How to Identify a Fake Dewalt Battery | Counterfeit Dewalt Batteries are Everywhere

[@jefffrey225]

Close ups of what you are discussing would help!

[@TeamDIYNow]

Ok will see what I can do next time. Thanks for the feedback.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Notice pictures I show at 3:47 and 3:55. All 4 batteries I checked from ebay (different sellers) all had the AH moved over to the side and the middle battery indicator smaller. This is probably the easiest way to identify a fake in seconds. As you can see in video, they appear to be in factory Dewalt packaging, but these are counterfeit for sure. Hope this helps.

[@Charlestuivasa03]

If it weren't for this video, I would have made the mistake of buying a pack of these 5ah, I really need it, as you say, the retail sellers cost you what the pack is worth, but it is an investment that will be worth it, thank you sincerely

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@Charlestuivasa03 Glad I was able to help. Thanks for watching.

[@yerickoalfaro7885]

Hi there! What can you say would be a difference but with the black battery? I´m about to buy one, but IDK if the fake spots are the same for those too. Hope I get your reply soon before I decide to buy it haha :)

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@yerickoalfaro7885 If you're talking about the smaller 1.5ah black battery in the video...those are harder to tell from a visual standpoint. I personally haven't come across a fake 1.5 but I would look for words misaligned. With that said, most fake batteries are always going to be the higher ah batteries as the sellers know they can make more on them.

[@SteelBlueVision]

No, the easiest way to tell, taking into account any legitimate DeWALT variations in a label over the years, is by looking at the counters (i.e., the holes) in the capital 'D' and capital 'A' of the DeWalt name for the case of DeWALT counterfeits (it may be other letters for other brands). Those Chinese counterfeiters will never be able to get each and every English letter to look just like the genuine item, especially from a brand in a custom font printed on a label. Some letters will always, always, ALWAYS, get fudged up and look different between a genuine item and Chinese fake. Sometimes, it's uppercase letters and sometimes lowercase, and additionally almost always some letter or symbol of the brand text/image, itself. You just have to compare letter by letter and see if they match and of course this assumes that you have a genuine reference image or battery label to compare with.

[@johnsmith-sk1ep]

I've bought several batteries on amz and what's frustrating is that even when you find a seller, particularly a 3rd party seller, send out counterfeits, amz doesn't care. Recently I got a battery on amz, shipped from a seller in michigan. Battery was stamped 4 years old and it was a counterfeit on top. There's not even a special procedure to report them. I've also bought batteries from china and besides much cheaper price, you really have to take them apart and examine the batteries, which of course can ruin them (and of course no warranty anyway). I suspect that these come from a dewalt factory in china which is why the packaging and cases are so difficult to compare. btw, I have some genuine, or I think they are because they came with a kit and the qr code codes to dewalt, and so do batteries that I know are counterfeit. Not sure I would put much into that since they just copy the qr code. How about making the batteries with transparent cases so you can see the manufacturing and the batteries without opening the case.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea I agree Amazon and eBay say they care about the consumer and condemn counterfeit sellers, but the reality is they do nothing to stop.

[@Lordniksidor]

Actually crazy, i just bought 2 batteries off ebay listed as new genuine dewalt batteries, found they were counterfeit, using recycled cells inside, the old spot welds were ground off and cell shrink wrap damaged by the grinding so it was very obvious, reported the listing to ebay with photos showing the recycled cells and an explanation, received a message saying ebay reviewed the report and found that the listing was fine, no issues here. The listing is still up and the seller is being promoted on trending with ebay plus discounts.

[@LittleMopeHead]

^might be good to show their username or account so others know to avoid

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@KLondike5 When you buy shipped and sold by Amazon I agree it's hard to tell which warehouse will ship item. With that said, they still should all be genuine (if sold by and shipped via Amz) regardless of where it comes from as Amazon deals directly with the distributor and stocks various warehouses with the same product. Thats why Dewalt, Bosch etc all say you have to buy shipped and sold by Amazon if you want the factory warranty (there are a few other 3rd party sellers as well on Amazon).

[@user-px7vs5sg2k]

Is the battery counterfeit, if when I try to scan it then it says “scanned product not found”, on the Dewalt website

[@cedricwebb5576]

Omg!!!!!! Thank you for this info. I was about to purchase some of these batteries from eBay. I had no knowledge of counterfeit batteries. My question is, are there any legitimate DeWalt batteries on eBay, or should I get them from a retailer and pay the big price?. I'm so glad to see your post. Thanks a million!!!

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad I was able to help! You can tell by the price. All those 2 packs of 5ah batteries on eBay around $70 are most likely not genuine. Amazon sells a 2 pack for $149 (make sure ships and sold by Amazon), and they typically sell about as low as the distributor allows (amzn.to/3A6A8gR). Home Depot sells the same item for $199. If buying on eBay, I would look for open box items that a seller has reputation of buying kits and selling the items they don't need. These would be considered 'open box' but are still new. Alot of times people buy kits a discounted rates through HD, etc...part out the items or extra batteries they don't need to sell and the tool they keep is basically free. Hope this helps.

