The list of clone bricks & brands seems to be endless with each at times exhibiting very distinct differences in colour, quality & functionality and as with most things 'copied' & produced in the east there is the good & the bad.
From the various sets we have managed to source we have isolated the following brands as "the best of the rest":
- Woma
- Kazi
- Enlighten
- Wange
If you are into mini-figures particularly superheroes Decool & Sheng Yuan produce what seems like good quality & value for money. Unfortunately we still have not received any of these items and cannot give an accurate opinion.
And this is where the frustration begins with the sourcing & supply of these bricks! Pricing varies drastically from one supplier to the next and there always tends to be a "middle man" which is impacting on the price & supply.
Point in question we picked up the Wange Florist Shop (26144) at a local market for ZAR 25.00. The set consists of 145 pieces which equates to good value (ZAR 0.1724 per piece).
Sourcing this the best price we have managed to find is US$ 9.99, with the exchange rate (10 July 2014) this equates to ZAR 106.79 (0.7365 per piece).
A further frustration is the delay in filling orders, some items have now been pending for in excess of 6 months and very much doubt they will ever arrive.
Ultimately we still aim to bring these bricks to the country as an affordable alternative to Lego®, it does however seem that it is going to entail a trip to the east and sorting out all the 'local red tape'!
The point we are making is always be aware when buying the clone bricks and check pricing before diving in, you could end up paying Lego® equivalent prices and in some instances end up with one of the poorer quality products.
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