vtc5. fakes or real.

[Spencer87]

OK so.I just got some.Vtc 5 and went to see How to tell if their fakes.

Found this.

http://www.sun-vapers.com/how-to-spot-a-fake-sony-vtc5-battery/

Anyways. Mine have the printed looking qr code. But none of the other fake aspects. Are they fakes?

Here is a few pics.

Sony US18650 VTC5 2600mAh Li-Mn 30A IMR ØÁ³ÑÏݶÞÝÊÞ¯ÃØ°:Amazon.co.jp:Êß¿ºÝ/AV/¶Ò×/‰Æ“d

They cost 14 dollars a pop, give or take

 

[ronnbert]

This is the best way I have found to tell a real battery from a fake.

 

[ronnbert]

The link you sent seems to have legit batteries, after zooming in from my phone I inspected the photos and the appear legit. The only part I couldn't verify would be the bottom post. Just beware that sometimes the photo is just stock, while the actual product could be different.

Edit: the qr code appears to be legit, the burned in with hollow centers as opposed to the printed, bolder code. Inspect them once they arrive, but it seems to be that you dodged a bullet.

 

[Funk Dracula]

Here's the deal:

Don't buy batteries off of Ebay or Amazon. Ever. It's not worth it. Why would you buy from any random seller where you even have to question whether it's real or not?

VTC5's are out of stock everywhere right now. Until we hear of Sony ramping up production again, might as well avoid them for the time being, because the chances of a brand new Sony VTC5 being a fake have never been greater, especially from Amazon or Ebay. This wasn't the story a few months ago, but right now yeah, legits are sold out everywhere with no new stock coming in.

Some batteries to look for instead of VTC5's because they are out of stock:

VTC4's are still floating around, 30A max discharge 2100mAh

LG 18650HE2 batteries have a 20A max discharge 2500mAh

Samsung INR18650-25R batteries have a 20A max discharge 2500mAh

AW 18650 1600mAh version has a 24A max discharge

Some well respected and trustworthy vendors for batteries:

Batteries - RTD vapor

Batteries - Lithium, Li-Ion, IMR, NiMH, Alkaline; Battery Chargers; Battery Carriers

Batteries - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers

I'm noticing you are in Japan, so I'm not sure what the deal is with getting batteries shipped to you through customs there.

 

[Spencer87]

Here's the deal:

Don't buy batteries off of Ebay or Amazon. Ever. It's not worth it. Why would you buy from any random seller where you even have to question whether it's real or not?

VTC5's are out of stock everywhere right now. Until we hear of Sony ramping up production again, might as well avoid them for the time being, because the chances of a brand new Sony VTC5 being a fake have never been greater, especially from Amazon or Ebay. This wasn't the story a few months ago, but right now yeah, legits are sold out everywhere with no new stock coming in.

Some batteries to look for instead of VTC5's because they are out of stock:

VTC4's are still floating around, 30A max discharge 2100mAh

LG 18650HE2 batteries have a 20A max discharge 2500mAh

Samsung INR18650-25R batteries have a 20A max discharge 2500mAh

AW 18650 1600mAh version has a 24A max discharge

Some well respected and trustworthy vendors for batteries:

Batteries - RTD vapor

Batteries - Lithium, Li-Ion, IMR, NiMH, Alkaline; Battery Chargers; Battery Carriers

Batteries - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers

I'm noticing you are in Japan, so I'm not sure what the deal is with getting batteries shipped to you through customs there.

Extremely unhelpful. I bought the batteries already. They are sitting in my hand. I didn't ask where to buy batteries
.I asked How I can tell if the ones I already bought are real.

 

[tayone415]

The link from where you bought the batteries shows only small thumbnails, the best thing would be to take pictures of the actual batteries that you already have, since it might be different from the seller's pictures, and you could show close up pictures of the batteries you have now.

 

[Ryedan]

Extremely unhelpful. I bought the batteries already. They are sitting in my hand. I didn't ask where to buy batteries
.I asked How I can tell if the ones I already bought are real.

