OEM Aftermarket Replica Shift Knob?

[Cool Cardinal]

Hey Everyone, this is my first post. I decided to try and purchase this and it came in yesterday. It seems like amazon is selling a replica of the OEM aftermarket shift knob. I installed it yesterday. I think it's pretty good. It sits higher than the standard metal spherical one. Here it is for $40 if anyone is interested

https://www.amazon.com/ApplianPar-L...782&sprefix=civic+type+r+shift,aps,139&sr=8-4

And some pictures

 

[tinyman392]

I guess it was only a matter of time before it happened. Well its piqued my interest, I'll take a look. I need to remember where I have my OEM one and dig it out

 

[Ziaro7]

The only difference I can see is the stitching is a brighter red. Best shifter I've ever used and well worth the $200 at the time, but hey 40 bucks is 40 bucks and worth trying out. I wonder what the weight on the $40 one is compared to the $200 one.

 

[tinyman392]

The only difference I can see is the stitching is a brighter red. Best shifter I've ever used and well worth the $200 at the time, but hey 40 bucks is 40 bucks and worth trying out. I wonder what the weight on the $40 one is compared to the $200 one.

Different lighting can cause differences overall. The differences in color also can change with use too. Mine is supposed to arrive today. Though my OEM one has seen better days, I can still weigh them.

 

[tinyman392]

Mine got to me today. There are some distinct differences between them, the knockoff seems to be ever so slightly bigger than the OEM, but also heavier as well. I will note that despite it having an overall smaller diameter, there are parts of the knob that seem bigger on the non-OEM knob compared to the OEM knob (this likely adding to the additional weight). Overall:

	OEM	Non OEM
Weight (g)	162	172
Height (mm)	68.6	69.8
Diameter (mm)	46.4	45.6

Note that before I continue further, I do have to mention that my shift knob has seen better days. It has a few dings and is a bit worn through use, so do keep that in mind. That said, I can't comment on how the leathers or colors compare, but I can still comment on fit and finish. Also note that due to the wear on my knob, the leather and stitching color may appear darker (with respect to the leather) or more dirty (with respect to the stitching) due to use along with the occasional ding on it. All images below depict the non-OEM knob on the left with the OEM knob on the right.

I'm going to start out with the machining and finish of the top plate section. The non-OEM knob uses a bit of a satin finish to it vs the more obvious machined finish of the OEM knob. The non-OEM knob's color is a bit darker here which creates more contrast with everything while the OEM knob's less contrasty, but the machined lines do have quite a nicer aesthetic overall.

The next obvious difference between the two is something that seems to be quite popular with non-OEM and knockoff knobs, the alignment of the stitching. The stitching on the OEM knob is set up to align specifically with the midpoint of the shift pattern depicted on the knob. With the non-OEM setup, it's at a slight angle. Although not the easiest to see in the photos, it's quite obvious when you hold it in hand. This is more of an attention to detail thing. What is also visible regarding the stitching is that the stitching isn't completely even on the edges of the leather as well. If you look at the lower portion of the image below, you'll see that the stitching on the non-OEM known shifts to the left of the center "line" created by the two panels of leather that wrap around the shift knob. The OEM knob doesn't have this characteristic.

If we look at how the panels are joined and the gap between the panels of leather used, we can also see that there is a much larger gap between the two leather sheets in the non-OEM knob vs the OEM one. This is also noticeable at the top and bottom (only top shown) where the non-OEM knob has a bit of a gap compared to the OEM knob which shows nearly 0 gap. This is depicted in the image below (sorry about the blurriness on the non-OEM knob). The non-OEM knob also does show some bubble around the seems in certain areas (not photographed).

The upholstery as a whole on the non-OEM knob is kind of janky to be honest. There seems to already be some bubbling and delimitation on the non-OEM knob compared to the OEM knob where the sheets of leather do not sit flush with the metal core below. This results in the leather having a more wrinkly shape to it compared to the OEM knob. The OEM knob's leather simply does sit more flush to the core of the shift knob.

Overall the price of the non-OEM knob is only 40 bucks while the price of the OEM one is about 180 (but it also depends on where you get it). The fit and finish of the OEM knob is a lot better in my opinion and in many ways does make the non-OEM knob look much cheaper (which it is). Functionally speaking, the non-OEM knob is nearly 22% the price of the OEM one and functionally will be quite similar. I will note that my non-OEM knob did come with some dark/black marks on the red leather (they are quite small though) which is not something I'd expect from a new product (fake or not). If you feel like 140 bucks is worth the additional price of much better fit and finish I'd stick with the OEM. Even if that were not the case, there are a lot of nice shift knobs that are original to their design that can also be had for cheap too (though not 40 dollars cheap).

 

[Cool Cardinal]

Good news is, if you purchase it and don't like it, you can return it free of charge, and if you do it at a Kohl's you can get a coupon for xx% off an item!

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