Eotech knock offs on ebay...anyone use them

[dmfisher71]

just been looking ahead for some optics for my build cant afford a full eotech setup with a magnifier but found a set of knock offs on ebay.... wanting to keep an under $200 range... but my rifle style will be a "battle rifle" look as what i want to call it .... 16" bbl with a spikes fake can to give it the SBR look, so i want something that i can pull up and get a good quick aim but also something that will be accurate and target off in distance.... any thoughts or recomendation are greatly appreciated

 

[davedolli]

I bought one from another member who told me he paid full price not knowing it was a fake one. It worked ok on an AR until I bought the real thing. The person I sold it to has since moved it to a .22 AR, which it should be great for. The fake China one is ok to try to see if you like an Eotech, but not even close to being a replacement. The internal circuity and components are very cheap, and not put together well.

Dave

 

[iamaclone45]

I say don't do it.

There are much better options for your price range.

Check out Primary Arms. They produce quality "knock offs".

https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_s/147.htm

Or if you really want an EOTech knock off I would suggest looking at this:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/forums/parts_and_accessories/246727-eotec_551_clone.html

 

[GBuck]

Talk to A&A Optics... You may be able to get something of quality that you didn't think about, while staying in or very close to your price range!

A&A Optics - INGunOwners

 

[Miketodd]

If you are wanting to stay under 200 I would talk to Vette. Also keep an eye on the classifieds, there are some good deals to be had sometimes. Buy once Cry once.

 

[Stickfight]

You can buy around the eBay fees and avoid Paypal by going thru AliExpress.com, better selection too. You can even get a fake LaRue to go with it.

If you are putting a fake can on the thing it obviously isn't a "bet your life on it" rifle.

 

[jrainw]

Don't buy something that should be/is illegal and offensive, the chinese do what they want with no regard to right or wrong.
Plenty of low cost import optics not pretending to be something they are not.

 

[HamsterStyle]

Don't buy something that should be/is illegal and offensive, the chinese do what they want with no regard to right or wrong.
Plenty of low cost import optics not pretending to be something they are not.

This.

Unfortunately I have absolutely nothing of any other valuable info to add to this thread.

 

[tradertator]

Don't buy the Chinese knock off trash, and put it on a real gun. Spend the same money and buy something more reputable like a Burris Fastfire, Vortex Sparc, Bushnell TRS-25, etc....

If you look around, you might find a good deal on a Bushnell Holosight. They were built by Eotech, but lack the aluminum protective hood and night vision controls. Usually run around $200.

 

[dsol]

If you are wanting to stay under 200 I would talk to Vette. Also keep an eye on the classifieds, there are some good deals to be had sometimes. Buy once Cry once.

This!

I was just looking around with nothing really in mind and I found a 2x Aimpoint on the classifieds here for a very fair price. It was a perfect match for my FAL, a later model with the super long battery life, a slight amount of magnification and Aimpoints are pretty rugged. Winner winner chicken dinner!

The Bushnell holosight as someone else said is a great lower cost choice too, far superior to the imitations. I love the classifieds here, given a little time, you can almost always find what you are looking for at a fair price.

 

[DCM8513]

Don't buy the Chinese knock off trash, and put it on a real gun. Spend the same money and buy something more reputable like a Burris Fastfire, Vortex Sparc, Bushnell TRS-25, etc....

If you look around, you might find a good deal on a Bushnell Holosight. They were built by Eotech, but lack the aluminum protective hood and night vision controls. Usually run around $200.

This.

buy american, if you dont like it id think youd be able to sell it for closer to what you paid for it than something that says "made in china"

 

[wsenefeld]

Check for a used strikefire or sparc. Worth the money and better than any "clone"

 

[mvician]

Save the money you are spending on a fake can and put it towards a real optic.

 

[dmfisher71]

yeah i have decided against the fake can already...lol... looking at a a couple flash supressors from YHM...... i have looked at all the optics mentioned and really like the holosight and the sparc..... thanks for all the suggestions....

 

[JollyMon]

Buy once Cry once.

This.

I have learned this the hard way over my years of collecting. Put in my proper research and get the item that is best for the purpose intended. This doesn't always mean the most expensive or flashy, but does mean quality. Too often, in the past, I was quick to purchase an item on a whim only to regret it a few months (sometimes days) later and ending up purchasing the quality item to satisfy my need. Do it right the first time and you wont look back.

 

[Stickfight]

I know 3 guys who have Aimpoint clones on plinking ARs and they are perfectly happy with them. They could have spent 5 times as much to get a real one and been no happier and probably less so being out more money.

You shouldn't feel any obligation to support anyone based on their living closer to you than someone else. Nor should you feel oigated to support some company's business model over another's, especially if the former relies on government enforced artificial scarcity.

 

[tradertator]

You shouldn't feel any obligation to support anyone based on their living closer to you than someone else. Nor should you feel oigated to support some company's business model over another's, especially if the former relies on government enforced artificial scarcity.

Counterfeit is counterfeit. I have no problem if a company wants to make a cheap product. Primary Arms does it, and write "Primary Arms" on the side of it. But when someone forges another's name on it and pass it off as authentic, its criminal. The Chinese are pumping out so much knock off crap, you almost have to buy something new from a reputable vendor, just to not get ripped off.

 

[JettaKnight]

These aren't clones or knock-offs, they're straight up counterfeits. They're stealing business from EOTech and other reputable mfgrs. and stealing money from unsuspecting buyers. They're damaging the brands they copy.

If you believe that theft like this is wrong, then you'll same away from this crap.

 

[AtlasDM]

You shouldn't feel any obligation to support anyone based on their living closer to you than someone else. Nor should you feel o[bl]igated to support some company's business model over another's, especially if the former relies on government enforced artificial scarcity.

I agree 100% with this statement, just not in the context of counterfeiting.

I have an EoTech knock-off that down to the packaging is a direct replication of the real thing (until you turn it on NVG mode and the reticle changes from red to green) and it's almost impossible to spot the difference.

Had I paid more than I did for it I would have been pretty upset about getting ripped off. Instead I look at it as a good deal on a sight for an AirSoft gun. I wouldn't trust it for anything more serious than that.

 

[ckcollins2003]

If your limit is $200, you can find actually good products that will hold up for sure. As others have said, talk to Alan at AA Optics. I highly recommend the Vortex SPARC, but if you're wanting to go cheaper, you can go with the Strikefire.

If you just have to have a holographic sight instead of a red dot, I'd go with a reputable name brand. When it comes to sights, you get what you pay for. While the cheap ebay model might not break apart into pieces, there's a good chance that you'll have to re-zero it every time you shoot. That's if it adjusts at all to zero the first time.

I learned my lesson on optics after buying a cheap Barska scope. Never again will I go cheap on an optic. It's so frustrating that it's not worth the savings.