From EOTECH . . .
Counterfeiting impacts everyone. EOTECH, the world-leading holographic weapons sight manufacturer, is fighting back against counterfeiting rings at all levels. They have launched an aggressive campaign targeting those who create and sell illegal copies of EOTECH’s iconic military-grade holographic weapons sight systems.
EOTECH takes counterfeit prevention extremely seriously. Why? Because not only do these forgeries impact their business—and the business of their authorized dealers—but more importantly operators’ safety.“Stopping fakes at the source is a critical step in curbing counterfeiting. EOTECH produces an extremely rugged, technically unique holographic sight that can’t be duplicated by counterfeiters. The EOTECH brand stands for reliability, durability and the safety of our operators whether it be soldiers, officers or general users,” said Lisa Kemp, Director of Marketing. “EOTECH partners and end-users can rest assured that we will actively pursue counterfeit operations to quickly shut them down.”
Authentic EOTECH holographic sighting technology is nearly impossible to replicate. Unfortunately, numerous imitation EOTECH products have been discovered, including LED-based products attempting to pass as high-tech holographic sights. One such counterfeit reseller is JC Airsoft, which sold fake EOTECH HWS products for deep discounts. With cooperation from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), EOTECH fought to shut down this activity. Through these efforts, EOTECH reached a 6-figure settlement with JC Airsoft for various HWS counterfeit violations.
An explosion of online sales links with reproduction HWS products adds to consumer confusion. Shoppers are lured to these online stores by their shockingly low prices. EOTECH closely monitors online sales and blocks unauthorized items, from websites such as Alibaba, Aliexpress, Amazon, Facebook, eBay, and other online outlets.
EOTECH understands it is difficult for consumers to spot a fake. Counterfeiters go so far as to reproduce EOTECH registered trademarks and packaging. To that end, EOTECH has created a counterfeit detection resource page on their website (https://www.eotechinc.com/
Counterfeiting affects everyone and EOTECH is committed to go the extra mile to stop it.
Glad to see that the government is helping to fight these bandits. Which should earn the government a deep discount for military sales. Or even better the general consumer like me. Lol.
It should justify EoTech continuing to pay taxes.
OK…cry me a river. We all don’t want counterfeit crap. Until we do. A lot of “respected” brands are made in China. Like Crimson Trace. Do your due diligence.
Brands like Crimson Trace selling OEM gear is *in no way* the same thing as wish.com selling pirated knock-off garbage and passing it off as the genuine article.
Come up with another example of people wanting counterfeit crap.
Dan is right, even if the genuine gear is made in China, the manufacturer has done testing to make sure their gear is up to the abuse. Counterfeit gear can be very dangerous, imagine being in a firefight with a sight that won’t hold zero.
Counterfeiters use the name (like eotech) because they can charge more for junk at the expense of the end user.
I’m all for companies that want to come in, knock-off eotech, hell even copy every aspect of it, sell it under another name and then you have another option. But at least you’re not being deceived when your $40 optic breaks after 1 magazine.
“I’m all for companies that want to come in, knock-off eotech, hell even copy every aspect of it, sell it under another name and then you have another option.”
I’m not. Ever hear of patents? Intellectual property?
How about the amount R&D that went into developing the original idea? Then, there’s testing, insurance, marketing, on and on before ever selling one widget.
Other than using duct tape and baling wire, I guess the average person with such an attitude is relegated to use only something that someone else has created for them. Probably never had an original idea in their lives.
Only the leftists, way-out-there progressives or the woke believe someone should just give away that which they invent, devise, improve or produce, with no concern for making a buck on it. And, of course, the buck only comes after the government(s) have taxed and regulated it.
Right up there with obama: “Hey! You didn’t build that…”
Manufacturing in China just encourages counterfeiting. Factories making genuine products have been caught overproducing and feeding into the black market, or running the line with cheaper, lesser components for the counterfeit market.
Craig in IA,
I agree with you, I think intellectual property is something that should be guarded. Don’t get me wrong, patent infringement is a whole problem that I believe should be prosecuted.
