Pictures of fake boards and drivers please?

K81.UK · Jul 19, 2020

I know this is a old thread, but I thought it was better to resurrect this than start and new one. At least it proves I’ve used the search function before asking for advice.

Is there any tell tale signs for fake boards and drivers?

The seller is local so I will be able to see them before buying. I’m just a bit paranoid with all the fake shit coming out of China. I’m sure that’s the real reason for this lockdown rather than a virus, but I’m a stoner who doesn’t believe in the moon landings.

NeWcS · Jul 19, 2020

Looks good from here. I, Myself, wouldn't know a fake from a non. But all the advertising lines up

Rocket Soul · Jul 20, 2020

It looks like rebranded Alibaba. Not saying fake but unless your uk dealer can ssupply a decent warranty and after sales id just as well go to Ali.

Merkn4aSquirtn · Jul 20, 2020

Rocket Soul said:
It looks like rebranded Alibaba. Not saying fake but unless your uk dealer can ssupply a decent warranty and after sales id just as well go to Ali.

2024 Kingbrite P55 240w Samsung Lm301h Evo Led Grow Light Bar For 2 X 2 Ft /80*80cm Tent - Buy Kingbrite 240w Led Grow Light lm301h Evo kingbrite P55 lm301h Evo Led Grow Light samsung Lm301h Product on Alibaba.com

2024 Kingbrite P55 240w Samsung Lm301h Evo Led Grow Light Bar For 2 X 2 Ft /80*80cm Tent - Buy Kingbrite 240w Led Grow Light lm301h Evo kingbrite P55 lm301h Evo Led Grow Light samsung Lm301h Product on Alibaba.com

m.alibaba.com

Exact same light. I told someone on a different forum post that a lot of these US companies are just buying these in bulk.. having them slap their logo on it and sell it for 3x as much.

Merkn4aSquirtn · Jul 20, 2020

These lights are not fake.. may not be the best either but they do work nicely.
I order a qb288 240w with Samsung diodes and mean well driver. Bought off alibaba for 147 and some change. That's with shipping and all. Was my first purchase from alibaba and it's supposed to be here in about 12 hours. Ready to see if that little 150 was well spent

K81.UK · Jul 20, 2020

Thanks for all the replies. I was worried it was seconds or Chinese board. I guess that means the meanwell driver will be fake?

Id rather pay a bit extra and get HLG or invisible Sun.

bk78 · Jul 20, 2020

Chinese boards do pretty good at my house :bigjoint:

K81.UK · Jul 20, 2020

They look great.

The boards are from a U.K. seller so more expensive than alibaba.

For a few £ more I can get HLG or invisible sun with a 3 year warranty.

I agree the chinese lights are good value if bought direct. But not from someone passing them off as real.

end_of_the_tunnel · Jul 21, 2020

Rocket Soul said:
It looks like rebranded Alibaba. Not saying fake but unless your uk dealer can ssupply a decent warranty and after sales id just as well go to Ali.

Yes. A lot of product, (not just led) gets drop-shipped. Ebay is full of adverts with UK Post inserted into image. Usually a check on the seller will show where they are located.
Also some are using amazon as a storefront. Problem with amazon is product reviews from multiple vendors gets lumped together. Fulfillment by amazon is can be an issue because faulty returns often get sent out again to the next buyer, impacting a legitimate sellers desire to improve aftersales service and warranty. FBA can be a bad idea.

Then you have the classic standalone website selling led product, with "local service centres and returns/warranty". But on googling the addresses lead to parcel distribution services. .

Cannot beat a real brick and mortar location you can walk into to view products. Nothing wrong with buying direct from China. Just do your research on the vendor and seek feedback from others who have purchased.

Rocket Soul · Jul 21, 2020

To me china makes most sense for diy, buy only board, unless you get great deal on shipping. Boards go as low as 10$, if it breaks you throw it like any consumable. Drivers are nice to have on an actionable warranty, and i generally never drive boards harder than what an alusheet can handle for dissipation.

K81.UK · Jul 21, 2020

The seller in the advert i posted is only a 15 min drive away.

I can physically inspect them but I don’t really know what I’m looking for.

It is tempting if they are decent as I could collect them tonight.

The price offered was £200 ($256). My god the ass has dropped out of the £.

Cinco · Jul 21, 2020

K81.UK said:
The seller in the advert i posted is only a 15 min drive away.

I can physically inspect them but I don’t really know what I’m looking for.

It is tempting if they are decent as I could collect them tonight.

The price offered was £200 ($256). My god the ass has dropped out of the £.

There’s nothing really to inspect. Turn them on and make sure all the LEDs are burning, and make sure they don’t flake out or overheat at the top of the dimmer. They are almost certainly just dropshipped Ali kits.

I bought some from Alibaba (Meijiu specifically) that are almost identical, but separate heat sinks so I can spread them further for seedlings, and I paid $169 USD shipped, plus about $20 in duty and taxes. So $190 basically, to my door in about 5 days. And they sent photos of each LED in the panel working and the box being wrapped and shipped along the way.

The customer service experience was pretty great, to be honest.

bk78 · Jul 21, 2020

K81.UK said:
The seller in the advert i posted is only a 15 min drive away.

I can physically inspect them but I don’t really know what I’m looking for.

It is tempting if they are decent as I could collect them tonight.

