Mugen Leather Shift Knob: Real vs Fake

[tinyman392]

Mugen Leather Shift Knob: Real vs Fake

So recently I decided to buy both a real and fake Mugen leather shift knob to see what the exact differences were between the two. Pictures clearly show 4 lines of stitching on the fake over the real, but what else is there to the story? Read on to find out.

Boxing

• The back of the fake Mugen box looks like a cheap photo copy of the real one.
• Both shift knobs are held in place using 3 pieces of foam glued together.
• Condition of the box' plastic was better on the real thing, but the fake one may have been damaged during shipping.
• Both come with instructions on how to install the knob, instructions are in Japanese.

Size and Weight

• The Real shifter has a diameter of 46mm and height of 44mm while the fake one has a diameter of 47mm and height of 46mm. This equates roughly about 8% less total volume for the real vs the fake.
• The real weighs less than the fake weighing in at 155g and 158g, respectively, resulting in a 2% loss in mass.
• The above two results in the real Mugen having roughly 8% greater density than the fake despite being lighter.
• The real Mugen sits lower when installed, the fake one sits higher.

Cosmetic Differences

• Color: the real Mugen knob has a deeper red than the fake, the real one is more of a "blood red" while the fake is a brighter red.

• Leather: the real Mugen has better quality leather that is tighter to the body with less "padding". Additionally, the fake one came with some blemishes on the leather. The real knob's color better matches the Type R's interior. The genuine Mugen is rounder than the fake.
• Stitching: The real Mugen has 3 stitch lines on it that are tighter and cleaner. The fake Mugen has 4 stitch lines

• Finish: The machine finish lines on the real thing are better than on the fake. The quality of the engraving is slightly better on the genuine product. Additionally, the real Mugen has black accents around the Japanese characters on the left-hand side. The engraving on the real knob is aligned better than the fake on which is off by a couple degrees with respect to the stitch lines.

Subjective

I prefer the real Mugen knob since it feels better in the hand and feels quicker to shift from gear to gear. It's smaller size and larger density allows it to cut through the air a little more efficiently, it also has a shorter throw.

Neither knob uses adapters for installation, so they are cut to size appropriately, this surprised me the most since many counterfeit knobs are universal fit.

The real thing costs about 180 USD while the fake one cost me about 25 USD (both with free shipping). The fake knob is obviously a dirt cheap value over the real thing. But the real thing does offer better leather, better stitching, better build, better feeling knob, a smaller body and higher density with a color that matches the Type R interior. If you're fine with paying about 20 bucks for each of those gains over the counterfeit, the real one is worth its dollar; After all, it's about the same price as Honda's accessory Type R knob.

Edit: Pictures of the knob installed on the Type R

 

[Honda_Elite]

Awesome review, any pictures of the real mugen knob installed? Would like to see it in the interior.

 

[CW20038TypeR]

Cut through air ? Lmao

I’m all for the real one but they are so close in spec I don’t think it’s anything more than placebo.

Now if we are talking strictly feel I can agree on that, it feels better quality I bet. As for performance I’m not so sure hahahahaha

 

[Muggsy]

I bought one on ebay that I assume is fake, but it's a bit different from the fake you have. Three lines of stitching instead of 4, and they're at 1/5/9 o'clock instead of 12/4/8 o'clock. Nonetheless, I've had it on my car for the past eight months and I'm happy with it. It was about $75 shipped from Japan.

 

[fmoua916]

Time for a fake one! Lol

 

[apk]

I too have the fake black one with three stitch lines. Has held up well since July.

 

[tinyman392]

Cut through air ? Lmao

I’m all for the real one but they are so close in spec I don’t think it’s anything more than placebo.

Now if we are talking strictly feel I can agree on that, it feels better quality I bet. As for performance I’m not so sure hahahahaha

Cutting through air... this was a problem I had with the replica CF Mugen knob I had. It was much larger, and you could feel it with each and every shift. The only other word I could use to describe it was floaty. I took off this knob off almost immediately and never used it because of this. The comparison between the genuine and replica leather knobs conveys a similar feeling, but to a much lesser degree. You're right, though, the difference is small; I never said the differences were huge, but they are there. The genuine knob is easier to push through gears, it's slight, but there.

The minor differences in spec account for about 4.5% difference in surface area and 8% difference in volume and density which is easily felt when holding both in your hands; they aren't as minor as you put them out to be. The genuine knob legitimately feels much smaller than the real thing.

Is it going to increase your shift times or provide any performance advantage? Probably not, but it does provide a slightly better shift feel and dynamic. I never meant for my OP to convey a performance gain, in reality, a shift knob isn't going to do that anyways.

Overall the replica is a much better value (for 25 bucks, it's hard to argue) and to be honest, based on shift feel alone, I'd be perfectly happy using the replica (as many are). But the real thing is better in almost every way, the gains are small, but plentiful.

 

[tinyman392]

Awesome review, any pictures of the real mugen knob installed? Would like to see it in the interior.

I will be doing this, probably a during the weekend when there is a little more light out. I leave in the morning and come back when it's dark.

Time for a fake one! Lol

Go for it, if the gains the genuine give aren't enough to offset the price, why pay it? As others have shown, there are other replicas out there, and they may have better build quality than the one I have too.

 

[Type-JZ]

it comes down to how cheap you want to get. But, if you can afford a type R, why not just get the real thing? It's a couple hundred bucks. However, we all have different philosophies about doing things. I would still buy the real thing in NOT supporting copying or counterfeits. At the same time, i understand it's a piece of metal and leather wrapping, and whatever things that has Mugen on it, will be $$$$$$$.

 

[02SilverSiHB]

dang, never saw someone go into this much detail about a knob...talking about density, diameter, etc. lol. I haven't seen this kind of review since that engineer went into crazy detail about all season tires...I mean 3 season tires

Nice review though.

 

[Type-JZ]

dang, never saw someone go into this much detail about a knob...talking about density, diameter, etc. lol. I haven't seen this kind of review since that engineer went into crazy detail about all season tires...I mean 3 season tires

Nice review though.

you didn't notice people made a big stink about the volume knob on 2019 models?

 

[02SilverSiHB]

you didn't notice people made a big stink about the volume knob on 2019 models?

what's a volume knob... I just use the controls on the steering wheel

 

[REBELXSi]

Boy the placebo effect is strong on this comparison. The fake one weighs 3 grams less and somehow the genuine one shifts better? Just be honest and say "I like the way the genuine one costs more and makes me feel better about myself." 3 grams lol

"I prefer the real Mugen knob since it feels better in the hand and feels quicker to shift from gear to gear. " Made my day.

 

[tinyman392]

Boy the placebo effect is strong on this comparison. The fake one weighs 3 grams less and somehow the genuine one shifts better? Just be honest and say "I like the way the genuine one costs more and makes me feel better about myself." 3 grams lol

"I prefer the real Mugen knob since it feels better in the hand and feels quicker to shift from gear to gear. " Made my day.

It is smaller in size (this is easily felt and not a placebo), the first thing I notice actually. Same weight in smaller package makes it easier to row through gears. Also note, heavier knob, ignoring size, requires more force to send through gears because physics.

 

[TypeWavey]

Link fo the authentic or where to purchase? I have a heavy weighted grip knob that Im sure I won't need for the CTR.

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