I haven't responded until now because I was carefully weighing up how to respond to this. I think the following best explains how I feel about "fly-by-night copy-cats". I'll include an assessment of the design "copy" from what I can see of it.
Perhaps the most important aspect to any mini/micro channel block is the ability to be able to open it up and clean it. These blocks are prone to clogging if the user does not take adequate precautions. If setup properly, they can run for many months, or even years, without issues. If the user is careless though and adds dirty lint-filled water to their setup, clogging may be an issue, and this is something that the user must be able to easily remedy otherwise they'll end up with a poorly performing clogged block that they cannot fix.
The O-ring is cheap, but it does add production time to implement it, but it is one of the most important aspects to look for when considering purchasing a fine channelled block. If you can't easily pull the block apart to clean it, then it may only be a matter of time before the well-performing block you bought turns into a clogged and poorly performing albatross.
Losing the O-ring and sealing the block up tight is one of the first things that "cheap" implementations will do in order to cut costs. The use of an O-ring also allows for the all-important top portion of the block to mate adequately with the tops of the fins to prevent the base-plate from bowing under mounting pressure as a properly implemented block of the WW design will have an extremely thin base-plate in order to realise its full performance potential. If a gasket is instead used, then there is the risk of the base-plate bowing, and the water is also not forced to flow down the channels, but instead can flow over the top, because the gasket creates a gap between the base-plate and the upper portions of the block.
These are just some of the considerations that cheap-skate copy-cats will skim over and dismiss in their rush to make a "cheap imitation".
In short, if you want guaranteed quality and design that incorporates all of the reasons for why the design works and exists as it should, and an implementation that will last for a long time, then there really is only one choice.
Fly-by-nighters aren't hurting me or DTek much, because the people who wanted to buy the cheap imitation would probably never have considered paying extra for the proper quality item. These fly-by-nighters are really hurting who matters most, and that is the consumer. What after-market support is there? Will a block be replaced if there are issues? What about after-market parts to allow the block to be adapted to upcoming CPU socket technologies?
A consumer has to ask themselves just what they're giving up by paying $25 less and whether they're really doing themselves a long-term favor, or just buying into a "throw-away" item that is made by someone who's only intention is to make money off someone else's design, but don't truly understand why the design was made the way it was and decided to cut corners.
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