More dangerous Xmas lights from eBay with fake fuse!

These common eBay strings of lights are delightfully trashy. They seem a complete bargain at just £3.50 shipped (twice that or more at Christmas time). But the low price comes at the cost of safety. They are made down to a price, and that means they run directly at mains voltage with the incoming supply being converted from AC to DC and then used to run long strings of LEDs in series with a smattering of undersized resistors soldered to the first few LEDs.
In some instances these LED strings do have applications, but only indoors out of reach of humans and pets. And only used in static mode if the resistors in the first few LEDs of the string don't rapidly start going brown!
If used outdoors around handrails or foliage there is a risk of current flow if water wicks into the LED sleeves and bridges to conductive material. Worse still, that current leakage will be DC, which can defeat some older RCDs/GFCIs and even desensitise them to other leakage faults elsewhere.
The fake 13A plug to make them look UK compliant is just scraping the barrel. Especially the matching fake fuse that isn't even connected in circuit.
If you want safe Christmas lights then choose the ones with the plug in low-voltage power supplies. Kids and pets are attracted to strings of fairy lights, so it makes sense to pay a bit extra for safe ones that won't give an electric shock when played with or chewed.
The really annoying thing is that these strings of lights are so close to being safer. Better wire, double sleeving, more resistors and preferably just a rectifier and no flashing patterns to get rid of that nasty control box. It could make for quite useable lights.
Note that any heat shrink sleeved LED lighting strings will wick in water and corrode when used outdoors. If you have a project you want to last more than one or two seasons in a wet environment, then choose the much more expensive rubber cable municipal lights with the LEDs and their resistors potted individually in resin filled caps.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of KZbin's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

[@stevenbiars4817]

The effort required to fake a fuse could have been used to actually have a proper fuse.

[@davidaustin7296]

I think the Chinese are just having a joke at our expense The buyer wants a fuse in it so they put a fuse in it the buyer never said anything about it having to work

[@1978narcis]

@@davidaustin7296 well said.

[@Kaboomf]

@@davidaustin7296 I suspect it may be a case of copying something they don't really understand or care about. If they've been shown a picture and told "make this", without being told what the fuse is supposed to actually do, then this sort of thing happens. Same thing with the fuse being marked 13A. Logically, if you don't really know what that style of fuse is for, you might think a 13 amp fuse is 10 better than a 3 amp one. For much older examples of the same type of mindless copying, look up "chinese mystery pistols". They used to have blacksmiths and mechanics with no understanding of firearms copy European designs. Sights and safety mechanisms which were meant to be adjustable and functional were copied as solid nonmoving parts, that might look right from a distance but were utterly useless. Markings were copied and multiplied; if Browning was a mark of quality then obviously a gun marked "Brownings brownings brownings" must be even higher quality.

[@silverywingsagain]

Seriously! Who the hell manufactures fake fuses? That's just pure evil.

[@andymouse]

Yeah, just gonna say same thing, its nuts.

[@garethprice8818]

It's hilarious but also quite frightening that innocent people, have no knowledge of how lethal these light sets are!!

[@highpath4776]

but why are these not being checked for compliance at customs ?

[@ckm-mkc]

@@highpath4776 Brexit.

[@AAAyyyGGG]

@@highpath4776 the amount of goods being imported by private individuals would make it impossible to check every package which arrives... Who would pay for, and wait while they pile up in a warehouse to be checked. The whole thing depends on the seller; as Clive mentions in the video, ebay don't care about anything except lining their pockets.

[@sahhull]

People are risk averse snowflakes nowadays. I survived the 1970's.. There was no double insulation, no low voltage and light bulbs got very hot. Lessons like, don't touch the pretty lights we're learned pretty quickly.

[@sparqqling]

@@highpath4776 Because it is the responsibility of the importer

[@joefarr3304]

When you plugged it in without the fuse and it worked, that sent a shiver down my back. I've cut power cables off old junk before to reuse in other projects and never thought that the fuse holder may not be inline. I feel the need to go test everything now.

[@benbaselet2026]

I do that too but only for cables which came from expensive equipment from known manufacturers. Usually you can tell the materials and build are good quality.

[@edc1569]

if it had a flex the diameter of that one, they'd be straight in the bin.

[@VeyronBD]

I often just base it off the wire, if it has crappy non copper wire of low gauge its not really worth using.

[@bigjd2k]

The fakery is on another level now! Bet those wires are spot welded straight onto the plug pins.

[@TofumanFC3S]

I’m not from the UK, so maybe it’s a cultural, but just wire up your house properly and you won’t need fused plugs? Seems to work for the rest of us just fine

[@DirkFedermann]

If you don't wire the fuse, you don't have to worry about blowing the fuse :D

[@dev0random]

Saving the customer money. I guess whatever Asian manufacturer was very forward thinking. Good point!

