Dewalt 20v Counterfeit, Watch Out!

[@9Blu]

That is the best counterfeit Dewalt battery I have seen. They are definitely escalating their game.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah it’s crazy, if I didn’t open it up probably would have never known.

[@maddawgzzzz]

If you would have never known.. does it really matter than? Ill take a 60 dollar 5ah battery over a 199 dollar one lol.

[@9Blu]

@@maddawgzzzz ​​⁠it matters a lot. These people are counterfeiting the batteries. The reason to do that is to defraud the people buying them. This is different than companies making compatible batteries. Also the people making these have zero accountability. You might be cool with potentially sketchy lithium cells put into a pack by crooks in your home but I sure as F am not cool with them in mine.

[@tidebounce9149]

Thanks so much for exposing this. As you stated, ebay and Amazon are notorious for fake products. I have seen a ton of fake auto parts sold on Amazon as well. The biggest issue I have is with these retailers and their credibility continues to degrade as they "grow" their businesses. Thanks again.

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! Yeah I was definitely shocking, fooled me at first. Yeah it seems to be getting worse on eBay and Amazon.

[@aco2518]

I've noticed that the fake ones lack security screws, and also the battery indicator looks a bit funky. Most of the time they also lack copper contacts.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep no security screws, good point on the contacts I didn’t even look at them.

[@kennedymcgovern5413]

Well, one thing is for certain. I was happier BEFORE I started watching this video. Then I saw that I DO have the black spot on the case. Then I paused it and put on my reading glasses to see that your date code is not "similar" to mine...but EXACTLY the same as mine. Well, what a coincidence. So I opened them up and inside, they look just like yours (I mean, we bought them from the same people) only my cells...are wrapped in purple. Hahaha...I'd be angry right now, if I dd not get them for 35 bucks apiece. You say that in testing they run like 4's? Well, OK. My battery row is lined up 10, 8, 5, 5, 3, 3 So what I will do is pick up a couple of 6s (I was about to do that anyway), slide these over into the 3 spots and let the 3s fall off of the shelf. Seriously, 35 bones apiece and they were so good that I needed to see a video and open them up a year later before I even noticed? I aint mad. Bought these on ebay last year, by the way, so anyone who cares can know.

[@aco2518]

Don't trust these batteries, they likely have no overload or temperature protection, and a crude charging system. Might burn your house down even. Think about it, there is no way to track down the maker of the battery, why would they care to make a safe product? They are already willingly robbing you of your money. I trust an off brand battery more than I would these.

[@doctorwu1303]

I’ve seen these at my local flea markets. One thing, as a Dewalt owner I see right off is the color, they just stick out with the bright butter like color. They just look cheaper if you look closely as well. Of course the best way is to not buy these and pay a little extra from a reputable supplier.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep with dewalt and even Milwaukee you're better off buying from a reputable store. I cant believe how close they really are, I can see how they make it through customs. This has to be costing Dewalt a lot of potential sales lost.

[@jeffmorefield]

Dude excellent video! Ive never would have known this. I found two out of my collection that are fakes. Also the buttons are janky compaired to the real ones. Now that I really looked at the battery you can see the little shortcuts. Thanks so much for this info.

[@Tools-Tested]

Thanks, yep it’s crazy how it looks like the real thing. You really have to be 👀 to see the difference. No problem!

[@Derek-tk4wf]

Ran into the same with Makitas recently. Some ebay sellers have them in sealed blister packs too. Either single or double battery packs. Legit looking packaging. But they use a diff sticker on the bottom. The battery indicators are different than the genuines I have. They make a cheap clicky sound and the LED's themselves are slightly diff size and color. The number info on the top of the battery near the rails are etched. While the genuines have a raised plastic molding to em where they were done when the entire exterior casing was created. And the side logo where it says 'Lithium Ion' is also slightly diff looking, but hard to tell unless you look at a legit one side by side. The cells used are obviously inferior since the tools stop under any real load. I called the seller out on it and he immediately gave a full refund and said to keep the batteries. I use em in a flashlight and for normal impact drive stuff. Almost useless out of that. I got curious and went on alibaba (fake everything haven site) and saw listings with the sticker sheets and cardboard inserts and whatnot used to make the fakes. Of all brands. Amusing to see, but annoying too.

[@Tools-Tested]

Wow thanks for the heads up, it's insane.

