Counterfeit Maglites?

Hello Forum. First Post.
Are counterfeit Maglites an issue?
I lost my Maglite Solitaire that I've had since they were issued. I guess 25 years maybe? I went on Ebay for a replacement. There are giftsets, but there are a couple package variations among sellers. I know the Chinese are knocking off $10 items now. A genuine Casio goldtone WR digital watch is under 20 bucks, yet ebay is still full of knock-offs. Sandisk SD cards are another cheap item, that unless you buy them at Staples. You never know what you'll get. So it wouldn't surprise me if they were copying Mags too.
I posted some ebay links.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-Sol...hash=item2c96fab79a:m:mVNiqQfzqCN-tgyHp04CY8A

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Maglite-K3A...286872?hash=item58e7ee7698:g:GEMAAOSwuwRYLLDM

They're probably real just different runs. What do you think?

Welcome to the site. Good question.

More than likely they are real.
There were 3 or 4 gift set boxes.
And if you find promo versions some of those come in an even different box.

I have some gift boxes like you show with purple ones.
Green ones are not easy to come by as they went out of production a while ago.

Go for it.

Edit: ECop is a good seller. I get hard to find Streamlight parts and lights from them.

I would say real, USA as well , so not like your buying from China. An example, surefire g2 which is a blatant fake # 311783241678

bykfixer said:

Welcome to the site. Good question.

More than likely they are real.
There were 3 or 4 gift set boxes.
And if you find promo versions some of those come in an even different box.

I have some gift boxes like you show with purple ones.
Green ones are not easy to come by as they went out of production a while ago.

Go for it.

Edit: ECop is a good seller. I get hard to find Streamlight parts and lights from them.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll get it from Ecop.
Do you know if there have been any updates or changes to them over the years? I'm getting the granny smith green. I'd like it to be the same as my old one.

They are real.

Kewrock said:

Thanks for the input. I guess I'll get it from Ecop.
Do you know if there have been any updates or changes to them over the years? I'm getting the granny smith green. I'd like it to be the same as my old one.

Click to expand...

Some changes have occured but nothing huge. By the time the Granny Smith color one was made the cat was probably like it is now and the words were probably in one row.

The first Solitaire was called Marquis. They renamed it Solitaire. The Marquis and some early Solitaires did not have a cat emblem and the words were two rows. Later a flattened version of the cat was added and lettering went to 1 row.
The cat emblem got less flattened in time.

At some point they went from krypton to xenon bulbs then LED.

I have some promos with differing lettering and a Marquis etc is how I know these changes happened. But none with the flattened cat logo so I don't know if the flattened cat was on Solitaires but do have old mini mags with it. All my Solitaires have either the modern cat logo or no cat at all and 2 rows of lettering.


The differing cats on minimags

I don't know what mine came with originally, but I remember Maglites were revolutionary at the time. A) for law enforcement using them as Billyclubs, and B) for the new technology super bright bulbs. I bought the mini AA with the hex bumper and the Solitaire at the same time. The AA was stolen from my glovebox almost immediately, The solitaire was in my desk for years and years, now it's gone too. I really wish I wasn't so OCD (seriously). I don't really need it, and for the same 9 bucks I could have gotten any other color in an upgraded LED version. But it's GOT to be green. So I got an obsolete light, that I don't even need. OCD. It's a weird affliction. It hold absolutely no logic. No consistency either.

Hey man, you're among friends here. OCD/ voices/ allfliction... whatever... we understand.

I don't know that any LED versions were done in green.

Now to replace that stolen AA. But seriously you can still obtain a 'filter' kit that comes with the octogon bumper if you ever replace the AA with an LED or incan.