[@sillystev0n]

Lmao

[@cjgaming5544]

XD

[@gergelytoth915]

This thing burn your house to the ground!!! Choose the safety products,for protecting your family,and your property!!!!!!!!!

[@awi6040]

@@gergelytoth915 wooosh

[@tech1238]

*Nervously looks at lights i bought from ebay* 😂

[@ropersonline]

I own a lot of stuff I would love for someone like Clive to review, but I can't afford to ship it all and pay a qualified professional a decent rate, not to mention a lot of this testing is destructive, and I can't afford to buy two of everything. So it's basically fingers crossed and let's hope I don't win the "arson by budget electronics" lotto. There are probably millions if not billions in the exact same position. Still, I laughed out loud once I saw what happened at 3:31.

[@tisme1105]

Well if it's fused you could at least take out the fuse and check with a multimeter one side of where it sits is connected to the Live pin on the plug. If not I'd chuck it who knows what else is fake or dangerous. Or if no multimeter you could just take out the fuse and plug it in - if it works that's bad!

[@MrBobWareham]

@@ropersonline Don't buy fro eBay China shit purchase from a local store I have dumped eBay as they sell crap

[@NoJusticeNoPeace]

@@MrBobWareham I bought what seemed to be a thick, properly insulated, heavy duty appliance extension cord for my air conditioner at a dollar store... and a day after plugging it in, it was too hot to touch. It's not just eBay, it's anyone who sources their goods from China.

[@Leroys_Stuff]

Free Darwin Award with purchase from eBay 90% of the time it will be fine the rest wow I never expected that 😂

[@owenkegg5608]

The fuse is held inside as a reward snack for any children who get the little red cover off without killing themselves on the exposed electronics

[@HighestRank]

@@Okurka. they’ll change the design soon enough, then when someone tries to sue them for what appears dangerous, Le guillotina.

[@virtualryan5683]

@@Okurka. You wanna bet.

[@virtualryan5683]

@@Okurka. lol I live in America I can’t, none of our plugs have that, our fuses our in the breaker boxes

[@Skyhawk1998]

It's one thing to make a dodgy, unsafe product. It's something else entirely to go to this much effort to make it look legitimate to the untrained eye. Despicable.

[@ThermoMan]

And to put a CE logo on it like my set has.

[@HighestRank]

@@ThermoMan are you certain it’s CE, not the beady-eyed ЭƆ China Export logo?

[@greenaum]

Unregulated free-market capitalism, baby!

[@budlamy3870]

Seems intentional doesn’t it!

[@Conservator.]

Omg 😱 All the trouble they took to add a fake fuse. It would hardly take any effort to make it a working fuse.

[@johndododoe1411]

Ditto for the fake plug, There should be plenty of chinese suppliers making them correctly.

[@nimmen]

That's China for ya

[@HighestRank]

Make nothing less than war.

[@greenaum]

It'd increase their failure rate, as some of the fuses would arrive blown. It's also more components in the circuit, so more connections that can fail. People giving them negative feedback or wanting a refund is way more important than somebody burning their house down, which has zero impact on the vendor. That's how the incentives are, so that's what you get. It also allows a future upgrade route of fuses with no wire in them at all.

[@Conservator.]

@@greenaum or use even thinner wires do they will function as a fuse. 😉

[@cglensmith]

Wow, just Wow! The authorities really need to jail some people for importing this crap, together with some Ebay execs for aiding and abetting.

[@bluephreakr]

You're saying that in a timeline where faith had been used for war; to label indigenous people as savages, punish them for their traditions and make their cultures nearly extinct, all the while betraying our species with buying war crime victims and dissidents from Africa while what's retroactively referred to as the trans-Atlantic slave trade was in full swing. Nothing changes unless money _isn't_ made, and money _is_ being made, so nothing changes.

[@mikep-j894]

IF you buy from Ebay, or any other well known site, and it is shipped into the UK from abroad, under UK law, YOU ARE the importer. Ignorance of the standards you should be testing it to is no defence. However, the sort of folk who buy this probably do not even realise they are committing an offence by having it shipped to them, it should be made clear that it is similar to mail ordering a prohibited weapon or drugs from abroad- the person ordering IS breaking the law. Just not normally prosecuted.

[@doifhg]

it's crazy how much more I've learned about electronics and electricity, especially in practical application watching these, compared to when I was being taught it at school

[@ankhenaten2]

*they applied more effort into making it look safe compared to actually making it safe, that's one hell of a attitude* The dialog before manufacturing: "boss shall i design it save?" "Boss: hell no make it look safe!" "But boss it's cheaper to make it save" "Hell no we have a track record to uphold: made in chinaaaaaaa!"

[@escfxp]

@@Okurka. I giweryou goo pwice.

[@Varangian_af_Scaniae]

Where on EBAY did you find these? My mother-in-law needs a new set.

