Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, or so the saying goes. As a result, knock-offs are everywhere, including in chemical products.
A customer recently bought a product they were told was a replacement product for Fluoramics’ LOX-8 for sealing threaded connections in rocketry. Although this customer meticulously followed the application directions, the seals on the connections regularly failed. Our team worked with the customer to apply Fluoramics’ LOX-8 to the seals and they had no more failures.
Be wary of companies advertising thread sealants, high-density thread seal tapes, and lubricants that advertise their products as “just like,” “similar to,” or as “a substitute to” LOX-8. There is only one LOX-8 brand, and that is the one engineered by Fluoramics and made in the USA. Don’t trust your assembly to anything else . . . ask for LOX-8 by name.
This isn’t our first experience with knock-offs, unfortunately. Some years ago, we became aware of counterfeit Lubit-8 Oilers. They looked like ours, and the product name was Lubit-8, but they weren’t manufactured by Fluoramics. Lubit-8 is trademarked to Fluoramics, but that didn’t stop the counterfeiters. We began putting “Tufoil” in front of “Lubit-8,” and asked potential buyers to look for the Tufoil brand in order to ensure they were buying the true Lubit-8.
Our products are available through a variety of online resources and distributors. When possible, buy through one of our registered distributors. As always, however, we are available to answer any questions you have, confirm a product as ours, or to help you decide which product is best for you needs. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (507) 205-9216 or Ask an Engineer.
