I unknowingly bought a set of knockoff batteries from Amazon several years ago. I didn't realize my mistake until I opened the package. The batteries wouldn't even take a charge and returned them before even using. After that, I only buy batteries in stores. It costs more but I don't have to deal with fakes.
The Fake Milwaukee M18 Battery Thread...
- Thread starter bulletpruf
- Start date
5ubtle
Well-known member
Did AVE test for 'how likely the battery is to catch fire'?
If I buy a generic battery, I know that I am taking more of a chance with my safety. If I buy a fake OEM battery, I will be unaware of the safety risk. The fake battery will likely have generic battery cells which may be more likely to catch fire. The design of the Battery Management System (BMS) in these batteries is not trivial. If someone is willing to make a fake copy of an OEM battery, they will be willing to cut corners on the BMS. Cutting corners on the BMS leads to increased risk of a 'thermal event' while charging, especially.
I don't know the answer and I think we need a real answer rather than jump to a conclusion. In my mind, this is essential info for GJ. Here are a few things I read:
1) The aftermarket "fake" batteries CAN have identical power/performance as the OEMs. Buying cheapies doesn't guarantee less power.
2) The batteries inside the case CAN be from the same exact manufacturer. Pretty sure in the example in the video, both cells were made by Sony. AVE summarized that while the "fake" pack's batteries looked like they came from something else, they were unused.
3) Fire IS a risk regardless of brand. Safe practice seems to include:
- Don't leave them on the charger
- Don't leave them alone?
- Fast chargers pose higher risks
- High output batteries pose higher risks
- Big batteries (E-bikes, EVs etc) pose higher risks
- High ambient heat is a factor (degrades batteries, but not sure about increasing fire hazard)
- Damaged batteries/cases can result in fires
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
I stared a Facebook group on Stihl 1106/1109 series saws - the Contra/Lightning and the 070/090/MS720, etc. All 106cc or 137cc beasts. Anyway, there are some pretty good knockoffs out there, and they're getting harder and harder to detect.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
I mailed off the obviously fake 9.0 battery today so I could get my $108 back.
And I took two newer batteries to the local Milwaukee service center. They looked legit but they both came from Amazon so I wondered if they were really good fakes. The Milwaukee employee plugged them into a receiver that looked something like a battery charger but it was connected to his computer. He said both were legit.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Seller deducted $50 from my refund because I opened the package. Fooking crook. Couldn't even write that in English, either; I had to translate his comment from Chinese - 物品已打开. Asked eBay to step in.
bcradio
Well-known member
Can you dispute it?
Odd-job
Well-known member
Ouch just catching up on this thread. Feel for you OP, but this reinforces waiting for deals at the magic $10 per Ah from authorized retailers as we collectively preach on the deals thread.
I kind of find it ironic they counterfeited the infamous 9.0. The most unreliable Milwaukee battery of them all. I thought you were supposed to counterfeit the good stuff?!?
I kind of find it ironic they counterfeited the infamous 9.0. The most unreliable Milwaukee battery of them all. I thought you were supposed to counterfeit the good stuff?!?
Last one I used an angle grinder to open!
I didn't realize USPS handled HazMat?
gagecalman
Well-known member
The Dewalt DCB205 20V MAX XR 5.0 Ah batteries are very popular on eBay and most of them are counterfeits.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
Yeah really like my 5 year old 9.0. That’s why I wanted another one. Don’t realize until after I bought it that they were problematic and discontinued.
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
I did. About 2 hours later I got an email from eBay stating that I was getting my full refund.
I don't get it?
You determined it was fake, then decided to open the packaging and teardown the pack, but you're going to complain he tried to dock you $50 on the return?
I really appreciate this thread. After reading it the first time now I'm seeing the fake batteries all over ebay, and on FB Marketplace. They might have fooled me like they have many others.
After reading a post here about maybe they are a decent value for the price, I started considering that. Maybe they are good but they're being sold by crooks so I'm not buying. Then someone here brought up the fire factor. I agree that even name brand batteries can be dangerous, but I'll bet the legitimate companies manufacturing batteries are putting much more emphasis on safety than the crooks are.
Thank you bulletproof for making me aware of this problem.
After reading a post here about maybe they are a decent value for the price, I started considering that. Maybe they are good but they're being sold by crooks so I'm not buying. Then someone here brought up the fire factor. I agree that even name brand batteries can be dangerous, but I'll bet the legitimate companies manufacturing batteries are putting much more emphasis on safety than the crooks are.
Thank you bulletproof for making me aware of this problem.
pizza
Well-known member
i see what you're saying, but **** counterfeiters lol. if these guys want to make decent packs and sell them at a discount, they can make milwaukee-compatible packs that are clearly third party.
also, the seller is ballsy for even asking for it to be sent back. ime, counterfeiters will bend over backwards to try to smooth these hiccups over as a cost of doing business so complaints don't pile up. he should have just apologized and refunded – no questions asked. that's what i'd do if i were him.
OP did us a favor by opening the packaging and diddling it to try to learn things about it. i just wish he took pics for us, grr
OP
bulletpruf
Well-known member
You're right. It was incredibly insensitive of me to open up the packaging of a fake battery from some douchebag in China. That might make it more difficult for him to sell it to someone else. Next time I will try to be more considerate. And shame on me for expecting a full refund.
I had asked the person who buys items like this do we see fakes. He was he would not buy from internet sites unless it was for a company that had stores to sell the item and was an official dealer. He said he did not have an issue with knockoffs. They were cheap and he expected less from them and they were never sold as official ones. He would have complained to both the vendor platform and the manufacturer with a copy of the ad that passed these off as official and the items. His excuse for opening it up was he had to confirm his suspicions. The vendor did not sell what he described. If the price was too good to be real he would pass.
He did make a change to the charging station we have in the main shops after we started getting lithium batteries. He was trying to make sure that if a battery ignited there it would not spread or find anything flammable to burn where the charger was. I do remember him muttering something about he wished you could still get asbestos sheets for situations like this. The chargers are spread out much more and are set on timers that turn the chargers off and on to coincide with the times there are people working in the shop. In testing the alarms also went off. For each new thing there are new issues you have to think about. He was on it before most people even heard about lithium battery fires.
He did make a change to the charging station we have in the main shops after we started getting lithium batteries. He was trying to make sure that if a battery ignited there it would not spread or find anything flammable to burn where the charger was. I do remember him muttering something about he wished you could still get asbestos sheets for situations like this. The chargers are spread out much more and are set on timers that turn the chargers off and on to coincide with the times there are people working in the shop. In testing the alarms also went off. For each new thing there are new issues you have to think about. He was on it before most people even heard about lithium battery fires.