[@bigclivedotcom]

They came from a seller called Deadly Fairy Lights 4U

[@lesallison9047]

😂🇬🇧

[@kylereese4822]

@@bigclivedotcom shocking just shocking.....

[@bertvdlast]

Hang them in a highly combustable fake Chinese christmas tree.

[@bugdrvr]

Beautiful tree made of flash paper and gun cotton. It is many safe, you don’t worry!

[@SigEpBlue]

This is a great reminder to all: make SURE your apartment, fire, etc. insurance(s) is/are paid and up-to-date. We're just at the beginning of the electric heater season.

[@JustRupes]

It begs the question I wonder what an insurance assessor would make of this if it was the cause of a fire, would they even payout? Any insurance bods on here?

[@snakezdewiggle6084]

Don't meet required standard(s). U are more likely to be fined for operating non compliant / illegal device.

[@alanj9391]

It's an even better reminder not to buy cheap electrical goods through eBay

[@GeorgeVCohea-dw7ou]

@@JustRupes I'm not sure they can refuse a claim for the fire started by your neighbor in B9's negligence, but if they do, it would not get the neighbor out of a lawsuit. You might be better off suing the neighbor anyway. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eouqYZ-Ljc-rnLs

[@ianhosier4042]

Now imagine that....buying an electric heater......from china! Cheaper to buy gas and matches, same end result!

[@l9day]

It would save time if I just burned the house down myself

[@roblamb8327]

@Matt Quinn yes, it's a classic, heart-warming lesson in home economics. And no incriminating burnt matches or lingering paraffin smell for the fire brigade and insurance inspectors to suspect arson, especially if you hang onto the receipts (the only items you managed to save from the inferno, along with your copies of the relevant insurance policies). That and the loaf of bread, bag of marshmallows , camping stool and toasting fork. Who says that this isn't the season to be jolly?

[@silentseawolf]

When it comes to setting houses on fire in capitalists countries, CHINA NUMBER 1!

[@ianhosier4042]

A box of matches and some gasoline is probably much cheaper than these lights too.

[@gazw2100]

My jaw actually dropped when you took out that fake fuse, and the lights still worked. Now taking out all fuses on my lights and seeing if they still work. Scary stuff.

[@Fifury161]

Wow - that fake fuse really says a lot! Mental, thanks for demonstrating!

[@ChlorideCull]

There's generally a reason why I tell everyone I know to not buy mains connected electronics off eBay or whatever, unless you know how to inspect them for safety. I pretty much have to modify every single one I buy. My favorite failure I've seen was one that had a solder bridge across live and earth. Would've been exciting.

[@abcdefg4570]

I bought the same kind of lights, they started smoking after a while. Almost caught fire or something. I luckily got a refund.

[@RayBellis]

if you're in the UK you should report them to Trading Standards.

[@abcdefg4570]

@@RayBellis I already reported them to eBay, I'll make a report to them aswell.

[@HighestRank]

@Robin Rastle traceable certificate? OK great, you think you can sue ANY overseas company which wouldn’t even let non-Chinese do business in their borders? HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE for once and ask for a refund. Chances are if it’s eBay, you’ll get it. Just don’t go to my house for Christmas touching any decorations and expect to live.

[@etalon3141]

Mr Big Clive, can you take that plug apart? See the effort they went to in order to make a plug with a fuse storage slot?

[@graemezimmer604]

Yes please. I'd love to see how it's wired. Something strange going on.

[@ThermoMan]

Fuse storage slot. That made me laugh. In a dark way

[@etalon3141]

@@ThermoMan yeah, thin wires, 13a fuse, which turns out to be fake, sounds lile a great way to burn down your house. If I ran this, I might do it if I plugged it into a multi gang socket, and stick a 1 amp fuse in the multi gang. Someone made this thing, they must know enough to know it's a real danger!

[@TexDrinkwater]

Pro tip: Don't buy chinesium electrical stuff off eBay. Unless you're Clive, of course.

[@tech1238]

Lesson learned today 😃

[@steve.Lowles]

Or John Ward

[@rich_edwards79]

Nothing good ever came out of china.

[@patrickjmorgan]

@@rich_edwards79 Opium did- it helped many English families become extremely wealthy- at the expense of the Chinese.

[@WaynesElectrical]

.......Or *_Wayne's Electrical,_* and I am buying it because *_I WANT FLAAAAAAMES_* in the back garden! :D -Wayne's Electrical. _19th December 2020, 01.01_

[@jrsc01.]

We havent had a fire or explosion for a while Clive

[@tweed532]

Well not from last Saturday for fire, have to see what the Xmas 2020 edition tomorrow (19/12/20) has. 🤔🤞🤭

[@28YorkshireRose12]

It only takes a "Whoofle" or a Whoosh" on a Saturday Night Clive!

