Are my Samsung 25R's genuine

[chellie]

I ordered batteries a few weeks ago. One of the wraps got nicked already so I tried to double wrap it and it was too thick for the mod. Decide to rewrap them all. I really do not know what to look for on an unwrapped cell.

I found this Is it a fake 18650 battery? (Featuring the Samsung 25R) and I do not see the marking by the venting area so that is what made me question it.

Here are the pics? Not the greatest but hopefully you can see the markings.

 

[Eskie]

Where did you get it? Knowing all the codes which can vary by year of manufacture is tough to keep track of. I rely on a reliable battery vendor like IMR, Illum, or RTD to not worry much on that stuff.

 

[sonicbomb]

The best way to avoid fakes is to buy from a reputable vendor, and even then sometimes they slip through. There is no definitive way of identifying fakes unfortunately. Who did you order them from?
Make sure you remove any rings before handling unwrapped batteries, I shorted one this way and have a nasty scar to show for it.


Trusted online battery vendors

North America
www.liionwholesale.com
www.imrbatteries.com
www.illumn.com
www.rtdvapor.com
www.batterybro.com
www.orbtronic.com

 

[chellie]

The best way to avoid fakes is to buy from a reputable vendor, and even then sometimes they slip through. There is no definitive way of identifying fakes unfortunately. Who did you order them from?
Make sure you remove any rings before handling unwrapped batteries, I shorted one this way and have a nasty scar to show for it.


Trusted online battery vendors

North America
www.liionwholesale.com
www.imrbatteries.com
www.illumn.com
www.rtdvapor.com
www.batterybro.com
www.orbtronic.com

I did buy from a trusted vendor which is what concerns me. I did read that the second digit on the cell has to be a 5 and mine is. There has to be a way to tell by the markings on the cell itself. I'll keep digging.

Thanks for the rings tip. I work with electronics and am utterly paranoid about metal to metal and I wear gloves.

 

[Hobbs]

chellie, that link in your OP is 3 years old. Here's one Mooch posted 14Aug17 "Fake Samsung 25R Alert" ...
Fake Samsung 25R Alert

 

[sonicbomb]

If you bought the battery from a reputable dealer and it turns out to be a fake, then if they are worth their salt they should refund/replace. If not then please let us know so they can become an ex-reputable dealer.

 

[Rossum]

There is no definitive way of identifying fakes unfortunately.

There is, but few people are willing to make the small investment necessary to do so. You need a means of measuring capacity; some chargers can do that. You also need a means of measuring internal resistance; a specialized meter capable of doing that cost about $80. If a cell has both the rated capacity and an appropriately low internal resistance, it's almost certainly genuine.

 

[stols001]

I would keep digging but who was the supplier? Inquiring minds want to know.

I will say (and I was not kind to my batteries at first) that my wraps held up fairly well even though I was not handling them properly. So, the wrap issue might concern me unless you knowingly or unknowingly sort of did something to cause the wrap tear.

Problem with fakes is they're just extraordinary hard to spot without testing as Rossum has said. I might take another, newer set of Samsungs (if you have them) and put them into a head to head "capacity runtime tests" in the exact same mod maybe even one with a puff counter. If they perform similarly well you'd sort of have SOMETHING of an answer.

With that said, it involves actually USING them, which like, you may or many not want to do. Depending on how many you got, maybe you want to send one to Mooch and see if he can test it, setting the others aside for a bit? IDK.

Hate to hear about it, but if it was from a reputable vendor for sure, I might be more inclined to do a head to head comparison test after you rewrap and etc. ??

That is probably what I would do, but they are YOUR batteries, mods, hands, face etc., so believe me when I say I am NOT trying to tell you what to do, you should do what feels comfortable to YOU. But, with my supplier (I use IMRbatteries.com) I would be shocked to get inauthentic batteries and etc.

Good luck I hope you get it figured out!

Anna

 

[sonicbomb]

There is, but few people are willing to make the small investment necessary to do so. You need a means of measuring capacity; some chargers can do that. You also need a means of measuring internal resistance; a specialized meter capable of doing that cost about $80. If a cell has both the rated capacity and an appropriately low internal resistance, it's almost certainly genuine.

There is no definitive way (for 99.98% of ordinary vapers) of identifying fakes unfortunately.

 

[chellie]

chellie, that link in your OP is 3 years old. Here's one Mooch posted 14Aug17 "Fake Samsung 25R Alert" ...
Fake Samsung 25R Alert

Thanks. I did see a similar post by Mooch on reddit about the fakes that listed the number 5 that I referred to and my battery does have it so that's good. That posting also listed the markings under the venting but is not noted in the later guide referenced above. My battery did not have that marking so I was concerned. The older link from battery bro is from @Mooch 's blog of good vendors and although it is older it still provided me with some good general info although I wish Battery Bro would update. It can be difficult to keep up since stuff stays in internet land for so long.

One more thing - I'm having link dyslexia today - can someone provide the most current link for recommended battery suppliers. I had copied a list that I use but I can't seem to find the posting about it.

What is the most current list of recommended battery suppliers? Thanks

 

[Baditude]

What is the most current list of recommended battery suppliers? Thanks

Sonic's post above has the short list of recommended battery suppliers.

 

[sonicbomb]

North America

www.liionwholesale.com
www.imrbatteries.com
www.illumn.com
www.rtdvapor.com
www.batterybro.com
www.orbtronic.com

 

[chellie]

Sonic's post above has the short list of recommended battery suppliers.

Thanks. That's the same list I copied from one of your posts @Baditude. Thanks!

 

[Mooch]

A “5” in the top code line does not guarantee it’s genuine. Anything other than a “5” though guarantees it’s not a 25R. That is, genuine 25R’s must have it but the codes can be counterfeited.

I ‘m not able to tell if yours are genuine or not via the photos.

 

[chellie]

A “5” in the top code line does not guarantee it’s genuine. Anything other than a “5” though guarantees it’s not a 25R. That is, genuine 25R’s must have it but the codes can be counterfeited.

I ‘m not able to tell if yours are genuine or not via the photos.

Thanks

 

[classwife]

Moved this to Batteries and Chargers