Dan Burkhart 

This shows the evolution of KMC retail packaging over the last 15 years or so. These companies rarely stand still.

Crankycrank

I'm thinking maybe contact KMC directly about your suspect chain (with photos). They may want to know more and can confirm it's real or they may just tell you to purchase from "reputable" dealers but it's worth a try. Companies are flooded with claims of fake products these days so they don't always jump on every possible patent thief.

noglider 

The good KMC chains are made in China, so being Chinese-made doesn't mean it's bad.

zacster

Ok, I've looked around, and maybe KMC did themselves a disservice with their packaging. They went from decent graphics to something so plain that anybody could just copy it, or it looks that way. Look at the examples above, the right side one is the current packaging and compare it to the middle one. On the one that I received it didn't even have the full model number, just X8.

So maybe it wasn't a fake, but even the chain itself didn't look right. I'm using KMC chains on my other bikes and I always thought they looked like quality chains, but the one I had just received just did not. I'll see what the re-ordered chain looks like.

Crankycrank

Here are the current KMC 8sp chains from their "Official" website. Does yours look like any of these? https://store.kmcchain.us/c/road-bike_8-speed

02Giant 

A few months back I ordered a new 8 speed chain from Amazon. Clicking on the OP's link, it turns out I ordered the exact same as they. The 8sp chain now comes in the plastic case and is denoted on the package as an X8, no longer as a X8.99. There is a small sticker on the back that identifies it as a X8.99 From what I see, the .99 denotes the silver version.

Dan Burkhart 

The X8 .99 has both inner and outer silver plates. X8 .93 has silver outer plates and grey inner.

Dan Burkhart 

Just looked at the link and the odd thing is they show the 7.3 mm missing link as a recommended product. X8 chains all take a 7.1 mm link.

hokiefyd 

No, I think the 7.3mm link is correct. Every one of my X8.9x chains came with the 7.3mm links. Only some of my older Z7-type chains came with the narrower 7.1mm link.

Dan Burkhart 

I know it says 7.3 pin length right on the box, but any I have sold and installed came with a 7.1 link. Also used many 7.1 replacement links off the card and they are a perfect fit. Just tried one now to confirm I'm not going senile.Tried a 7.3 and it's way sloppy.
The 7.3 mm KMC links are black, 7.1 are shiny silver, at least any I have seen.

hokiefyd 

7.3mm links being black may be a recent (or very old) thing. I'm attaching a picture below of a 7.3mm link (you can tell by the part number...as you probably know, CL571 is a 7.1mm link and CL573 is a 7.3mm link) on a 2016 vintage X8.99 chain. Both the link and the chain are entirely silver. I have a good number of extra links, too, and they're all silver. I have the 7.1mm links, 7.3mm links, and whatever 9-speed uses (6.6mm?)...all are silver.

Dan Burkhart 

OK, guess I never looked close at the part number of the links that come with the chain, but I know when I buy KMC links by the card, the 7.3 are black and 7.1 are silver. As I said, 7.1 replacement link works on X8 chain without binding as I confirmed for my own edification earlier.

hokiefyd 

It looks like the black links may have been a recent change. Here is a link to silver carded ones. And, though it doesn't show the card itself, here is a link to ones that appear to be black. It is interesting that your X8 chain connects with 7.1mm links. I have a few of the 7.1s, but only for some of my older Z7 chains. The 7.1s don't work with any of my X8 chains.

There definitely seems to be some confusion around 7.1 vs. 7.3. This link, for 7.1mm links, includes a number of reports that these are too narrow for certain chains.

cs1

I guess the question is why fake such a low dollar item? There isn’t enough money involved for the risk.

dddd

There was for a decade much confusion as to KMC's connecting link widths, which for so long were named "Missing Link" and "Missing Link II"

I received many Amazon question requests as to this very subject in my email, and still do (got another one yesterday).

Additionally, I have myself experienced confusion as to the chain's actual inner-link widths as relates to the proper link needed and as to the width printed on KMC's boxes. KMC has royally messed this up for years, a marketing disaster of sorts imo.
I have more than once broken out the calipers to waste five minutes again measuring chains and links.

Recently the connecting links show up without the old names, but having the actual width (7.1 or 7.3mm) printed on their packaging.
Only to now have confusion about their newer chains inner-link width (which isn't specified, but which is what affects the connecting link fitting or not).
Measuring KMC chains, I can't recall often getting a clear-enough measurement that made it certain whether a chain was 7.1 or 7.3mm. How's 7.2 for you?
Fortunately for me, I have a box of remnants at hand with which to make all needed comparisons. And, if the narrower link fits ok, I always choose the narrower one.
Shimano HG70, 90 and 91 all use the wider link, but certain of the older 7/8s IG chains (i.e. some but not others) used the narrower one! Shimano OTOH made all of them work with the same length of connecting pin.