[@tncorgi92]

The pie dish is collecting dust.

[@jrsc01.]

@@tncorgi92 i Read this to far, first thought it was the Pish is collecting dust lol... but you are right. We need some homemade component fireworks displays this Christmas!

[@bdf2718]

Have this video of a fake BS 1362 fuse when sujected to a high fault current. kzbin.info/www/bejne/gYeth6atgcekl6M

[@Vokabre]

3:39 The fuse in this instance shall be called fso(uu) for fuse-shaped-object (utterly useless) Perhaps the intention of the manufacturers is to create fireworks out of the user's residency

[@rimmersbryggeri]

National Lampoons Christmas?

[@dancraggs]

I got a good laugh at the non-inline fuse. Never seen that before. Oy vey.

[@SueBobChicVid]

I was thinking the 13 amp fuse was way too high for a string of lights... but never mind.

[@matthewmalkin]

Have to wonder why they bother putting it in just to not connect it. I mean if I were gonna try that, then it'd just be some red plastic, no fuse behind etc

[@BillyNoMates1974]

Not the first product from China where the fuse rating doesn't matter

[@ianc4901]

I didn't see the funny side at all, as an electrician that gives me the heebie jeebies !

[@IanSlothieRolfe]

I can't even understand why they'd even fake it - It surely can't be more expensive to actually use a proper plug in the quantities they are putting out! To actually go to the trouble of designing and making fake plugs! :rolls eyes:

[@thatgeezeruk]

I had a set of these, I can asure you they're not low voltage OUCH!!!!

[@grimpy789]

What voltalge is in there - 230V?

[@thatgeezeruk]

@@grimpy789 Mine was on flash mode, I think it is some kind of poorly rectified AC varying from 0-230v

[@user-ev3bh2rg2o]

Oof

[@HighestRank]

@@thatgeezeruk did you flash?

[@thatgeezeruk]

@@HighestRank More of a full body vibration

[@JendaLinda]

This style of LED strings is terrible. Instead, I've bought battery operated LED strings and modified them for USB power.

[@Cadwaladr]

I did that too, powered them from old phone chargers, the ones where they still had an integral cable, just cut the end off and put in a series resistor.

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

@@Cadwaladr I usually use old brand name USB phone chargers that are too weak to be useful on modern phones. The Sony(-Ericsson) EP800 are currently my favorites for this. 850mA is plenty for this and they're physically pretty damn small for their time. And also cost next to nothing

[@Cadwaladr]

@@Knaeckebrotsaege I have used some old Samsung chargers, which work fine, but, I opened one up to see what's inside, and it's slightly dodgy. Then again, I have another old one, not sure what brand, but it's great, has a fuse, a metal oxide varistor, a common mode suppression choke, full bridge rectifier, big fat capacitors, and a nice beefy output diode. They vary a lot. But the LED strings that I used are inside of glass bulbs, so they are pretty safe while the bulbs stay intact.

[@whoknows8225]

I only use low voltage strings, they have an adapter, but the output is low voltage. And are isolated power supplies.

[@matthewseymour8972]

Excellent idea.

[@avi8r66]

Amazon is essentially Ebay, but only witha buy now option. It's the same shit clearing house for stuff like this from the land of knockoffs.

[@neoasura]

More like eBay has been trying to become more like Amazon to compete. So thats why you see a lot of this stuff now.

[@OutOfNamesToChoose]

Especially recently. With fake reviews and rebranded generic Chinese items, the quality of what's available has really gone downhill.

[@acmefixer1]

Same with Walmart.

[@yetanotherstronk]

I don't know. Amazon does seem to take more responsibility when things go wrong, which gives them an incentive to check what they sell is appropriately certified. Amazon Marketplace, though, seems effectively equivalent to eBay. And they deliberately make the Amazon and Marketplace stock seamless on the site, so it's not obvious to the average Joe that rather than buying from a big retailer, he has just put an order in with a random unknown merchant.

[@casemodder89]

Amazon is even worse then ebay !

[@CoffeeTheDragon]

Look! The seller disliked the video! XD

[@gilkeson214]

A very good video, thank you for sharing. I bought a set of these very dangerous lights from eBay - they are advertised as IP44 rating which is utter rubbish. They did not work at first because the so called euro mains plug is badly formed and would not work with the very poor UK mains adapter. I suppose I was lucky that I did not have the fake 13A fuse! The controller is an absolute joke and fell to bits while the package was being opened leaving live mains voltage exposed so I rewired the controller, fixed the case and used a fused UK mains plug. Your comment about the shunt resistors is very important and I shall keep my eye on these during use. I have tried to contact eBay who are simply not bothered about safety and are only interested in their profits - truly disgraceful.

[@echothehusky]

I'm surprised they wasted money making the earth pin out of metal (or at least part metal) In all the crap plugs I've seen I've never seen one that had a fuse that wasn't connected!

