The bottom line is they seem to be the real deal. Another bottom line, is that availability is still a big problem. Given limited American distribution, and given a a skimo boot without a welt, I went with the Petzel hybrid. It weighs a tiny bit more, it's a bit clunkier, but it has a work-around for any boot, and does it's job well. However, I imagine we will see more companies entering this niche market.