Thanks diehard. I'm such a newb with glass and learning one step at a time. I won't buy legit glass until I know the intricacies of glass. That's why I love cheap China glass. I can try ones I like and don't, and invest in the real artist.
I believe there is one point glassblowers completely forget. Awareness. I know China is stealing your designs but have you had this much demand since China started replicating? i completely disregarded any glass piece over $200, but now that I see what the hype is about, I might purchase a legit piece (more likely) that may cost $500-$1000. I think it brought awareness to the difficulty of blowing glass, almost free advertising. If I have a good financial year in 2015, I might buy a legit mothership. Never would have thought of that if it wasn't for dhgate.
I'm waiting on my ccg egg and fc711. Eager to see the reviews on the FC ufo v2.
How do you guys store your glass? im scared a lil tremor in Cali will knock my rigs off my shelf. I have them on those silicone heat mats.
Hard call on this one unless you're looking for a trophy piece. Most the more expensive US stuff that they are knocking off is better made (nicer joints, everything is straight, flame polished percs, etc), but doesn't perform 10 times better for 10 times the price IME. But if you're looking,
Aqua Lab has a good selection at pretty fair prices. Their annual 420 sale is on now, too. 15% off. Be ready for serious sticker shock compared to DHGate, though! Plenty of other great places online to buy the good stuff. All, including Aqua Lab, have better prices than I've found locally up and down most of East Coast or in Denver. You could also start with a mid-range US piece like the
jahnpixel UFO sidecar. Love mine! Much other stuff from him and other sellers on iOffer, too. If buying there, don't forget to make offers. You can usually get at least 10% off from most. If buying from jhan (looks like he is on vaca until May), be sure to mention FC. He is a member here.
So I was reading in the open source form, that there is extensive cleaning when you get a piece from China. All I do is wash it in hot water and use some dish detergent and sponge and scrub.
How do you guys clean your glass when it comes from China?
I rinse with hot water, then do a good shaking clean with 91% ISO and rinse all of that out. I'm kind of more worried about whatever dust and other particulates make it in during production and sitting around in a Chinese warehouse and think this should clean all of that up. It also gets rid of any smell they may have.