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Archive 2019 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

vishketan
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

I bought a 82mm XS-Pro B+W filter from Amazon. Something seemed a bit off so I looked at another 82mm B+W filter that I had and noticed a few differences. I am attaching photos of the old and the new. Notice the XS-PRO vs XS-Pro and the slight variation in the font. I weighed them and they come in at 38 grams and 41 grams (more or less within error tolerance). The box also looked pretty genuine. Nothing that I could detect obviously.

I had a bad experience before where I received an obvious fake. That one was easy to tell from the weight alone, it was very much off. This one stumps me. Am I being paranoid? Have B+W changed something recently?

Old version

New version

Both side by side

Oct 27, 2019 at 02:49 PM

Sohryu76
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

I know I am new to the forum.
But I just got a brand new (including new style package) B+W UV - Haze MRC nano. And the printing on the front was still the gold color.

Oct 27, 2019 at 03:03 PM

vishketan
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Sohryu76 wrote:
I know I am new to the forum.
But I just got a brand new (including new style package) B+W UV - Haze MRC nano. And the printing on the front was still the gold color.

Can you please check to see if it was spelled as XS-PRO or XS-Pro?

Oct 27, 2019 at 03:11 PM

Sohryu76
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

XS-PRO DIGITAL
all caps.
the only non caps are:
UV-Haze and MRC nano

it looks exactly like the one on the right in your pictures.

Oct 27, 2019 at 03:49 PM

mpelkey
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Just bought (less than a week ago) a B + W ND filter, from a well established brick and mortar store. As they keep minimal in stock, and from the box, I suspect it is a relatively newly produced item. The XS-PRO is all caps and lettering is gold.

Oct 27, 2019 at 06:29 PM

Aerocolor
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

BOTH of those filters have miserable kerning on the word "DIGITAL".

"D IG IT A L"

Letting that text make it to production like that is sort of a bad reflection on B+W's attention to detail...
But on the bright side, it's a detail that is unlikely to show up in a fake. Unless it's a really good fake, of course.

Oct 30, 2019 at 11:24 PM

Takira71A
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

@vishketan...

At first I thought, that your 'XS-Pro' Filter looked really suspicious.
--
However, I just checked one of my B+W D I G I T A L M R C nano Filters (*that I purchased from B&H recently)...
And it too looks 'identical' to your XS-Pro Filter.

Therefore, I am pretty sure that you are okay and that the 'cosmetic' differences can just be accounted to...
New Stock Inventory/Older Stock Inventory -- From various sellers. *You get the idea of course.
--
Regards,

-Tim.
_________

Edited on Nov 06, 2019 at 02:52 PM · View previous versions

Nov 06, 2019 at 02:28 PM

vishketan
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

I later went back and looked at the stack of B+W filters I have including some purchased from B&H recently and they also had a similar look. So it does seem like B+W did make some cosmetic changes recently.

Nov 06, 2019 at 02:36 PM

Takira71A
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

+1... Agreed.

Nov 06, 2019 at 02:39 PM

swalsh2333
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Does anyone know what the weight of the leg image filter is?

Jan 12, 2021 at 09:58 PM

evanhanded
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

swalsh2333 wrote:
Does anyone know what the weight of the leg image filter is?

Just bought two "B+W" polarizing filters on eBay. Seller sent me 2 UV, alloy rimmed counterfeit filters.

So, yes, I am returning them. But here's your chance to own a genuine counterfeit B+W filter...just contact me and maybe we can work something out before they go back.

I have a nice digital scale, so I weighed several of my B+W filters.

XS-Pro Clear MRC-nano 82mm weighed in at 38 grams
XS-Pro Clear MRC-nano 77mm weighed in at 35 grams (I have two and both weighed the same)
XS-Pro Clear MRC-nano 72mm weighed in at 31 grams
XS-Pro Clear MRC-nano 62mm weighed in at 23.5 grams

Counterfeit 77mm XS-Pro UV MRC-nano weighed in 29 grams
Counterfeit 67mm XS-Pro UV MRC-nano weighed in 14 grams

I also noticed that the counterfeits have quite the green tint to them. My other...I assume...real filters have barely any tint, but they are the clear version and not the UV haze.