[@bigclivedotcom]

And one end of the fuse holder was connected to the live pin too.

[@Vokabre]

It's a homeopathic fuse

[@Conservator.]

I can’t grasp this. How much effort would it take to make a working fuse + holder in stead of a faking one?

[@Fridelain]

@@bigclivedotcom maybe a spring/contact connection like on the crappy travel adapters, and the plastic creeped in. Autopsy please.

[@RambozoClown]

@@bigclivedotcom Perhaps that was done to increase the shock hazard if operated with the fuse cover removed?

[@axeman6560]

Very good review these dangerous lights infest many households, Merry Christmas to all. 😀

[@youssubernfissi5559]

Im sooooo glad your channel exists. We end up having fun and learning about some very interesting things plus getting our "Don't buy it" alarm more and more accurate most channels are either boring to death for most people or somewhat enjoyable at the expense of waisting a lot of time. So thanks for the effort, I hope you are getting the appreciation you deserve

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks for making this video, it is truly scary, the fake fuse, and the cover on the control box that can easily slip off to expose live wires etc, the whole thing is deadly even without kids and dogs.

[@markjohnson4572]

This video reminds me of the old product safety warnings that used to come on "That's Life" when I was a kid. You could guarantee there would be one about Christmas Tree lights every year!

[@AAAyyyGGG]

I kinda missed those teeth... 😬

[@bartidehipswelling2252]

@@AAAyyyGGG "And finally, Cyril..."

[@HighestRank]

Reboot: ‘That’s Death!’

[@phelyan]

Oh, look, the lights that we've had up in the living room for the last 2 years...

[@mark314158]

Time to seasonally electrocute a Christmas pudding?

[@tin2001]

In the past, I would have just chucked out "dead" Christmas lights... Thanks to Clive's obsession with LEDs, I now salvage a lot of them and reuse them... Sometimes just for the LEDs, sometimes convert badly made sets to USB powered, or sometimes just finding the bad joint and repairing the entire string.

[@cuteraptor42]

I still find that you have an advantage in UK to be able to tell if something is crap just by looking at the earth pin in the picture of the product

[@jyvben1520]

send it on to electroboom, see if he can find the missing led without electrocuting ...

[@Mikidy303]

Thank you so much! I bought these exact same lights off Ebay a couple of weeks ago. I got a bad feeling when I tested them to see if they even worked. I watched the plastic around the wires contract and the smell of burning plastic was almost immediate. Into the bin they go!

[@channelsixtysix066]

Good on you, Clive for showing dangerous goods like this. If you save one person from having an electric shock this video would have done its job.

[@RabbitsInBlack]

Even in America Christmas lights come with fuses.

[@lukasvondaheim]

Greetings from Austria, I have never seen a christmas light woth a fuse.

[@RabbitsInBlack]

​@@lukasvondaheim Even Considered Disposable lights have molded in fuses. Not replaceable.

[@mernok2001]

@@RabbitsInBlack I think you refer to antifuses.When the lgiht blows and the circuit is open,the antifuse will short the lightbulb to close the circuit and make the other lights in the series work.

[@jrsc01.]

The only set of Christmas lights that send out a free fuse with every set!

[@maweggywoo]

Thank you so much for the walk through of whats wrong with these lights , I recently bought some for an outside hedge, long story short it rained and they stopped working and some of the first LEDs had burn marks on them ! Luckily i got a full refund from the seller and was thinking of getting some more from somewhere else but now after seeing the issues with these kinds of lights i will definitely buy the older type of outdoor lights . Thank you again

[@jason2e1hko59]

This time of year is a nightmare for radio ham operators on HF with loads of poor non EMC compliant Christmas lights, not forgetting all the poor quality switched mode PSUs, great vids as always Clive👍

[@millomweb]

Pity you didn't test the 'fuse' for rating. It may well have carried more current than a proper 13A fuse !

[@WaynesElectrical]

Haha. I want one of those fake fuses, just so I can teeeaaase it on my variac...... Uuuuntil it pops! Let's see what it can really take! :D -Wayne's Electrical. _19th December 2020, 00.14_

[@acmefixer1]

Or since the fuse was not visible, it could've been burned out or open! 😱😱

[@millomweb]

@@WaynesElectrical I think I'd go for a fixed current - say 30A and measure the blow time.

