[ARCHIVED THREAD] - UTG (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 8/16/2008 3:19:52 PM EDT
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What is the quality of UTG, specifically the forearm rail system? Like this one. The 416L; it won't link direct. |
| Do a search. You'll find there are two camps. One group is happy with UTG and sees little or no quality difference. They really like the idea that they don't have to spend as much on accessories as they did on the rifle itself. The other group seems to oppose anything that doesn't cost at least a couple hundred, doesn't have a name brand on it, or comes from a foreign country. They believe UTG's quality is a joke and that all their items are made for airsoft guns. Me... I have a UTG detachable rear sight I bought for about $35 and is indistinguishable from comparable sights selling for $100+. |
There must be 20 post on this. 1: UTG is made in Taiwan, not China 2: Leapers is the manufacturer 3: The UTG rifle is not made for Air soft rifles. They are made for real rifles. 4: The rails are tough and lock up tight. They are a bit heavy. 5: They do not measure up to DD or LaRue, but then they are $65 I used a set for several months during E.R.T. training. Never loosened, broke, bent, blew up. They are T-marked and every accessory I mounted fit. I used a vert grip, light, and side swivel mount. Most that have used them liked them. Those who don't most likely never used them and never will. After training I sold mine because I wanted a free float and something lite weight. I went with DD Lite. |
While I appreciate your response please explain. I got a Bushmaster 20" with a UTG rail forearm in a trade. It does seem heavy like the other posters have stated. But no one has yet called it "garbage" in this thread. |
Thank you and the others for your responses. |
You forgot a group... The third group actually depend their lives on their weapon and accessories... "You get what you pay for" same applies here! |
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Yea the chinese make crap wich is why a $600 polytech is way better than a springfield M1A.In any event a BUIS shouldnt cost more than $60 or $70..like a carry handle being almost as much or more than a flat top upper. Getting the money you ask for a product because based on demand you can doesnt mean its worth the money paid even if its a name brand known quality product.Its sad but in some instances the chinese can put out a comparable quality product cheaper so shame on us for not keeping up. Id buy an American made MAD BUIS for the same money as the UTG given the choice.With all the competiton in the AR market im surprised things arent cheaper.But thats whats great I guess about capitalism you can charge what you want for your product even if its retailing for 3x more than what it cost to make. As long as profits the most important thing cheaper decent quality accessories will sell just as good as the more expensive name brands as well.We can debate quality all day but nowadys as they come into the 21st century theyre making good stuff cheap.I know well here the "only buy American" but im gonna fill a need as quality and cheaply that I can not all of us can afford accessories that cost more than a rifle. |
Please do not go throwing around common sense here, you'll upset the gear snobs. They might spill their koolaid. 
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Unfortunately for that argument, the UTG isn't made in China.. I have one of the carbine length rails, and I'm actually happy with it. I'm not mounting optics on it, running over it with a Bradley, or hammering in tent stakes with it. When I mounted it I thought their mounting system was "funky," but it has worked extremely well for me so far. I think its a heck of a deal. |
What you are utterly failing to take into consideration in regards to pricing is the difference in labor costs. If Larue, et al used slave labor, their products would be about as cheap as the Chinese stuff. The Chinese aren't just giving the stuff away you know. There is a reason why they can charge less. The pay their people less so their profit margin is higher. |
| Of all the comments and bashing of the UTG hand guards, You won't find anybody that used a set and said they broke. There are several threads about them. I'm certain;ly not saying I'd use UTG, Tapco or any of the "cheap" brands over DD, LaRue, MI, Troy, if they were comparibly priced. I'm not saying a UTG optic is anywhere close to a Leupold. I would never use a cheap optic on a duty rifle. But it's a hand guard. It replaced a plastic one. |
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Lonestar45 and va_gunz, whether it's from TAPCO or UTG, if the purpose is finding out if a particular accessory works for the shooter who gives a rat's ass whether it cost a zillion dollars and came from a name brand? if it works, won't the shooter be likely to "upgrade" to a lighter, American-made model? I see these things as "try before you buy" parts, not some affront... lagadelphia and Bubba12gauge, we're talking about UTG parts, made, not in China, but in Taiwan. VERY different places. No "slave labor" (like 90% of American consumer products from China are made by), but fairly well paid workers. Remember, until politics reared its ugly head, Taiwan was our anti-China ally. |
