Knockoff Surefire, anyone tried them?

Brettzky

Brettzky

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I've bought a few things from the Chinese knock-off marketplaces like Aliexpress.com and whatnot, some things show up with pretty decent quality while others have arrived DOA.

Just found they have Surefire X300 / X400 clones. I'm sure there are differences between them and the real deal, but who would EVER spend $600 on a light or laser... The specs are listed very similar for both and they run on the same CR123A batteries, which I already have a few for a different laser I bought from them that I use at work. (points farther than my eyes can see, and only paid $15 for it with free shipping)

These ones are $70-100. Are they going to fall apart after 20 rounds?
 
Despite what a lot of people think there is a reason companies like Streamlight, Surefire, Fenix, etc charge higher prices for their lights. They have a ton of R&D and testing involved in their light systems. I would never, ever trust a knockoff for a weapon or duty light that may need to be activated to save my life. I'd never buy anything like that knockoff from China at all.

That said for target shooting I still think it's a bad idea. The recoil from a firearm is going to punish some cheese-ball knockoff. That is why the cheaper knockoff "airsoft" holosights never last for long.

If you are looking for an affordable weapon-light look at the Streamlight series. You can pick a streamlight weaponlight up for less than $200CAD easily.
 
I like to take stuff like that and try and improve it the best I can and see how it goes. Not being a huge investment if it does fail it's not the end of the world , and you can start saving for what you really want in the mean time. A flashlight isn't and advance circuit. If you want to improve solder joints and maybe add loctite to the threads your worried about coming loose, it might last a little longer.
I've had some luck with flash lights and lasers off aliexpress.
Goodluck!
 
I got a clone surefire for $60 from a place called army issue surplus, worth every penny, absolutely fantastic for the money, it did sometimes flicker during recoil but i dont really think that actually matters at all, just the batteries bouncing off the contacts
 
You get what you pay for with these knock offs. I always stick with the real brand name stuff. Real parts for a real gun. Next thing, they will have knock off guns.
 
jackrabbit000 said:
Next thing, they will have knock off guns.
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Already do. The chinese ones are called Norinco, the American-made ones are called Hi Point.

As for the OPs question, $70-100 is a decent bit of coin for most flashlights (I know, not nearly as expensive as a name-brand weapon light, but I can't help but feel like the fact its being sold as a weapon light instantly raises the price a bunch compared to a different flashlight of similar build quality thats not being sold as a weapon light). I would think they must be pretty decently built for that sort of price. Only way to find out if they are any good is to buy one.

The one thing I can add is a product like this is unlikely to live up to its claims as far as lumens or candlepower or whatever, and if you compared it side-by-side with a name brand flashlight claiming the same output you will likely find the name-brand one to be brighter.
 
Hi Point is not a knock off of anything - crap yes, knock off, no. Has anyone dropped a Holosun mounted to a rifle, so that the Holosun hits first? How did that turn out? While I think that Surefire is over priced, there are other choices that don't involve trademark infringement, or giving up entirely on any semblance of quality. I run an M3 on my pistol, much cheaper, works fine, SOCCOM issued.
 
Brettzky said:
Just found they have Surefire X300 / X400 clones. I'm sure there are differences between them and the real deal, but who would EVER spend $600 on a light or laser...
Click to expand...

Someone whose life may depend on that piece of equipment. Which is about 0.001% of the people on this board and definitely not me.


Punisher-One said:
You can pick a streamlight weaponlight up for less than $200CAD easily.
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Which is still a ridiculous price for a flashlight that goes on a range-only toy that will only ever see combat against a piece of paper during daylight hours.


Mark
 
mmattockx said:
Which is still a ridiculous price for a flashlight that goes on a range-only toy that will only ever see combat against a piece of paper during daylight hours.


Mark
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Then don't buy one at all. If you are buying a Chinese knock-off because "it's only on a range toy that never gets used at night anyways" don't even bother with the light. "I'll never use it" is a terrible excuse to throw money at a copywrite infringing knock-off from China.
There are times to buy Chinese cheap-o stuff, like a pair of sweatpants, and there are times to put up the $$$ or shut up. Those times are anything related to firearms or something that can save my life. Make no mistake a proper flashlight can save your life in the right circumstances.
 
Punisher-One said:
Then don't buy one at all. If you are buying a Chinese knock-off because "it's only on a range toy that never gets used at night anyways" don't even bother with the light. "I'll never use it" is a terrible excuse to throw money at a copywrite infringing knock-off from China.
There are times to buy Chinese cheap-o stuff, like a pair of sweatpants, and there are times to put up the $$$ or shut up. Those times are anything related to firearms or something that can save my life. Make no mistake a proper flashlight can save your life in the right circumstances.
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I agree that there is no point in having a weapons light in Kanada. As I said originally, the number of people on this board that are buying their own kit and actually have their lives resting on it is infinitesimal. That means the rest are buying them for range-only toys or shooting in the bush during daylight hours and that certainly doesn't require a $600 light. I also agree with OP that any $600 flashlight is grossly overpriced. I have several Maglite flashlights that are more than tough enough to mount on any gun I have carried and they all cost less than $50. Add in another $25 for a weather proof pressure switch and and maybe $50 (at most) for a reasonable rail mount and you have a tough flashlight set up that costs $125. Where is the other $500 going?

Note I am not saying that any Maglite is suitable for mounting as a weapons light, just that it is tough enough and it sets a price point where one can built a tough light to suit the purpose.


Mark
 
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Why not just keep an eye out for a used Streamlight? IIRC they go for as low as $100 from time to time, this is the route I'd go with personally. The Inforce pistol lights also pop up on the EE once in a while for a reasonable cost.

If you insist on getting a Surefire clone, I'd suggest looking around the local airsoft retailers, most of them carry it for about $70-80ish.
 
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