[@WaynesElectrical]

@@millomweb Yes, there's always that option, but in situations where I would only be given one *Fake-O-Matic* fuse, slowly dialling-up the......... . . . . ..............current (I think) would be the better option. Why? Let's just say that I did dial-up 30A and thump the switch on.... It might pop instantly and without any arc-quenching sand in there, it may even turn into a ridiculous arc-up inside! Of course, it would be performed under controlled conditions in an appropriate environment (i.e. no nearby combustibles) but just thumping it on a set current really wouldn't give us an idea of what it would take compared to a genuine BS 1362 fuse. I have a variac, along with a whopping big site transformer and a Fun-Jiggery-Pokery Unit, so it would be rude not to use it. :D Besides......Turning up the dial on something is always _Sooooo_ seriously Sssatisfying!! :D -Wayne's Electrical. _19th December 2020, 01.31_

[@millomweb]

@@WaynesElectrical It just buggers up the data though. At what point in increasing the current do you start the timer. I believe a 13A fuse blows around 22-23A eventually.

[@amcluesent]

Surely it takes more effort to make a plug and fake fuse!

[@ianc4901]

But it takes a lot less electrical knowledge or care

[@johnsiders7819]

Hey Clive I see you have a Christmas tractor run on you island your beard group should have a entry !!! I could see so many lights and other effects !

[@phils4634]

Just to let you know, we've got the identical set (x2) with Aussie plugs, in our Palliative Care Unit - fortunately mounted at ceiling height (so out of reach of enquiring hands), nevertheless . . . . . Amazingly they have lasted a long time (years!)

[@MarkGarth]

Ripe for tinkering with, at least.

[@jms019]

Just what we need. Nice lethal imported tat

[@firehog]

Clive: They are not very good, altogether! The internet: THEY ARE NOT VERY GOOD!

[@firehog]

@@TomAlter1000 yes! Haahaha

[@sonyacripps4666]

Bloody hell, my workplace bought 3 sets of waterfall lights from amazon with the same microcontroller housing (they have the american style plug with an adapter). One set came with visible burn marks already on the control box which rang alarm bells at the time. Our sets daisy chain to each other so the team just used one of the other units, but I'm glad we're not making the effort to put them up this year as it seems like it's just a matter of time before they all go up in flames. Also worrying is the fact these ones cascade down to the floor so they are absolutely at kid and customer height, plus we're in a hospitality setting so we have the added risk of alcohol fuelling the bad decisions of party goers. I have no idea where we would stand if something awful happened to a customer or staff member because of these death traps! I'm really thankful you made this video as we can avoid disaster by binning them now.

[@mac-fife]

Right at the start I noted the part-sleeved earth pin, a common thing on Chinese "UK-style plugs". Well worth looking out for since that will often mean the earth pin won't make contact in the socket.

[@Endfloat]

If I found that I had any of these lights in my house, I'd promptly put them in the bin. Lethal!

[@asdsdjfasdjxajiosdqw8791]

It's honestly incredible how many scams are on ebay and amazon. These sites should be held accountable for the shit on there being sold to us. We're consumers, we're supposed to have rights. Apparently none apply when it comes to the internet, though.

[@discountmothman1935]

Honestly as someone who buys faery lights/ has lots of friends who use faery lights this is good advice. Ive had lights spark or shock me/others before and now that I know to look out for this sort of thing itll make it easier to know which lights I should toss right away instead of risking my house and life on shitty lights!

[@discountmothman1935]

@@TomAlter1000 faerie/faery are also valid ways to spell the word. Same as when people use colour, favour, theatre, etc

[@jmr]

This is the worst thing I can remember seeing.

[@JollyRogerTheDodger]

You should get out more.

[@jmr]

@@JollyRogerTheDodger Ha ha funny guy. Maybe I should have been more specific ☺️

[@lwwyt]

Hahaha... I had to pause the video while laughing at the fake fuse. 😂

[@misterthegeoff9767]

as a kid I once got a 240v shock from a set of old xmas lights that someone (i.e. probably my dad) had wired into a male bayonet fitting so it could be powered from a lighting socket, then plugged into a home made extension cord with a 3 pin plug at one end and a female bayonet light fitting at the other. I would go find those in my parents' loft and plug them in again rather than trust that ebay mess. At least my dad's bayonet suicide lead had a 3A fuse, and they were the old lights wired all in series with a fuse bulb in the first holder as well

[@areyouundoingthatorwhat9181]

It surprises me that you can still get mains voltage tree lights,I honestly thought that the overwhelming use of cheap low voltage stuff and its inherent benefits meant that they just naturally fell out of favour completely and sort of surprised that mains voltage lighting of that type is not outlawed anyway.

[@edc1569]

then eBay was invented along with sort by price.

[@eDoc2020]

Here in the US I don't think I've _ever_ seen low voltage plug-in light strings. Driving around town all the lights I see up are either incandescent or 60Hz flickery LEDs.

[@Dingomush]

Boy oh boy! I’ll have to get a set of those and surprise my neighborhood squirrels, who like to steal bulbs!

[@tnxmatze]

Perfect! If the Fuse ever breaks, i dont need a new one.

[@chris_cloud]

eBay: bypassing standards of Your country professionally for years!

[@markpirateuk]

I cannot believe that plug with the fake fuse, these things are a death trap!