You’re not going to stop someone from taking apart your product and trying to copy it. You can stop some of the stealing by utilizing the patenting process.
I also believe that china is stealing intellectual property and an astounding rate.
The point I was trying to make is I like competition in the marketplace. If you had an airsoft gun, would you buy a $1200 ACOG or put a knockoff on it that looks the same to achieve the same effect? Would you put a knockoff ACOG on a rifle that you would trust your life to? I believe we would probably have the same answer to both questions.
Craig in IA, Patents have a shelf life.
Eotech’s holographic patent was applied for in 1999, and issued in 2002. It has expired.
Patents are to protect IP for a limited time, not forever.
Just like 95% of auto-pistols used JM Browning’s patent for locking the barrel because the patent expired.
Counterfeiting is a completely different issue.
Counterfeit money and lots of it would be nice.
Don’t buy Chicom. In particular any goods that are of military use. The chicoms are a war with us/the West. To hell with the SOBs.
I aAbout bought a very nice set of Sig Zulu5 binos that were on clearance at a great price yesterday. A BIG step up from what I now own. Assembled in China from ….
NO. HELL NO.
Seldom today that you can’t find an alternative to chicom. Much of the production of cut/sew clothing operations have moved to other Asian countries.
I am a staunch supporter if American made products, or products made by our allies. With that being said, Sage Dynamics has done a lot of testing with pistol mounted red dots, and Holosun are some of the top performers, even beating out Leupold, Aimpoint and some Trijicon.
I don’t question the quality. I question the feedback we as Americans consumers gave to the Chicoms that allowed them to turn around and provide their own military with the same quality gear.
And EOTECH suing all those people makes EOTECH gear cost even more than it does now.
Yay? 🙁
I see knock-offs all the time and they seem to fall into two categories: obvious low price fakes that SORTA look like the real thing (but no intelligent person would buy), and copy cats that aren’t really any different from the real thing. High tech products like Eotech can’t be copied, but some simple items (like Daniel Defense accessories) come from the same assembly line. Just a different stamp. Maybe if prices were more reasonable, knock-offs wouldn’t be so profitable.
“And EOTECH suing all those people makes EOTECH gear cost even more than it does now.”
What could possibly bother you about all of this is low price is the primary concern for you buying a product??? No one, especially at EOTech, is trying to market anything to YOU.
Go fro the NecStar stuff…
I wonder where Eotech’s sights are made. I’ll bet China.
Per the interwebz eotech made in USA. Except 3x magnifier made in China. Apparently cheaper to make in the Middle Kingdom. Who knew?😳
They’re made in Michigan. I’ve been to their facility and have seen them being built.
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/eotech-invites-ttag-for-a-first-ever-factory/
Dan…….I purchased an E O Tech model 512 for my AR 7.62×39. I have no complaints against this product, the only improvement could be my eyes. This sight has been instrumental in the elimination of numerous wild hogs at night. It was , for me, expensive but well worth the cost. Wish I could find the cable with touch pad switch that went with the battery cover accessory with red laser. Seemed that most people found the cable too short to be feasible.
As a Firearm retailer for over 20 years It’s scary how much counterfeit merchandise I have seen. Fake Magpul MBUS sights, Fake Daniel Defense sights, Fake Aimpoints, Fake Leupold MK4 scopes, Fake ACOG’s. Customer’s would say “I got a great deal on Ebay” Then you show them how clear a Real MK4 Leopold is after theirs breaks under recoil. BUYER BEWARE 99% of fakes are sold on Ebay and Amazon or peddled at your local gun show. We actually have had some fake merchandise on display in our store to show and educate our customers how to spot fakes! Most companies like Eotech, Leupold and Daniel Defense have Counterfeit warnings and info on how to spot fakes their websites. Sad, it’s not just gun stuff but as a part time mechanic I have seen counterfeit NGK Iridium spark plugs, counterfeit Ford Motorcraft ignition coils & diesel fuel filters. They are very good at copying the original packaging & markings too. If the price is too good to be true then…
Prior to purchase a prudent consumer will verify if the Brand Name and packaged product is the real deal.
Just as bad are USA manufacturers who claim Made In USA while what is in the box was only assembled or painted in the USA.
