It looks very, very similar. 

Home Depot is selling a Lonestar Chef Pellet Grill and it looks just like the Stampede with the old RecTec controller.

Even the instruction manual has recipes from RecTec.

Not sure that is matters, the 680 was a knock off of the Treager Texas, I used treager front shelf and it bolted right into place. The current Wifi controller is what Treager has been using, just reconfigured a bit, when RT first put the APP out it had Treager recipes and links. It is quite possible that RT used a design the Chinese makes already had.

I’ve never seen a direct copy of an instruction manual though. Sure some designs are similar. I just thought it was interesting.

I'm curious just how much Rec Tec knew about this , before it went out for sale...   To some degree, I don't think it's that surprising that the grill shape and such is directly duplicated, as I'm not totally sure how much if anything could ever be done about that... but seeing the manual with what are clearly Rec Tec recipes and such ( Ok, lets face it, it would appear to be a direct copy, with 'Rec Tec' replaced with the generic 'grill' )

It really does surprise me they so blatantly copied the manual too.   

But who knows... maybe this was all done with full knowledge and cooperation of Rec Tec.    Has anyone seen any official comment from Rec Tec on this issue?

I'm actually surprised there's not a Bullseye type grill out there in brick and mortar stores yet...

Interestingly there is a Lonestar propane thing that looks a lot like a matador.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

No way.  A Chinese manufacturer would never do that.  They are known for never copying things and then undercutting their customers. 

 +1!

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

Instead of tariffs, we should bar these rip offed items from making it to our markets and penalize any store that sells them.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

Instead of tariffs, we should bar these rip offed items from making it to our markets and penalize any store that sells them.

In a very round about way, the tariffs are a punishment for such things but more so related to digital technology.

However, I do see the other side of this.  If there is no patent, it is open sourced design then and anyone can replicate it.  Same can probably be said if there are no trademarks or copyrights.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

So what happens next, if anything.  Do they cut ties and choose a different manufacturer to punish them, or stay the course.  Do they offer parts for the knockoffs and cash in.  This problem is with many items the US is having built overseas to max out margins or just to stay in business.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

Instead of tariffs, we should bar these rip offed items from making it to our markets and penalize any store that sells them.

In a very round about way, the tariffs are a punishment for such things but more so related to digital technology.

However, I do see the other side of this.  If there is no patent, it is open sourced design then and anyone can replicate it.  Same can probably be said if there are no trademarks or copyrights.

Except ripping off patents, trademarks and copyrights have never bothered the Chinese.  And trying to enforce it in a foreign legal system that is going to ignore you or just let the company go out of business and re-form a day later as a "new" company is impossible.

The owner of RecTec responded on FB and said the factory he uses has gone “rogue”.

Instead of tariffs, we should bar these rip offed items from making it to our markets and penalize any store that sells them.

In a very round about way, the tariffs are a punishment for such things but more so related to digital technology.

However, I do see the other side of this.  If there is no patent, it is open sourced design then and anyone can replicate it.  Same can probably be said if there are no trademarks or copyrights.

Except ripping off patents, trademarks and copyrights have never bothered the Chinese.  And trying to enforce it in a foreign legal system that is going to ignore you or just let the company go out of business and re-form a day later as a "new" company is impossible.

You are correct.  Not sure there is a solution to this other than to bring all manufacturing back to the USA and charge higher prices and be lucky to find enough people that want to work to come work for you.  What is the saying...the devil you know...

I don’t think this is patented but the blatant ripoff of the instruction manual is amazing. They kept all names of the recipes and RecTec rubs the same.