Unscrupulous overseas manufacturers and criminal elements in the United States are selling counterfeit L-3 EOTech Holographic Weapon Sights to consumers, as well as police officers and soldiers.
The counterfeiters closely replicated the outside appearance of the L-3 EOTech sights while some included L-3 EOTech Logos and labels to make them appear to be genuine L-3 products.
Unlike the counterfeits, ALL L-3 EOTech holographic weapon sights as well as the consumer models sold by Bushnell are made in the U.S.A.
As one can see in the accompanying photos, the outside appearance is nearly identical. The counterfeiters copied the outside appearance of the L-3 EOTech sight but the counterfeit sights are not clones. The counterfeiters do not have the technology to copy a holographic sight. They simply mimic the operation of the L-3 holographic weapon sight using older "red-dot" technology.
The counterfeits, regardless of model, can be recognized by their curved and reflective optics. The flat, anti-reflection coated optics of the genuine L-3 EOTech sight reflects very little light while the optics of the counterfeits reflects a bright and distorted image of the room light. The reflection from the optics can be used to recognize the counterfeits of any model of the L-3 EOTech holographic sight.
Another feature that distinguishes a genuine L-3 EOTech sight from a counterfeit is the presence of an optical component behind the top part of the front window of the sight. As shown in the photos, one can see an optical component at the top of the front sight window of a genuine L-3 EOTech sight. It rounds off the top edge of the sight window. The lack of the component indicates the sight is a counterfeit.
A real L-3 EOTech sight.
Counterfeiters have created a very similar appearing counterfeit model 553, but do not have the technology to copy the 553 holographic sight.
The counterfeiters copied the outside appearance of the L-3 EOTech 553 sight, but simply mimic the operation of the L-3 holographic weapon sight.
Note the position of the labeling.
Positive identification of a genuine 553 sight can be easily made by opening the battery compartment.
The genuine 553 uses two CR123 lithium batteries.
The counterfeit uses two AAA batteries.
Look at the bottom of the sight. Of all the counterfeits identified so far, none have the L-3 EOTech manufacturer and serial number label affixed to the bottom of the sight. Caution: an Ebay seller has been identified that sells L-3 EOTech labels.
This counterfeit EOTech 553 Holographic Sight is easily identified by the two AAA batteries in the battery compartment.
The genuine sight battery compartment is very different and uses two CR123 batteries.
This only applies to the 553 sight.
A counterfeit sight can be identified if there is any light source visibly present when looking through the sight. A user cannot see the laser diode source anywhere in the housing of a genuine L-3 EOTech sight.
The real EOTech holographic weapon sight presents a distortion free, parallax free aiming reticle regardless of the part of the sight window through which the reticle is viewed. The counterfeit uses an old red-dot technology, and is distorted.
An optical component at the top of the front sight window can be seen on all a genuine L-3 EOTech sights. It rounds off the top edge of the sight window.
The lack of the component indicates the sight is a counterfeit.
The lack of the optical component indicates the sight is a counterfeit. The reflection from the optics can be used to recognize the counterfeits of any model of the L-3 EOTech holographic sight.
The counterfeit 553 weapon sight is easily detected by the anti-reflection coated optics of the genuine L-3 EOTech sight which reflects very little light.
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