On flashlights, yup. Plus, they use less efficient drivers and no substantial heatsink, so they're at least 20% less efficient out of the gate and 30-40% less e

On flashlights, yup. Plus, they use less efficient drivers and no substantial heatsink, so they're at least 20% less efficient out of the gate and 30-40% less efficient once they heat up. On batteries, I just don't buy them often enough to really get screwed over. I try to to get Panasonic or LG, but if it's for a random project I'll look for any that have good review with pictures of the protection board. Then, if they claim something reasonable for capacity, I subtract 30% from that number and buy them if it's in the range of what I need. As for counterfeits in general... Growing up middle class, counterfeits weren't a bad thing most of the time. Cheaper materials, worse/no warranty, and higher failure rates? Sure. Don't get a counterfeit if it's a matter of health or safety. But, if you could only afford the Thingy X Basic Model, a good counterfeit might mean you could get Thingee X Deluxe Ultra Championship Edition. It might not be as good as the real Thingy X DUCE, but it was usually better than the Thingy X BE. I never understood the obsession with genuine items in fashion, since most of them were as good or better than the designer versions. Instead of paying $1000 for something, you paid $20 and got the exact same thing with the same materials and slightly different stitches in an unnoticeable location. People are weird and the topic of counterfeiting really puts that on display.