See Petzl website for more information and a chart on how to recognize original gear:
http://www.petzl.com/us/outdoor/news-2/2011/02/11/warning-regarding-presence-counterfeit-versions-petzl-products
Only buy your gear from official resellers and not from unreliable sources. If you are in doubt with a product contact your reseller
Original news:
Following email was sent this week to Petzl dealers:
Dear Customer,
We have recently discovered in China illegal copies of our followings products:
There is a very high risk that these illegal copies will open or otherwise fail at verylow loads under normal use.
These illegal copies do not meet the requirements of CE or UIAA standards.
These illegal copies do not meet Petzl safety and quality requirements.For example :
These illegal copies look exactly like the Petzl originals. Their outward appearance has been expertly reproduced which makes them very difficult to identify.
The following have been reproduced identically:
- Design
- Color
- All product markings
- Batch number
- Instructions for use (even the most minor details)
- Packaging is identical to the old brown cardboard box packaging
- All markings on the packagingOnly an in-depth analysis allows us to identify these illegal copies.
To date, only a few counterfeits have been found on the market and we are actively working to stop the production and the introduction to the market of these dangerous products, which put our clients’ lives at risk.
With regard to the risks involved in using these illegal copies, our duty is to inform our customers. By the middle of February, we are going to post a user warning on our Website.
Please help us to stop these counterfeits from reaching the market:
- Only buy Petzl products from your official distributor
- Avoid any other source, and if you have any doubts on the authenticity of Petzl products, please contact us. We remind you that selling PPE (personal protective Equipment) may hold the seller liable.
Your vigilance and your professionalism together with our action plan will allow us to cut offthis source before it becomes too extensive and floods our markets with illegal copies, which puts our clients’ lives at risk.
Thank you in advance for your help in this matter.