ill be honest. i have one of the chinese 3x magnifiers, mounted in a real larue flip mount. the glass is better than the hendsoldt mag it replaced, and the magnification power is higher.
the eye relief and FOV is NOT as good as the aimpoint version.
I use it infrequently, usually only when hunting jackrabbits, so for me, the expenditure of 500 dollars for the real deal wasnt worth it. 40 bucks to a Hong Kong based ebay seller got me the knockoff, and it suits my (non fighting) purposes.
as for the red dots themselves, i wouldnt trust them on a fighting carbine. Although i have considered using knockoff crap to build myself a bottom dollar 22 setup that closely mimicks my real setup. Something that i can train with, and will never be called on for “real” use.
please done construe this as support for companies that knock off other peoples designs. I normally find this repugnant. but i guess i made a bit of an exception for this one item. hypocritical to a certain extent i suppose. but if the 40 dollar knock off wasnt available, and my only other option was the 500 dollar real deal, i just wouldnt have bought anything at all.
I am running one on a Beretta Storm in 9mm. The dot turns off every 3-4 shots! Great fun, adds a new dimension to failure drills.
In most cases you get what you pay for. I have been buying optics for over twenty years for an OEM hunting company. It kind of goes like this, Japan (Great), Korea & Taiwan (good) and then China (SHIT).
Biggest problem is that there is huge inconsistency in quality from unit to unit.
You can hit the lottery every so often and get a great twenty-dollar optic but it is by accident.
Most all big name optic suppliers are sourcing in Asia. Problem is that the factories are plain stupid when it comes to the problem solving. They are not users. They just make it.
“In conclusion, only scumbags and idiots buy knockoffs.”
I am kidding of course, I just wanted to point out what a rude comment that was.
I think there is a place for these products in certain peoples budget. I have used numerous products from China, including the red dots and magnifiers. I would not and I repeat NOT ever advise someone to put one on their duty weapon (with the exception of the 3X magnifier). I do know several officers who setup a secondary weapon the same as their duty weapon with the knockoff stuff. This allows them to practice with an identical weapon without breaking the bank.
Supporting companies that steal ideas and then sell them costs everyone. A lot of money goes into the development of these products and then often times they are copied and sold as counterfeit to the real thing. Unsuspecting buyers are ripped off. None of this crap has any place on any professional’s equipment. It’s substandard for duty, practice or spare part. It will fail just when you need it to keep you alive. Officers have shown up to training with this crap since the chinese starting violating the copyrights on the items. I’ve learned to just smile when they show everyone what a great deal they got. None of it lasts the first full day of a rifle class. I don’t train with airsoft and I’m not about to put airsoft quality crap on my kit that I need to take downrange.
And as for using on a hobby gun, I can’t support the idea because I know I’m supporting a culture that supports and encourages copyright infringement. That’s theft and it’s always wrong.
It’s not even that I wouldn’t trust one at on a fighting carbine, it’s that paying what they’re asking for them for ANY use whatsoever is a complete rip-off.
Again, anyone who has not seen the Aimpoint knockoff thread on TOS needs to go take a look.
My clone works perfectly for my dedicated 22 AR, however I chose to stick with iron sights on my “Fighting” carbine till I can scrounge up the cash for quality optics.