ralphie48 Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 My friend has picked me up a box of behike 52 from hong kong he paid $700 a box and sent them back to me express fedex (5 days transit) I am not sure of the exact source, but i have some concerns. I currently have some confirmed authentic behikes and the color and everything else is SPOT on, but the bands on these seem very loose, and while they were a bit dry, they werent very old. As for the box, it looks very real to me and the quality seems to be all there, but i just cant get past the loose bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 How loose are the bands? If you stand a cigar on its foot, will the band slide down by itself? Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie48 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 No the band will definitely not slide down on its own and it stands up straight on its foot with no issues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stogieluver Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 What is the box code/date? Had the box been opened before you got them? Were the cigars and bands in the exact position in the box as shown in the photo's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soutso Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I have purchased Behike 52 on two separate occasions and and when opening, the cigar's bands were uneven and not uniform. As for the fact that the bands are loose, after prolonged dry storage cigars do shrink. I am not saying your cigars are "too" dry (for the record I like them on the dry side and store at low 60RH) I think your Behike's are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCPANTHERZFAN Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 If they're fakes, they're pretty good ones. Smoke one!^ This! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie48 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 What is the box code/date? Had the box been opened before you got them? Were the cigars and bands in the exact position in the box as shown in the photo's. Box code is MUO OCT 14, and as i opened the box, the cigars were in the exact position as in the photos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginseng Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 ...and as i opened the box, the cigars were in the exact position as in the photos Really?! Was the box opened for inspection before being sent out to you? What sort of communications did you have with the sender around the shipment? No specifics about method of shipment please, packing and such are okay to discuss. Wilkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie48 Posted July 22, 2015 Author Share Posted July 22, 2015 Really?! Was the box opened for inspection before being sent out to you? What sort of communications did you have with the sender around the shipment? No specifics about method of shipment please, packing and such are okay to discuss. Wilkey Yes the box was opened for inspection by the shop it self it seems, the warranty seal was intact but the serial # was neatly razored off. The sender just went into the shop on my behalf, bought the box and packed them in a box with a bunch of bubble wrap and newspaper and sent them off, he did not inspect them at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stogieluver Posted July 22, 2015 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I'm not feeling real good about these. The three things that bother me are the bands (the lower gold strip is not the same size as the upper gold strip), the apparant lack of a triple cap (although that could just be the photo angle)and, to a lesser degree, the irregular placement of the cigar bands. If these were handled/inspected by someone, the non uniform positioning of the bands on the cigars could be because they REALLY inspected each of the cigars. Counterfeiters have gotten so good at reproducing these bands, especially Cohiba bands, that it's scary. The box looks good except for the trash or dust or whatever it is on the paper, but that could be the packing done by your friend. I am by no means an expert on this, but just passing along things I've learned looking at fakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CigSid Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I agree, the labels are suspect. Comparing them to known legitimate bands, the gold strips should be the same size. I also noticed that the band was not aligned correctly, and you can see the seam is off... The warranty seal also looks suspect, and you can verify if it is real with a magnifying glass and look for the micro printing of the serial number... I would suggest not to spend any more of your money with your friend in Hong Kong, and purchase your cigars from a legitimate source... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfain Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 1) I really hate to make you feel bad about it, but I strongly suggest not paying $700(AUD?) before taxes for these? Get from a better source or the el presidente when he has stock (*****INT) 2) grey market stock (razored off serials) i typically find abit dodgy but mostly legitimate cigars but sometimes kept badly. 3) they seem abit messy; I cant see each stick would be picked up and inspected and not place back properly with the front of the band facing upwards (they all should be flushed) 4) the color/shade of the cigar should be uniformed from a lighter shade of the leaf to a dark shade. Can't remember if it's left to right or right to left. 5) labels shouldn't be slipping off (habanos QC isn't perfect but mostly quite good, especially for their more expensive lines) probably really dry? 6) smoke it to know. You will know once you smoked it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordAnubis Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 Check these out. http://www.friendsofhabanos.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=122741 I don't think a loose band is anything to go by. Hong Kong seems quite respectable from what i saw of the place. Didn't see any fakes while there but didn't go out of my way to hunt for stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdo2110 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 For what it is worth... I bought a box of Coro from a very reputable source, and the bands of some of the sticks were loose beat up, and looked like a kid put them on. But they smoke beautifully, and their authenticity is not a question at all. Hopefully that is the same for you!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralphie48 Posted August 25, 2015 Author Share Posted August 25, 2015 thanks for the reassurance, at this point ive smoked 2 and theyre without question the deal deal. great cigar and think ill put the other 8 away for a while. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzz Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 I bought from what I thought was a "reputable" dealer. Later I found out: the guy is a pirate placed all sorts of weird stickers on my box flagrantly flaunts the laws of sovereign nations, and encourages others to do the same has a complete disregards for fire safety laws in hotels is now looking at opening a site in the dark web called "The Czar Road" 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordAnubis Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 I feel your pain Fuzz. I was scammed by the same retailer. I was young, i should have known better. The burn marks have since healed but the emotional scars still linger. Some days are better than others Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCContender Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I saw several boxes at the Dubai Duty Free a couple weeks back that had bands all up and down the cigars. I cannot imagine that these were fakes, but it is proof that there may be some significant inconsistencies with band application in Behikes. You have to seriously consider that "band applicator" is probably one of the least skilled positions at Habanos (provided it is not QA affixing them). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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