Repro Items in Airsoft: An Opinion Piece

Today I’m here to talk about fake products in airsoft. How can they be classified? Just how common are they? Why do people buy them? We will be going into all of that and more here.

First off, what is a fake item in airsoft?

The best way to think of it is with this simple question: is it copying the look, design, or name of something that has already been created? If It does any of the three, then it can be considered a fake. Most people will refer to them as repro items, as they are generally reproductions of the current item in execution. Some incredibly common examples of this can be found in EOTech sights, Surefire flashlights, and MagPul accessories. Repro’s are popular in airsoft because they provide the look of the real item, typically for a fraction of the cost of the real one. This reduced price for the copy will also show in the performance of the item when compared to the real deal.

Now I feel that I have to stress this though; officially licensed “airsoft versions” of items (think PTS making Kinetic Development MREX rails and MagPul licensed Masadas, Elite Force making licensed Glocks, etc.) are NOT considered repro, fake, or counterfeit in any way.

Let’s use the examples already listed to explain the quality difference between the real and the repro options. Repro EOTech sights will not hold zero under recoil, can come with shoddy wiring, and can come with dimensional and aesthetic inconsistencies (think Chinese manufacturing lottery, you never truly get what’s advertised). With lights, the real versions will produce a far better output than the repro, and the repros will also have the dimensional and aesthetic inconsistencies. If you could figure out what the last two have in common, try to guess what I’m going to say about the MagPul repros! MagPul fakes, often referred to as “ChinaPul” among other things, will also have the aesthetic and dimensional inconsistencies that are common in all repro products, and will often be made with similar-enough-to-pass materials.

If these three examples didn’t make it obvious to you guys, let me be blunt. Repro products, at least as far as accessories go, will perform the same job as the real ones that they imitate, but will not perform as well, will be made out of worse materials, and will have inconsistencies in both the looks and actual dimensions of the items. Now that we can identify them and understand that they are cheaper, inferior copies of real equipment, let’s discuss why people are so prone to purchasing them.

Why do people buy fakes?

As seen through the examples mentioned above, most repros that are common in airsoft are from the firearm industry. EOTech, Surefire, MagPul, etc. There are various reasons that people will give for buying repros for airsoft, and I will do my best to explain some of the most common ones that I have encountered.

One way to understand why people buy the cheap copies is to understand how the typical airsofter prioritizes. The whole point of airsoft is to play with guns without the guns being real. Having the cool factor that owning and building firearms can bring without the cost and risk of messing with real firearms. Airsofters often translate that line of thinking into the accessories they choose to use. Many in the community will think “my gun is fake, so why not use a fake sight as well?” for instance. Sticking with repro sights for consistency, this same type of community member will also openly question those who use real sights on their airsoft replicas, believing them to be a waste of money. Two arguments I have often heard from airsofters are “So what if the real one can hold zero under recoil? Airsoft doesn’t have recoil” or “I barely use the sights to aim in the first place, why would I pay several hundred dollars for a sight that I won’t even use half the time?” This sentiment can be translated over to just about any repro item in airsoft, but where most discourse I have seen over the topic involves sights, these are the most common arguments I have heard. Many who buy repro items do not feel it necessary to spend the money on the real deal, because the benefits of the real item either do not outweigh the price difference, or simply do not matter to the airsofter in question. It can be boiled down to an “if it works, it works” mentality, not caring for the item’s repro status as long as it performs its function well enough in the user’s eyes.

A common counter that I see against the use of repros is that it steals sales that would have otherwise gone to the original company. Think “if they weren’t making fake Surefire lights, then people would be running the real ones.” But there are two rebuttals that can be given to this counterargument. Many who are purchasing repro equipment are looking for cheap stuff that looks cool, people who would not be paying full price for the item regardless. The absence of a cheap alternative would not result in an additional sale, but rather the individual would simply not buy it at all if there were no cheaper options. On top of that, most of the items that are being reproduced were created for the firearm industry, not the airsoft industry. Therefore, the original companies would not be losing an intended sale if someone chooses to purchase a repro for their airsoft replicas. Those companies are looking to sell real gun stuff to real gun people, not the group of guys larping with fake guns on the weekend. Now, this line of logic can be applied with varying degrees of correctness from company to company. While it is valid that these companies are likely not banking on us airsofters to stay afloat, there could very well be companies that are either investing in the airsoft community or have invested in the airsoft community that do expect to sell their products to airsofters when they go on the market. This also cannot be applied to products like the Odin Sidewinder, as it is a product created specifically for the airsoft market that also has cheaper repros sold by other companies.

Another reason that has been given to justify purchasing repro items is a two-in-one: seeing these reproductions as “generic/bargain brand” versions instead of rip offs and the official version being sold out/discontinued. I call this a two-in-one because they will often be used together when justifying a purchase. For a good example of this, let’s look at UBR stocks. If you were to google “airsoft UBR stock” right now (writing this in January, 2021), every website will either say “out of stock” or “discontinued” under the product listing. The only ones that are available are the repro UBR stocks. So right now, if an airsofter wanted to buy a UBR stock, not only could they not support the creators of the original airsoft UBR, but they have to find someone selling a used one, buy a repro for less than half the cost of a real one (which would deter from buying used), or not get one at all. When faced with this dilemma, many will see the repro item as the most appealing option, and start to see it more as a “generic” brand UBR instead of a fake/repro/counterfeit, as those terms tend to have the negative connotation of hurting the industry. But if the original product is discontinued, who is it hurting?

