean it's counterfeit or just older? (Got it a few years back).


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp2.jpg
Your picture shows there as being a hole in the middle, but on mine, that is where the magnet is.


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp3.jpg


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp4.jpg
View from the bottom. I don't see any "Pat No" listed at all.

IIRC it did come with a little blue bag and a little black spatula, both of which are long gone by now.

It's never failed me and I don't recall ever having any metal shavings, etc, so I'm leaning toward it being authentic but I'd like to hear your opinion.

Your SharpStone appears 100% authentic, it is simply an older model of the product. This was likely before the manufacturer registered their patent and obtained a registered trademark. Earlier SharpStones will have will have � instead of the ®, because this was before they registered the trademark the the USPTO. Also please note that sharpstone pollen presses (not including T-Presses) will also have the � instead of the ®. I'm not sure why the company hasn't changed that over yet.

The center hole that was mentioned only applies to reeling handle models! There should not be a hole there, unless you're looking at a reeling handle model grinder.

What tells me that your SharpStone grinder is authentic is:
the hole pattern and teeth pattern are 100% as expected
the quality of the cnc machining is apparent even in low quality images
you told me you received a bag and pick (I haven't yet seen a fake that included them, but this shouldn't be used as a guarantee!)
and finally the logo appears to be the proper color (if it was fake, you'd likely have a white logo)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by EciRonTog

Very interesting thread, but in my case it created more questions than it answered as my SharpStone grinder does not appear to correspond to either your authentic or counterfeit examples. Perhaps you could help me to determine if mine is authentic or not?

http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp1.jpg
From the top, lettering looks correct however it has a "TM" and not an "R" so does that mean it's counterfeit or just older? (Got it a few years back).


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp2.jpg
Your picture shows there as being a hole in the middle, but on mine, that is where the magnet is.


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp3.jpg


http://gotnorice.dnsdojo.com/sharp4.jpg
View from the bottom. I don't see any "Pat No" listed at all.

IIRC it did come with a little blue bag and a little black spatula, both of which are long gone by now.

It's never failed me and I don't recall ever having any metal shavings, etc, so I'm leaning toward it being authentic but I'd like to hear your opinion.

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I can't figure out how to edit my last post, but I made a mistake. I meant to say that I haven't ever seen a fake SharpStone that included the bag and the cardboard box, however the fakes do typically include the little pollen scraper/shovel.

Thanks!