[@toolrestoration]

I only buy the copies now anyway so never get caught out paying over the top for fake ones !!

[@Tools-Tested]

That’s definitely a way to avoid this.

[@toolnerd]

Thanks for the video! 😎🏴‍☠️😎 Have a great holiday season! 🎅🏻🎅🏻

[@Tools-Tested]

No Problem! Same to you Happy Holidays!

[@gts5930]

Thanks for the heads-up, great video!

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem!

[@fitch8363]

Outstanding. Thanks for taking the time to get the information out to us. Well done.

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem, I couldn’t believe it.

[@fitch8363]

@@Tools-Tested I worry about the fire risk of Lithium batteries, especially counterfeit batteries. My brother in law's 11,000 square foot Woody Restoration shop was burned to the ground - the insurance company investigators concluded, after a remarkably thorough investigation, the fire was started by a cordless tool battery.

[@Gold63Beast]

Wow man. Thank you for this video. That’s crazy. Fooled me, no lie.

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! Yeah trust me I thought it was real until I took it apart.

[@wakybee]

Son of a, I got got They still work but now i get to monitor the heat under heavy use

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep I would definitely be careful under high amp draw and charging.

[@TranTek]

wow that is insane close without taking them apart thanks for sharing

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah it really is, wish I kept the packaging. I honestly thought it was real. But after load testing it I was like something is wrong here. No problem!

[@TranTek]

@@Tools-Tested i would of jump to opening up before even load test even a lot of cells Samsung 25R are fake

[@Tools-Tested]

@@TranTek crazy

[@TranTek]

@@Tools-Tested yes i have save those cells i took apart. i took a look those advertise online and look closely the printing down to both end of the edge you can see different

[@jjuhring1]

Just found this video and discovered I have one of the 5AH fakes. Purchased off Amazon last year, and as the reviewer said, it performs pretty well so I had no idea until now. Will definitely be following up with Amazon as it was sold to me as a genuine Dewalt 20V XR DCB205!

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah it's scary how good the fakes are, hopefully Amazon will refund u.

[@_1ben]

very impressive, you have given me knowledge on on these batteries so i can make a decision , thank you for your help!

[@DigBipper188]

imo the cells are likely gonna be a Chinese OEM and also likely running above their rating going with the voltage drop you observed... the labelling on the pack will just be a reverse-engineer of the original DeWalt stuff so it's convincing enough to not be noticeable unless someone capacity and performance tests the battery pack.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep I agree, they look like cheap Chinese cells I have found in other knock off battery's. Fooled me until it was performance tested and then took apart.

[@paedahe4975]

Nice job! Wow. Now we are all going to be on edge buying from flea-bay. I wish they weren’t so good at faking it as the cases look the same on the outside and now I feel like I have to open all mine up to inspect. Nothing definite on the outside says “fake”. This is crazy.

[@Tools-Tested]

Thanks! Yeah it’s crazy I don’t trust anything off of eBay or Amazon now.

[@bohemiansmile]

Well done, it just does not pay to find deals online.

[@Tools-Tested]

Thanks! will be doing a crazy one on Makita soon. Nope a lot of scams and also the safety factor.

[@three-phase562]

Interesting that the store is listed as a 'reputable seller' but only currently 682 items sold with 98.9% feedback. That for me is when I start to look a little deeper. There are a lot of stores on there with 100 times items sold and have a higher feedback, they are the ones I tend to trust more. I might get one to run on my impedance tester and see how the cells act. They may be lower rating or just recycled cells from old apparatus.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep definitely concerning on the feedback. From the heat they generated I’m guessing they are definitely not rated for 30amp load. Definitely crazy how much it looks real.

[@CL-yp1bs]

The cells are certainly made in China, not Korea. Honestly when I first started watching this I was thinking to myself.. "oh yeah its fake, yeah right, its just old stock or maybe B Stock" .... and then once you opened it up it was blatantly obvious. Cheap Chinese cells (not all Chinese cells are bad but Japanese and Korean cells are more often higher quality) so the cheap cells have higher internal resistance. The higher internal resistance of the cheap knock off cells creates more heat and voltage drop. These packs are excellent looking fakes, the plastic casing, the plastic packaging.. I am very good at spotting counterfeits and this completely fooled me until you opened it up. Wow these guys are getting really good! These are likely very dangerous to use on high amperage draw.. fakes often lack safety features and can cause thermal runaway and burn your house down... They will also not last as long because the heat destroys the lithium cells.... all in all a horrible thing to accidentally buy.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep I found it funny the case was labeled Korea for the cells. But seeing its counterfeit everything is questionable. From the outside I never would have guessed it was fake. Thats the scary part, I'm guessing a ton of the counterfeits have been sold with people thinking they have a OEM. I agree its very dangerous, this is what cause your house to burn down.

