Dangers in Gray Market Circuit Breakers

What is the gray market?

The Gray Market is a term that is used to describe the resale of new circuit breakers & starters using channels that other than those that are intended by the parties that originally manufacture the circuit breakers.

Circuit breakers that are sold by parties other than authorized dealers have a highly potential risk of being purchased once the product has been tampered with or altered. Worse, unknown to the buyer, the product may even be counterfeit. We at Spike Electric Controls value authenticity and are making every effort to protect consumers from this gray market.

Know the signs of a gray market product:

Signs to Look for to Identify Gray Market Products:

• Their warranty is not backed by the factory but is instead backed by the reseller.
• The product is not sold in its original packaging.
• The product looks like it may have being previously installed.
• The label on the carton has been removed or tampered.
• Wire marks have been buffed out of the lugs or still have wire marks from being previously installed.
• A label has been partially cut off from the new in box material.
• The circuit breaker has been wiped down with a plastic polish like armorial to make it appear new.

What’s the danger in these counterfeit breakers?

The Dangers of Using Counterfeit Breakers

There is an increased risk of malfunctions and failure with counterfeit products, leaving people vulnerable to the following potential dangers:

• Fires
• Property Damage
• Electrical shock
• Equipment failure
• Overheating

How do you make sure the circuit breaker you purchase is genuine?

How to Ensure that you are Purchasing a Genuine Circuit Breaker:

• Make your purchase from ONLY authorized distributors. Or original equipment manufactures like Spike Electric Controls.
• Test to see if the circuit breaker is authentic using a PowerEdge tool.

What does Spike Electric Controls do to ensure our circuit breakers are genuine?

What we at Spike Electric Controls do to guarantee the authenticity of our circuit breakers & motor starters:

We have partnered with Eaton to ensure that the circuit breakers we carry are not only genuine, but are also safe for customer use. We feel that it is important to expose the gray market and encourage customers to pay attention to the problem of this gray market and take measures to safeguard themselves.
Avoid placing yourself at risk by keeping away from aftermarket products that can result in serious issues during the installation process and also during use. It is not work taking these risks. Protect yourself and others by making choices that keep such gray market products off the market.

Find out more about how the gray market impacts you and how you can protect yourself with the Spike Electric Control app.

Download the app here.

Call us today or place a request for a quote on our authentic quality power distribution and control products. You deserve to have the peace of mind that the products you install for all your projects are both safe and reliable.

You can reach us by email at [email protected] or by phone at 1.844.279.8295 or 832.243.5372

*If we at Spike Electric Controls sell any circuit breaker or starter that is not from an authorized source, we will always supply you with a disclaimer to inform you of this.