Have you ever heard that salesperson tell you “It’s just like brand X, the Navy Seals tested it and it passed with flying colors.” I know that leaves a lot of the general gun buying public in a bit of awe and they buy the line of BS spewing from the gun shop employee’s mouth. Hell, even I am guilty of buying into the ‘only buying a name’ thought process early in my shooting career.

Before we get too far into this and commenters accuse me of being elitest, there is a place for budget accessories. But viewing them as just as good as something that has a proven track record can be dangerous if you rely on that item in a professional or self-defense capacity.

So what is the reality? Are you really paying for that prestigious name attached to the gun item you are thinking of buying or is there a hidden cost that many buyers overlook?

If you are wondering what spurred this thought, I was at the USCCA Expo this last weekend and overheard a rep spewing some of the most despicable garbage to sell his product. I am not going to directly name the company, but one of the lines that I heard him deliver was “it is just as good as an EoTech, you just aren’t paying for the name.”

I happen to have a ton of experience with the optics in question and happen to know they are grade-a junk. Simply turning the optic over and looking at it closely you can see several failure points. But if you were buying it for a range toy I am sure it is going to be fine. (I will say that comparing a product to an EoTech and telling me it is as good as one doesn’t give me the warm and fuzzies.)

So when you look at many of these products that people buy instead of the ones that ‘you are just paying for the name’ hard enough it is easy to see where that extra money goes. That isn’t to say that some of the expensive products are lacking in quality as well. There are some gun things out there that are pricey as hell but don’t hold a candle to something half its price or less.

THAT IS NOT ALWAYS THE CASE THOUGH.

Brand loyalty, good enough, and ‘it’s just a name’ are all the enemy of quality. When you are shopping for your next gun thing, ask around before you make that purchase. See what other users are saying that have used the item in the same role you intend on using it. If they say it is GTG, buy it. If you hear otherwise then you might want to take a look at another model.

Be wise with how you spend your hard earned dollars and only consider something that is capable of performing the task you plan to use it for. Buying a Honda Ridgeline and expecting it to tow a 30′ RV is about as wise as buying a NcStar scope and expecting those multi-color reticles to help you hit a target at 1500 yards.