These are the most common reasons I have seen over the years for why people buy repro items, but that in no way means that this is an exhaustive list. People could hate a company but begrudgingly like their stuff, wanting to use a similar product without directly supporting the company. They could be trying to find the best performing item at the lowest cost and it just so happens to be a repro product. There could be a hundred different reasons for buying repro that I am just completely aware of, but I hope that I was at least able to articulate why most airsofters that buy repro items decide to do so.

Is buying repro okay?

Now that all of the explaining has been done, it’s time for the more controversial part of this article. Is it ever acceptable to buy repro items in airsoft? I say controversial because every airsofter will have a different opinion on this, so me giving mine may draw some heat from those that disagree. In my own personal opinion, I think that there are several instances where it is okay to purchase a repro item. To be perfectly candid, I even have some repro items on a few of my personal builds. So let’s talk about some instances where I think it is okay to buy repro.

1. The item is mainly for looks.

If you are looking for an item in order to complete an aesthetic look on a gun you are going for, but do not want to pay out the ass just to finish the look, repro is a good way to go. For example, real MBUS sights will run you close to $100 new. If an airsofter wants to have the aesthetically pleasing look of a pair of MBUS sights on their replica, I see no problem with finding a pair of repros that look close enough to pass, as they were never going to be truly used in the first place.

2. The real version is impractical/not possible.

This can apply to a number of products and situations. Do we need ballistic helmets for our plastic pellets? Not a chance. The real item could also be illegal to own/highly regulated (suppressors for example, we don’t use real ones on our airsoft guns). They could also be incompatible with airsoft guns such as certain rails, flash hiders, etc. Want FDE EOTech risers with integrated G33 flip mounts? Well the real ones go for thousands of dollars. Like I said, a lot can fall under this category.

3. The original is discontinued/out of stock with no preorder.

As seen with the UBR example, if there are repro options for a product that is either no longer in production or has been out of stock with no updates on a potential restock in the future, there is no lost profit that purchasing that specific repro will cause. There is never a guarantee that someone will sell a used one, let alone in good condition, so in many cases like this the repro will actually be the highest quality item available.

4. You are min/max-ing.

If someone is looking for the best cost to performance ratio in an item, or is holding to a strict budget, repro items are often the best performers of their respective price brackets. In this case, the individual was never considering the item as what it is a repro of. It is merely a coincidence that the item that performs best in their desired price range happens to be a repro.

5. You are testing/comparing an item.

If you already have the original item, or are already planning on purchasing one, and come across a repro of that item, you could be tempted to see how it compares to the original. It is perfectly acceptable to purchase one if you want to see how it functions comparatively, and if it holds up then there just may be a spot on your kit it can fill.

These are some instances where I personally find it acceptable to purchase repro items for your airsoft needs.

What isn’t okay, though?

There is one instance that I find absolutely unacceptable, regardless of the context, when it comes to selling repro items, and I see it happen far more than I should. Some companies that sell these repro items will market them as if they are real to try and trick unsuspecting buyers into thinking that they are buying a legitimate product for a ridiculous discount. They are often advertised as “this week only” or something to that effect to get people to impulse buy them, despite them not being one off weekly sales at all. The retailers I have seen do this try to act clever about it too, refusing to say the item’s brand in the title or description, but opting to not blur out the logo of the real company that the fakes have on them. This pushes the implication that they are real, further tricking those who are not immediately suspicious.

I have most recently seen this with a retailer by the name of JC Airsoft. They sell repro Surefire flashlights, EOTech sights, and more, but one of their big pulls seems to be their repros. Their advertisements and website product listings go as far as to list the model number of the actual product (M600U, X300 Ultra, EXPS3–2, etc.) and do not blur out the fake logo of the original companies. However, they conveniently don’t call them Surefire and EOTech, or whatever brand it is meant to imitate, directly. On top of that, they will price them at the typical going price of the replicas, but claim it is discounted from the price that the real products are sold at to pretend that they are on a heavy discount. I don’t normally have a problem with retailers selling repro items such as these, but this business’ practice is simply manipulation of the ignorant. It is clearly set up to make those who don’t know any better believe that they are buying legitimate products.

Now I know what some of you may be thinking: “well, did you at least reach out to them just in case this is a monumental misunderstanding?” Yes, I did. I messaged them on Instagram and right off the bat they confirmed that their products are indeed repros. I responded asking why they advertise their repros as discounted from the real items’ prices, while also implying their products are legit. It took their social media rep almost two days to respond, telling me that he is unsure and will ask the manager. As of writing this, it has been two days since then and they have left me on “seen.” I even asked to follow up on the manager’s response just yesterday only to be “seen” and ignored. I do not anticipate a response from them, which only proves my points about this being an underhanded and manipulative trick. Is this kind of advertising legal? I’m not sure, but even if it is it is incredibly immoral.

I want to reiterate that I do not have a problem with people selling or buying repro items, but that sentiment stops when the seller attempts to pass off their repros for the real thing to drive up sales. It’s okay to have repro items, but for the love of business integrity be honest about it.