3 Easy Ways to identify Counterfeit (Fake) Anderson Plugs – URGENT

How to identify counterfeit Anderson Plugs

It has been brought to our attention again that the Australian 4WD and camping market has been hit hard with counterfeit Anderson Power Products. Mostly counterfeit Anderson plugs on solar panels, battery boxes and the like. The team at JTS would like to warn buyers about the situation and educate on how to spot these counterfeit products flooding the market.

We have been advised by the authorised Australian distributors the these counterfeit versions are marked Anderson Power but are not manufactured or endorsed by Anderson at all.

Quality and safety are obviously the main concerns for customers. You can be assured that all connectors purchased from Jamie’s Touring Solutions that carry the Anderson Power Products label are indeed genuine.

Step 1. Fake Anderson Plug Identification

The body housing of the latest range of counterfeit Anderson Plugs have a lighter grey colour and the housing is smaller and lighter weight. In order to make the counterfeit products as cheap as possible we believe they have used a lighter grade of plastic as the housing itself is lighter and slightly smaller.

fake Anderson plug back

Step 2. Fake Anderson Plug Identification

Casting; Anderson Power Products are proud of their brand and you see in a side by side comparison the genuine Anderson Power Products SB50 connector has the genuine Logo stamped clearly and proudly. The counterfeit logo stamping in the Anderson Plug is very poor.

The Counterfeit housing shows clear signs of being deformed. Most likely as a result of being cooled too fast in the manufacturing process. The will result is uneven wear and premature failure.

rear view of fake anderson plugs

Step 3. Fake Anderson Plug Identification

Material choice in the pins. The pins likewise are clearly inferiors to the Genuine Anderson Power Product connectors. The heart of the original Anderson Plug was the firm connection and even contact minimising voltage drop and handling high current.

Step 4. Fake Anderson Plug Identification

Casting of pins, As with the material choice the casting of the pins is a critical part of the Anderson Plug. Poor connections result in voltage drop. When under load this drop in voltage causes heat buildup and will eventually contribute to failure.

Fake Anderson Plug Side

Anderson Style Connectors V’s Counterfeit

A number of reputable companies have a range of connectors marketed as fitting or compatible with the Genuine Anderson Connector. These are not counterfeit products, they are not trying to market themselves as the genuine products and are clearly marked with their own branding.

Often these companies offer a product that fits a specific need and have their own stringent manufacturing standards. 2 great examples of these are the Power Meter and Volt Meter connector

What to do now?

Check you gear ASAP. If you find counterfit products on your camping and 4WD gear we would recomend you take a course of action depending on your circumstance:

I believe the error was a genuine mistake:

Contact your place of purchase and discuss the situation, ask that they replace the counterfiet product with a genuine product.

I believe I was intentionally mislead:

we urge you contact the ACCC:

ACCC Make a consumer complaint

https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/complaints-problems/make-a-consumer-complaint

This situation was brought to our attention when a customer brought in a solar panel to be modified to suit their BCDC system. The brand of the solar panel has been intentionally left out as we have no knowledge of the intent of the manufacturer in the instance.

We do recommend if you have purchased a 4WD or camping product with, what you felt were Genuine Anderson Plugs, that you use this guide to help identify if the product is fitted with Genuine Anderson Plugs or Counterfeit Anderson Plugs.

While you are here we invite you to have a look around our new website. If you have any question please give the team a call on 1300 377 128

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