Not wishing to cast aspersions on where they've acquired these from - but when stuff is sent to China to be copied, it generally comes back as worthless tat.
You pays your money, you takes your chances.
Just cause it has not got a forge sticker (and pricetag to go with it) does not mean its tat, I agree that some crap from China is cheap and nasty but as they catch up on manufacturing quality (as well as the quantity they can already deliver) it spells trouble for the likes of Forge/APR with their prices on hardware, will be good for the market tho, not so much for forges profit margins
And agreed yes black=heatsoak, best stick with std silver.
So Forge can spend all the time and money developing something, only for the Chinese to copy and sell cheaper, and that's ok? - You perpetuate that problem, you take money out of innovation. = Why our manufacturing is on its arse.
I dont think I am to blame for the country being on its arse or the manufacturing of products, I think its more to do with other countries making the same product (Copied or based on a similar design) for much less money, bottom line if they do the same thing and made to same quality one by "British" hands at XX and one by "Foreign" hands at X I think i know what I would do, others I cant vouch for. I am pretty sure products were being copied or used for development (Like all companies do) well before I was even alive
The issue stems from the chinese not signing up to the international copyright charter, they can do what they want over there
Even Revo used APR code in their maps, intake systems widely copied and altered, everything is based on something.