$250 Full Power PEQ-15 Clone Review (Somogear)

My Somogear “airsoft” clone PEQ-15 arrived. This is a Chinese replica multifunction aiming laser (MFAL) that retails for $250 and is touted as having laser output levels in excess of civilian-available laser modules. According to reviews and enthusiast testing, this device exceeds the federal guidelines for laser power, which is its major appeal.
 
Before we continue, I did not buy this for operational use. I have Steiner COBL that real use and an Aimpoint Pro Patrol on a Unity riser. Eventually I’ll buy a MAWL but I’m cheap. This is for testing and evaluation (T&E) purposes in a training environment. As for why specifically I got this when I already have one was to mess around with the laser illuminator.
 
Note that devices like the PEQ-15 have a few features; visible and IR aiming laser pointers and an infrared illuminator. You need an IR spotlight to identify targets downrange the same way you would use a white light. My COBL doesn’t have an illuminator and my white/IR flashlight is not good at long range.
 
Now rather than use LEDs and reflectors, proper MFALs use laser illuminators which are basically laser flashlights. A separate infrared laser (not the IR aiming laser) is designed in such a way that the beam is broader than the aiming beam, but still tighter than a flashlight beam. This gives you a powerful, narrow beam that is capable of lighting things up at long-ish range.
 
The full power element comes in because, surprise, a more powerful laser will go a lot further than a neutered civilian one. The Somogear is billed as a “full power” or at least higher power that is not compliant with federal laser safety regulations like your civilian version PEQ-15, the ATPIAL-C, does. Apparently the Federal Laser Police have better things to do than bust imports of these things.
 
Do you need a “full power” laser? Not really. You aren’t lasing targets for an A-10 but the aiming portion isn’t why I got it and not why you want full power. Again, I have my own laser that I can pick up at 500 yards, but to summarize, full power is about the laser illuminator, not the laser pointer.
 
I do not endorse using Chineseum products, especially for operational purposes. If your life depends on it, buy American or at least European. Again, this is a training tool that I’m going to review, not something I’d trust my life on.
 
Now if you can’t afford to drop another couple grand on a quality MFAL but you already have night vision, this isn’t a bad temporary halfway measure. However, understand that it may fail you when you need it. It should be replaced with a quality device as soon as possible.
 
Reviews indicate that these things can have problems. Chinese quality control sucks and at this price point, it’s hit and miss. The electronics are supposedly “potted” to withstand rifle recoil, but some users report no issues after hundreds of rounds and others failures after only a few shots. The polymer case can crack (there is/was someone replacing them with aluminum housings). While they generally hold zero, the mechanism isn’t as robust in the real thing. Again, these were intended for airsoft and probably just beefed up a tiny little bit once the Chinese realized American gun owners would buy them.
 
Field use will follow in later posts, but I want to summarize a couple things.

1. Buy a quality laser if you plan on using it for real.
2. IR light discipline matters as night vision is more common.
3. You don’t need a full power aiming laser, you want a brighter, further reaching laser-based IR illuminator.
4. Don’t buy this if you would lose sleep if $250 fell out of your pocket and caught on fire.

 
For what it is, it’s not bad. Clearly not a real PEQ-15, but it feels robust enough. The remote switch is crappy but whatever. You get a nice pouch with it.