Are These Sony VCT4 Real???

[Borders03]

I just purchased these yesterday and they seem to be real as far as I researched but I would like to get more opinions on what to look for and if these are in fact real. Here are some photos:






Writing on them appears to be very straight and faded like the authentic one's are said to.
Here is what it reads on the side in case the picture is unreadable:
Line 1: SE US18650VTC 4 C4
Line 2: G 1790044WFO05C

Please let me know. I have not used them yet because I want to be sure first!

 

[Foggyroomz]

Hard telling as so many companies use other companies batteries and re-wrap them any more. E-fest are re-wrapping Panasonic's as is Orbtronic and the new vape labeled batteries specifically for sub-ohmers are merely re-wrapped Samsung 25r cells. I believe the only way to tell if they are real is to do a performance test on them. Unless you feel that you were sold imitations, are you truly concerned? I only purchase from reputable sources that have a really good review profile whether from Dhgate, e-bay, or alibaba. I don't deal with slow tech as I have had times where I ordered an authentic and received a clone or received nothing at all so yeah we won't get into that. You have VCT in the serial description of the battery is that your typo or is that what the batteries truly read because they should read SE US18650 VTC4 then the following is a batch number so that may differ but below that it should read SONY 31. I tried blowing up the pics you have here but they distorted compared to the way mine look they would seem authentic but not for sure.

 

[Borders03]

Hard telling as so many companies use other companies batteries and re-wrap them any more. E-fest are re-wrapping Panasonic's as is Orbtronic and the new vape labeled batteries specifically for sub-ohmers are merely re-wrapped Samsung 25r cells. I believe the only way to tell if they are real is to do a performance test on them. Unless you feel that you were sold imitations, are you truly concerned? I only purchase from reputable sources that have a really good review profile whether from Dhgate, e-bay, or alibaba. I don't deal with slow tech as I have had times where I ordered an authentic and received a clone or received nothing at all so yeah we won't get into that. You have VCT in the serial description of the battery is that your typo or is that what the batteries truly read because they should read SE US18650 VTC4 then the following is a batch number so that may differ but below that it should read SONY 31. I tried blowing up the pics you have here but they distorted compared to the way mine look they would seem authentic but not for sure.

That was a typo on my part they read VTC4. They do not say Sony 31 under the batch number but I have read that some authentic a do and some don't. As far as I can tell they are real. I just charge them full and they read 4.2 volts which I know doesn't mean too much but at least I know they are holding a full charge. I guess my next question would be; Has anyone else heard of a authentic Sony VTC 4 not reading sony 31 under the batch number? By the way thanks for the response foggyroomz!

 

[Ryedan]

Your batteries have the same type of text I saw in this thread the other day. IMO either Sony has changed their coding, or these are all fake. The second line of my Sony's say (I have a pair of each);

VTC3's; 'T C3A2XTH05K'.

VTC4's; 'T C4A1XVJ10X'.

VTC5's; 'T C5A1XWG09X'. Under that line it says; 'SONY 31'.

You can see that the first six characters seem to indicate the model and the rest could be batch and/or date stamps.

The other thing I noticed on yours is the green shrink wrap on the positive end is not round and there seems to be bubbles in it like the heat application was not even or thorough.

Here's one of mine;

Did you buy from a B & M?

 

[Borders03]

Your batteries have the same type of text I saw in this thread the other day. IMO either Sony has changed their coding, or these are all fake. The second line of my Sony's say (I have a pair of each);

VTC3's; 'T C3A2XTH05K'.

VTC4's; 'T C4A1XVJ10X'.

VTC5's; 'T C5A1XWG09X'. Under that line it says; 'SONY 31'.

You can see that the first six characters seem to indicate the model and the rest could be batch and/or date stamps.

The other thing I noticed on yours is the green shrink wrap on the positive end is not round and there seems to be bubbles in it like the heat application was not even or thorough.

Here's one of mine;

Did you buy from a B & M?

So in your opinion to you think their fake then? Also I did buy at B&M which I was told they buy directing from sony. Let me know! Also I compared my other batt to your pics and it seems the same. Wonder if my other battery was dropped or picked at for some reason. Also how did you confirm your vtc4 were real?

 

[Ryedan]

So in your opinion to you think their fake then? Also I did buy at B&M which I was told they buy directing from sony. Let me know! Also I compared my other batt to your pics and it seems the same. Wonder if my other battery was dropped or picked at for some reason. Also how did you confirm your vtc4 were real?

Yes, IMO these are fake. The retailer saying they buy direct from Sony is also a red flag for me as I'm almost certain Sony does not sell these direct to retailers.

I bought my VTC4's from Illumination Supply. That's the biggest reason I'm convinced they are real. The rest is because everything I've seen about counterfeits does not apply to mine.

 

[roxynoodle]

I thought they were fake as well. None of mine have those wrinkles you can see from the side near the bottom. Just at the top. I have 6 I know are authentic. And 4 I'm on the fence about whether real or fake.