[@fvfgx]

Yes 98% of ppl will only use the counterfeit for a drill and they will be fine and put great reviews but It's the one contractor that puts it on a circular saw and only gets 4 cuts

[@TeamDIYNow]

Exactly!

[@johnsmith-sk1ep]

At first, I thought that was pretty bogus. I mean you get cut how from using a battery but with lithium you always have an issue with fire, using or charging but product liability is important then because with a fake you have no product liability. If you buy off amz, despite what they claim, I don't think you have prod liability either but you have some legal protection if you buy at hd. But I think dewalt does very little about it because they make more money by so many fakes on the market. By having a huge supply of cheap batteries, it doesn't hurt their tool sales and by making 'genuine' iffy people are more likely to pay more to hd for a batt they think is genuine. Not me. I won't pay 70, 80 dollars for a battery that they won't honor the 3 year warranty on, on a tool that cost maybe 90 bucks. I don't advise it but I've bought 25$ fakes on ebay and it's pretty difficult to tell the difference, for my use and never a fire or issue with any of them.

[@mitchellstanlee7377]

What about aliexpress dewalt batteries or flexvolts 2 pieces for 110$ free shipping?

[@mamoruokinawa]

Things like this I would only buy from stores... Electronics, but what you are doing is awesome... More people learn the real from counterfeit, we can get rid of them.... Thanks for sharing your knowledge, DeWalt needs to give him free tools, batteries for this

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thank you for the kind words! I could only wish to get free tools as to date I have purchased all my tools with my hard-earned money. I agree we need to educate ourselves on this as I don't believe these online retailers like eBay truly care about counterfeit products as long as they get sales. Thanks for watching.

[@aco2518]

I've also noticed that the fake batteries don't use security torx they just use regular torx. Most are also missing copper contacts for positive and negative

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing, you're correct on some of the older batteries they use the security torx. I have a XR 5ah purchased 3 years ago that has the security torx and a XR 5ah purchased a few months ago that has regular torx screws. Both were purchased at my local Lowes. Also both Powerstack batteries I have (1.7 and 5) just use the regular torx screws as well and were also purchased at Lowes.

[@johnsmith-sk1ep]

When I read this I thought that makes sense as it's cheaper materials and manufacturing so I checked all my batteries I've bought in the past couple years. Two 5ah batteries I got on ebay are almost certainly fakes. I won't complain too much because so far they are good fakes and for my use worth the price but both DO NOT have security torx bolts, and neither have copper contacts. So then I looked at two 5ah I bought on ebay thru a third party. Both have security torx but one does not have copper contacts on + and - but does have contact copper contacts for the inner 3 slots, while the other one has copper on + and - but not the other 3 inner slots. wth I've found similar inconsistencies with the smaller 2 and 1.5 ah batteries. I just bought a couple of 5ah off amz which I'm returning though because neither one has security torx bolts or copper copper contacts and don't even look the battery images posted on their website. And, I suspect anything you buy on amz, the warranty is useless. I blame dewalt for this mess. They're only notice re genuine batteries is a joke. But they don't care because counterfeits sell their tools and doesn't cost them anything. I even looked at some 2.0 ah batteries bundled with kits I bought and they DO NOT have security torx bolts, and are inconsistent about copper contacts. If you can't trust those as genuine what can you trust. So the new batteries I got from amz don't match the image posted on their website but then I go to dewalt webpage and they do match except dewalt only shows one view of the battery; no top or bottom view. I can't find any place on their website where they clearly post what a genuine battery looks like and that's assuming that they all look alike for a particular model like 5ah. How do you know if they haven't changed the packaging design over the years. I do I know that a battery made in 2022 looks the same as in 2023, or that one since 5ah looks the same as a double pack. How do I know if they still use security torx bolts. Again, I blame dewalt. However, the batteries I got from amz don't have any copper contacts at all and no security torx bolts. The great thing about amz is that if you're in doubt you can return them but even if it is a genuine battery I'm pretty sure dewalt won't honor the warranty. And on the other hand, do you really need to spend 2 or 3 times the price for a genuine. So far I haven't had any of my batteries fail or overheat and performance wise I have no complaints. They hold a charge, last well and I have enough that I can afford more of them than a genuine. But, if I was in the trade and needed this for my job I'd be really ticked off at dewalt right now. And btw, the batteries on amz came in a blister pack but didn't have security torx or copper contacts and they didn't even look like the battery pictures on the site. Ordered these twice just to make sure but when I went to return they gave me the round around and I had to drive across down to return because I would deal with ups. When I contacted cs they didn't seem interested at all that they might be counterfeits and I bought these from amz not some 3rd party.

[@aco2518]

@@johnsmith-sk1ep I think Dewalt could do with a system to authenticate batteries, but I don't think it's entirely their fault. These scammers target multiple batteries across multiple manufacturers. I know that there is often a deal through Lowes that goes by DCB 248-3, were you can get a 2, 4, and 8ah for $170 which is an awesome deal I personally wouldn't buy counterfeit batteries due to safety alone.

