Massive fraud on 18650s in the Littokala Aliexpress stores!

Hey guys, are legit? Thinking of getting some 26650, 18650 for some future MODS. Want to make sure the are not dangerous ” bootleg ” versions. Please advise. Thanks.

Credit card info/numbers are not given to the merchant, only to Paypal, then Paypal pays the merchant. Does Alipay do the same?

Btw, payment given whether to merchant or person’s PP account is still protected. (not as gift but as payment)

Actually, I am not concerned with the payment protection as either way we are protected, but I am more concerned with the authenticity of the cells for the price is already bordering on the ‘too-good-to-be-true’ side, shipping included at that.

In theory, yes. Alipay holds your payment, and doesn’t release it to the seller until you receive your item.

However, since Ali is a Chinese company, I don’t consider it as safe as Paypal. I only use it because it seems safer than Paypal-ing an individual. And, it’s free, whereas I think the sellers on Ali charge you to use Paypal?

But if you’re covered the same way if you send the payment to an individual, and you don’t mind paying the extra couple of bucks, then it sounds like Paypal works fine. For this deal, I’d definitely want some security if the batteries turn out to be fake.

I don’t expect they’re fakes, but perhaps they’re bottom-tier cells that can’t be used in battery packs? There’s got to be a reason why they’re half the price they normally are.

Those 30Q batteries say they weigh 45gr, the ones I ordered from IMR weighed 48gr. Be careful !!

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2pcs-Original-Battery-INR18650-30Q-3000mAh-20A-Discharge-18650-Li-ion-Rechargeable-Battery-for-E-cigarette/32793497427.html?shortkey=IRn2YVrq&addresstype=600

In HKJ's test of the Samsung 30Q, 45.9g of cell wheight is reported.

Cheers ^:)

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/-/32874708012.html

4-lobe cell tops? Possible high chance of fake cells LoL.

Cheers :-)

Any battery that comes from AE: Be careful !!
I’ve had a lot of luck so far, no fake ones.

For information purposes only
Just weighed on my scale

30Q raised flat top from BG (https://www.banggood.com/4PCS-Samsung-INR18650-30Q-3000mAh-Unprotected-Button-Top-18650-Battery-With-Protected-box-p-1184782.html ): 47.0g

OMG!!

You’re right!

Massive fake

Oooh this is bad…

Hopefully the cells are not fake though, and the store isn’t fake too. If someone has a constant current tester, we can test both its capacity and current handling.

Yes mine also checked 47gr from IMR. Yet I too take chances, just ordered 4 from BG that are suppose to be 48gr, so to each his own.

These say 48gr………

Heh, good catch! Maybe the picture is of a fake, and the cells are real? Yeah, okay, maybe not….

Has anyone got cells from them recently, and checked to make sure they’re not an obvious fake like that?

I think it is just going to be a gamble for all of us. We’ve ordered from Official/0fficial/Factory Store, etc. You can’t win if you don’t play. I guess we’ll just find out in a few weeks when people start posting back here with their results.

From previous orders I’ve made from the liitokala official store, the 30Qs looked original, capacity tested in spec, and current measured under spec on my Emisar D4, but could be my DMM. The lii-35A were not sanyo GAs, likely sammy 35Es, looked original, capacity and current measured in spec

Nine of the Samsung 30Q 18650 Battery 3000mAh INR18650-30Q Rechargeable Flat Top batteries I purchased from Orbtronics in recent months weight between 46.03 gm and 46.16 gm. The average weight of all nine batteries is 46.09 gm. The scale I used is a recently calibrated AWS-100 that claims 0.01g accuracy.

BTW, the positive nodes on all nine batteries have three wings as shown in this image borrowed from MtElectronics:

Based on what I have learned on this forum, I will examine the six 30Q batteries en-route from the Liitokala Factory Store very carefully! Thanks.

I’ve bought Liitokala Sony VTC6’s earlier this year, and they check out as genuine from every physical and capacity test I know. But I think they were around $5 or $6 each, so maybe they recently changed to a cheaper supplier that is providing them fakes. I doubt the Official (with a O, not a 0) Store is intentionally selling fakes, they may just not realize it.

Or perhaps they are selling at cost. Who really knows?

If shipping was reasonable to other countries then the US, I would’ve bought some first, then testing them at high discharge rates and capacity.

I had only good experience with AliPay. Many troubles settled, some complex, I always won.
So…if we can find any proof of wrongdoing, we have a good chance of ending up with cells that are bad, but free.

Sooooooo, where are we now? Anymore links with authentic cells @ attractive prices in Aliexpress?

Shipping cost for 6pcs 30Q costs $22.11 to my country… kills the deal. :frowning:

…and those 30q’s are 4-spoke positive ends, while the original only has 3.

Even if the shipping is free, it’s still scary.