The price offered was £200 ($256). My god the ass has dropped out of the £.

That exact light through Meijiu will be almost half the price shipped to you.

Merkn4aSquirtn · Jul 21, 2020

bk78 said:
That exact light through Meijiu will be almost half the price shipped to you.

This one arrived yesterday. Couldn't of done better for 150 shipping and all.
I like how I can move the driver out of the tent. This thing is about three times as bright as my sf1000.(according to my eyes lol)
I'll see how long this lasts and after a few runs I'm moving to the 660w.

sf_frankie · Jul 21, 2020

I bought lights from Ali and while they aren’t “fake” I didn’t not receive what was advertised. Seller claimed to use Samsung LM301b/h but the diodes on my lights are not SMD3030 class chips. When I called them out on it they claimed they shipped me the wrong order and that the lights they mistakenly sent have lm281 Samsung chips. An easy way to tel is to measure the diode. The lm301 is 30mm x 30mm, a perfect square (hence the 3030 in SMD3030). The lm281 chips are SMD2835, so 28mm x 35mm. They are rectangular. I honestly have no way of knowing if they are actual Samsung chips. I’m not that worried about it. I got some cash refunded and the lights are well constructed and throw down plenty of light. The lm281 is not a bad chip by any means. It’s just not the latest and greatest.

Ask the seller to send pics of the actual light you’re ordering and make sure the diodes are perfect little squares if you’re buying lm301 equipped boards. Here are some close up shots of mine for reference. Notice how they are ever so slightly rectangular?

They go by a couple names. SGL or Sungrow Lighting or the parent company Sundopt.

Merkn4aSquirtn · Jul 21, 2020

sf_frankie said:
I bought lights from Ali and while they aren’t “fake” I didn’t not receive what was advertised. Seller claimed to use Samsung LM301b/h but the diodes on my lights are not SMD3030 class chips. When I called them out on it they claimed they shipped me the wrong order and that the lights they mistakenly sent have lm281 Samsung chips. An easy way to tel is to measure the diode. The lm301 is 30mm x 30mm, a perfect square (hence the 3030 in SMD3030). The lm281 chips are SMD2835, so 28mm x 35mm. They are rectangular. I honestly have no way of knowing if they are actual Samsung chips. I’m not that worried about it. I got some cash refunded and the lights are well constructed and throw down plenty of light. The lm281 is not a bad chip by any means. It’s just not the latest and greatest.

Ask the seller to send pics of the actual light you’re ordering and make sure the diodes are perfect little squares if you’re buying lm301 equipped boards. Here are some close up shots of mine for reference. Notice how they are ever so slightly rectangular?

View attachment 4631213 View attachment 4631219

What company on alibaba was it for future reference. Asking for a friend..

bk78 · Jul 21, 2020

Merkn4aSquirtn said:
This one arrived yesterday. Couldn't of done better for 150 shipping and all.
I like how I can move the driver out of the tent. This thing is about three times as bright as my sf1000.(according to my eyes lol)
I'll see how long this lasts and after a few runs I'm moving to the 660w.

I have 6 of these. 4 of them have been running hard for well over 2 years.

sf_frankie · Jul 21, 2020

Merkn4aSquirtn said:
What company on alibaba was it for future reference. Asking for a friend..

Oops sorry. Meant to add that to my post. I’ll edit my post. They go by a couple names. SGL or Sungrow Lighting or the parent company Sundopt.

Another user on here ordered the same lights from them and his are supposed to arrive this week. If he ends up with the same deal then we’ll know they’re scammers. If not, then I’ll believe the company when they say they made a mistake and will happily recommend their products.

NeWcS · Jul 21, 2020

sf_frankie said:
I bought lights from Ali and while they aren’t “fake” I didn’t not receive what was advertised. Seller claimed to use Samsung LM301b/h but the diodes on my lights are not SMD3030 class chips. When I called them out on it they claimed they shipped me the wrong order and that the lights they mistakenly sent have lm281 Samsung chips. An easy way to tel is to measure the diode. The lm301 is 30mm x 30mm, a perfect square (hence the 3030 in SMD3030). The lm281 chips are SMD2835, so 28mm x 35mm. They are rectangular. I honestly have no way of knowing if they are actual Samsung chips. I’m not that worried about it. I got some cash refunded and the lights are well constructed and throw down plenty of light. The lm281 is not a bad chip by any means. It’s just not the latest and greatest.

Ask the seller to send pics of the actual light you’re ordering and make sure the diodes are perfect little squares if you’re buying lm301 equipped boards. Here are some close up shots of mine for reference. Notice how they are ever so slightly rectangular?

They go by a couple names. SGL or Sungrow Lighting or the parent company Sundopt.

Great info. I'll add them to my 'do not buy list'.

NeWcS · Jul 21, 2020

Merkn4aSquirtn said:
This one arrived yesterday. Couldn't of done better for 150 shipping and all.
I like how I can move the driver out of the tent. This thing is about three times as bright as my sf1000.(according to my eyes lol)
I'll see how long this lasts and after a few runs I'm moving to the 660w.

Are these the ones running Epistar diodes? If not, what chips did you go with. $150 is a killer deal. Thats $300 for a 4x4 area

This product is no longer available.

www.alibaba.com

Pictures of fake boards and drivers please?

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