[@johnsmith-sk1ep]

@@aco2518Just because this affects other manufacturers doesn't mean it's not dewalt's fault. It just means that other manufacturers don't care either. I mean I've come across now I think 4 different cases for the xr 5ah batteries and dewalt doesn't even post pictures of genuine batteries you can compare against. And when I double checked, I have batteries that came in a kit that are now suspect. Don't have security torx and don't have copper contacts and the labeling is iffy but these are supposed to be genuine, right. There's a lot dewalt could do but they don't want to be bothered. e.g. a chip in the case that verifies the battery. How 'bout clear cases so you can see the construction inside without taking them apart and voiding the warranty. How 'bout a load device you could verify the battery performance and capacity. I could think of a lot of things they could do but don't and frankly I think their batteries are over hyped and over priced anyway compared to their tools and I think it's partly because there are so many counterfeits they make more money by using 'authorized' outlets exclusivity which preys on people who will pay more for what they think are genuine. They're capitalizing on the problem, not helping. And what about warranty. Amz sells these batteries claiming 3 year warranty but I've had a lot of experience with amz and that's a blatant lie and I'm sure dewalt knows they won't honor warranty or tell amz not to advert them like this. Amz, not some third party. No, I'm not paying hd prices. I bought two 5ah bats on ebay for about $50. I'm sure they're fakes but the diff in performance for what I use on the weekends, I don't care. Plus so far they hold a charge, don't overheat, no noticeable diff in performance for occasional use, and work with every dewalt device I have including usb adapter. I keep two in my truck all the time with a usb adapter I got from dewalt and they're great for emergency charge. Charging my phone or whatever, better than a usb pack, or inverter any day and well worth $25 each. I wouldn't advise anyone else to buy them but I'm not paying more money to dewalt for an issue that they're behind creating. if it's not around $10 per ah, not interested. And I've never seen those prices at hd or lowes. And, if you look closely at the pics on hd, not even those batteries look genuine imo and how do you tell anyway because the manufacturing/design by dewalt is so inconsistent and changes all the time.

[@TeamDIYNow]

I wouldn't get caught up with the security torx as that was a thing in the past. All of the genuine batteries I have purchased in the last few years from my local Lowes and HD do not have the security torx anymore (including all Powerstack batteries). Let's be honest, this security torx was a thing 20+ years ago but today it's just another bit to use to remove a screw.

[@flat-earther]

About production date, when buying battery, how recent should the date be. In other words how old would a date be where you shouldn't buy the battery anymore.

[@TeamDIYNow]

My understanding is that brand new lithium-ion batteries have a long shelf life where they can be stored for years without any loss of capacity in the right environment. Once the charge/discharge cycle begins, most manufactures 'legally' claim their batteries will last 2-5 years and about 500-1000 cycles. I have many Milwaukee M18 batteries that are going on 5-10 years that are used regularly throughout the week and are still going strong. As long as you buy genuine batteries, I wouldn't be that concerned with the production date.

[@CheapCheerful]

Very helpful video, thank you. Currently in Thailand really enjoying Lazada online shopping with fast delivery, and genuine Dewalt tools here are ~20-30% cheaper than at home. However the fakes are EVERYWHERE. Generally you can tell simply by the price, but not always, so this was a helpful video. Also, it's often not the IT Departments fault when "IT" problems like the QR codes being useless happens. Unfortunately most IT teams are under the control of the Finance department, and you know what that means! Rule by accountants, dumb decisions everywhere. Then there's the general business users who love to corrupt data, not follow basic instructions, and end up screwing up the data so its no longer reliable (as I suspect has happened with DeWalt's QR system). Eitherway, take care, and thank you.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad you liked it! You're right, probably not fair for me to blame it on the IT dept as hard telling where the process broke down. Hopefully they get it resolved, as I feel like these QR codes could be used somehow in the future to easily spot genuine vs fake (just like watermarks are on legit dollar bills). Thanks for watching!

[@markmallory185]

not sure what you're talking about on the QR codes ...when i scan them for like site manager it does identify the correct model number.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Out of curiosity what are you scanning the battery with? When I use my phone to scan a QR code on a Dewalt tool it pulls up info online for the tool (warranty, register, etc). When I do the same thing with any of the batteries in the same kit it tells me the QR code/battery doesn't exist. I even tried on the new powerstack batteries in their own package and Dewalt's site gives the same error (scanned product not found).

[@GoldenRuleConstruction]

I feel like a big one (not sure if it's currently the case or not anymore) is that any genuine battery I have the screw heads are a security torx and the fake ones are just normal torx heads

[@TeamDIYNow]

You're correct for some of the older batteries that were assembled in Mexico. I have a XR 5ah purchased 3 years ago that has the security torx and another XR 5ah purchased a few months ago that has the regular torx screws. Both were purchased from Lowes. Also, both of my Powerstack batteries (1.7 & 5ah) have the regular torx as well. I know years ago Dewalt assembled alot of their batteries in Korea/Mexico which had the security torx, however all the recent batteries I have saw are assembled in China and do not have the security torx.

[@artlm2002]

Would difference in weight be a way of determining fakes?

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thats a good question. I may have to do follow up video as now I'm curious as well.