You have looked at the posted pictures of counterfeits. If you can't tell from that, the only way you can be sure is to do discharge testing on them, make graphs like these and compare to known good VTC5 graphs. This is what good suppliers do to confirm the batteries they got delivered are not counterfeit.

The advice Funk Dracula gave is good and what I would have posted if he had not yet done so. Sure, it doesn't answer your question, but next time you buy batteries it may help you avoid the problem you have now because you'll know how things work.

Good luck with it

 

[Jamandre]

I just picked up a few VCT5's from ebay and everything is on par but the QR code stamp. I compared it to some authentic VCT5 I have and the only difference is the QR code. Do I have fakes...confusing.

 

[JMarca]

I just picked up a few VCT5's from ebay and everything is on par but the QR code stamp. I compared it to some authentic VCT5 I have and the only difference is the QR code. Do I have fakes...confusing.

More than likely, never buy batteries on e-bay.

Extremely unhelpful. I bought the batteries already. They are sitting in my hand. I didn't ask where to buy batteries
.I asked How I can tell if the ones I already bought are real.

Honestly he gave you solid information.
I wouldn't even trust the pictures since sleeves can be easily copied and reprinted with high ppi printers making them almost impossible to detect fakes just by looking at them.
Always buy your batteries from trusted vendors, you'll never have problems this way.

 

[Jamandre]

Thanks JMarca, well if they are they seem to perform just as well as my authentic Sony's I have. They charge and discharge about the same (charger on XTAR VP2). That said, based on performance how can I tell?

 

[tj99959]

I just picked up a few VCT5's from ebay and everything is on par but the QR code stamp. I compared it to some authentic VCT5 I have and the only difference is the QR code. Do I have fakes...confusing.

Ask yourself this; since VCT5s are not being produced ATM, where did the ebay seller get their VCT5s?
It seems like there are a lot of LG 18650HE2 batteries ​floating around right now with VTC5 wrappers on them.

 

[pnyc]

Alibaba has many listings - I believe all fakes.

 

[eratikmind]

To avoid future confusion for others, simply buy your batteries from RTD Vapor. This vendor is trusted and has been my only source for batteries for the past 1-1/2 years.

Deals should always be approached with a bit of reservation.

 

[Ryedan]

Thanks JMarca, well if they are they seem to perform just as well as my authentic Sony's I have. They charge and discharge about the same (charger on XTAR VP2). That said, based on performance how can I tell?

Here are discharge curves Illumination Supply did for VTC4, VTC5, known good Samsung 25R and one counterfeit VTC5. From the close match between the counterfeit VTC5 and the 25R they realized the counterfeit was a 25R.

The 25R (and the LG HE2) is rated for 20A max continuous discharge vs the VTC's 30A. These are both great batteries and I would not hesitate to vape either of these as long as I stayed under the max amp rating. OTOH, if a counterfeit is not a safe cell, the only way you'll know for sure is to test it somehow.

It sucks, but it is what it is. Funk Dracula gave three good sources for batteries. There are more, but there are many more uncertain sources than good ones. The only way to know if a supplier is good is to check their reputation on a vape or flashlight forum.

 

[roxynoodle]

I just bought some last night from e-cloud vapes. They are a registered supplier here and he said he just got 500 in. Sure hope they are genuine!

 

[tj99959]

I just bought some last night from e-cloud vapes. They are a registered supplier here and he said he just got 500 in. Sure hope they are genuine!

There is an easy solution, get 25R or HE2 20a batteries, and don't worry about the VTCs being fake. When we stop buying the VTCs, the counterfeiters will stop making them.

 

[Mactavish]

I just bought some last night from e-cloud vapes. They are a registered supplier here and he said he just got 500 in. Sure hope they are genuine!

Not sure what you bought, their website currently lists this (pasted from site):

"Sony US18650VTC5 18650 VTC4 2600mAh 30A Rechargeable High Drain Batteries
Includes:
1X 30 amp battery
2100 mAh
Size: 65 mm long, diameter is 18mm"

Seems the title shows VTC5 as well as VTC4, but the description is for a 2100 mAh battery which is the VTC4. The photos also don't show any "Sony" white label on the bats, though photos don't mean much.