I fear that KMC have perhaps managed to re-create all of the old confusion all over again(?)!
This is the sort of confusion that marketers normally make absolutely sure to avoid, no?

Kind of a shame as I have quite often chosen KMC chains and links as a good buy.

As for KMC making Shimano chains, Shimano's upper-end chains have been and I believe still are made in Shimano's plants in Japan and Malaysia.

KMC's Z-series (vs. their X-series) chains seem reliable and work well for a quite-low price, but measuring their variation of roller spacing from link to link tells me that they are of a quality far below the HG70 chain. So I don't use these on my more precious freewheels and cassettes.

Senior Ryder 00 

Hello,
The chain may not be a fake. At the co-op where I volunteer, I’ve noticed changes in the finish of KMC 8 speed chains. To me they look cheaper. We get them in cartons of ten & the individual packaging often changes. I remember seeing some in the plain white package with what looked like a rubber stamp label with a part number and “8 speed” on it.

hope this helps.

Cheers,

Van

Papa Ado

KMC here to answer a few questions from the above conversation:
- Not sure about the chain that the OP bought as there are many accounts selling fake chains of all speeds (regardless of price). We are trying to clamp down on this but the gray market is difficult to eliminate and a very hard animal to tame.
- we produce all of our own chains. We don't outsource chain production so there aren't any rogue production lines out there or "extra" production stock being sold.
- X8 new packaging is the plastic box. There is still some old packaging in the market but all should be changed over soon. If you buy any chains in sketchy looking packaging or in bags or plain white boxes or whatever else is out there, this could be fake or not official product.
- X8 is 7.3mm and corresponding connecting links are 7.3mm. These come in several color options and have the code CL573 or CL573R (R = reusable).

Papa Ado

We produce chains in Taiwan, Vietnam, and several locations in China. Amazon can be sketchy, but online dealers vary by country so please use caution.

Dan Burkhart 

Thank you for chiming in. Always good to have industry representatives to clarify issues.
I apparently added to the confusion earlier in the thread when I made the erroneous assertion that X8 chain uses a 7.1 link.
But here is what I hope you can clear up for me. The fact is I have been using 7.1 links on X8 chains forever. I have installed countless KMC links on chains up to 11 speed so I think I have a pretty good feel for how easily they should go on and how freely they should pivot.
Also when I put the calliper over the pins, I get something like 7.04 mm.
anyway as I said earlier, just to satisfy myself that I am not going crazy, I went to the shop and test fitted a 7,1 link, and, guess what. It snapped right on as it always has in the past, and pivots nice and freely like it should.
So, I remain as confused as ever.

Dan Burkhart 

Photo I was trying to attach.

zacster

Yes, thank you for answering. I'm not sure at this point whether what I got was real or not since I sent it back immediately, my son lives down the street from UPS and happened to be there when I opened the package. I'm not a graphics designer, but I don't think the new packaging does you any favors. It left the product feeling too generic and didn't distinguish between the various X8 varieties. Just looking at the pics in the earlier post makes it obvious, the older cardboard box has X8.93 on it and some features of the chain, speeds that it works with, etc... The plastic box just says X8 with a generic "superior shifting performance". Nothing about the chain. Now since a lot of this is sold online maybe it doesn't matter as much, but it wouldn't jump off a shelf.

Papa Ado

Unofficial answer: X8 is meant to go with CL573R (wider version) but will also fit CL571R a little more snugly.

Official answer: X8 paired with CL573R only

Papa Ado

Thanks for your input on packaging. It coincided with a revamp of our model lineup including new model names (i.e. Z72 to Z8 for 8 speed) and atrophy of some less popular models. The problem with our cardboard boxes was product and brand consistency (too many colors and too much info) in addition to being weak for hanging on peg boards in shops and surprisingly they were not recyclable because of the lube (think pizza boxes). The new packaging is 100% recyclable and has additional model information on the sides and back of the package.

Dan Burkhart 

Thanks very much. Unofficial answers are often the ones to go with, and no exception here as I see it.

hokiefyd 

KMC doesn't list an X8.93 and X8.99 anymore. The product is just called X8, and you can get it in "SILVER" (the old 8.99) and in "SILVER/GREY" (the old 8.93). Website link. Interestingly, if you click on the links for each product, the website structure itself (URLs) still reference "8-99" and "8-93".

I like the new model name designations. The old Z50, Z51, Z72, etc...that got confusing. I do agree the packaging looks more generic today, though I appreciate the effort towards being able to recycle the package.