This is the box art for Strike Industries’ upcoming Cobra Tactical Fore Grip. UhhmmmKay. Looks kinda familiar. Strike Industries insists it isn’t.
A description from Strike Industries –
“The Strike industries cobra grip was developed using innovation and feedback from combat veterans. The cobra grip is made from advanced polymer which is very strong and will definitely take a beating. The shooter can use different grip techniques and allows the user to have a secure and comfortable grip in any situation or position. It features a ridged front face that allows you to brace the rifle against a table or a wall and because it is ridged, it will prevent any sliding during the recoil kick. Another unique feature is the Cobra “hood”. It acts like a heat shield that will prevent the heat from going to your hands and gives your lead hand an ergonomic platform to use. The rear portion of the Cobra Grip can function as a hand stop. One advantage that the SI Cobra Grip has over its competitors is the friction lock design. Material has been removed from the center so when tightening the Main Screw, it will allow it to grip the rail system and thus preventing any wobbling due to lose fitment or over use of the grip. The Strike industries Cobra grip is slim and low profile which makes it very light weight. Shooters from all walks of life and different size hands can use the Strike Industries Cobra Grip without worrying if the grip is too big or the angle would be too aggressive that it would strain your hand. It is very ergonomic and economical.”
Coming from strikeindustries.com
Tags: Strike Industries
While I would say it probably has enough differences in it to avoid a patent lawsuit from Magpul, its fairly obvious that they took an AFG and reverse engineered and modified it. They probably had someone with patent/ copyright law books sitting nearby to ensure they made enough changes to avoid any legal issues.
I personally will pass on it as I already have an AFG that works perfectly and make a point to not patron companies that do or appear to rip off ideas from others.
Magpul copy pure and simple. I will stick with my AFG which works perfectly.
“This is the box art for Strike Industries’ upcoming Cobra Tactical Fore Grip. UhhmmmKay. Looks kinda familiar. Strike Industries insists it isn’t.”
Eric,
It takes a lot of integrity to tell it like it is, particularly when it might adversely affect your business. I’m sure it would be much easier to just make nice with everybody and blithely gloss over such blatant IP infringement. Hat’s off for putting it on the line.
Insofar as originality goes, what the hell were they thinking? This has been done before. If they had thought of it first then they would have been first to market. The concept for this didn’t even exist before Magpul developed it.
I’m sure they’ll sell a ton and make lots of money. There’s no originality, no creativity, no risk… it’s hard to lose when you just take a page out of another company’s playbook. Worst part is all the wasted potential; rather than doing something interesting, they just iterate, if that. I would kill to have their engineering and manufacturing capability to have a shot at doing something really great. There are better ideas out there for products in niches that could really put the company on the map but instead they chose to be second. It’s lame.
You want my business? Inspire me! Give me something to get excited about!
I’m sure the design is legally defensible but it’s morally repugnant and I won’t encourage that kind of IP infringement with my money.
Wow…get some new ideas! Not only is this a rip off on magpul…but even it’s packaging is a rip off of magpul’s design style.
I hear they’re gonna introduce these really cool two piece rail covers, and a series of lightweight and cargo-capable buttstocks, too. Soon there will be a training division with a lead instructor that has an actual grafted-on Kevlar beard. I’m betting the magazine they’re bringing to market will be every bit as good as the CAA and those great old Thermold products.
I kinda like it actually.
This looks to me to be a significant improvement over the magpul AFG.
Front part as barricade support, great idea, no need to buy a another part.
And the ripoff, well how many has been sued for making a vertical grip?
AFG inspired, yes clearly.
Improvement over an AFG, yes.
I’m inclined to agree. How many VFGs are on the market? And companies are still trying to invent the perfect version….
This combines an AFG w two hand-stops and “barricade” brace. They took an existing product/idea and built upon it.
Don’t care for the “wings” so much though.
It would be a lot more convincing if they weren’t actively trying to channel the AFG. The evidence for this is that they’re not only not trying to differentiate the product but the packaging strongly evokes the well established Magpul aesthetic: layout, graphics, fonts at a glance could easily be misconstrued. Put another way, remove the “Strike Industries” logo from the box and it could easily be mistaken for a Magpul product.
Why would they want do do that?
It’s no mistake that we’re debating the similarity because they’ve closely and deliberately pegged their product to the original. You have to really work to do that! You can claim that there are only so many ways to build a widget (not something I believe personally) but even then there are many, many ways to package and market it differently.
I can’t see how something that’s meant to come across as original benefits from so closely mimicking the look of an established brand unless there’s an incentive to tie the product closely to the mindshare established by the original.
To sum up the preceding, and with respect to putting this in context with the VFG comments…
To FUNCTION the same is one thing, to LOOK the same is another matter.
This is a product that functions as the Magpul AFG does and is designed to look the same.
Hats off to everyone who called it like it is…a rip off. As I have said before there is a stark difference between taking a product and making it more durable, more functional, more versatile actually creating a superior product or just changing it enough to get by patents so you can benefit from someone else’s IP. I don’t see where the improvement is. They made the front protrusion longer so you can shoot off a barricade? You call that an improvement? Guess what? I can do the same thing with my AFG just fine. If anything they are behind the design curve Magpul dropped the wings on the AFG2 because they interfere with throw levers and thumb screws on weapon lights. DON’T SUPPORT “PARASITIC” PRODUCTS!
It’s made in Taiwan too. The AFG, like all Magpul products, is made in the US.
Yeah, that’s a no go for me
this is not an improvement on anything… this will create training scars. thats all it will do! the front to use on a barricade? the last thing you need to do with your weapon in a fight is get it sucked up on a barricade. thats just a stupid(non tactically advantageous) modified magpul AFG2.
mall ninjas will come in full force though to purchase them so they can go do barricade drills wrong with their “cool”, new, non-american weapon accessory.
i’ll pass on anything this company makes unless they change it up a little