How to spot a genuine Hippo® disc
Hippo is a well-known name on harrow discs, and that popularity attracts imitation. Here is exactly how to tell whether the disc in front of you came out of our factory in Ghaziabad — it takes about ten seconds.
The four checks
1. The seal on the face
Every genuine Hippo disc leaves our factory stamped with the circular Hippo seal — the hippo device, the name in English, Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu, and Dates Discs around the rim. No seal, not ours.
2. The registration number
HIPPO is our registered trade mark: Regd. No. 1870098, Class 7. It is a public record — anyone can verify it on the Government of India trade mark register. Ask a seller for the number; a genuine supplier will know it.
3. The finish
A real Hippo disc is shot blasted and painted black, with a bright lathe-turned cutting edge running evenly all the way round — including through the notches. A sheared, unturned edge that is dull or uneven is not our work.
4. The paperwork
A proper GST invoice from Dates Discs Pvt. Ltd. or from an appointed dealer, with the size and quantity on it. That invoice is what lets us trace the batch back to the furnace if you ever need to claim.
What should make you pause
No marking at all
Loose, unmarked discs sold out of a heap. If nobody has put their name on it, nobody is standing behind it.
A name that is nearly ours
Our discs are sold as HIPPO and nothing else. A name with an extra word added or a letter changed is a different manufacturer, regardless of what the shopkeeper says.
A price that cannot work
Hardening, tempering and edge-lathing all cost money. A disc priced far below the market has had one of those steps left out, and you will find out which one in the field.
“Same factory, no bill”
We do not sell without an invoice. A refusal to give one tells you what you need to know.
Why this matters to you, not just to us
A counterfeit disc is not simply an unbranded one. The cost is almost always taken out of the heat treatment, because that is the step a buyer cannot see. An under-hardened disc rolls its edge within a few acres and stops cutting; an over-hardened one with no tempering cracks on the first stone. Either way the gang comes off, the season stops, and the saving disappears several times over.
We keep a batch record for every lot we make. If a genuine Hippo disc gives trouble, we can trace it to the furnace and the date and deal with it. Nobody can do that for a disc with no name on it.
Not sure about a disc you have been offered? Send a photo on WhatsApp — including the face where the seal should be — and we will tell you honestly whether it is ours. There is no charge and no obligation.
For dealers
If you are selling discs under our name, we will back you: genuine branded stock, batch traceability, and a straight answer when a farmer comes back with a complaint. If someone in your territory is passing off other discs as Hippo, tell us — it costs you the sale as much as it costs us.
Become an appointed Hippo dealer →
Questions we get asked
Is HIPPO a registered trade mark?
Yes. HIPPO is registered in Class 7 under No. 1870098 in the name of Dates Discs Limited (now Dates Discs Pvt. Ltd.), covering agricultural machines, agricultural discs, blades, cutting edges, end bits, grader blades and rotavator blades. The mark has been in use since 1970.
A shop offered me a disc with a similar-sounding name. Is it the same company?
No. Our discs are sold only as HIPPO, and every one of them carries our seal. If the name is spelled differently, or if the disc carries no seal at all, it did not come from Dates Discs Pvt. Ltd., whoever is selling it.
What should my bill show?
A GST invoice from Dates Discs Pvt. Ltd. or from one of our appointed dealers, with the size and quantity written on it. Keep it - it is what lets us trace the batch if you ever have a complaint.
How do I check whether a dealer is appointed by you?
Send us the shop name and city on WhatsApp and we will confirm it the same working day. It takes a minute and it is free.