Authentic vs Replica

[Sluggermatt15]

If you take care of your stuff and don't buy a bad asian piece of crap, you CAN get a nice replica. Theres some that are better than others during time certainly. I like bein a billboard for my fav team and or player, so having GW GI or most authentics isn't a major concern. Every buyer is different. It's not really somethin that can b debated cuz it's preference.

I see your point, if one truly love supporting their team then it really shouldn't matter if one buys a GW, GI, authentic, or replica. A replica may not be EXACTLY the same as an authentic, but in my opinion, if it's close enough, then I really wouldn't see a problem wearing it. Though I would not buy a jersey of my favorite team if it looked moderately different in style or design in comparison to what the players wear on the ice. For example, I would not wear an ALL screen-printed Penguins jersey - it just looks too cheap to me.

[Curry1fan]

I've definitely been happy with most of my replicas. But as has been said, I definitely stay away from Asian knockoffs and I do not buy jerseys in any retail stores (mostly brick and mortar) like Champs where the name and number will be screen printed. If I'm going to buy a replica it's going to be through Ice Jerseys or SportsK...or for my AHL replicas, through the team store (the customizer they send it to is local and does sew the customization and not screen print). You just have to know where to get the good stuff and if it ain't broke...then don't fix it.

If all this makes me a jersey snob, so be it. But we have an expensive hobby and if you're going to spend a great deal of money, you want nothing less than the best. At least in my opinion anyway.