[@Frenchfry1500]

The QR code is used in the manufacturing process in order to track the battery as it is made and have traceability in case major batch defects

[@TeamDIYNow]

I agree it's used during manufacturing, however doesn't explain why all the Dewalt tool QR codes work and direct you to the Dewalt site to view more info/register and the batteries dont work. I use to think my XR batteries where just too old, however at the time of this video even the brand new powerstack batteries didn't work.

[@user-px7vs5sg2k]

Could my battery be counterfeit if when I scan the QR code, and “scanned product not found” comes up? On Dewalt website

[@ruhtra-k]

I’ve heard that many Amazon distribution centers will combine SKU’s into the same shelf location regardless of seller. You could still get a fake battery from any seller. Might be why the seller comments on fake batteries is so all over the board.

[@TeamDIYNow]

I believe they still separate the items based on the tags/sellers as typically each seller has a different price. If you purchase from a specific seller, it will be that sellers item shipped via Amazon. The reason the reviews are all over the place is because sometimes they have 1 listing for a bunch of sellers at various different prices (have to click on the 'Other sellers on Amazon' button on the right and will show all sellers for that 1 listing). All the reviews tied to that 1 listing could be 100 different sellers and the no name sellers are typically the problem.

[@micktepolt6276]

what about Old battery's , it's very hard to buy a good battery anywhere i have gotten bad battery's from HD..... so now what ?

[@TeamDIYNow]

When you say you got bad batteries from HD what do mean? As long as the package was sealed it should have been genuine. I know some people think HD and Lowes are selling fake batteries because the security torx isn't there anymore...that's not accurate anymore as of a few years go as Dewalt uses regular torx as well depending on where the battery was produced. Also, all Powerstacks have regular torx.

[@gonerydin4225]

I bought a DCB205 from Amazon that stopped fully charging. DeWalt replaced it for me after I sent pictures of it with date code and serial number. A few weeks later, out of the blue, Amazon gave me a refund for that battery saying that they had problems with the seller shipping defective product. I had not contacted Amazon. I can see a few obvious differences between this battery (2022) and some 2021 examples that I have. The suspect battery does not have the anti-tamper screws or QR code and the printing on the back is different. The bad one was assembled in china. The others are assembled in USA. I don't know if this means anything because DeWalt replaced it even after seeing detailed photos of it.

[@TeamDIYNow]

The security torx was only used in some of the older batteries. I have a XR 5ah battery around 3 years old that has the tamper proof screw and also have a XR 5ah that was purchased a few months ago and it has the regular torx screws. Both were purchased at a local Lowes. Also, the Powerstack batteries I have (1.7 & 5) don't have the security torx either. The QR code on the other hand, I'm not sure what to make of that as I thought they all had them printed (even tho they don't work on the consumer side like the tools do). With that said if Dewalt replaced not sure if they did it to be nice or some dont have the QR code. In my opinion the best way to tell from the exterior is some of the visual things I talked about in the video (the AH not centered, buttons, misspelled words, etc).

[@rockbreadbobo]

Where the best place to buy original battery??

[@TeamDIYNow]

If you have a Lowes, HD, Acme, Northern, etc locally you can always buy local just make sure the box is not a return. I do a separate video about getting used tools in new boxes at local stores. If buying online, check out this link ( toolguyd.com/bosch-certified-online-partner-notice-tool-listings-amazon/ ), about halfway down it shows the Dewalt online authorized dealers for Amazon. Notice the Amazon one is shipped and sold by Amazon or Shipped by Amazon and sold by one of the othes: Acme, CPO, Max Tool, Toolup, Toolbarn.

[@rockbreadbobo]

@@TeamDIYNow I hear Amazon selling fake dewalt battery

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@rockbreadbobo Correct, just because it says Amazon prime doesn't mean its sold by Amazon. Need to make sure its Shipped and Sold by Amazon (or one of the sellers above) and it will be genuine. Dewalt issued statement few years ago warning people about this exact issue. Thats where that Dewalt pic came from in the link I sent above.

[@rockbreadbobo]

@TeamDIYNow ok bro thanks

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@rockbreadbobo No problem glad I was able to help.

[@Outrunninaround.]

The date code xxxx-xx-xx will not be in that sequence. The dark print ink for the ID numbers should be more of a faint blue/grey on the real ones. Even the power stacks have fakes being sold..

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Outrunninaround.]

Do the serial numbers repeat on both fakes? That’s what the Milwaukee ones do.

[@TeamDIYNow]

I don't remember on this specific package as I returned these to the seller shortly after receiving since they were knock off batteries.

[@Charlestuivasa03]

IMPORTANT QUESTION, IS THIS ONLY WITH THE 5AH PACKAGES? DO YOU MEAN THAT WE CAN BUY THOSE FROM 6 AND UP?

[@TeamDIYNow]

I'm sure there are other ah counterfeit batteries as well, however the majority of them appear to be the 5ah. If you buy on ebay take a look at the open box ones that were most likely taken out of legit kits. The fake ones 99% of the time are sealed in factory looking package.

[@Outrunninaround.]

Noticing 8ah double packs for 120$ directly from China now.

[@bishopgeorge1333]

I have brought one battery from Amazon and I hope but I have to look at it is the real deal, but I still have it to this day all of the others I brought from Homedepot and Lowes.

