Some units like the PAX and the Magic-Flight Launch Box are widely known to have many counterfeits, but other units such as the Firefly and the newer version, the Firefly 2, have recently seen the emergence of their own copy cat versions. There is significantly less information on these counterfeits, and we’re not exactly sure why. One theory is that counterfeits of the PAX and MFLB have been around for a long time, whereas the Firefly is a much newer vape and doesn’t have the same popular status among the vaping community, so the counterfeit Firefly is a newer phenomenon encountered on a much less regular basis.

Nevertheless, fake Fireflies do exist, and if you’re shopping on sites like eBay, Amazon or lesser-known vaporiser stores, you may be at risk of getting a fake.

How to Spot a Counterfeit Firefly:

Usually, we would tell our customers to look carefully at the location that the device is coming from, as most reputable vaporizers are made in the US, Canada or Europe. However, the Firefly is manufactured in China (with oversight from the US-based Firefly company) so it is significantly harder to tell whether Chinese manufacturers advertising the Firefly are peddling fakes or the real deal. Some will certainly be manufacturing cheap replicas, while other Firefly vaporizers advertised by Chinese sellers may very well be coming from the same manufacturer that makes the authentic unit. It’s pretty much a 50/50 chance, so we encourage online shoppers to be particularly wary and only buy from a reputable store you trust.

Price is still a fairly useful indicator if you want to determine whether a vape store is selling legitimate Fireflies or cheap knock-offs. Just like the PAX, the Firefly 2 is sold at a price set by the manufacturer. If you look at legitimate vaporizer stores across the US and Canada, you’ll likely find that they all sell the Firefly for the same price as Firefly themselves. Any store outside of the US or Canada selling legitimate Firefly vaporizers is likely selling them at a higher price, to cover the extra costs associated with importing the device.

If you come across a store selling the Firefly for a price that seems way too good to be true, it probably is. You can also do a quick investigation of the store or seller themselves – Do they have experience in the vaporizer industry? Are they specialised or do they sell a large variety of unrelated items? How long have they been around? Do they have a good reputation among the vaporizing community? Are they easy to contact? – you should seek answers to all of these questions if you are unsure whether a seller is legitimate or not. If the seller in question is on eBay, a quick look at their feedback is a good indication, as price is not reliable if the seller is selling authentic secondhand goods or just needs to get rid of their Firefly quickly.

Already bought a Firefly and want to know if it’s genuine? Here’s a few tips from the official Firefly website on how to tell if your Firefly is the real deal:

Tips from the Firefly official website on how to spot a counterfeit unit

The authentic Firefly is very sleek and well-made from quality materials, so any discretion in its appearance is cause for concern. If something on your Firefly looks cheap or just “not quite right” it’s always good to investigate whether or not it’s authentic. There are limited resources available, but the list on Firefly’s website and the two photo examples below are some pretty good tell-tale signs of a fake Firefly.

The Mouthpiece: The mouthpiece on an authentic Firefly is straight and sits flush with the face of the unit. It should be tightly sealed with no visible traces of glue or adhesive residue. The mouthpiece on a fake Firefly may be crooked and poorly fitted to the unit, and visible glue may be seen around the outside.

LEFT: the mouthpiece of the fake Firefly is crooked and there are visible traces of glue residue.

The back grill: The Firefly has a metal grill that sits on three sides around the heating chamber at the back of the unit. This is where air is drawn into the device to pass over your herbs as they vaporize. On an authentic Firefly, this grill is made from high quality and sturdy stainless steel. On a fake Firefly, this grill is noticeably lower quality, made of a thinner and more flimsy metal that is very shiny when compared to an authentic model.

LEFT: the fake Firefly’s metal grill is shinier and cheaper looking than the genuine unit on the right.

Always shop with a store you trust…

At the end of the day, the best way to avoid a cheaply made fake vaporizer is to shop with a reputable seller that has been in the industry for a while. When it comes to vaporizing, cheap fakes are not the same as the real thing, and they may even be dangerous. An authentic Firefly 2 is well-made with quality materials that withstand use at high heat and are not likely to off-gas or leach any impurities into your vapour. Vaporizers made by Chinese manufacturers with no oversight from a US, Canadian or European company are not bound by the same strict regulations when it comes to quality control and materials safety. You never know what materials are used in the construction of a cheap fake vaporizer, from toxic plastics and glues to cheap metal coils and even lead solder.

At Australian Vaporizers, we don’t stock counterfeit vaporizers and will never support them. We go to a lot of trouble to source genuine Fireflies from reliable suppliers, covered by a 12-month warranty.

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