Bought a m300 (I thought) for a screaming deal to find it to be a replica. An exact replica. With that said, it's a bright light but has a ridiculous drain, and will die within weeks of no use. My question is, if I replace the head with a better head will this fix the drain issue?  If so I just want to do that. What head will fit this light? I believe even the threads are the exact replica of the m300.

Thanks

Can you post pics of it? Just so people can keep an eye out.

I would cut it as a loss and buy a legit weaponlight personally. Maybe keep this one as a shitty backup, or use it as a shitty Hand light around the house

Why not open a dispute through ebay or paypal?

This, PayPal will refund you if it was advertised as a Surefire light and is fake.  If there is a battery drain, it's because of the switch/ tailcap.

Any Surefire E series head or Malkoff E series head/ replacement will work that is rated for one 3V battery.

I did, got a full refund, and seller never sent a return shipping box so I kept it.

OK so the drain comes from the tailcap?

The light looked new when I got it.. I've since put it to some hard use and it still works.





Even the module reads cree.



I own many Surefire lights and upon looking, I noticed machine marks on the light that real surefires don't have. Also all the fakes have this serial number

Damn, I gotta say, that looks legit to me.  Question.  Did it come with a pressure switch and the corresponding tailcap?

Yes it did. The rubber tore within 15 minutes of use. This is actually what got me really looking.

Can you post some pics of the switch and tailcap, specifically the portion of the switch that inserts into the tailcap?  I don't think I've ever seen a fake that mimics the surefire pressure switch port.

It also came in original packaging with a warning about counterfeit surefire batteries exploding.

A fake surefire battery was included.




Compare the logo to the real surefire logo

Yes, get a legit SF tailcap and it should be fine.

Are the arisaka caps good?

Yes, they use a McClicky switch.  That switch/ clicky is better than the Surefire switch.

I'm really drawing a blank here OP. Are you positive this isn't legit? That's the exact paperwork my 952V came with

Look at the logo on your box, and also light.

Now look at the ones on mine.

ETA here

Here's a legit surefire. Notice how the swipes are wider at one end, and taper to a point. Mine are pointed on both ends.




And here is the official surefire logo



Look closely at the one on the box


Furthermore the knurling on the tightening knob is more aggressive than surefire and the pressure switch didn't say "surefire"

there are also some misspellings and grammatical errors within the paperwork too, I'll have to find them as I've forgotten where to look

I was gonna say the "SF" doesn't look right

Yep, also just found this thread on candlepower forums from 2013.  Almost the same exact serial as yours (just an extra 3 added).  I have to say, that is a very good copy.  You actually had me concerned for a moment, because I purchased an M600U off eBay earlier this year.  

I went back and checked and I actually got it from a reputable seller (99.8% positive with over 500,000 feedback, also no negatives for "counterfeit" Surefires).  Also did some comparisons with a known good one I purchased from DSG Arms around the same time and everything checks out (it also only cost $20 less than retail at other places, but everywhere was out of stock when I ordered it, hence why I purchased from eGay).  Also, after some searching around, it doesn't appear there are any decent knockoffs of the M600U yet, so I'm almost positive I'm in the clear.  Nevertheless, not buying anything from eBay ever again, shits just not worth it.  

FWIW, the thing that gives it away (at least to me), is where the pressure switch attached to the tailcap.  That little metal portion at the end of the pressure switch wire (actually the transition between the rubber and metal) is a lot more smooth and happens a little bit further up on the cap on the legit ones.  The OP's (as well as the one at the link above) has the rubber protruding all the way down onto the metal portion of the socket.  Also, the metal portion on legit ones has more of a gradual curve whereas the fake one is more abrupt.

I thought so too.

After some searching, it appears the logos went through a change somewhere along the line.  It appears the logo on the one you got off eBay was actually used on M300A's at one time.  Here is a pic from SKD for an M300A.  If you look closely, it's the same.  

ETA:  Better picture from Optics Planet.



ETA2:  Another pic.

The logo on the box is the previous version, and I believe correct for the time of the M300A.  So the packaging might be authentic.

No Surefire LED head I've seen can be opened up very easily, to separate the optic from the emitter.  To me, that was an indicator that it's a fake.

I agree the copies are getting better cosmetically.  You almost have to have some experience with the model to tell the difference.

This exactly, it's very difficult to seperate the head on the LED versions.

This. I've seen OP's logo on real Surefire's too.

Jeffro, as far as the "made me second guess my own shit/ do a shit load of counterfeit searches" I did the same exact thing (purchased off the EE)

Here's the head. Notice the rough machine work

For comparison, here's what the latest iteration of the M300 looks like. No serial number under the Surefire logo and the added QR code logo under the KE1F on the lens head. No FC or CE logo on the lens head either, as on the earlier versions.

I have a Surefire light in my hands with the exact logo your light has. I'm not saying yours is real, but they did use that logo at one time.

Yeah that does look pretty bad.  I think the biggest giveaway is that you were able to get the head apart.

It was quite easy.

Also the pressure switch didn't say surefire