[@fitch8363]

The higher internal impedance is what worries me too. It's a fire risk under both high load, and if the charging current control circuitry doesn't limit correctly and over heats the battery during charging. I never leave Lithium batteries sitting on the charger.

[@Halakah7]

​@@fitch8363100% The lower run times, shorter life, and fire hazard are 3 strikes and yer out for me...

[@hustlehi808hawaii4]

Only can tell by the black tabs you said? And volt testing? The Home Depot batteries have black tabs… I’m so confused

[@Tools-Tested]

They copied a dewalt case from a 4ah which has the tabs. I haven't seen a OEM dewalt 5ah with the tabs. Only other way is to open the battery up or look at the battery indicator. Another thing, fakes come fully charged OEMs won't.

[@J.Wick.]

Yep! Always. Always. Always open em up and compare to a known good OEM battery. Especially when it's DeWalt, Milwaukee, or Makita. Other brands are pretty safe. Cells may be different colors/brands. But a fake is fairly easy to spot on the inside. Shitty spot welds, messy glue spots, etc are a dead giveaway. Cheers.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep the welds and soldering defiantly are not very good and then I seen the no name cells.....I found that interesting with the thermal camera it showed how bad the main connections were.

[@BenMarar]

Original battery has more rounded screws, they are more pronounced and not pure black as in fake one also fake is lighter. I paid $40 for two of those they work almost as good as original from Lowe’s.

[@marlondeere3039R]

Thanks that needed done for sure👍

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! Yeah I can’t believe how real it looks.

[@kabo5194]

Holy cow, need to check mine later

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah kinda scary

[@honsville]

Maybe the counterfeit will get so good that they will start to perform almost as good as a genuine, for way cheaper though. Dewalt batteries are expensive. I came here due to the 2 pack of 10ah 20v batteries for $130 on ebay with free shipping. Honestly, if they performed like an 8ah batteries I'd be happy as he'll with that price. :)

[@Tools-Tested]

I just wish they would make a good generic pack, the amount of time they spent in copying the case and packaging they could have found better cells and PCB.

[@Dan-wt7jx]

The more things like this happen the more people will start going back to brick and morter stores to avoid counterfeits and knock offs.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep it’s hard to trust batteries on eBay or Amazon nowadays.

[@dutchduke8864]

Most people probably won’t realize it’s a fake.

[@joerutkowsky3261]

@@dutchduke8864we need to get the word out more.

[@emmettturner9452]

B&M stores need to be aware of returns fraud. It’s also possible to buy one there and get a previously returned fake. It’s happened to me.

[@gonerydin4225]

I have a defective 5AH DCB205 that DeWalt replaced under warranty. Amazon even refunded my money for it without being asked. After seeing a few of these videos I think it is obviously fake. DeWalt graciously replaced it even after I sent them detailed photos. Now I'm going to take it apart for further study. It does still work, sort of, but only charges to one bar. Then the charger shuts off!

[@romal1117]

The worst in my opinion these fake batteries has a risk of fire.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep very scary, think you save $20 dollars but burn down your house...

[@dissimulii]

that is a really convincing fake. i've given up on online shopping for most tools and stuff unless i'm specifically looking for some kind of knock off or cheapo version. amazon prices are also often higher than my local home depot.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep almost had me fooled, you almost have to buy brick and mortar now.

[@m4l490n]

Yeah, that's why I don't get batteries from anywhere but Home Depot, not even amazon. Those counterfeits are pretty good. Pretty good-looking, I must say, because they are pretty bad.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah it’s crazy how real it looks.

[@michael476b]

Why is Amazon allowed to sell counterfeit batteries?

[@Tools-Tested]

Legally they can’t, but they also don’t check the supply they get from sellers.