[@TeamDIYNow]

As long as battery was bought and shipped from Amazon or another reputable dealer you should be fine. Check some of those marks I showed in the video as they will tell for sure. Good luck.

[@rosalinosanchez63]

Happens to me. The screws are different & the color of the battery 🔋 charge indicator its little more orange 🍊. Also the tork key screws doesn’t come with a center point. On fake ones!!!

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for the info.

[@1stRanger]

Bought a powerstack battery from Amazon directly. They sent me a 2 years old battery in a duct-taped ziploc bag and it had wear marks where it attaches to the tool. Not sure it's even genuine. When I requested a return they demanded me providing my ID "for investigation". Inverstigation of what, of their own scam? So buying directly from Amazon won't protect you from anything.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Need to make sure shipped by and sold from Amazon. Im guessing it was a 3rd party seller even if it was shipped by Amazon. Amazon blindly accepts returns on products they own/sell, so if asking for an investigation pretty sure it was a sold by 3rd party seller. I have always got genuine items when I buy sold AND shipped by Amazon.

[@joerutkowsky3261]

Also the fake batteries have a black piece where the battery slides on the tool. The real one doesn’t have the black. It’s just all yellow.

[@ntme9]

not true, look at them on HD website. they have the black spot too

[@sbjdare1958]

Are the performance differences?

[@TeamDIYNow]

I didn't test the performance on these specific ones as I bought them thinking they were genuine (as the seller claimed) only to find out they were knockoffs. I ended up doing this video to help others spot a fake and then sent back to seller without opening. With that said, I have watched other videos where people claimed the knockoffs get alot hotter than genuine and some claimed they only last a few months. In my opinion I wouldn't mess with them....alot of the fake 2 packs of XR 5.0 packaged in counterfeit Dewalt packaging on ebay are around $75. You can find genuine 2 packs (open box pulled from kit) on ebay for roughly $100. The counterfeit sellers are smart thinking put in the Dewalt packaging and people will think they are real.

[@stygs6]

@@TeamDIYNow thank you for the video, very honest and thoughtful for sharing

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@stygs6 Thank you for the kind words. Glad I was able to help!

[@timcolton4680]

Question - Do the fakes work as good as the real deal ?

[@TeamDIYNow]

I think it really depends on which one you get. I'm sure some of them may put out similar power but some of the examples I looked at the genuine made the tool feel a lot more powerful.

[@ericmichel3857]

In my experience no, not only do they not work as well they tend to fail prematurely

[@groovypotato-cx7bq]

Are powerstacks being counterfeited yet?

[@TeamDIYNow]

I personally have not run across any yet, however in time I'm sure they will show up. Currently the XR 5.0 is the #1 counterfeit battery I see all the time.

[@groovypotato-cx7bq]

@@TeamDIYNow Thanks!

[@evilroyslade3155]

DeWalt also says their screws are silver in color. Not true. New genuine DeWalt batteries have black screws. So much for that.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yup agreed, the screws are black and not security torx anymore.

[@cedricwebb5576]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad I was able to help you! Thanks for watching!

[@ShopTherapy623]

How do you check to see if the date and serial number is legit?

[@TeamDIYNow]

Unfortunately, the only way to verify the serial number is legit is to call Dewalt. It should be as easy as scanning the QR code and the legit battery comes up and the fake battery doesn't. However, the QR codes flat out don't work for most Dewalt batteries so there really isn't any other way but call them directly.

[@charliemacleod9567]

I called Dewalt and they were absolutely no help. I should have just asked my cat.@@TeamDIYNow

[@edwardthomas5472]

On a fake battery, if you press the battery charge status button, the status LED's will only stay on with the button depressed. On a genuine Dewalt battery, it appears that there is a delay before the status LED's extinguish after releasing this button. In my case, there was also no serial numbers to be found, just a date code. Note that this is just my observations based on comparisons I have made with a known genuine DeWalt battery.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@MrReb8567]

The main problem is dewalt batteries cost to much it ridiculous how many they cost and they don’t last. Do the fakes work and do they cost less

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea the fakes will work, but how well and long depends on which one you get/how it was built. The genuine will have better cells and in theory should perform better and last a lot longer. Really the biggest thing for me is the thermal protection that the genuine has to shut down to protect tools and the battery. I have heard stories where people used cheap knock off batteries that ruined their expense tools. Yes, the genuine cost more, but if you get around holidays (especially Nov/Dec) you can get them for free with other tool purchase. If my tools and money are on the line, I would get the genuine as you know what you're getting and are guarantee the warranty from Dewalt.

[@robnation2475]

Check out the font/letter spacing (kerning)🧐. Fakes often have larger gaps between letters like the D & E on these and the W & A on others. This is a great way to identify fakes on all types of other products as well.😳

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@only1looney]

Surprisingly now Walmart does the same thing on their website, where they allow 'vendors' to sell their products, which include sketchy sellers selling counterfeits, I bought dewalt 10ah twin pack that screamed 'fake' which I ended returning and getting a refund, not worth taking a chance and hurting myself or ruining a good tool

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea its unfortunately becoming a common thing on a lot of these online retailers. It's never been more important than it is now to always check its sold and shipped by Amazon, Walmart, etc.

