Fake honma rose Proto irons?

[Milehighchris]

Hey folks,

I’m considering making the jump to blades. I’m looking at a used set of honma rose Proto irons. The club head seems to be missing the “made in Japan” label - but has a serial number on the ferrule. Does this raise any red flags. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

[MyWifesSwingCoach]

8 minutes ago, Milehighchris said:

Hey folks,

I’m considering making the jump to blades. I’m looking at a used set of honma rose Proto irons. The club head seems to be missing the “made in Japan” label - but has a serial number on the ferrule. Does this raise any red flags. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

If there is a serial on the ferrule and you can read it, then you should be able to call Honma to give them the serial and ask if they are legit. 

[Milehighchris]

Thanks. I did send the serial number to honma for confirmation- haven’t heard back yet. But I’ve heard counterfeiters can use real serial numbers on fakes. Looking at pictures online, I see many examples of rose Protos with and without the “made in Sakata Japan”. Very confusing.

[Milehighchris]

[MyWifesSwingCoach]

13 minutes ago, Milehighchris said:

Thanks. I did send the serial number to honma for confirmation- haven’t heard back yet. But I’ve heard counterfeiters can use real serial numbers on fakes. Looking at pictures online, I see many examples of rose Protos with and without the “made in Sakata Japan”. Very confusing.

Well hopefully you hear back from Honma soon, those are some nice looking sticks!

Best of luck!

[cnosil]

21 minutes ago, Milehighchris said:

Thanks. I did send the serial number to honma for confirmation- haven’t heard back yet. But I’ve heard counterfeiters can use real serial numbers on fakes. Looking at pictures online, I see many examples of rose Protos with and without the “made in Sakata Japan”. Very confusing.

The irons are a couple of years old;  one year may have had the additional stamp you are looking for.  Since there are authorized dealers that show the irons without the "made in Sakata Japan"  that can't be used to determine if they are counterfeit.   Unless it is a bad counterfeit,  you probably won't be able to tell without having the irons in hand.   If you want the irons and don't want counterfeits, buy from an authorized Honma reseller.  

[Cory O]

26 minutes ago, Milehighchris said:

If that photo is supposed to display the box they came in new, then those are almost definitely fakes. Honma packages their clubs much, much better (or if the person selling them is planning on shipping you them in that, I wouldn't do it). I'd also ask the seller some questions like where they got them originally, why they're letting them go, and get some more detailed photos of the faces, and close ups of the branding and logos. Those tend to look just a bit off on knock-offs.

[Milehighchris]

Thanks! Much appreciated.