[@Cuttymcnutty209]

Amazon sellers, selling these fake dewalt batteries too. Packaging, battery and stamps looked legit, but before opening I compared it to my 4AH and 5AH batteries purchased from big box stores. Alignment with the upper and lower case was slightly off and fonts looked slightly different. I stopped buying “OEM” car parts and tools because there are some many counterfeits sold on Amazon that claim they are OEM. We’ll, I requested to return the unopened package and Amazon told me to keep the battery and I would be refunded. Seller was booted from selling on the site just prior to me requesting a refund. It was a 5AH “dewalt” for $55 seller had 4-4.5 star reviews

[@naokmoon1487]

From Amazon, if the Battery is sold and shipped directly from Amazon vendor and not a 3rd party vendor, is it safe to buy ?

[@johnsmith-sk1ep]

Great explanation but I just don't see how a person like me can tell the diff. I just bought 2 batteries off amz, sold by amz and they claim 3 yr warranty which I know is voided like every warranty on amz. I mean I know they're lying about the warranty so why not sell fakes. But, as a weekend diyr, I can't afford the retail price from hd either so what to do. I definitely would stay away from 3rd parties on amz. Last time I bought one that way was from some place called jbtools based in michigan. Sold as new but the timestamp was 2 years old and my guess a counterfeit. I complained to amz but they could care less. I returned the battery after making a fuss and then they relisted it on amz as well as other batteries with the same claim. I need an actual guaranteed battery but the only ones I'm sure about are the ones from kits I bought at hd but even then I'm not too sure. I blame dewalt for this. I think dewalt could make a battery like with a clear case the could easily see and verify the batteries and manufacturing, as well as other things. The only way to solve the issue is to make counterfeits easy to spot and uneconomical to make but it's amazing how companies like amz don't care what they sell, and either does dewalt since it sells drills.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah I agree it's almost impossible to tell. Sadly amazon is no different now then eBay, seeing its made up of small sellers. So a seller can easily import the fakes and then send them to Amazon. But yeah buying retail is $$$, I normally buy from eBay but from a known seller like ACME, Toolsplus or factory authorized outlet.

[@keysautorepair6038]

Just got screwed same thing happened to me unreal how is this even legal.

[@Tools-Tested]

Sucks for sure, they look so real they are making it through customs it’s crazy.

[@kevingongora6272]

Thank you so much for this information, i think the only way to make sure the battery is fake is just open it… tomorrow ill know how many of mines are fake XD

[@Tools-Tested]

No problem! Yeah sadly that’s the best way to tell if u have a fake, good luck!

[@tarzansingh8436]

I buy good quality tools and aftermarket batteries for 1/3rd the cost for maybe 5-10% less power. For my DIY needs buying super expensive genuine batteries just doesn't make sense.

[@juanc5149]

When buying from eBay. If it doesn’t have the inventory tags from Home Depot. I don’t want it! /s.

[@swifty1969]

damn! yesterday, I bought a pack of 2 from Ebay for $83. I didn't know these branded ones were also fakes. Thank God the seller I bought it from has an excellent return policy. Looks like back they will go. I should have done better research before making the plunge.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah luckily you couldn’t return them, most people including my self found out the hard way and it was too late.

[@solomonshv]

while i do agree that we should avoid fakes, it's not fair to say it's worth $10. it still works and more than well enough for home users. a brand new 5ah dewalt battery at home depot is $180, which is insane. if you don't happen to catch it on sale it is prohibitively expensive for home users and i would not blame anyone for going to ebay and spending $50 on this fake. sometimes you can't sit and wait for sales, you just need it now. the alternative is to buy a battery, use it, then return it. which is worse?

[@jimmyjamautrey]

I found this out too late, I think I got some fakes off Amazon, came in DeWalt packaging, I'll have to look closer when I have a chance, I'll have to dedicate them to powering my lights

[@ivarsmatisons]

Paldies par informaciju….

[@Tools-Tested]

Nekādu problēmu!

[@ivarsmatisons]

@@Tools-Tested 🙏

[@shaneintegra]

Someone needs to come out with a quality DIY kit, 18650`s are extremely cheap... you can make your own with the same quality for a fraction of the price. All the big name brands raise the price of these significantly

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep I agree, amazon has a kit amzn.to/41tgp35 but its not cheap and I question the board.

[@ThatFATbannana]

you have got to be kidding me I bought one from this seller

[@Tools-Tested]

Dang, you might want to check what you bought then.

