JX's Blog

A Guide for CR2032, CR2016, CR2025, and CR2450 Models Many sellers on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, and other online marketplaces list Panasonic coin batteries at suspiciously low prices — but many of these are counterfeit . In this post, we’ll help you learn how to spot fake Panasonic CR2032, CR2016, CR2025, and CR2450 batteries , and avoid buying poor-quality fakes. TL;DR: Quick Tips to Spot Fake Panasonic Batteries 1. Check for presence of date code etched at bottom (make sure it’s not laser etched) 2. Check texture of text on the face of the battery  3. Look for Inner circle ring (not very obvious) 4. If considering other brands, make sure not Sony. Sony cells with recent dates are all fake, Sony sold its division to Murata. Why Packaging Isn't Reliable Anymore Checking the battery packaging alone may not be a good indicator as packaging can change, and there are actually original cells that come in trays (bulk pack).  There’s also instances where the packaging is not o...

In my previous post , I talked about how some counterfeit cables have identical looking lightning connectors. This is part 2 of the previous post. Since I last posted, I have gotten my hands on those identical-looking cables and we shall compare them today. A couple of my friends told me they found original cables (or so they think) on Carousell. I have since tested them with my tester, and they are all counterfeit. I am not sure how many sellers on Carousell are selling fake cables as original, but since the cost price is much more for the true MFi ones, I would guess that the majority of those being sold on Carousell are counterfeits.  It frustrates me when I see those sellers get so many positive reviews profiting away from selling fake cables, while I can't be as competitive as them selling cables with original lightning heads due to the higher cost. It sure was very tempting to follow the footsteps of other sellers and sell the counterfeit cables, but I don't think ...

I’m sure you’ve seen a fake lightning cable before, and differentiating between fake and authentic seem pretty straightforward. Even Apple’s website shows you how to tell.  But.. I’ve noticed that the fakes are looking increasingly like the authentic ones. So how can you tell? The easy to tell ones These are the basic ones. The lightning connector is not in a single metal casing. These are pretty straightforward to differentiate. These are the basic ones. The lightning connector is not in a single metal casing. These are pretty straightforward to tell.  Looking at the above picture, it seems pretty easy to tell eh? But nah, that's just the tip of the iceberg. I’m starting to see some with a single metal piece that almost seems authentic until you look very closely. Not so easy to tell ones There was once I bought an ‘authentic’ cable from someone on Carousell. The box looked identical to the ones in Apple stores, with the exception of the blue sticker ...