blackhawk are still regarded as 'the real deal' - its mainly the
'americans only wear american labour made gear' issue, and its
somewhat lower price-point [compared to other gear manufacturers,
though SDS can be reasonable] that have made it look 'less' than
others.
as far as copies go, BHI have been known to make 'copies with
alterations' of Eagle Industries gear [subloads, etc], which
probably didnt help their reputation.
as far as operational reports go though, BHI are considered to be
not bad at all.