Interesting letter from Sony regarding VTC batteries

[Mooch]

At least we know they're still being made.

Posted (2 pages)with the permission of Origin vape. Thank you for forwarding it to me!

 

[krisjay]

Sony stopped making 18650's 2 years ago. I still can't understand why people don't realize one of two things. Either the Sony 18650 batteries anyone is buying are old stock or they are fake. Those are and can be the only reality. Unless Sony decides to start manufacturing 18650's again, people should just move on to batteries they know are legit. The letter you have here doesn't state or insinuate anything other than past tense and safety issues.

 

[Mooch]

The 2015-dated VTC's I tested met all specifications and I've never had trouble getting VTC's. New manufacture VTC's were being found in drill battery packs in 2015. What evidence do you have that Sony stopped production?

 

[retired1]

I suspect that Sony isn't stopping production, but they're going to be very selective as to who gets 'em

Sony's official response to the availability of VTC4 and VTC5 18650s

The battery biz is too huge to stop making the VTCs altogether. I do suspect, however, that they'll no longer be sold "individually", but to OEMs who need them for their products.

With all the latest sensationalism via the press about malfunctioning devices, Sony is doing the legal CYA in the event some yahoo tries to blame them for a defective battery rather than looking in the mirror to determine the cause of a meltdown.

 

[krisjay]

I got my info from this Sony statement. As I said, I could be wrong, but that seemed pretty definitive. I'm confused at this point. Maybe they are being manufactured, but not by Sony?
Sony's official response to the availability of VTC4 and VTC5 18650s

 

[Liskrig]

I have 4x VTC4 and 4x VTC5 cells that I bought late last year. They perform as I expect.

Even if I assume they are fake (which they are not) they never heat up, never spark, and provide adequate power to my builds and tanks with little-to-no ramp up time in most cases.

 

[Mooch]

I got my info from this Sony statement. As I said, I could be wrong, but that seemed pretty definitive. I'm confused at this point. Maybe they are being manufactured, but not by Sony?
Sony's official response to the availability of VTC4 and VTC5 18650s

A very real possibility. A Sony factory can be making them under license (or maybe not under licnse). Still the exact same battery but perhaps not legally made by Sony.