[@ryanryan439]

Honestly think my electronics I made at school were safer than this.

[@LakeNipissing]

Why even bother with the fuse and fuse holder at all?? What a waste materials, if it isn't even in the circuit !!

[@bigclivedotcom]

To complete the illusion.

[@KeanM]

Maybe when the fuse was really in-line it was so bad that it caused too many failures and returns

[@ianc4901]

You cannot sell items in UK that don't have a fuse in a 13A plug, that was their only intention, they didn't even try to comply with regulations !

[@tikaanipippin]

My dog once got a shock from an illuminated keep left traffic bollard, when he peed up against it. I have never seen him jump so high! I checked shortly afterwards with a neon tester, and the screws were live. Reported it to the council, and they fixed it the same day.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Horribly common.

[@00A00RECORDINGS]

love the videos Clive , a lot of people have no clue when it comes to the cheap eBay stuff from you know where, This is a very informing video, fair play to you, have a wonderfull Christmas.

[@andytownsend9163]

I unplugged some low voltage ebay lights from the plug socket, I didnt notice but the transformer left its metal pin in the live socket. I only noticed a few days later when I was putting the lights up and the transformer was missing a pin. Luckily I had swithced the socket off so the pin sticking out wasnt live, just thinking about what could of happened makes me sick.

[@millomweb]

If someone gets some dodgy electrical equipment from Ebay, do they become the importer & therefore responsible for safety should the item later harm someone ?

[@millomweb]

@Matt Quinn When I fitted earth leads to the bulb holders in our living room, when bulbs failed after that, they went with a real bang as internal live wiring flashed against the side of the cap usually blowing a 'woodworm' hole in the cap. One time, we got 2 holes - so you could see right through the cap ! Fortunately, our house wiring is old enough to completely withstand that kind of abuse !

[@millomweb]

@Matt Quinn Dodgy wiring in the bulb caps.

[@nicwilson89]

My face when you plugged it in without a fuse :O

[@TheAdeybob]

killy for christmas. Looks like it was slapped together by my landlord's electrician/plasterer/grouter/etc. The one I banned from the house for being a walking danger zone.

[@neoasura]

Why does it seem like everything from there seem to catch on fire? I swear if I didn't know any better, I would almost think it was intentional at this point.

[@rhydianlewis2867]

Clive is being too kind, if you have these, recycle them asap

[@micahnightwolf]

On the bright side, if you're cool with scrapping this light set for parts, you can get a shitload of pink LEDS, some badly insulated wire, and a random microcontroller for a cheap price.

[@mp180170]

I can’t believe you can take the fuse out & it still works WOW Scary thanks for showing that Clive

[@leeweber85]

Wow! A fake fuse!!!!!

[@cheekymonkey666]

most pound stores or similar sell them, i got loads of sets like those from lidl, pound stretcher, the ones i buy have adaptors to change the voltage to either 12,24 or 36v...

[@bigclivedotcom]

The ones sold by those shops do comply with safety standards.

[@cheekymonkey666]

@@bigclivedotcom yeah but the ones i got i tested the pull on them and they also pull apart easily... some even have the crappy back covers but these have screws in them to lock them closed, they not much better than the ones you showed, problem i have is all the adaptors for em, i get me mixed up some times, 24v set on a 48v adaptor is that bad or should i find out which is which?

[@cglensmith]

@@cheekymonkey666 The ones with a power adaptor or transformer before the control box run at 24 or 48V as you mention and that means they are low voltage and therefore intrinsically safer from electric shock (assuming the adaptor is OK) meaning exposed connections less of an issue and they don't need the strain relief on the LEDs for the same reason.

[@charliedobbie8916]

I bought my outdoor Christmas lights from CPC this year, own branded. Low voltage, Changzhou Jutai power supply, built-in 8hr/16hr timer and lots of settings. 10/10 would buy again.

[@ohger1]

Now that folks is an advantage! Imagine a device that will still operate even after the fuse blows!! Brilliant.

[@simonmikkelsen]

I would let my kids play with this to get a quiet Christmas. But outside so my house house down.

By passing standards of your country. Very interesting as we have just signed 60 international trade deals that we will except the standards of that country for free trade.

[@edc1569]

Trade deals are thousands of pages long precisely because that's not how they work.

@@edc1569 That is not what has been reported. When is free trade free trade, you can have our stuff but we will not take yours because of standards.

[@timsampson5229]

That fake fuse just takes your breath away - in fact it could do just that for real!

[@chriswatson7488]

1:06 The way Clive says 'insulation' I think Sean Connery's spirit has taken over Clive!

[@BertieJasokie]

I got some of those. I was fixing one while it was plugged in. I've been shocked by these lights since I was a kid that I really don't care any more. Ahaha.. I'm generally very careful with everything else AC related though.