If a product is well made and performs well and saves money that I use to buy a better barrel, etc. then where the product is made is not relevant.
On the other hand there’s no cutting corners when it comes to components like rifle buffer tubes, etc…The threaded end plug can move when tightening some 6061 extruded import tubes and that’s not safe. If you can find a 7075 forged is the way to go or use a 7075 extruded tube.
Yep. Made in America is one of the biggest scams and suckers people into paying the “American price” for Chinesium. People buy just about anything if you wave the red, white, and blue in front of them.
I was shopping for a ratchet wrench a few months ago and despite the whole background of the packaging being USA TOOL!, repeating all down the package, I found the country of origin on the back which was ‘Made in Taiwan for USA TOOL’. Deception and lies; although I don’t mind buying from Taiwan.
“Made in the USA with foreign and domestic parts.” is another snub to Americans because it’s clearly manufactured in China, but packaged in the USA.
The workaround is the same with union labor. As long as one union guy is doing one task, such as combining two assembled parts, then it’s probably half union labor now.
I don’t care if a particular product is made in USA or elsewhere. I just don’t buy military gear from a potential near-peer adversary like the Chicoms.
“where the product is made is not relevant.”
NO WRONG. When it’s made in chicomland and is a military nature it is coming directly from a PLA owned and run factory. Count on it.
The chicoms are at war with US/the West. They declared intent is to destroy us. Stop financing the SOBs. Good bet most here are pissed about that braindead dumbass Obiden suppling the jihadis with billions in weapons but you’ll buy equipment straight out of the chicom/PLA factory? THAT’S braindead.
+1
I think operators are smart enough to buy their kit from reputable vendors or direct from the manufacture
Depending on the item, a knockoff works just as well as the brand name. A Tekton toque wrench performs just as well as a Snap-on torque wrench at around 1/6th the cost or less.
Knockoffs and airsoft goodies are perfectly fine for popping squirrels in the back yard with an air rifle; just don’t use them on anything larger than a .22lr. I understand protecting brand name but going after an airsoft company that is selling replica AIRSOFT toys is a little extreme.
” a knockoff works just as well as the brand name”
Tell us all about Harbor Fakes. PERHAPS some stuff will work some of the time. You crawling under a car sitting on those HF 500lb jackstands with your rubber socketset and disposable 100ftlb impact wrench? Just as good – BULL
I think the prudent consumer knows what to buy at Harbor Freight and what not to. Hey, I’m a Craftsman and Snap-On guy and wrench every weekend but a 18″ 1/2 Breaker bar that costs $12.00 works the same no matter whose name is on it. Some things you don’t cheap on, Jack Stands being one of them. Harbor Freight is useful IF you know what you’re looking at and why. No different than High-Point, still goes bang.
One item that is surprising to me are the Badland Apex winches. They are getting a good reputation in the Off-Road/Overland community.
https://www.harborfreight.com/apex-12000-lb-winch-with-synthetic-rope-and-wireless-remote-56385.html
I had 2 Eotechs that I assumed were legit but everytime I went to use them they were doa. Parasitic draw. Shooting bud has a bogus Leupy Mk4 that everyone has told him is a fake and he refuses to believe it because he bought it from a dealer. Yes a dealer in knock off Leupolds.
I had a buddy that bought a Leupold Mk 4 from an eBay seller a while back. He called me & asked me to help him get it mounted back when I still had my shop open. When he arrived with the scope there was just something “off” about it. I had a Mk 6 on one of my bolt guns and started comparing them side by side, I told him that I thought he had a “knock off”. Went to Leupold’s site and looked at their examples. Found the Mk 4 he had…with the same serial number, box and all. He was pissed off. He got his money back, luckily because the seller advertised it as genuine. You really have to watch out!
On the other hand some reputable vendors sell on e-Bay and have Amazon storefronts. Not firearm related but recently I bought two moderate quality, extra long paddles for an old Folbot folding Kayak I’m getting out after several years. I bought one on e-Bay and then decided to buy a second one from Backcountry in Salt Lake City as the price was identical. They came packaged the same from the same address.
