Over the years, Petzl has discovered counterfeits or copies of several of its products:
- counterfeit headlamps with the Petzl logo, including headlamps from the TIKKA and MYO lines
- counterfeit copies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) without the Petzl logo, such as Ascension handled ascenders, the ASAP, etc.
February 2011 was the first time Petzl discovered identical-looking counterfeit PPE products with the Petzl logo.
The four counterfeit products found do not meet Petzl's safety requirements and are potentially dangerous. To date, only a few counterfeits have been found on the market, and thus far none in North America.
Counterfeit references are:
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Croll ascender (B16) |
Attache locking carabiner (M35 SL) |
Ascension handled ascender (B17 R) – old, blue right-handed version |
Rescue pulley (P50) – old version |
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To the company's knowledge, these are the only four Petzl products it has found to be identical counterfeits. No other Petzl PPE products are concerned by identical counterfeits (with the Petzl logo).
Attention:
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An end-user will not be able to tell the difference between these counterfeits and authentic Petzl products (see below for more information)
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They have serious quality, performance and safety problems.
For these reasons, Petzl decided to alert its end-users and begin legal action against the counterfeiters.
Petzl is fighting against counterfeiting
Over the past several years, Petzl has been fighting to stop the counterfeiting of its products. Petzl's concern is for the safety and satisfaction of its end-users. These actions have enabled us to stop the illegal manufacture of our products.
How do I make sure that I am purchasing an authentic Petzl product?
To ensure that you have purchased authentic Petzl products, be sure to shop at an authorized Petzl dealer. If you are in doubt, contact the distributor in your country. You can find their contact information with the Petzl dealer locator.
Remarks:
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Production of the old style blue right-handed ASCENSION ascender (B17 R) was stopped in 2009. The only version in production now is the Ascension B17 SRG, B17 WRA, B17 WRN:
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Production of the old version of Rescue pulley (P50) was also stopped in 2009. The only version in production now is the Rescue P50 A:
The counterfeit products have serious defects that affect their performance and strength. There is a significant risk that these counterfeit products could open or otherwise fail at low loads and under normal use.
- These counterfeit products do not meet UIAA or CE safety standards.
- These counterfeit products do not meet Petzl safety and quality requirements.
It is very difficult for users to identify these fakes. They have been reproduced in a way that makes them very difficult to identify. The following features have been reproduced nearly identically:
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Design
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Color
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Product markings
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Batch number
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Instructions for use (down to the most minor details)
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Packaging
Petzl is working hard to stop these counterfeits, which put users’ lives at risk, from reaching the market. Only an in-depth analysis allows Petzl to identify these counterfeit products, due to minor differences in the tools used to produce them. To date, only a few counterfeits have been found on the market, and thus far none in North America.
What can I do?
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Only purchase from an authorized Petzl retailer to be sure that you are purchasing a genuine Petzl product.
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If you have any doubt as to the authenticity of Petzl products, please help and contact Petzl America at info@petzl.com or (877) 807-3805. For a list of Petzl retailers, please visit:
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If the retailer from whom you purchased your equipment is not listed, please contact Petzl America at the email and phone number listed above.
For more info visit the Petzl site.
