So... I think I may actually have a VTC5...?

[Number3124]

When I first got a mod I didn't know Sony batteries were often faked and hard to find. I didn't know VTC5s were all but gone, and I didn't know the VTC5s were only 20 amp batteries. I went out and hunted on Amazon (because I didn't know Amazon was a bad place to buy batteries). I found some one selling a pair of VTC5s for $18.00 or so and bought them.

Now, I've been a little leery of these two batteries since learned more about batteries and vaping in general. I bought two VTC4s to replace them, but a string of bad luck has cut me down to one good battery and one slightly dented battery. Both of these were my first two batteries that I was sure were fakes. However, my shipment of VTC4s (they're charging right now) have arrived so I cut open my damaged, "VTC5's," wrapper to see what's inside.

Here's the damage. Another victim of the FUhattan (though the FUhattan has a few new scars from the fall as well. It hit the pavement this time)



However, I was surprised to see that when I unwrapped it, well, here's what I found.



So, for those who know better, is this a real VTC5? Not that I think it's a 30 amp or anything anymore, but is this actually a VTC5? Because if so... That's kind of cool.

 

[Sully]

Nope. The fakes are coming with that printed under the wrapper as well. The thing that tells me that this is a fake is the text alignment. Real VTC5's are offset by one character on the bottom line of print. Yours also appears to have the gap at the top like the fake in this photo below.

 

[Number3124]

Nope. The fakes are coming with that printed under the wrapper as well. The thing that tells me that this is a fake is the text alignment. Real VTC5's are offset by one character on the bottom line of print. Yours also appears to have the gap at the top like the fake in this photo below.
View attachment 18368

Cool. Thanks. Also, makes me a little nervous. They were running with an average load of 0.24 ohms... Any idea what kind of battery it might have been? I hadn't heard of battery fakers actually printing on the tube.

 

[Sully]

Cool. Thanks. Also, makes me a little nervous. They were running with an average load of 0.24 ohms... Any idea what kind of battery it might have been? I hadn't heard of battery fakers actually printing on the tube.

Minus the printing on the tube, it does resemble the 25R all the way to the left....but that's just speculation. Not sure if there is a way to tell for certain.

 

[jerryhall02]

If they weigh 42 grams each their real


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Number3124]

Minus the printing on the tube, it does resemble the 25R all the way to the left....but that's just speculation. Not sure if there is a way to tell for certain.

Well, regardless they're both retired now. Thanks for the help.

 

[Ryedan]

Nope. The fakes are coming with that printed under the wrapper as well. The thing that tells me that this is a fake is the text alignment. Real VTC5's are offset by one character on the bottom line of print. Yours also appears to have the gap at the top like the fake in this photo below.

I had not seen that picture before now Sully. The counterfeits are getting good these days

 

[Jon@LiionWholesale]

We ordered VTC5s from every vendor in China that said they had them a few months back (probably 15-20 different companies), and probably 1/2 of them were completely indistinguishable cosmetically from a real VTC5, even after unwrapping. Not a single one was actually a VTC5. You can't tell by cosmetics anymore, it's only a first test.

The good news is that most of them were pretty decent cells, obviously not a VTC5 but better than most ultrafires and the like as far we could tell. The vast majority were a 2000mAh cell or 1600mAh cell, so that way it's not hard to make a cell that feels like a vtc5 and won't go up in flames if you subject it to 20-30A loads, it just doesn't last as long as a VTC5 would.

I still would not recommend using them...

 

[Number3124]

We ordered VTC5s from every vendor in China that said they had them a few months back (probably 15-20 different companies), and probably 1/2 of them were completely indistinguishable cosmetically from a real VTC5, even after unwrapping. Not a single one was actually a VTC5. You can't tell by cosmetics anymore, it's only a first test.

The good news is that most of them were pretty decent cells, obviously not a VTC5 but better than most ultrafires and the like as far we could tell. The vast majority were a 2000mAh cell or 1600mAh cell, so that way it's not hard to make a cell that feels like a vtc5 and won't go up in flames if you subject it to 20-30A loads, it just doesn't last as long as a VTC5 would.

I still would not recommend using them...

Indeed. I scribbled, "condemned," on the side of the undamaged one as a private joke.

 

[Jon@LiionWholesale]

Indeed. I scribbled, "condemned," on the side of the undamaged one as a private joke.

LOL. You would be surprised how many boxes of batteries we have laying around corners of the warehouse with various skulls and crossbones, Mr Yuck stickers, grumpy cats, etc on them....