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Now try it whilst touching Earth 😫

[@SproutyPottedPlant]

Actually don't do that!

[@sharg0]

Or is it the unused ground pin that is fused? (Must protect mother earth from electrocution!)

[@homeoftheinepttulpagamer]

Reminds of an old physics book that had a spoof diagram of an "extra safe" plug. All the pins had fuses connected to them hahaha.. (For those not electrically minded.. Its not a good idea, you could blow a fuse across neutral/earth and have an exposed live).

[@JasonHalversonjaydog]

as a kid we had a dog that chewed through our christmas lights off the tree. nearly every single one was chewed through the wires between each bulb. surprisingly the dog was lucky, it never got hurt or shocked

[@Biffo1262]

Ebay are going to have to answer for their ridiculously poor safety standards in allowing sellers to sell dangerous and fake goods. I used to be an eBay moderator, we are volunteers, appointed by eBay to monitor sales for compliance. My responsibility was for sporting goods in the Hunting section. The number of times small or individual private sellers that had no compliant adverts and had their items forcibly withdrawn was, basically 100% but with large volume sellers eBay took no action whatsoever and I eventually resigned in frustration and anger.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I tried to buy one in the town square market in Riga Latvia lst year for the UV leds but the woman wouldn sell it to a tourist.

[@r8118830]

She did not want any trouble down the line.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

@@r8118830 Probably not but also how would I complain. I only go there maybe once or twice a year and I dont speak latvian.

[@jurajvariny6034]

It probably wasn't UV just pink(red+blue) LEDs. True UV LEDs are more expensive and relatively dim.

[@potterma63]

"If you've got a set of these..." chuck 'em in the fuck-it bucket!

[@telephony]

Definitely chuck 'em into the nearest dustbin!!! :-O

[@howardosborne8647]

That fake fuse is priceless. The. Fuseless fused plug! Never need to replace a blown fuse ever again😂😂. On a serious note I hope someone has informed eBay that they need to urgently withdraw this dangerous crap and do a full sold product recall.

[@chrisengland5523]

Absolutely incredible! Not just one problem, but a whole shed load in a single product. Sooner or later some poor unsuspecting sole is going to get killed, if that hasn't happened already. The biggest mystery to me is how eBay sellers get away with selling such things in what is supposed to be a properly regulated country.

[@Broadcast1Channel]

So that heating string element is fused at 32A back at the consumer unit.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Yes. Plus the rating curve. I think the wire will blow long before the breaker does.

[@mernok2001]

@@bigclivedotcom Even if it was a 16A type B breaker,the wire would burn first.

[@cheaterman49]

3:37 Well we see all sorts of things on your channel but this is particularly scary and confusing... Why go through all the trouble if it does nothing O__O

[@brianartillery]

Lovely and lethal, and in several fun ways. Probably best stored in a recycling bin.

[@highdownmartin]

I believe these match the new British standards coming into force from January 1 st 2021.

[@H3wastooshort]

You could use the safely-ish with an isolation transformer

[@jothain]

But how many good light sets could you buy with that price? I think quite many.

[@H3wastooshort]

@@jothain well if you have one already...

[@jothain]

@@H3wastooshort Sure, that's another thing then.

[@3dprint-tech787]

I'm having a hard time finding the 4 wire sets with a 24V transformer instead of the (shitty in my opinion) 2 wire 31V one's, anyone who has any suggestions to where I can find those in Europe?

[@bigclivedotcom]

It's all gone 2 wire for cost reasons.

[@Knaeckebrotsaege]

That, and running the LEDs as hard as they can. I generally don't use these 120 LED ~31V strings without adding an inline resistor somewhere in the ballpark of 470 ohm to save the LEDs (and my eyes) edit: that's for the (usually warm-) white ones. not a fan of the garish colored ones

[@shemp308]

Can anyone say house fire waiting to happen? This is exactly why I started and still watch Clive. good channel he saved me at minimum see death dalek

[@WaynesElectrical]

Hiya. There's many things around like this unfortunately. If you.......... . . . . ........pop over to *_Wayne's Electrical_* and look for Dangerous Multi-Fail socket, you will see what I bought and the sheer amount of fails I picked up on it while giving it a mock-PAT test. Part of the video involved taking it out in the back garden and giving it *_A RIGHT BEATING,_* and a bit later, I also took it to Mr. Photon's and it was at his place that we shoved _waaaaaay_ too much current through it and of course, *_WE BLEW IT UP!! :D_* So many fails, I couldn't possibly list them all here. Check it out some time. :-) -Wayne's Electrical. _18th December 2020, 23.52_

[@Freestila]

Got one directly from AliExpress. I was 95% shure that they were crappy and potential dangerous, but was the best i could find for outdoor use. Wenn everything up to after the white box is inside, only the leds are outsie - hope that holds for christmas season.