Originally Posted by timtak

I bought some SPD-SL pedals from Aliexpress recently. They were not Shimano branded but they were in almost every way, down to fine details, Shimano-like. But they did not work in that it was very difficult to clip out of one of them. I got a half refund. I think I will be able to use the other, if not both, eventually.

My take was that they are not counterfeits so much as seconds, that have failed Shimano quality control and are being sold (in my case) under a different name, or perhaps, in this thread's case as "fake," cheaper Shimano pedals.