Anyone considering using tool batteries to power ebikes beware of a new fraud. Old fraud is selling admitted clones that deliver 1/3 the promised capacity (AH).
I've bought "genuine" Makita 6.0ah batteries on eBay for a cheap price hoping they were actually filled with expensive 3.0ah cells. I've found deals before on "Genuine" from dealers who break Tool/charger/battery starter kits. They sell the bare tools for full price and the batteries and chargers for less.
The batteries came and the cases looked perfect except the screw security plug was soft instead of the hard ones in genuine Makitas. Open them and found the newest Makita BMS board and SOC display. But.....the cells weren't green Sony Murata VTC6. Instead no label, beige cells. The fully charged batteries tested less than 2.8ah at a mild discharge rate.
After a little research, I found there are factory(s) in China buying tool batteries (all brands) to harvest the expensive cells. They refill the Genuine cases with junk and they end up on Ebay as Genuine. Hundreds are sold everyday and most reviews are positive because they look perfect and tool user have no way to test capacity.
The new genuine EV quality cells, I image, get used in finished ebike and other batteries where the spot welds can't be noticed. Of course, those batteries will test as promised. What a world we live in!
I've bought "genuine" Makita 6.0ah batteries on eBay for a cheap price hoping they were actually filled with expensive 3.0ah cells. I've found deals before on "Genuine" from dealers who break Tool/charger/battery starter kits. They sell the bare tools for full price and the batteries and chargers for less.
The batteries came and the cases looked perfect except the screw security plug was soft instead of the hard ones in genuine Makitas. Open them and found the newest Makita BMS board and SOC display. But.....the cells weren't green Sony Murata VTC6. Instead no label, beige cells. The fully charged batteries tested less than 2.8ah at a mild discharge rate.
After a little research, I found there are factory(s) in China buying tool batteries (all brands) to harvest the expensive cells. They refill the Genuine cases with junk and they end up on Ebay as Genuine. Hundreds are sold everyday and most reviews are positive because they look perfect and tool user have no way to test capacity.
The new genuine EV quality cells, I image, get used in finished ebike and other batteries where the spot welds can't be noticed. Of course, those batteries will test as promised. What a world we live in!