Aliexpress/Banggood Batteries. Worth the Risk?

So I am in the market for some batteries, namely Panasonic 18650GA’s or some other 3000mah+ high drains (8-10A is all I really need). I see all kinds on Aliexpress and Banggood, but I am leery since they are branded Littokala or some other name other than the real name.

Anyone have experience with these? Are they the real deal or too good to be true? 8 30Q’s for $25 versus over $40 from a legit seller on eBay I’ve bought from before (shipped free) seems too good to be true. Is it worth the risk and wait for potential junk/fake batteries?

Thanks!

Nope.

Pros:
-You save MAYBE $1-$1.50 per cell

Cons:
It’s a coin flip at best - whether they are genuine cells or counterfeits/factory defects/etc.
-Waiting much longer than ordering from the US
-Basically zero warranty support/chance of refund if something is wrong with them

Try illumn.com or imrbatteries.com

I second that, it’s not worth the risk. There are SO many fakes and lies in batteries. Even your ebay seller could likely be selling fakes and not know it himself.

You’re right. Thats why I looked long and hard when I was looking for high drain cells. This US-based eBay seller Vapah Inc came highly recommended and promised genuine cells. Process are very reasonable if you buy in bulk. I checked the cells over really well with a magnifying glass to look for hidden manufacturing codes and used Moochs’ guide to spot fakes. They checked out as genuine Samsung 25R’s made in their Maylasia plant, not China. Capacity test proved this as well.

I’m pretty sure they’re genuine but most probly not grade A, the capacity is right ,the IR is good but will go up after a few uses , probly after a few months of use you’ll see IR in the 50’s but should be around 16- 30.
Edit
I just notice you also said Aliexpress I would avoid them unless you get from a known genuine seller , I’ve had mostly fakes from that store except the shocklies 26650’s from shockly store.
Disclaimer = spellings may be way off :laughing:

I’ve never gotten anything but real genuine name-brand cells when buying from Banggood. I look for a listing with the manufacturer name, not a re-wrapper. So far, I’ve bought Samsung and Panasonic cells with no problem. I trust Banggood.

I’ve heard from some members here that real genuine name-brand cells can be found on AliExpress. But, more often I see complaints about yet another scammer selling fakes. I wouldn’t ever buy cells from AliExpress. Some of our favorite Chinese flashlight manufacturers are on AliExpress. That’s all I’d trust the site for.

These days, I only buy cells from within the USA. Mostly from LIION Wholesale but also IMR Batteries and Mountain Electronics. There are others, but I haven’t bought from any of them.

I second that completely.
Except that i’m buying from NKON.NL since i live in Europe

The official Shockli store on Ali is safe and a good source of high output batteries. https://www.aliexpress.com/store/4004003

Too bad the shockli cells i got today are 21,7 mm and thus dont fit inside my new 21700 light…
Should have checked HKJs reviews before buying…

Yeh ,that’s where I got my 26650’s , they are genuine.

I agree. After you pay shipping it’s a diminishing return. I’d pay extra for the real deal plus warranty.

Thanks!

I’ll consider Banggood. Is there any particular seller you’d buy from?

I have ordered aliexpress batteries when we had the issue with fakes and HAVE received fake batteries. There was no recourse or refund.

So, yeah, I would avoid anything from there when it comes to Li-Ions.

Can confirm this store is the official Shockli store and completely safe to order from. Doesn’t help if you’re specifically looking for GAs though!

Edit: I believe Shockli have their own rewrap of the Samsung 30Q, which might be an option if you can’t find an authentic source for them.

which country are U in?
US I can ship

All aliexpress items I received were “dubious”. Can’t really say whether fake or not, sometimes it is really close.

I wouldn’t buy any batteries from AE.

I’m in the USA.
Thanks

Quality li-ion batteries will be something you get hundreds of cycles and yeeears of use from, the few extra bucks for the guaranteed real deal is worth it IMO.

about 2 weeks back i saw that someone on Reddit was saying they received fake Samsung 30q button tops from banggood. he posted this picture and a picture of his batteries showing they weren’t real. is the picture accurate? im asking because 18650s sell at 3x the price here in mexico so i asked a friend ,from states, 3 weeks ago to buy some for me from banggood since they were only 15$ for 4 button tops. my friend is coming next week.

I have 30Q’s from bangood & Gearbest, which I strongly suspect are genuine but not grade A ,compared to genuines from reputable sources in this country the pink is very slightly different , you can only tell by putting them side by side.