Anyone take apart an E series clone head?

[Kyleag89]

This is my first post on CPF and I hope someone can help me. I recently got into flashlight mods and now it has me looking at 2 Surefire M300 and M600 clones I have. I would like to open them up to replace the driver and LED to something better. I have a KX and KE series head design. In the past I had an earlier version of clone with a KX head and they didn't glue/loctite the head and I could take it apart easily. I am about to attempt heating these with a heat gun but was looking for advice before I break something. Should I use the heat gun on low or high and for how long? I plan to use a strap wrench on the top section and a pair of vise grips with a section of cardboard(piece of inner tape roll) to protect the finish. Thanks guys

 

[yazkaz]

No offence but if you were dealing with genuine SFs then maybe someone could drop in and give you some advice; only that now you're dealing with clones aka (alleged) counterfeits/knockoffs so there are more variables as to how these inferior heads are being constructed, so nobody can give you an exact answer as to how they should be taken apart. Even if you end up breaking something during the disassembly process, you are pretty much on your own.

 

[Kyleag89]

Thanks for your reply yazkaz. It is made very well and assembled from what I can tell exactly the same as the real one. All Surefire parts I have purchased work perfectly with it. I know they have a bad reputation and I guess I can't get any help because of that and people's morals. I work extremely hard for what little money I have and can't justify spending $300 for a light and still have to buy the tape switch and end cap.

 

[Kyleag89]

These knockoffs are hard to find information on. Any info I have found while searching is older threads on here or YouTube which was also using old versions that were inferior quality. It's funny how there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of them in use on real firearms but noone talks about them. There are also alot of people that have bought what they thought was a real surefire or streamlight and received a clone and couldn't tell the difference.

 

[yazkaz]

These knockoffs are hard to find information on. Any info I have found while searching is older threads on here or YouTube which was also using old versions that were inferior quality. It's funny how there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of them in use on real firearms but noone talks about them. There are also alot of people that have bought what they thought was a real surefire or streamlight and received a clone and couldn't tell the difference.

Typical problem with the counterfeit world: A-grade knockoffs that can even fool the experienced user. You'll need to do a LOT of homework in order to deal with this issue.

Some knockoffs however are quite easy to identify. Just look at the threadings and internal components. Knockoff SF Z41 tailcaps only have the exterior look but not the thread and actual switch config, for example.

Unfortunately many customers (especially youngsters in the wargames community) don't care about genuine products because all they want is something that look appealing, seemingly usable, and good CP. Even if they're busted for using a fake SF (ie. knockoff with SF labels everywhere) they won't care and may even defend for their bad decisions.

 

[Kyleag89]

Yeah I agree with that, the 2 examples I have would fool 98% of people even having the wrong switch that's reverse clicky. I took it out and replaced it with a mcclicky switch made for the older e series lights. I bought mine because I love the look and size of the Surefire lights but couldn't justify spending another $800+ for 2 set ups. I did just build 3 more ARs during corona pricing.

Edit: Mine don't have SF logos but all the ones that ship from China do. They can even be purchased on Amazon as a clone, but it's easier to get a clone on Amazon if you buy what you think is a real model! 😬 I'm going to give taking it apart with a heat gun tonight a go. I will post my results to help future searchers. Assuming it goes according to plan that is!