[@yalathary]

And what about the Desartcart store

[@TeamDIYNow]

I'm not familiar with desartcart, however a quick search online it looks like another online marketplace. I would be very cautious unless they have some way to verify sellers.

[@Surfingaliens65]

Weighing batteries is another way. Fakes are usually lighter.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Good to know, thanks for sharing!

[@Maneras03]

I think I bought some counterfeit power stack batteries at a flea market,I noticed they don’t lock on my charger,unfortunately didn’t notice light melted fingerprints around the packaging seems👎

[@TeamDIYNow]

Sounds like someone repackaged counterfeit batteries and tried to pass them off as genuine. Hopefully you didn't pay a lot for them.

[@Maneras03]

@@TeamDIYNow yeah that sucks I paid 80 bucks for them, I didn’t even know this was a thing,good video might save some people some $$

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@Maneras03 Yea these counterfeit batteries are everywhere, and sellers are getting clever on how they package. Thanks for watching!

[@emmettturner9452]

I don’t think it’s a QR code on the battery. It’s probably a kind of dot code that isn’t intended for end users. I mean, I have hard drives from the ‘90s with dot codes like that. It’s usually just part of their process tracking. Also, it’s a fake CE, mark not “CC.” The Li-Ion recycling mark has a North American toll-free phone number on it while the real CE mark is a European certification, which is probably why they are mutually exclusive. Fake CE marks usually have a different spacing so they can claim it means “China Export.” Seriously!

[@TeamDIYNow]

I initially thought the same thing maybe its not a QR code. However recent kit I bought the tools scan with your phone and it pulls up the tool, but the batteries in the same kit say item not found. I did find a post a year ago where someone mentioned it's a problem with the new website. Wouldn't think it would take a whole year to fix, but it appears it's still a problem. Didn't know that about the spacing for the China export thanks for sharing.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@TeamDIYNow Yeah, it probably is a QR code and they just broke it on the other end (page no longer exists). LOL! Why bother? The fake CE mark is another sure tell but you might need a reference. The real CE mark spaces the semi-circular letters such that when you complete the circles they share an edge. The fake CE mark tucks the E in closer so their completed circles would intersect twice with an overlap… like a Venn diagram.

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@emmettturner9452 Thanks for the info!

[@JustMe-gx4xt]

The QR Code is the Serial number of the Battery. For Example, a 5AH battery will have date code 2019 05-49 5-2 and on the opposite side, it will have N552470 which references to the model number DCB205. Next to N552470, some batteries ALSO have a Serial Number that follows a similar pattern L07U3VW (7 digit serial number) and this Serial number is what the QR code is for. I noticed that for some of my batteries, the QR code has no results and others it pulls up the serial number and battery details. Dewalt should FIX this so only genuine batteries would return a genuine confirmation, and fakes would have a possible counterfeit warning.

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@JustMe-gx4xt I couldn't agree more! It appears to be an easy solution to identify a genuine product vs fake via legit QR code, unfortunately Dewalt has been dealing with this problem for 2+ years now. Not sure what the problem is to get a simple QR code to work!

[@val4803]

What's the problem copying a genuine part number?

[@TeamDIYNow]

Technically they could but the few I looked at weren't real serial numbers.

[@alexstepanski]

I just bought some fake 5ah off Facebook. Wish I watched this first. Oh well I paid $7 more than the aftermarket’s… live and learn

[@TeamDIYNow]

Don't feel bad, I did the same thing when I first found this out a few years ago. The counterfeit batteries have come along way and are hard to tell the difference vs the genuine.

[@yusip9328]

Thank you

[@TeamDIYNow]

You're welcome, glad I could help!

[@joewood5592]

great video thank you.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad I was able to hep! Thanks for watching!

[@Eagle457-PS]

Sold and shipped by Amazon have recently found to be selling fakes as well.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Was that package not sealed? I hope people aren't buying genuine batteries from shipped/sold by Amazon and returning a counterfeit...then Amazon reselling. All the shipped and sold by Amazon stuff I bought last few years from Bosch and Dewalt have been geniune.

[@Eagle457-PS]

@@TeamDIYNow they sent out an email to some customers stating that they could have purchased counterfeit. I’m not sure it was out of a certain batch they purchased or not. Apparently it didn’t come straight from dewalt

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@Eagle457-PS Ok thanks for sharing. Hopefully they get it resolved so it doesnt happen again.

[@MAVENdeNYC]

Since when does Amazon sell directly? Everything they sell is third party. You must mean Amazon's choice, or Verified by Amazon, which I have never seen. Or perhaps you mean despite storefront on Amazon.