Edited on May 25, 2022 at 03:25 PM · View previous versions

May 23, 2022 at 02:53 PM

elkhornsun
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

There are certain items that I do not buy on Amazon as they have lots of counterfeit items and Amazon makes no effort to control the problem. Filters and OEM batteries are best bought from a legitimate retailer with a store in the USA.

May 25, 2022 at 01:55 PM

ftllens
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Just use the Neewer 30 MRC ones. I dumped all my B&W and BT X4 filters after doing enough testing.

In fact the Neewer is probably better flare wise...and no fakes.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09F8QRTMH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jun 21, 2022 at 01:02 AM

jeffbuzz
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

The stock image B&H uses shows nice clean kerning on the text. (see image below)

I have one "B+W" filter with the same crappy "D IG IT AL" printing on it. Always assumed it to be fake so it's just sitting in a drawer. I do have some known authentic (from legit dealer) B+W filters. All are "F-PRO" varieties so they don't have the word "digital" printed on them. Text is all gold and kerning is perfect everywhere.

Jun 21, 2022 at 12:52 PM

steve.chang
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

I just weighed one of my B+W nano UVs. It is 77mm with the "white text" and only 18g. It came with a used lens I bought. I am going to throw the filter away now.

It seems the white text version is suspicious.

Edited on Sep 09, 2022 at 07:38 PM · View previous versions

Sep 09, 2022 at 07:01 PM

agvogel
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

These filters come with a code on the box (NOT the filter itself) you can verify against B+W's manufacturer website for authenticity

Sep 09, 2022 at 07:15 PM

brad-man
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

elkhornsun wrote:
There are certain items that I do not buy on Amazon as they have lots of counterfeit items and Amazon makes no effort to control the problem. Filters and OEM batteries are best bought from a legitimate retailer with a store in the USA.

Amazon is safe from counterfeits so long as it is sold and shipped by Amazon. It's the third party sellers that are known to counterfeit. The danger with Amazon is I have read where they sometimes sell returned items as new. This has not happened to me, but I have read enough comments to take it seriously.

Oct 01, 2022 at 10:04 PM

rscheffler
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Are you sure? I thought I read that Amazon dumps items of the same SKU, whether sold by them or third parties, into the same bin. So a third party could provide counterfeit stock and it gets mixed in with what Amazon sells directly. Also, Amazon has to get its stock from somewhere. Apparently they put out tenders for this? It could be possible that a less scrupulous supplier includes some counterfeit items with the batch they sell Amazon...

Oct 02, 2022 at 10:40 PM

EB-1
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

Many of us have received a bogus product from them.

The risk may be lower than if sold by someone else and the return policy may be easier, but I still don't recommend buying high value or critical items there.

EBH

Oct 03, 2022 at 12:29 AM

jeffbuzz
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · B+W Filters fake or have they changed something recently?

brad-man wrote:
Amazon is safe from counterfeits so long as it is sold and shipped by Amazon. It's the third party sellers that are known to counterfeit. The danger with Amazon is I have read where they sometimes sell returned items as new. This has not happened to me, but I have read enough comments to take it seriously.

That is not entirely accurate. Amazon warehouses store and then pull inventory from consolidated bins. When third party sellers agree to have orders "shipped by amazon", they send their inventory to amazon warehouses where it gets dumped in with all the other items sharing the same supposed SKU. If other third party sellers' inventory is fake it goes into the same bin with the legitimate products. Then it's luck of the draw which one gets pulled when you order.

This is known as "commingled inventory" and sellers can opt in or out of it. Amazon encourages sellers to opt in because it improves perceived product availability.

I have received empty boxes and mislabeled items that were "sold by" and "shipped by" amazon.

Oct 04, 2022 at 09:39 AM

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