Rivet material on Mavic 1 props: fake vs. genuine

[Espen W]

I'm doing some research on how to tell fake ''DJI'' props from genuine DJI Mavic 1 ones.

Would be great of some of you (or many ) could check and list the material used in the rivet/pin of your props.
The question is if DJI has recently changed from steel to aluminum for the prop rivets, or if aluminum rivets is an easily tested, tell-tale sign of a fake.
This is easily tested with a magnet.
My verified DJI props have magnetic steel rivets, while the more questionable ones that I have collected have non-magnetic, aluminum rivets.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Pins on my blades are non-magnetic

 

[Espen W]

Pins on my blades are non-magnetic

Thanks!
Are they the stock ones that came on the Mavic or DJI spares?

 

[Magilla Gorilla]

All of mine that came from DJI Fly More package are steel. MPP.

 

[Espen W]

Further inspection reveals that out of 8 props, seven of them have aluminum pins, while one has steel pins. All seem well built, with the proper (carbon reinforced) plastic for the center section. However, the blades seem softer than the ones that are definitely originals (came with the MP1).

 

[THE CYBORG]

Stock

 

[Espen W]

Stock

Sweet!
That means that the factory has used both magnetic and non-magnetic metal for the pins, so that means that the non-magnetic ones on the ones that I have here is not a surefire sign of a fake.
Will do some hover testing of these vs. verified stock ones and see if there is a difference in hover rpm. I suspect there might be, as these seem to be not quite as stiff as the stock ones. This could be due to the fact that they are likely brand new, and not from 2017 as my stock ones are, so less age hardening of the plastic on the recent ones, and there could be a difference in the production spec and plastic used from 2017 to 2019, so slightly more flexy blades does not mean that these are definitely fakes either.
Seller is adamant that these are from the DJI OE factory, and they could very well be so, but cosmetic B grade, overstock, grey market, etc.
I always tell folks to only use verified DJI OEM props, but I like to test alternatives on my own M1. (Initial testing over deep, powdery snow...). Local dealers have raised the price of the stock ones to $23 a pair, and seeing the lack of support for the M1 (recent Assistant 2 issue, etc) who knows how long DJI will even offer them, so finding decent alternatives sort of makes sense.

 

[THE CYBORG]

These days its difficult to know for certain that almost anything you buy is genuine regardless of statements made in the advertisement of the product, you may even think you are buying from a manufacturer, the scammers are getting good.

 

[Espen W]

These days its difficult to know for certain that almost anything you buy is genuine regardless of statements made in the advertisement of the product, you may even think you are buying from a manufacturer, the scammers are getting good.

Absolutely true. This has been a massive problem in for example the auto business for years. Fake Bosch fuel pumps and spark plugs, fake Osram and Philips bulbs, etc. They have been known to show up at authorized dealers as well, and you would often have to be an expert to spot the fakes.

 

[silverdragon]

I noticed on the OEM Original DJI Props the dimples are even, diameter and depth. Oppose to the clones...The clones have an unevenness to their dimples. Compare OEM's with the copies. That's how I can tell.

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

MPP with 4 sets of 8331 props purchased directly from DJI. All have magnetic pins, even dimples, etc.

 

[Espen W]

I noticed on the OEM Original DJI Props the dimples are even, diameter and depth. Oppose to the clones...The clones have an unevenness to their dimples. Compare OEM's with the copies. That's how I can tell.

That is a very good point!
It is possible that some OEMs that are rejected due to cosmetic issues end up in the grey market, and I would think that smaller dimple size variations (up to a point) would fall into the cosmetic flaw category (rather than structural flaw), but it is a nice way to immediately exclude those that are not A-grade.

I found that I can now easily/blindfolded tell the OEMs from the more questionable ones by flexing the folded out prop. The shady ones are more flexy, but to be fair, I need to test vs. a brand new, verified OEM unit and not my 2017 blades.