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I have a UTG rail system on my Mforgery, and it works fine. The fit and finish are quite acceptable. My KAC RAS on my other AR looks better, but I doubt that it locks up any tighter. Sure as hell isn't worth what I paid for it. The included rail covers alone are nearly worth the purchase price of the UTG rail, going by the absurd prices charged for comparable covers. 12 covers x $4. The whole unit only costs $59. So, basically you are getting a decent rail system for only $11. What's the lowest cost domestic manufacturer? Yankee Hill Manufacturing? Hell, I hate yankees worse than I do chinamen 
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I have a utg rail . It locks solid and I honestly can't see any major failurs in the design. I think I will be putting it on my backup carbine when it is built. For the money I think it is fine. I do not know how it could fail in a critical situation. That being said i want a troy for my HD gun. I like that rail. I also have a DDM4 rail on my A4. To compare the two the DD is nicer and lighter then the UTG, but the utg should work fine. You can buy it and it will work. Just do not expect much love from this board
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| I have one and it does just fine. You will find that here as well as with anywhere else, many people feel that if you dont spend top dollar on everything , and your shit isnt as pretty and shiny as theirs, then you have crap. Just look at the pic threads. Most of that gear is more expensive and detailed out more than my new Jeep. Do they work any better? Probably not. Try one, if you like it fine, if you dont, its only 60 bucks. |
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OK, I'll admit being a bit of a gear snob. I just installed a new set of Troy drop in rails on an SBR, very nice BTW. We have a good number of Deputies showing up for patrol rifle training with UTG rails and we BTB a little but we have not had any problems with the UTG rails either. As usual, YMMV 
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Well first off, I was looking at a bunch of their stuff which was stocked by a dealer at a gun show. Everything was made in China. Strike 1 but what isn't made in China anymore. They seemed to have lots of "copies" of other companies popular designs for BUIS, rails, mount, etc. Strike 2, copying others designs is not cool. The finish and overall quality didn't really seem as good as other domestic suppliers. Strike 3, I can get a better product for just a little more and do it domestically. Was garbage a little on the harsh side, maybe. It was the first word that started with a 'G' that I could make work in the acronym.  I don't like stuff being made offshore so much but that is the world we live in now. What I don't like is the blatant theft of designs and having them passed off as the same quality as the original. I would be a total hypocrite here if I said that I didn't own a single piece of gear that was not a Chinese knockoff, I do but I am also not all that happy with it either and kind of regret my purchase. Far be it from me to demand they be boycotted but as with many things in life, you get what you pay for. If you are just wanting some gear for range use, it should be perfectly fine for that. |
| Look at Pro Mag they make a pretty nice copy of a MAD for $60..are they foreign or a domestic company?Ahhh Pro mag industries is out in California so I would say an American company making a knock off that you can get at cheaper than dirt for $60 shipped..so I guess its not just the chinese stealing designs. |
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I recenly went this route, Building a M4 on a shoestring. I wanted decent quality parts, but a fair price. Check out Yankee hill products. I used one of their drop on railed handguards, a flip up rear sight and plan to order their riser for my Eotech. Good product, Good price |
LMAO..why do they have the same part numbers for the airsoft parts and the 'real steel' parts? Its only marketing, thats all it is....they put a different name on the same toy parts and the cheap ass's here at arfcom who support IPR theft fall for it and swear that they dont and say what ever they have to in order to justify the purchase of ripped off crap. If you want a POS part for a POS build then go with UTG. |
| I know there is alot of their stuff being used in iraq. I sent some of their green lasers over to my brothers unit and they have asked for more they said they are as good as the military ones one they sent back to me was droped off the roof of a 3 story building it still worked but would shift aim about 4" at 50 yards. I'm sure some of there stuff isn't good but some is very good just not as pretty. |
I really respect your opinion. And I've felt for a long time you need to change your name to "experienced ar guy". However, I'd really like to know what these are coming back in for. Is more of the sensationalized gear-queer, PX-Ranger bullshit that is permeating this thread really necessary? A two line explanation would be nice. Why are these products being returned? |