 

[lucky_x16]

Here is a good thread on that. I happen to have it book marked.
Review :distinguish fake vtc4 battery | BudgetLightForum.com

 

[Borders03]

I thought they were fake as well. None of mine have those wrinkles you can see from the side near the bottom. Just at the top. I have 6 I know are authentic. And 4 I'm on the fence about whether real or fake.

Thanks for your guys opinions I really appreciate it! The other guy just posted that link to the other forum and now I'm even more confused because my lettering, seams, and position of everything line up with the real ones. So if I do decide to use them, will they just drain faster than normal? Or could I be in danger of explosion? Have you tried any batteries that you knew where fakes or non authentic?

 

[VA Vince]

Now you have me thinking. I have 5 legit VTC5's and just picked up 2 more from amazon. The only difference I can see is the color of the wrap, the 2 from amazon are more of a faded green, thats the only difference I can see. Printing, wrapping all is the same.

 

[lucky_x16]

Thanks for your guys opinions I really appreciate it! The other guy just posted that link to the other forum and now I'm even more confused because my lettering, seams, and position of everything line up with the real ones. So if I do decide to use them, will they just drain faster than normal? Or could I be in danger of explosion? Have you tried any batteries that you knew where fakes or non authentic?

Yes, not holding a charge as long is the first sign, over heating in regular to you use is the second. catastrophic failure is another, especially if you cloud chase with heavy sub ohming.

 

[ProjektMayhem]

I don't know. That thing definitely looks rewrapped from looking at the positive terminal. How it's bubbled up and it's not a perfect circle. It's like the wrap isn't centered. I'm pretty sure Sony doesn't sell these batteries either. The Sony VTC batteries aren't sold by Sony. You can't call up Sony and order a bunch of them. They're OEM batteries.

 

[Topwater Elvis]

Real Sony will not have a detectable /obvious seam in the wrap, the wrap on the real ones is usually thinner than the fakes & has a better fit & finish, the black ring around the positive end is uniform & centered, the bottom metal is smoother & more silver / shinier than the fakes if that makes sense.

I have never seen an authentic vtc4 marked with the word Sony anywhere on the battery, not saying they don't exist or that being marked Sony / Sony 31 means theyre fake just that I haven't seen any.

Problem is the fake makers are getting better at it.

 

[roxynoodle]

Thanks for your guys opinions I really appreciate it! The other guy just posted that link to the other forum and now I'm even more confused because my lettering, seams, and position of everything line up with the real ones. So if I do decide to use them, will they just drain faster than normal? Or could I be in danger of explosion? Have you tried any batteries that you knew where fakes or non authentic?

I just looked more closely at the ones I think are fake this morning. They are definitely rewrapped somethings. They are just a tiny bit wider than my real ones. I'm mad about it because they came from a forum supplier. I am using them, but only in regulated mods and lower wattage setups since I don't know what they are. I will not use them for sub ohm set ups or in mechs.

 

[Borders03]

Now you have me thinking. I have 5 legit VTC5's and just picked up 2 more from amazon. The only difference I can see is the color of the wrap, the 2 from amazon are more of a faded green, thats the only difference I can see. Printing, wrapping all is the same.

Can you please post me a link to where you got your authentic vtc5 please. On a side note I am using this VTC4 on my stingray x mid right now but I running a 1.4 ohm single coil and it seems to be working great!! Will do some more testing in the future to see if they are in fact real or not. So far signs look good though as far as holding a charge.

 

[VA Vince]

Can you please post me a link to where you got your authentic vtc5 please. On a side note I am using this VTC4 on my stingray x mid right now but I running a 1.4 ohm single coil and it seems to be working great!! Will do some more testing in the future to see if they are in fact real or not. So far signs look good though as far as holding a charge.

I bought them a while ago at a local B&M when they were plentiful. The 2 I recently purchased were from amazon, I will try and find the store name as these have a darker colored wrap but thats the only difference I can see.

 

[VA Vince]

Link to VTC5's I bought on amazon. Please use your own judgement. MOD's please remove if this is not allowed.

EDIT- Had to delete as it was my account. Name of company is "fresh hats supply"

 

[Topwater Elvis]

If you recieved vtc5's that match the pictures the amazon seller used, they are as fake as can be.

 

[Borders03]

If you recieved vtc5's that match the pictures the amazon seller used, they are as fake as can be.

This is not meant to offend anyone but it seems to me that nobody really knows what's fake or whats real? Pretty unethical of these fakers out their to do this with batteries. Seems to me theirs much better ways to make a buck!! All these great devices out their and we have worry if our batteries are real or not, so sad! At least with the device they state whether their clones or not! Too bad batteries couldn't be sold the same way!

 

[VA Vince]

If you recieved vtc5's that match the pictures the amazon seller used, they are as fake as can be.

Lol, no mine have a darker color. I will say the 5 legit VTC's match that color from the amazon seller.