I buy all mine from Hobbyking usually, but I need some XT90s as soon as possible, so that means ebay or some other lesser know online shop in the US. The problem is, I don't know how to distinguish the real ones from the fake ones. I've done a few google searches, but it keeps leaving out the "fake" and "clone" in my searches. So what are things to look for to spot the fakes?

REAL XT60 are made by Amass for HXT.
The TGY Connectors are made in the same factory. All others are knockoffs.

Any of the three will have a registered trademark next to the identifier.
HXT®
AMASS®
TGY®

Some older connectors will not have this however.

Here is a link to the Amass website's guide on spotting a fake. It includes their Patent file scans.
http://www.china-amass.com/newproduct1.asp

An easy way to spot a knockoff is the ribbing under the "XT-60" stamp on the connector. It is very well defined and crisp and will look like a stair-stepped washboard pattern. Knockoffs have blobby looking ribs or none at all.

The "+" and "-" terminal indicators on the side of the plug are crisp and defined on the real XT60, they are blooby and less defined on a fake.

The Solder terminals on a real connector are recessed into the nylon housing so that heat shrink can sit inside the housing further. Fakes have little to no recess.

The Nylon on real connectors feels heavier. The fakes will be very light and will feel more brittle. The fakes also melt faster.

Another giveaway is the thickness of the housing on the male connector. (Side with the plugs in the shroud). Real ones should be thicker, and when connected should be tight. Fakes will come apart easier.

The molding on a Real XT60 or XT90 will have a well defined molding flash line around the entire connector. Fakes do not have this because the plastic used is lower melting point, and low temp injected.

metoo;...just a tip for specific searches on google....when typing in your field, just add the "s to the front and rear of your text, ie; " spotting a fake XT connector ", this will refine the search engine specifically to that wording, but, you may have to try different ways of wording your search sometimes to get results.

Such as "how to tell the difference between real and fake XT connectors"...etc

Hope this helps for future searches...

Regards

@Powerdyne
That's funny, coz the XT60 connectors on the hobbyking turnigy batteries don't fit all the way into the xt60 connectors I also bought from hobbyking. They only go two thirds of the way in. You can push it a bit further (Really can't go all the way in), but then you'd have a heck of a time pulling them apart.

I did what you posted, the connectors I soldered myself are XT60 on one side and TGY on the other, the ridges are so well defined, they've got dirt on them.

The XT60 that came with the turnigy batteries don't fit properly, have XT60 on both sides, and the ridges are clean (No sharp corners for dirt to collect), the flat areas of the turnigy connectors are also concave. So if anything, the hobbyking batteries are using knockoffs

Originally Posted by Hajile

So if anything, the hobbyking batteries are using knockoffs

And this is surprising to you how?

We are talking about the knockoff capitol of the universe...

Don't get me wrong, just like anything else that has been cloned, there are some REALLY good fakes out there. I'm just going by what I read.

So, you have to buy it before you can tell if you've been ripped off with a fake?

I probably have 50 or 60 XT60 connectors laying around, on batteries, and on ESCs. They have ALL come from HK. some fit tightly, and some are easy to pull apart, some are heavier than others, some have slightly different soldering connections, some are a different color of yellow, and some are even slightly different lengths. I'd say with near certainty, that HK occasionally ships "clones" of their own connectors.

The good news: despite the differences, they all work together. Some are tight, but they all plug in, and they all use the same 3.5mm banana plugs on the inside. Since they all have the same gold connectors, I would assume they all carry roughly the same current, and isn't that all we care about? Clone or not, as long as they work and they cost $2 for 10 of them (or whatever cheap price they are), I don't really care where they come from or who makes them. HK clones everything anyways, so It's not like they can get all high-and-mighty about people cloning their stuff. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black....

I think the variations in fit are due to different production batches.

Originally Posted by Chubbs

I probably have 50 or 60 XT60 connectors laying around, on batteries, and on ESCs. They have ALL come from HK. some fit tightly, and some are easy to pull apart,

There is a little trick I had learned from the connectors being so tight that I would rip the wire right out of the connector when disconnecting them. All you have to do is grab some needlenose and squeeze the prongs until you get the desired force you want. Makes connecting and disconnecting a lot easier so you don't have to struggle with them

Very simple mod and they will slide like butta afterwards.

Originally Posted by ASTREA1

There is a little trick I had learned from the connectors being so tight that I would rip the wire right out of the connector when disconnecting them. All you have to do is grab some needlenose and squeeze the prongs until you get the desired force you want. Makes connecting and disconnecting a lot easier so you don't have to struggle with them

Very simple mod and they will slide like butta afterwards.

Already did that and it helped with the battery charger. But the issue with the turnigy batteries seems to be the plug itself being a hundredth of a millimeter too thick. The other batteries slide just fine so it isn't the prongs.

Originally Posted by Hajile

@Powerdyne
That's funny, coz the XT60 connectors on the hobbyking turnigy batteries don't fit all the way into the xt60 connectors I also bought from hobbyking. They only go two thirds of the way in. You can push it a bit further (Really can't go all the way in), but then you'd have a heck of a time pulling them apart.

I did what you posted, the connectors I soldered myself are XT60 on one side and TGY on the other, the ridges are so well defined, they've got dirt on them.

The XT60 that came with the turnigy batteries don't fit properly, have XT60 on both sides, and the ridges are clean (No sharp corners for dirt to collect), the flat areas of the turnigy connectors are also concave. So if anything, the hobbyking batteries are using knockoffs

Originally Posted by Hajile

Already did that and it helped with the battery charger. But the issue with the turnigy batteries seems to be the plug itself being a hundredth of a millimeter too thick. The other batteries slide just fine so it isn't the prongs.

That is odd. I was able to pick up a pack of 6 I believe at the LHS (3 male and 3 female), and ran them with my two Turnigy 2.2's which had come with the XT's already on them, and they seemed to match up pretty well. Not sure what brand they were but I guess it is hit and miss with most of this stuff.

Originally Posted by Hajile

Already did that and it helped with the battery charger. But the issue with the turnigy batteries seems to be the plug itself being a hundredth of a millimeter too thick. The other batteries slide just fine so it isn't the prongs.

I use a little drop of silicone oil in my xt connectors if they are a little too tight, then clean out excess with a cotton swab dipped in 90% iso alcohol. Also, filing down the flashing on the female side helps a little. Electrical contact cleaner works well too.

Originally Posted by Powerdyne

REAL XT60 are made by Amass for HXT.
The TGY Connectors are made in the same factory. All others are knockoffs.

Any of the three will have a registered trademark next to the identifier.
HXT®
AMASS®
TGY®

Some older connectors will not have this however.

Here is a link to the Amass website's guide on spotting a fake. It includes their Patent file scans.
http://www.china-amass.com/newproduct1.asp

"Your precious will be crashed, destroyed if you use an imitation!"

Am I the only one that heard that in Gollum's voice?