[@TeamDIYNow]

It's very similar to Walmart.com where some items they are the seller and others they just do the shipping. If the item is shipped AND sold by Amazon, this means the item is owned and shipped by Amazon (yes they did get from a distributor but so does every other company Lowes, HD, etc). If you find item that has prime delivery but the sold to is another company, those are truly sold by a 3rd party seller and Amazon is just handling the shipping. Dewalt issued a flyer/email a few years ago that for warranty reasons and to make sure buying genuine Dewalt products on Amazon the items on Amazon must be shipped AND sold by Amazon (or a handful of other legit sellers). See this link here for another Dewalt item on Walmart, check out the 3 picture that is what Im referring to: www.walmart.com/ip/DEWALT-Drill-Driver-Set-80-Piece-DW2587/666008820

[@SentinelSays]

Same problem with Milwaukee and Makita; so many dodgy batteries floating around to take advantage of people who don’t have the knowledge to know any different. I actually don’t mind third party within reason, as long as I’m paying third party prices and don’t pretend to be the real thing…..with fake ‘genuine’ batteries being the same price or just slightly below OEM, hard pass. My apprentice has a few third party batteries, because he didn’t have the money to get genuine at first but they are acceptable in my mind for a couple of reasons. First, he got them from trusted retail sources. They perform well and haven’t damaged the tools or failed in any way. They are from known brands and not fly by night companies that disappear within a year. The store sells them as none genuine so doesn’t try to trick people, and warranties them for a year regardless. Finally, he paid less than 40% of the OEM cost. Sometimes we fall on hard times or we don’t have the funds to get the best and I get that, but this stuff is a nightmare.

[@TeamDIYNow]

I agree, I have no problem with some of the aftermarket batteries as they don't claim they are genuine. All the sellers online through ebay etc it's a wildcard as they claim genuine but most likely they are not legit.

[@ckherring82]

I have wondered when home depot etc does free battery promotion if some sorry people return fake for money and keep the genuine ones.

[@TeamDIYNow]

You are 100% correct used tools and 'other' tools have been showing up in boxes at your local stores for the last few years. Check out this video here, I talk about this exact problem at HD and Lowes and the importance of not buying anything returned/taped up. With that said, Bosch has the best way to identify and I talk about that in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poTGY4yJnbOcrNE

[@bitcoinjesus420]

your giving me and everyone else bad ideas .....or good ideas lol

[@1244taylor]

Great video tks

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad I was able to help. Thanks for watching!

[@khrttartrahht4188]

If you can open the battery, you could check the cells. There is a teardown video where the dude opens up all the dewalt batteries, and they are all using Sammy cells (or LG in some old models). The fake will be chinese/unlabeled.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@im-that-guy-pal]

Most, if not all, lithium battery cells are manufactured in China. Regardless of product name.. It's made in China

[@khrttartrahht4188]

@@im-that-guy-pal right, but even for cells from China quality control is different if those are from one of the Japanese/Korean companies. Samsung and Sony/Murata are tier 1. LG is tier 2. Chinese cells are tier 20 or so. Not sure about Panasonic Industrial, never used those.

[@AlvinC-sz3li]

Now they know how to make it look more legit.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea it could, but the more people understand about the shipped and sold by Amz and dont buy 2 packs of 5ah batteries on eBay for $70 hopefully we will see less of these fakes for sale. Dewalt has recently started changing all the labels on their batteries in an attempt to help as well.

[@evilroyslade3155]

I called DeWalt to verify a battery SN, but was told they can't that they don't keep any records of their SNs. Huh? That can't be right. I think I spoke to a dummy.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea something doesn't seem right. I know they use to be able to verify, in fact that is how they were able to register the batteries for a warranty. I recently noticed the XR 5.0 has a new face lift on them, not sure if they finally were able to get the QR codes to work so it will verify just like the tools. That seems like the easiest way for them to correct, allow the battery to be registered via the QR code...if a counterfeit copies same serial number simply don't allow it to be registered twice. If you get one that was already registered you know its counterfeit, or it was a used tool that someone returned, and the local store is reselling as new (this is a real problem at Lowes and HD). Either way I wouldn't keep either.

[@jamieeisenhower1560]

Then why aint the company Sue And these people that are ripping people off and people sue them as well

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea its a good question Im not sure. Maybe Dewalt is going after sellers behind the scenes but it sure doesn't look like it as there are hundreds of them on eBay. Sometimes it's just a lot easier to just buy from authorized dealers vs messing with trying to recoup the cost from some counterfeit seller.

[@PatRatRocks]

Post a side by side photo and talk over the photo next time. How can I tell with the battery in my hand and a flea market/garage sale? If I don't have a battery at all, and end up with a fake that was half price, how bad off am I? What are the dangers/risks? Maybe that is a video to be made? In the 14.4v days I couldn't afford a real Dewalt replacement and bought cheap aftermarket batteries. They got the job done for less. Didn't last as long but I got the job done.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Please see side by side pics I show at 3:47 and 3:55 showing fake vs genuine batteries. All 4 batteries I checked from ebay had the AH moved over to the side and the middle battery indicator smaller. For me personally, a 2 pack of knock off 5ah batteries for $50 isnt worth it considering they may only last year of light use vs genuine lasting 5+ years. I don't mess with any batteries that aren't genuine as the tools cost too much to wildcard with some counterfeit battery for a few dollars less. Buy kits or look for sales offering free batteries with tool purchase and you can get genuine tools/batteries for practically the same cost.

