vaping_jake Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 OK, now I know I am going to get a whole bunch of hate mail here so please be kind. So i am planning a trip to Japan/china/korea in a few months. I figured what a great opportunity to get some batteries and therefore contacted my very good friend in japan. I asked if he knew anyone at sony and if i can get vtc5 18650 battery. His wonderful response was my cousin works at sony and is an engineer in the power division. Now you know at this point i am singing "OH Happy Days". I was completely thrown back, when i got a responce about the VTC5, that sony did not have any such product being manufactured or shipped. I am told he is looking into it a bit more, and i sent a photo of the VTC4 battery. He was surprised and asked where was the the trade mark logo, manufacturer date, vendor code etc etc. He also said why do i think this is a sony product, it does not say sony. I laughed and had to respond "i was told it is a sony". Lost some engineering credits on that one. As i hear more i will update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tam Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Is your trip for business or pleasure... or a little of both? Hopefully, you won't get any hate mail but this should start an interesting discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earthling789 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Wow, it would be sweet to score some product right from the factory From what I've read, Sony actually made the VTC4, but contracted-out the VTC5 to other battery manufacturers, and their production varies in specs, based on the contract. Also, since these are made as "industrial cells", there would not be a "commercial logo" or identifier like we associate with "Duracell", etc. It would be fantastic if you can find out the real story behind the Sony batteries, straight from the engineer in their Power Division! I'm sure we'd all like to have a definitive answer on the Sony Unicorn...er ... batteries. You've got our attention! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crush02342002 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I'm all ears... Local b&m had just a few vtc5 for $21 a piece, I'm a sucker and bit on it. Using them in my sig right now. I'm pretty sure these are fake, my purple efest 2500mah last longer than these Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 With a lot of knock off VTC's out there I'm going to stick with my Samsung 25r's and I want to give the LG a try too.A trip to Japan sounds exciting,I've never traveled outside of the US WillBlack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shen_long86 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I need to pick up some samsung 25r's to replace my fake 18650's . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tug Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I need to pick up some samsung 25r's to replace my fake 18650's .Good call. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaping_jake Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 mostly business, but ...work hard then go play hard with my asian counterparts. I also try to set some alone time so i can get lost in the local culture. hopefully I will get some information today, i have checked my emails often hoping for a response......lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaping_jake Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 So my friend did send me a link, i used Google to translate . So the good news the product is a sony specified product. I am told it is manufactured in China using a certified OEM vendor. He does not know what VTC means, that might just be country specific (marketing). He doesnt have the information of current production calls or sales, that info is privy to him. Interesting note, if Sony stops ordering device (kill , the OEM can continue to manufacture with specifications but not company identifiers. http://www.sony.co.jp/SonyInfo/News/Press/200908/09-083/index.html#r=s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaping_jake Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 Even industrial products have Trade mark and tracking numbers. lot numbers etc. We need em to protect our back side in law suites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WillBlack Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 I always find amusing all this Sony battery love. Sony is just a bit player in worldwide sales and when it comes to 18650s has the absolute worst safety record. No company has had to recall more 18650s (10+M) or dispose of more tainted inventory (43M) than the troubled, has been Sony. Good, safe batteries come from manufacturers with prime manufacturing facilities and impeccable QC. Farming out the 'recipe' to various unknown manufacturers don't cut it. The first IMRs on the scene were made by MOLI, they could only be found in Milwaukee cordless tool packs. No direct sales. AW then jumped in with their AW IMR18650/1600mAh/24A continuous cell. Still the beast in it's class. BTW the top tier cordless tool makers all use Samsung HD batteries now. Milwaukee, Bosch, and Hitachi. Dewalt uses both Samsung and Sanyo. Makita at one time did use Sony. vaping_jake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vaping_jake Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 I totally agree with you WillBlack, A companies SCN (supply chain networks) forgot there initial purpose and now have only focused on lowest cost provider. They dont even care in the financial health of a company or if they crush a supplier, they will just get another one and deal with the learning curve and quality issues. QC is required but overlooked when you can save a penny. My friend didnt speak well of the company making em. All i could hope is that we generate enough of a market, that the big boys come back in with top quality batteries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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