I've been buying ASICs since late 2012 and I find nothing unusual about Halong's approach, especially with the information that was revealed about overt ASICBoost. In my opinion, this moves towards equality, and unity in the sector. There are powerful actors in the field that will want to mitigate that progress as much as possible for selfish reasons, and for that very reason, I understand how discrete a company in the forefront will want to be. As for safety, the worst experience I've personally had with thousands of miners were KNC connectors, which at times had 300w through a single PCI, causing the worst failure rate of any units I've ever had.
Powerful actors exist in many industries who want to mitigate the progress of competitors, but that doesn't mean we should turn a blind eye to new market entrants who skirt longstanding international business norms that are designed: (1) to help provide consumer protection and safety, and (2) to help ensure fair dealing in the line of commerce among market participants.
As to safety, consider this analogy. If a new startup pharmaceutical company wanted to take on the big pharma players (who in many cases have monopolies on the treatment of certain conditions due to patent protection), would you risk your or your loved ones' lives and ingest pills from that company, even if you had no idea who they were, who their management was, where they are operating, whether they had a business license, and from where they were sourcing their chemicals? Even if the startup were well-intentioned, if they made an innocent mistake and released a drug that caused serious health problems or birth defects, shouldn't that company be held accountable
if it acted negligently or improperly?
The DragonMint from Halong Mining is anlogous in certain respects. A purported "start-up" claims it wants to embark on grand plans to decentralize and take on the massive player, Bitmain. It operates totally anonymously. Even if Halong were well-intentioned, if they made an innocent mistake and released a product that burned down your house or mining operation --- or emitted fumes that caused serious health problems or birth defects, shouldn't Halong be held accountable
if it acted negligently or improperly?
I appreciate that the worst experience you've had is seeing thousands of miners with KNC connectors with extremely high failure rates. What if Halong's miners end up having connectors with extremely high failure rates due to negligence during the manufacturing process or a flawed design? And since Halong is totally anonymous, we'd have no way to hold it accountable if Halong choose not to assume responsibility for them. Would you find that acceptable?
If Bernard Madoff had accepted half a dozen crypto payment methods directly, would you have found his business "commendable" too?
If Bernie made ASIC hardware and actually delivered it as Halong continues to do, yes. [....]
Hypothetically, if Bernie had engaged in theft of intellectual property from an ASIC hardware manufacturer, so long as you received your hardware from him and your Bitcoin account is growing, you're good with that? Don't you think Bernie's ASIC manufacturing company should be held to account?
As for anything, caveat emptor. If you are not confident in purchasing any gear, no one is forcing you to do so. Continue sleuthing if you feel there are legitimate concerns, everyone has a different set of qualifications they look for in that. Wait it out and check out some of the reviews and confirmations of delivery, and if you're feeling it, have at it. Having done my research and meeting Scott Offord in person, I've felt comfortable with my purchases, and I look forward to the future offerings that are in store. [....]
Without a doubt, Halong Mining warrants our legitimate concern and rigorous scrutiny. I've never claimed that anyone is "forcing" me to do anything. My purpose is conclusively illustrating that Halong Mining is engaging in highly questionable business practices, and prospective buyers should proceed with caution and realize that they have no reasonable recourse to hold this "company" accountable should the need arise. In addition, Halong has made claims about the DragonMint that we cannot verify, such as the existence of its supposed FCC certification. Red flags galore, people. Red flags.