Undoubtedly one of the best opinions I have seen in regards to UTG rails yet! |
yes it will |
ppshhhhh..... Your comment is as elitist as those you are trying to disparage. Thanks for playing, try again...... |
Well I guess you could say the same for DD, LaRue, Troy, and the other top tier names. They will also work on Airsoft rifles. Nice try. |
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I think they are just maybe adequate, but there are different price points for all sorts of things like cars and electronics and such.... My gripe is that there are so many vendors selling the same shit at the gun shows. I could get UTG or CAA stuff at three or four vendors on every aisle. The mid priced stuff was very hard to find, and is more to my liking when my budget allows. Why is it that everyone sells the same parts at wildly varying prices? |
I should clarify that when I say I have been seeing these come in to work, that we dont sell or carry them. I see people who have purchased them elsewhere bring them in for us to install, or they already have them installed and want us to work on their gun. Having said that, I should also say that where I work, we deal only in what we consider to be some of the best quality rails you can get. Knights, LaRue, Daniel Defense, PRI, Troy, and Surefire. The metal used on the UTG rail is cheaper. I dont work with metal, I cant give you specifics. As little I know about metals, I can tell you whatever metal it is they are using is inferior. And not just by a little. The threaded holes are far more likely to strip, and the metal is more likely to deform or gouge. The same goes for the finish. Inexpensive coating that will come off easir and I would doubt does very little to add anything to the hardening of the metal. Due to the way the rail attaches, some people may not be able to use it. I had one customer who wanted a low profile gas block put on his gun. The UTG rail pushed so hard against the end cap, none of the low profile gas block I had in stock (Vltor, LaRue and PRI) would hold in place. Honestly, I dont even know what these rails sell for. Did I read on this thread they are about $70? Really, if you want in inexpensive non-FF rail, just save a little more, and get the $150 Troy MRF-DI. Seriously. PS, why in the world did this thread about gear get moved to GD??? |
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To cyclic240B..its not elitist its the truth..truth is the polytech M14 receiver is forged and dimensionaly the same as the real M14,fact a little hand lapping of the receiver and a GI TRW bolt dropped right in and headspaced to the chromelined chinese barrel with no problem..fact springfield makes a $1500 out of spec cast piece of crap...fact the chinese made a better M14 than springfield at a fraction of the cost. And im sure if chinese made weapons could be sold here the $300 chromelined AR copy of an M16A1 they make ugly furniture aside would probably sell well maybe better than the $550 unlined kits that a few places put out. |
If all you are going after is the look, you may be right. UTG (and others) make things which LOOK just like other items which cost twice as much, or more. If you think they are made from the same material, have the same finishes (which can add to an items strength), are as durable, you really are fooling yourself. Raw material, preperation, machining methods and finishing, not to mention quality control all factor in to an items cost. While it is true that some things are better deals than others, very low end products like these which sell for so cheaply can use the cheapest raw materials, have less prep time, inexpensive machining methods, poorer finshes and little quality control. Sure the item may LOOK just like what its copying, but dont be so nieve to think they are the same. Or even close in many cases (like UTG). |
| I would say the UTG rails are probably as good as many of the other name brands in terms of function and quality and will work just fine for most users. That said, I choose to spend a little extra and buy MI railed handguards, as I prefer to buy American whenever possible. This is just my own personal policy. I won't rag on anyone who chooses to save a few bucks. |
I use a UTG rail on my M4. I wanted a vertical grip on my M4, and I'm not going to spend a 1/3 of the cost of the rifle just to put on a $10 grip. The rail is solid, heavy (which for me is a plus), and I have never had a problem with it. Though, then again, I'm not a Delta-Recon-Black-Ops Operator either 
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Last time I checked you couldn't buy those on an airsoft website. Every airsoft website out there that sells accessories is stocked full of UTG stuff. If people want to save money on an inferior product fine. Personally, I don't worry too much about the end cost "cheap" and "weapon" don't mix for me. I'll gladly spend more money to get something I'm sure is going to work all the time every time. If you just want a cheap, beater, nothing but range use rifle and you want to save money go ahead and buy UTG. I'll never touch the stuff, but then again I tend to take pride in my weapons. |