Nothing beats an original, I agree!
Since I am obsessed with antiques of all kinds, I certainly know the value of buying originals... and my first choice would always be to get the original. I see this in the antiques business all the time... whenever something becomes so hot that the price skyrockets, someone out there would reproduce it hoping to cash in on the latest obsession. A lot of people who didn't know any better bought the new ones thinking they were getting a pristine antique because less reputable dealers would sell repros as antiques.... Only thing I can say about this replica is they're not trying to scam anyone into thinking they're buying an antique Singer Featherweight.