Clip leads made with fake wire

[Helio_Centra]

In the video he finds most of the crocodile/alligator clip leads/jumpers that come from China are iron or steel.



Might be worth checking yours because we all probably have some of these.

[Gyro]

You might want to check out the next thread down   https://www.eevblog.com/forum/dodgy-technology/who-needs-solder-between-alligator-clips-and-the-wire/

[Haenk]

I mean, what did you expect?
Price check on Aliexpress: Using the "buy 3 items for free shipping", that's 3,60 EUR for 30 pieces - aka 60 clips and 30 cables and free shipping. Even if they are using crap wire, that is still an amazing price.

[mtwieg]

15+ years ago I could understand someone getting flustered when this happens.

Now? No excuse, unless something in the product description was demonstrably false (which is rarely the case).

This isn't something that "china" forced on us. We (collectively) demand cheap garbage, and somebody will deliver.

[thm_w]

This isn't something that "china" forced on us. We (collectively) demand cheap garbage, and somebody will deliver.

Yep, and plenty of quality high strand copper silicone cable also available, if you want to pay what its worth.

Here are some premade leads, though I'd prefer to just make my own: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/32804763281.html

[wilfred]

The trouble with "you get what you pay for" is if they raised the price on one listing it might attract those who are seduced by a higher price into thinking these ones are better.  It might be a good scam for a while.

Are they ALL just the same? No matter what I search for on Ebay or AliX I get dozens of listings that apart from price I can't tell the difference. It just muddies the whole search experience. I need AI to help me choose not quite the cheapest but might take more care with packing and ship faster because they aren't squeezed quite so tight but still have a decent feedback rating etc.

Groan.

[Haenk]

https://www.superbuy.com/en/page/buy/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fitem.taobao.com%2Fitem.htm%3Fid%3D562707071383

For your viewing pleasure. Alligator clip for one cent, surely someone makes a huge profit there
(I ordered some other items from this vendor before, so the offer is legit...)

[janoc]

In the video he finds most of the crocodile/alligator clip leads/jumpers that come from China are iron or steel.
...
Might be worth checking yours because we all probably have some of these.

Old news. Cheap and crappy wire has been around for years - and you get exactly what you pay for. Real copper wire costs quite a bit more than the price of those jumper wires, even in China.

That's not "fake wire", he didn't get a piece of string but an actual wire there. I am pretty sure those AliExpress ads are not advertising "pure copper wire" on those jumper cables or any guarantee of quality/resistance.

Copper coated steel (CCS) is a common material with plenty of legit uses: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copper-clad_steel

If you want some, you can get a roll of welding wire from the nearest hardware store. Equally common is copper coated aluminium (CCA) but on that one your magnet trick won't work.  Yes, it is crap for electronics.  Calling it fake? Clickbait title and sensationalism, nothing more. You got what you paid for.

[temperance]

Oh you poor sods, what a terrible and tragic life altering products you all exposed to. Truly heartbreaking. If required a funds to collect money for those being misled by Santa can be organized. But in any case, don't touch the wires and don't put them in your mouth unless you want to solve the problem for good. They probably contain cadmium or maybe large doses of whichever phthalate which make your balls shrink and maybe also lead and the leftover asbestos from previous week.

[mtwieg]

The trouble with "you get what you pay for" is if they raised the price on one listing it might attract those who are seduced by a higher price into thinking these ones are better.

You shouldn't judge a product on it's price alone either. Buy by description. Check for specifications on current capacity, or resistance, or AWG and composition. If no such specifications are given, you can assume it's crap, at any price.

Are they ALL just the same? No matter what I search for on Ebay or AliX I get dozens of listings that apart from price I can't tell the difference. It just muddies the whole search experience. I need AI to help me choose not quite the cheapest but might take more care with packing and ship faster because they aren't squeezed quite so tight but still have a decent feedback rating etc.

Relying on "AI" is just asking to get stuck with SEO garbage.

[thm_w]

The trouble with "you get what you pay for" is if they raised the price on one listing it might attract those who are seduced by a higher price into thinking these ones are better.  It might be a good scam for a while.

Are they ALL just the same? No matter what I search for on Ebay or AliX I get dozens of listings that apart from price I can't tell the difference. It just muddies the whole search experience. I need AI to help me choose not quite the cheapest but might take more care with packing and ship faster because they aren't squeezed quite so tight but still have a decent feedback rating etc.

Groan.

When people say that it usually comes with the implication of buying at a reasonable markup. Though no one actually wrote that quote in this thread.

