I already have some more Protected 3400s in stock; the VTC5s are extremely difficult to come by right now (I would recommend the LG HE2 or Samsung 25R as near equals)
Over the next few days we will be working hard to get caught up on all of the orders, so if you placed one during the past week, hang tight--we're working on it!
If you have sent me a message via PM or e-mail over the past few days, I will be responding to them as fast as I can.
Thank you all for being so patient!
Richard, Lisa, and Carson "The Mountain Electronics Team"
The protected Panasonic 3400s are in stock now. I have been trying to get some VTC5s at a reasonable price from a reputable source for over a month now with no success. I would suggest going with the 25R, HE2, or Efest 35A 18650s for now (they are all very similar to the VTC5.)
I have been getting relentless e-mails and requests for VTC5 cells, but so far I have not been able to purchase any that I am certain are genuine cells. I get contacted daily by numerous suppliers wanting to sell me VTC5 cells, but I am wary of all of them right now. If I can't get any from my best suppliers, then I won't be getting any at all.
Here is an e-mail that was sent out from Illumn:
To Whom it May Concern:You are receiving this email because a recent batch of Sony VTC5s we received passed our initial test inspection systems but were ultimately found to be counterfeit. Our first priority is to ensure the safety of our end users and advise to pull the VTC5s from retail if you are a wholesale customer. You have the option of a complete refund no questions asked from this batch of VTC5s or you can opt to wait for a confirmed authentic restock (no ETA at this time) with no need to return the counterfeit cells. We have determined that the counterfeit VTC5s are actually re-wrapped Samsung 25Rs which are rated for 20A discharge and 2500mAh capacity. We have received a total of 2 separate shipments from different suppliers of this new kind of counterfeit cell, please be warned that their performance is very similar to VTC5s and would not be that noticeable without testing equipment, if you do choose to purchase VTC5s from a different supplier than Illumn/Illumination Supply be aware of this unique counterfeit that is on the market now as it has fooled several different suppliers as well. We apologize deeply for the mistake and will continue improve our testing process to ensure it never happens again.