Well, if this ’first line, second character should be zero (to be considered as genuine), then this 30Q I got from BG (albeit years ago when lilos are freely shipped world-wide) is a sample of my other several genuine 30Qs I got from them.
I can confirm purchasing Samsung 30Q 18650’s from Banggood, @ June 2019 that are fakes. They’re not too happy refunding either so i’ve filed a dispute via Paypal.
Buy only from reputable dealers would be my advice.
A while back I wanted the cheapest but still new cells I could find, ’cause when selling a light, no one wants to pay an additional 5-10bux for one cell. So I got some “genuine LiitoKala” (pffft) cells trussed up like panny-Bs for like 3bux a pop. Flattops.
They were probably rewrapped commodity cells like LiShens, but they were all pretty much to-spec as far as capacity, they’d be going into low-stress lights, so would be fine. I was and am perfectly okay with that, as I knew what I was getting, and the price “fit”.
Now… if you want real 30Qs, or VTC5s/-5As/-6es, or HG2s, NOW we got a problem if they’re fake, as that’s outright fraud, like selling a Bolex watch for the price of a Rolex.
The problem is proving that you got fake name-brand cells, as a 3-leaf clover vs 4-leaf clover on the button, crappy welds vs good welds, leading-‘0’ stenciled on there or not… neither the seller, nor AX/BG/whoever, nor PayPal, nor credit-card company, would want to hear it. No one there is going to do research to see if it’s true, or if you’re just pulling it out your ass to try to make a fake claim and get free batteries. “You got battery, it hold voltage, it good!” Claim denied.
So, caveat emptor, cave canem, all that Latin wisdom.
I think the consensus here is just that. Don’t pay $3.50 for a “Samsung 30Q” and expect to get a Samsung 30Q. You’ll probably get a factory reject at best or a knock-off with a forged wrapper or a steel can with a AAA or capacitor and some sand inside at the worst.
Why not? If you know how and where, it may be possible. Or at least close. €3.75 a pop at NKON, and €3.39/piece if you buy at least 10. Samsung has great pricing and 30Q cells have been in production for quite a bit already. Shipping excluded, of course.
That is what really stinks in all of this. There is a bunch of not so well known li-ion cell OEMs which mostly remain in secrecy before our eyes. Let me remember to all of you fellows, the fact we are buying li-ion cells in their original wraps is a sort of grey market thing. This is because li-ion cells are industrial products, not consumer grade. They are meant for knowledgeable and responsible staff, not for @%$€$ (guess what ;-) word is that). This mostly means that if you get hurt with the stuff, the modus operandi is clean your poopie and get along.
I would love to buy cells in their original wraps, while also having easy access to their OEM datasheets. Really.
Illumn has them on right now for $4.99 US. Add the BLF discount, and it brings them down to $4.74 US each. A lot of places have similar prices. It’s getting them under $4 where I’d get suspicious.
I checked those out. Not a bad deal. I think I’ll stick with the eBay seller. He ships free and gives good discounts to on bulk orders. For single cells the prices are a little higher than illum. I would avoid any seller that tries to sell “genuine” high discharge batteries for $4.00. You are guaranteed to get counterfeits or duds.