[@douglasdever6134]

Counterfeit can have the CORRECT part number; not hard to do! Amazon will ship an item for a third party supplier, even if that supplier is in a different country. Therefore, a lot of your info is incorrect and worthless. And there are a lot of legit sellers on Amazon that sell at a less expensive price than HD or Lowes.... Pop off the top cover and makes sure there is an actual circuit board and the batteries are labeled Samsung and green.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Correct there are some legit 3rd party sellers as I stated in the video, but there are also a lot with random names that I wouldn't trust. Look up the address of some of those 3rd party sellers shipping via prime and you will find they are random residential houses or PO boxes. Probably good chance those are the same counterfeit batteries sold on ebay. If the 3rd party seller isn't someone like Grainger (other know companies as well) or shipped and sold by Amazon I dont mess with. In regard to the part numbers, yes that could be a potential thing they copy at some point, but a lot of the fakes in circulation are not valid serial numbers (Dewalts own customer service will tell you this as well). Some of Dewalts literature out there even suggest when in doubt call them and they will verify. The 2 I had in this video; Dewalt customer service told me the serial number/date code doesn't exist so it's not genuine. When I reached out to the ebay seller saying they were fake, they quietly refunded and stopped communication without denying what I told them.

[@alamer2503]

👍

[@TeamDIYNow]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@sunnydays4966]

Amazon begging for class action lawsuit. There need disallow this

[@TeamDIYNow]

This is why I always tell people the importance of shipped and sold by Amz as those are the only items that are actually sold by Amz. All the other items that are still prime but sold by a 3rd party are a wildcard unless you recognize the name (Grainger, etc). In the legal disclaimer they talk about when the ownership is Amz (sold by Amz) and when its the 3rd party seller who takes responsibility. Amazon prime just means they take ownership of the delivery. This isn't just a tool thing either, there are so many counterfeit items out there in every single industry its getting ridiculous.

[@LittleMopeHead]

Watching this while my 2pk Dewalt 5ah batteries are being shipped from third party seller TYH Sales (Amazon). 💀

[@TeamDIYNow]

Double check the battery indicators for the small one in the middle as a lot of the fakes have that small one in the middle. If you check some of the other stuff I talked about and looks ok you may be fine. Worst case scenario if not confident its legit send it back. Good luck.

[@LittleMopeHead]

@@TeamDIYNow Thank you! I will definitely reference your video and check for these signs.

[@TeamDIYNow]

@@LittleMopeHead No problem, glad I was able to help.

[@val4803]

If the difference in price is just 20% or so, why even bother? Just buy an original one

[@TeamDIYNow]

Yea I agree, I only buy genuine batteries as the cost is very similar. Not to mention the deals that are regularly out there where you can get free genuine batteries with tool purchases.

[@travisk5589]

I have always wondered who wild but those over priced, garbage, dewalt tables.

[@TeamDIYNow]

I'm not a fan of the Dewalt tables either. The tables I have here are the Toughbuilt version which I bought for $70. These are far better than others on the market for the price.

[@travisk5589]

@@TeamDIYNow gotcha. I got my dewalt table for $10 when home depot couldn't sell them after Christmas. It's barely worth $10

[@angleturner]

A picture is worth a thousand words, ever heard of that ? Evidently not. 10 or 12 close up pictures of what you’re talking about sure would have helped. Could have shortened video length in half too

[@jmalen123]

Seems like you have to buy the counterfeit to find out it is counterfeit. Less than helpful.

[@TeamDIYNow]

As mentioned in the video, if you're buying a 2 pack of 5ah batteries online for $70 there is a good chance you are buying counterfeit batteries. Shipped and sold by Amazon is currently around $140 and Amazon typically sells at the lowest possible price from the manufacturer/distributor. HD and Lowes have the same 2 pack for closer to $200. Buy shipped and sold by Amazon you are buying genuine batteries otherwise it's a wildcard unless the sold by is a known company as mentioned in video (not random name). If you want to wildcard it, then yes you have to have the battery in hand to know if it's a counterfeit just like you have to with every other single counterfeit in every other industry.

[@italianozuzu1232]

Open them up . They need to have samsung batterys.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for sharing!

[@richardbenke9687]

You spend most of this video pointing at things we can’t see.

[@TeamDIYNow]

Thanks for the feedback. I will try to do a better job next time.

[@plainoldme7322]

Poor video, no close ups of visual differences

[@TeamDIYNow]

Notice pictures I show at 3:47 and 3:55 for close up pictures. Those are the only visual differences as I stated in the video.

[@itskilmerr4027]

You said a lot of nothing, go straight to the point

[@АбрэкДжавденович]

Какой же ты нудный

[@iammiconstruction21]

Worst review!

[@TeamDIYNow]

Please tell me how I can do better? I showed pictures at 3:47 and 3:55 showing how a lot of ebay 2 packs of fake 5ah batteries look vs genuine (probably half of the listings of these 2 packs look like this on ebay). In addition, I show a document Dewalt released a few years ago showing different markings, etc to identify counterfeit batteries. I didn't talk about security torx vs standard and other things we saw 15 years ago as they dont exist anymore as all Dewalts new Powerstacks are standard torx.