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FMA Snail Strobe/S&S Manta Clone


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Copy paste from a local forum review I did. Apologies if the formatting is off...

 

 

 

 

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I FINALLY got my Manta clone in from ebaybanned and figured I'd throw up a quick review since I am super impressed how well they did with this rip-off item.

 

Price: $47 shipped from ebaybanned

 

Shipping: The Manta took exactly 1 MONTH to arrive. Absolutely horrible in my opinion, but given how every site that listed them kept adding then removing them for sale from their webpage, I'm just glad I got one.

 

To Order: As of March 17th, 2012, ebaybanned does not have them on their webpage for sale but given how they are added and removed frequently, I would say to keep checking. I have found them for sale at another site I've never purchased from called "The Beijing Shop", so that is another option as well. A simple Google search of "FMA Snail Strobe" or "Snail Strobe" should yield all the results you'll need.

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Price Difference

 

S&S Precision Manta Strobe: $220-$300 (Depending on store)

 

FMA "Snail Strobe": $45-$50

 

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Performance and Aesthetic Differences

 

This portion is a bit more in depth as there are definitely a few issues with the strobe that I personally do not like, nor think should be acceptable for a product that is available for sale. (These observations are taken in comparison to the S&S strobe)

 

We'll start with the cap and head forward.....

 

The first and most important issue with the FMA "Snail Strobe" is it's battery cap. The cap itself is very nice for a clone product, but very lacking in features and overall quality and features compared to the S&S model.

 

As seen in the photos below, the threads on the clone cap are very shallow and poorly molded compared to the S&S Precision caps I own. How this will affect the long term longevity of the product is unknown at this time.

 

Another oversight on the clone is the lack of a 'Click Lock' mechanism inside the cap housing. I dug up an old picture of a broken S&S cap I have that shows the locking channels in the center of the cap. (Similar to the clicking mechanism inside an everyday ball point pen) On the clone cap, these channels are not present and a smoothed circular cavity is present.

 

The lack of a locking mechanism means that instead of an audible 'CLICK' and a lock of the cap, the clone strobe cap just depresses and returns to it's out position. This means that the ON/OFF activation of the strobe is very finicky and means that to 100% guarantee your strobe is off when you store it, you must unscrew the battery cap a rotation or so. (Very bad design in my opinion)

 

 

Clone Cap Thread View

 

 

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S&S 2nd Gen Cap Thread View

 

 

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Clone Cap, S&S 2nd Gen Cap Button Texture

 

 

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Clone Cap, S&S 2nd Gen, S&S 3rd Gen Cap View

 

 

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S&S "Click Lock" Feature (Note grooves in center of the cap.

 

 

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Next up is the body of the strobe.....

 

 

In comparison to the S&S Precision Manta, the ''Snail Strobe'' is essentially an exact copy. The largest difference between the two is the lack of a 'Frosted Glass' look on the clone that the S&S has.

 

As far as the body of the strobe goes though, I am quite impressed with it. The plastic molding came out clear with no cracks or bubbles in it, and seems to be made of the same type of plastic of the S&S.

 

The one issue I did find is the battery cap contact piece that travels from the 'guts' of the strobe out towards the battery cap. This contact was depressed into the mold lines of the body on the clone strobe making a bit less contact with the cap, whereas the S&S lines up a bit better.

 

The velcro on the bottom of the strobe is actually a bit nicer than the S&S velcro in that the hooks of the velcro are a bit longer and more aggressive. The adhesive they used is definitely a better quality than anything I have seen thus far on clone products so I do not have any doubts about it coming off anytime soon.

 

A few other notable things are:

 

The clone model does NOT come with a water sealing O-ring on the back of the unit.

 

The clone has the 'V-Lite' insignia that is present in the very early, first gen S&S Manta strobes.

 

The clone's vibration feature is louder as the piece that vibrates is a bit loose inside the housing.

 

Finally and probably the least important is....the packaging. It's surprising how similar the two are.

 

Pictures are below....

 

 

 

FMA "Snail Strobe"

 

 

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FMA Strobe, S&S Manta

 

 

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FMA Strobe. S&S Manta

 

 

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FMA Strobe, S&S Manta

 

 

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FMA Strobe Cap Contact

 

 

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S&S Manta Cap Contact

 

 

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FMA Strobe, S&S Precision

 

 

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FMA Strobe, S&S Precision

 

 

 

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Function Testing

 

This is obviously the most important part as everyone likes something that works well.

 

The function and light output of the FMA ''Snail Strobe'' is EXACTLY the same as the S&S Precision Manta.

 

It has both the Infrared and Green Flashing modes that flash at the same rate of the Manta Strobe.

 

Below are the pictures of the Green and IR functions. Although the pictures do not show it perfectly, the Green mode on both strobes is the exact same brightness. (It's just a tad difficult to catch the Green flash at it's peak brightness without using a long shutter and washing out the photo while taken in daylight)

 

 

The infrared shots were taken through a 3+ AN/PVS-14.

 

 

FMA Strobe (w/Manta Cap)

 

 

 

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S&S Manta

 

 

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FMA Strobe

 

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S&S Manta

 

 

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Comparison Video

 

Left is the FMA Strobe, Right is the S&S Manta. The first half is shot without NODs. The LED's blink White under the camera lens but are Red with the naked eye.

 

 

 

 

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Bottom Line

 

 

For the price, the FMA "Snail Strobe" is definitely worth it as a substitute for the S&S Manta or another IFF device.

 

For the comparison between the two, I would have to say unless your life absolutely depends on this piece of gear (ACTIVE military, ACTIVE Law Enforcement), you are better off going with the clone strobe. (If you don't have the extra $$ to spend)

 

As much as I like to support American made companies, the S&S Precision Manta (Along with many other S&S products) is just not worth it's high price tag for what it is. (In my opinion of course)

 

That being said, I will say I absolutely love my S&S Manta as it has served what casual night vision purposes I've needed it for. What you are purchasing with the S&S Manta is the brand itself along with the warranty that stands behind the product. I have purchased many S&S products and while some are still going strong, the ones I have had problems with have been fixed quickly and free of charge by S&S themselves. (Like broken Manta caps for example)

 

 

Going back to the clone strobe, I believe that my situation in this whole review was somewhat unique, in that had I not already had a S&S Manta cap to swap out onto the FMA Strobe, I would have been very unhappy with the cap function on the strobe as I eluded earlier. I'm hoping if there are future revisions of this clone strobe, that they produce a model that has the 'Click Lock' features in it so you can screw your battery cap down and not have to worry about the strobe draining your battery.

 

 

Pros

 

Low, low, price

Functions exactly the same as the S&S

Swappable Tail Caps

Very Durable Velcro Backing

Perfect function on IR and Green modes

 

 

Cons

 

Poor Tail Cap design

Poor Battery Cap contact

Shallow Cap threads

Vibration mechanism a bit loud/loose

No O-ring from factory

Edited by jdizzle921
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