Possibly faked AW 18350 900mAh

[sgtdisturbed47]

I recently bought a set of 2 AW 18350 batteries from eBay. The picture showed 700mAh batteries, but I received 900mAh. I was pretty sure that AW only came in 700mAh capacity in 18350 size. I wanted to check with guys and see what you think about these. I may be mistaken, just wanted to check.

 

[Bobw1951]

They have a new 800 one

 

[sgtdisturbed47]

They have a new 800 one

Yes those are 800mAh but these say they're 900.

 

[DreamWithin]

I would lean toward fake on that one. Wrong capacity and some of the other lettering is not the same as on legit AW cells I've seen (the "o" in RoHS should not be capitalized and the recycle triangle should be black outline rather than solid black, etc).

A good rule of thumb for AW batteries is that if it's selling for under the going rate at retail, then it's probably not legit. I definitely would be suspect of virtually all sellers on ebay (my opinion only, there may be some legit ones out there, but I haven't personally seen them)

They have a new 800 one

I don't believe there are ANY legitimate alibaba vendors for AW batteries. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure I'm not

 

[AlB53]

I would say there fake 100% yes the "o" is not right and the logo is not right ,don't buy crap off of ebay!

 

[Baditude]

All the "AW IMR" batteries sold on Alibaba are counterfeits, according to Andrew Wan (AW).

AW does not make an 900 mAh 18350 battery, only a 700 mAh.

To counter all the counterfeit AW batteries, Mr. Wan began using a special holographic AW sticker at the beginning of this year.

 

[sgtdisturbed47]

When I asked the eBay seller about why they are 900mAh instead of 700, this was his response:


Hello sorry for the confusion.
AW Battery actually just came out with the 18350 900mah this past few days. Ive spoken to my manufacture and they actually buy it from AW (Andy Wong Corp) directly. AW manufacture is in Shenzhen and they do not have a website. But i am sure this is a authentic battery even better than the 700mah. Thanks again if you have any future question feel free to ask.

 

[twizted]

I recently bought a set of 2 AW 18350 batteries from eBay. The picture showed 700mAh batteries, but I received 900mAh. I was pretty sure that AW only came in 700mAh capacity in 18350 size. I wanted to check with guys and see what you think about these. I may be mistaken, just wanted to check.

View attachment 330669
View attachment 330670

Just me, but even the font for the AW on the sticker looks wrong.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

[twizted]

When I asked the eBay seller about why they are 900mAh instead of 700, this was his response:


Hello sorry for the confusion.
AW Battery actually just came out with the 18350 900mah this past few days. Ive spoken to my manufacture and they actually buy it from AW (Andy Wong Corp) directly. AW manufacture is in Shenzhen and they do not have a website. But i am sure this is a authentic battery even better than the 700mah. Thanks again if you have any future question feel free to ask.

I would reply back to the seller & inform they that if these batteries did indeed just came out a few days ago that they would have the new hologram AW sticker on them.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk

 

[sgtdisturbed47]

I did just now, we'll see what his response is (I'll post his response here as soon as he replies)

 

[sgtdisturbed47]

His response:

That's the info i received from my supplier also i was reading a lot of threads online but i couldn't any info to that regards , anyways if your not sure about this purchase let me know i will be glad to do a refund ,thanks.

Sounds like a total cop-out. My reply:

In December 2013 AW himself posted a picture on the CandlePower Forums (where he is known to post about his batteries) with pictures of the batteries he makes, and it clearly shows the new hologram stickers that all of new AW batteries use. If the 900mAh batteries you sold me are truly authentic, and since they were only made a few days ago, then they would have the new sticker, because all new ones since Dec 2013 use the new sticker (AW did this to fight counterfeits). If your supplier told you that these are authentic, then they are clearly lying so they don't lose you as a buyer. Do an Internet search for the new AW batteries and see for yourself. It's your responsibility as a seller to make sure the items you sell are genuine before you start selling them, because people like me end up buying them and discovering they aren't genuine. You already have a Neutral feedback from a buyer that says the battery he bought is counterfeit, so you must already be aware that the batteries you're selling aren't genuine. Since you now know that they are fakes, would you continue to sell them? Food for thought.

 

[Baditude]

Just another example of why NOT to buy AW batteries from the likes of Amazon and EBay.

Purchase authentic AW batteries from authorized dealers like RTD Vapor.

 

[sgtdisturbed47]

I think I've learned my lesson. I didn't realize they were so widely counterfeited.

 

[Baditude]

I think I've learned my lesson. I didn't realize they were so widely counterfeited.

AW batteries are the most popular batteries for mods and elite flashlights, so they are the most counterfeited batteries in the world. The Chinese battery market is extremely competitive, and many of the vendors are rather shady in their practices in the name of a fast buck by unsuspecting consumers and middleman distributors.

 

[Bobw1951]

I definitely would be suspect of virtually all sellers on ebay (my opinion only, there may be some legit ones out there, but I haven't personally seen them

I don't believe there are ANY legitimate alibaba vendors for AW batteries. I could be mistaken, but I'm pretty sure I'm not

For eBay their is one at least: "torchythebatteryboy" he is a UKV member and his batteries have been proven to be good by lots of the members, and if you are on UKV he offers a discount or extra batteries.