A few years ago (one or two, I can't rightfully remember) I bought a Hellfire X-11. This light, and the company (Hellfire), was owned by/connected to Dark Ops knives. More recently I saw that the name was changed to "Hellfighter," the designation was changed to "X-15" with some modifications made to the aesthetics of the design and new models were added. Ok, no big deal. Whatever, new marketing. Right?
Wrong
Today, I was perusing "Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement" (which all look better suited for Baghdad than your local town but who really cares anyway
)or "Special Weapons" (again, why is it so special?) in the local Barnes and Noble. I saw that they had a light in an article called the "X-11" produced by FNH USA. At this point I'm thinking something along the lines of "WTF is going on here?" as I know FNH USA is most certainly not ripping someone off. So who is?
Well a quick google search revealed the following:
"Viper Research is the manufacturer and designer of the original HELLFIRE X-11 Tactical Entry Lights which are being misrepresented to the public in major publications and on the Internet currently. The original HELLFIRE X-11 Tactical Entry Lights are appearing re-named and re-worked as the Dark Ops HELLFIGHTER X-12 and HELLFIGHTER X-15.
The current HELLFIRE X-11 / HELLFIGHTER X-12 / HELLFIGHTER X-15 marketed by Pyramont North America / Hellfighter Tactical Lighting Corp / Dark Ops Holdings and appearing under Dark Ops product SKU numbers DOHF-1, DOHX12, DOHX15 are unauthorized reproductions or re-worked original X-11's. These current products are of questionable origin and quality , and therefore Viper Research will not provide factory support or service.
For Genuine Viper Research products, parts or service contact FNH-USA."
So there you have it folks, DO has officially stolen a design.:thumbdn:
Here are the pertinent links and my "Hellfire X-11" (pre-design theft) for reference:
http://www.hellfireusa.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/catalog.html&setup=1&cart_id=
http://viper-research.com/index.html
http://www.directoutdoorsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=FN8129004730
Wrong
Today, I was perusing "Guns and Weapons for Law Enforcement" (which all look better suited for Baghdad than your local town but who really cares anyway
)or "Special Weapons" (again, why is it so special?) in the local Barnes and Noble. I saw that they had a light in an article called the "X-11" produced by FNH USA. At this point I'm thinking something along the lines of "WTF is going on here?" as I know FNH USA is most certainly not ripping someone off. So who is?Well a quick google search revealed the following:
"Viper Research is the manufacturer and designer of the original HELLFIRE X-11 Tactical Entry Lights which are being misrepresented to the public in major publications and on the Internet currently. The original HELLFIRE X-11 Tactical Entry Lights are appearing re-named and re-worked as the Dark Ops HELLFIGHTER X-12 and HELLFIGHTER X-15.
The current HELLFIRE X-11 / HELLFIGHTER X-12 / HELLFIGHTER X-15 marketed by Pyramont North America / Hellfighter Tactical Lighting Corp / Dark Ops Holdings and appearing under Dark Ops product SKU numbers DOHF-1, DOHX12, DOHX15 are unauthorized reproductions or re-worked original X-11's. These current products are of questionable origin and quality , and therefore Viper Research will not provide factory support or service.
For Genuine Viper Research products, parts or service contact FNH-USA."
So there you have it folks, DO has officially stolen a design.:thumbdn:
Here are the pertinent links and my "Hellfire X-11" (pre-design theft) for reference:
http://www.hellfireusa.com/cgistore/store.cgi?page=/new/catalog.html&setup=1&cart_id=
http://viper-research.com/index.html
http://www.directoutdoorsupply.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=FN8129004730