Anyway, you still have the options:
- Read through reviews of the top selling alix items and decide based on those, if you are cheap and have lots of time
- Buy from a trusted brand/supplier like digikey, maybe sparkfun, adafruit, etc.
- Buy an alternate product (cleqee has decent stuff AFAIK): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006632193051.html

[wilfred]

The trouble with "you get what you pay for" is if they raised the price on one listing it might attract those who are seduced by a higher price into thinking these ones are better.

You shouldn't judge a product on it's price alone either. Buy by description. Check for specifications on current capacity, or resistance, or AWG and composition. If no such specifications are given, you can assume it's crap, at any price.

Are they ALL just the same? No matter what I search for on Ebay or AliX I get dozens of listings that apart from price I can't tell the difference. It just muddies the whole search experience. I need AI to help me choose not quite the cheapest but might take more care with packing and ship faster because they aren't squeezed quite so tight but still have a decent feedback rating etc.

Relying on "AI" is just asking to get stuck with SEO garbage.

Relying on AI was definitely tongue-in-cheek.  But I hear all the time in posts here and elsewhere when people seem to judge quality by price. Obviously that usually isn't about the bottom of the barrel stuff from the usual suspects. And this is drifting off-topic but an example is Snap-on tools. Sure mostly they are up there with the best but the price of them includes intangible post-manufacture things like a lifetime replacement warranty and support that is valuable to a working mechanic to save valuable time trying to claim a replacement.

But the online shopping experience is deteriorating from what was once (a while ago now) a clear benefit and morphing into a minefield of sharks to mix metaphors.

[Haenk]

Also, note that the offers are not fraudulent - the seller didn't lie to you.
But don't expect it to be "something else" from what is being advertised. The items are cheap for a reason, and higher quality parts are more expensive - but likely cheaper than from resellers in other countries. So look out for the stuff you really want, it's there and likely cheaper than from your local store. But don't expect it to be "free".

[5U4GB]

- Buy an alternate product (cleqee has decent stuff AFAIK): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006632193051.html

Clequee usually has decent stuff, I've had one miss with them and that was with these which are CCS garbage.  Unfortunately the listing never claims it's copper, just "high quality material"***, so there's no recourse for filing a dispute.  Everything else I've got from them has been fine, so not sure what happened with this particular one.

*** Buy our high quality durum wheat flour spaghetti cables with colored crocodile clips, also high quality!

[thm_w]

- Buy an alternate product (cleqee has decent stuff AFAIK): https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006632193051.html

Clequee usually has decent stuff, I've had one miss with them and that was with these which are CCS garbage.  Unfortunately the listing never claims it's copper, just "high quality material"***, so there's no recourse for filing a dispute.  Everything else I've got from them has been fine, so not sure what happened with this particular one.

*** Buy our high quality durum wheat flour spaghetti cables with colored crocodile clips, also high quality!

I just meant the specific link I used, you can tell from the photos the quality will be ok.
But agree, that sucks that cleqee stoop to selling them, pretending to be a bit premium. Best you can do is rate 1 star.

[5U4GB]

It looks like they may have been caught out by it, or at least when I messaged them they got back to me fairly quickly to say they'd look into it.

[Shock]

Leave a bad review, trash the seller online, make a video, get a refund or do a payment reversal.

Just ignoring it or making excuses like they never explicitly said "pure copper" does nothing. It's not just limited to cheap products either they are using defective materials industry wide.

Bundle up your chinese ewaste and send it to the local chinese embassy for disposal. Then go buy from a reputable brand or seller.

[Haenk]

Leave a bad review, trash the seller online, make a video, get a refund or do a payment reversal.

Just ignoring it or making excuses like they never explicitly said "pure copper" does nothing. It's not just limited to cheap products either they are using defective materials industry wide.

Bundle up your chinese ewaste and send it to the local chinese embassy for disposal. Then go buy from a reputable brand or seller.

You are a legal daredevil, aren't you? What you suggest is highly illegal, at least in our part of the western world. Might be OK for australian outback, I don't know.
They sold cheap stuff, sure. They sold stuff that did not meet your expectations, fine. But if you ("you" as in "someone") are only willing to pay 1 Dollar, while you expect the product specifications of a 20 Dollar product, and start complaining about the specifications only being as godd as a 1 Dollar product - that I would call foolish.
And again - they did not promise something they did not deliver. It is just your hope of receiving a brand new 911 for the price of a well used Yugo - and then badmouthing the seller. Get real and maybe reconsider your accusations.
Sure, there are complete fraudulent sellers, but those are everywhere. And China is still very godd for bargain purchases, compared to local shop prices.

[Shock]

You are good at arguing out your own fantasy scenarios. But it's a bit weird dragging me into them. None of that rubbish you posted ever happened.