[@RichardWilson-sh3kr]

Yeppers!!! Beware!!! Amazon is the same way. Do not order Dewalt batteries off of Amazon.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yeah it’s unreal!

[@tccoggs]

These are all over ebay. Most of the sellers are CA based (Close to the source) and have ample supply, all red flags that they could be counterfeit. They are very good replicas from both the product and the packaging, but obviously not performance.

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep it’s just insane how real they look and the packaging!

[@DingDongMcgee]

Yep I just bought one off of eBay and it's shipping from CA. Weird thing is that it's showing shipped from Black and Decker Inc in Fontana, CA... which is a legit distro center? I'm assuming UPS doesn't verifying the sender at all and this is part of the scam. I knew it was a high possibility of being a fake so I made sure the listing says Genuine. Now I can file for an eBay refund because I'm not getting what was promised. Definitely going to open it to verify.

[@vladyslavbaranov6948]

I bought (2) brand new 5ah XR for $130 CAD from someone on craigslist and the battery said 2022 on it so I just took it apart but everything looks real so we good. Seems like fakes will be mostly from online, its better buying stolen ones that are real at least haha

[@Tools-Tested]

Good to hear you received real ones! It's insane how close they look on the outside.

[@nicknick2730]

Wow that’s crazy

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep sure is, you should also see the Makita if you haven't already.

[@wyattsdad8561]

Great vid. Hey how would I know if a knock off battery is a 4 or 5 amp hour battery? They sell them as 6 AH but it’s way too small to be a real 6 AH. I opened it up and it has 18650- 10 cells total. So I know it’s not a 6. But how would I know if it’s a 4 or a 5?

[@Tools-Tested]

You would have to open it up and see what the cells are labeled, if they are at all. Most cells will tell the AH on them then its 2x that because its a 10cell pack.

[@wyattsdad8561]

@@Tools-Tested thank you for responding. I did take it apart last night. One of the cells had its info to where i could see it. It read like this- HH INR 18650 AE 3.6v GC020 AEBBFAG hopefully you might know what this means?

[@MoneyManHolmes]

How to identify these? They are almost all 5.0 XR’s sold in lots of 2. The item almost always says it ships from California, but the seller profile will say their location is China. Also, they will often have many units sold, when no private seller should have access to that many units. Avoid, avoid, avoid!

[@MoneyManHolmes]

I see the fakers finally fixed the issue where the middle battery indicator light is smaller. We need to find a better way to ID these now when they hit the used markets. Shouldn’t a legit 2022 Dewalt battery have a validation QR code on it?

[@Tools-Tested]

Yep very good points, shipping from California with the seller in china is a good indicator. I agree its going to be hard to determine on the used market if its real or a fake. It makes me think though about the house fires you see, which the owner claimed it was a dewalt battery.... really scary. I will have to see if the QR code works on the fake, you are right that might be one way to tell.

[@aco2518]

@@MoneyManHolmes They fixed the indicator light issue it seems yeah, very scary stuff. I've noticed all the real ones use security torx at the very least, which the fakes don't.

[@stevieg7403]

It should only take 10 seconds to find out whether it’s fake undo the full screws and have a look. It was so obvious internally.

[@ben54322]

Good info appreciate that effort to make you that we don't get swindle by these fake products. Thank you

[@Tools-Tested]

Glad to help! Yeah sadly I think a lot of people have been swindled by these fakes.

[@plainoldme7322]

Where’s the consumer police 🤓🤓🤓

[@aaroncrownoble6881]

The real issue is that these bastards do t last the years, they will be under 1amp hour in about a year to two years. My original DeWalt 20v from 12 years ago perform better than my 2022 fakes. Had no idea this was a problem out there till I started having issues and looked into this. If you fully drain them, they will die quicker which hints there are not lithium. DeWalt is going to need specialty tags to battles this shit. Some people truly are terrible for doing this.

[@aaroncrownoble6881]

Also, note that I own more than 40 DeWalt Batteries of various sizes, I suspect about 40% are fake and most of those 40%I have purchased in the last 2 and a half years.

[@passtheparcel2007]

Probably both made in China (as most equipment is, these days) an in the same factory!

[@jonc2914]

Not just ebay.... I get fakes from Amazon from what are supposed to be authorized dewalt sellers!!

[@alan-dr8uo]

Why isnt that fraud useing anouther companies name