I recently was looking for 6.5mm Creedmore snap caps on Amazon and all at once started to get links to a number of items with various descriptions that are obviously suppressor parts or 80 percent suppressor parts sold by either a bonafide Chinese knock off company or some ATF agents trolling for suckers to sting, and no, I will not be buying any. Amazon should pay some price to allow things like this to slip into the US market unchallenged or to participate in stings set up to lure in hapless citizens.
Like a disappointed kid getting a knockoff toy from well-meaning grandparents, via the local dollar store or gas station. Only with a lot more money and a lot more safety issues involved.
Lets not forget the ransom to manufacturing in China. The Chicoms demand the intellectual property as a price of doing business. So you expect them not to counterfeit?
BS, Eotech is NOT losing business to counterfeiters: Eotech sells $600.00 holographic sights. Fake ones sell for $50.00… Anybody who buys a $50.00 or $80.00 “Eotech” knows perfectly well that it’s a fake, and would definitely NOT fork the $$$ to buy the real deal. Moreover, the only customer keeping Eotech in business is the Government. That they want to protect their image and their designs, good… But don’t go around and cry that “China is hurting your market”, pulleeease…
Reminds me of a few years back when the RIAA used to claim they were losing BILLIONS of dollars to illegal music downloading. Same reason that was a false claim: People downloaded illegitimate copies of music because it was free, and it was disingenuous for the RIAA to claim the full retail value of each one as a loss.
It is not unusual for a scammer to purchase the real thing and return it with a fake. Then the LGS unwittingly resells the fake to you.
This is particularly prevalent with internet purchases.
I’ve got a fake eotech, it works perfectly on my comped AR and holds zero. I think I paid $45? My fake $30 X300 light works perfectly after many rounds and is crazy bright. My fake C-more Railway also works perfectly on a PCC and has a better fit& finish than my real C-more. Ethics aside, many of the copies are perfectly functional. I like the fake Eotech so much that I will one day buy a real one with the 1moa center dot.
I was told by Libertarians that copyright law is immoral. They say they don’t believe in intellectual property.
I’ve tried multiple times reporting counterfeits to eBay, but eBay never takes no action.
eBay is too busy punishing sellers like me for daring to try to sell a Nikon riflescope (which eBay claimed was an “assault weapon part”), or a bolt-action rifle magazine (which eBay also claimed was an “assault weapon part”), or a stock for a single-shot break-action TC Encore (which eBay again claimed was an “assault weapon part” because the photo of my single-shot break-action TC Encore looked like an “assault weapon” to them), or… I’ve lost track of the number of times that eBay claimed that an innocent item such as a scope was an “assault weapon part”, and yet other eBay sellers sell the exact same part daily.
Because eBay takes no action against counterfeiters, I’ve tried to get the sellers to take down their listings by informing the sellers that their actions are illegal (criminal!) as well as a violation of eBay policies. The sellers have reacted with surprise and puzzlement, saying, “Why do you care that they’re counterfeit? I’m selling them at cheap prices, so you should be happy I’m saving people money!”
Eotech makes an o k product.
The main problem is the battery life.
As another poster said, they are always dead when you pick it up after not using it for a short time.
There is some kind of parasitic draw off the batteries even when the unit is off.
The circle dot reticle is pretty cool, and I like the way it looks like a World War II bombing site.
Plenty of other companies make circle dot sites that last 20,000 or even 50,000 hours on a single battery.
They may not be a hologram, but I don’t see the advantage to having the reticl be a hologram instead of a red dot.
I do defense research. Mounted real LE restricted EO 512 NV A0191018 on 7.62 rifle. Big mirror screen came loose inside, but laser still operated. Contacted EO said “We don’t fix them”. Neither does anyone else. Couldn’t have had more than 600 rounds and $600 wasted. Don’t buy anything that the manufacturer does not stand behind. BTW, replaced with Aimpoint…works.
Has any one ever priced a ‘real’ Eotech ? VERY COSTLY. The average blue collar worker who wants a reasonable optic is never going to pay several times more than the gun is worth. Of course people are going to buy knock offs.