Welcome to the Vacuum Tubes, Inc. Hall of Shame. The primary purpose of this page is to educate tube buyers on some deceptive marking and marketing practices that have existed in the tube industry. We also hope to illustrate that we know how to identify such fakes, and we will not sell them to our customers. The tubes shown here fall into three main categories:

Marked or remarked with intent to deceive - These are usually inexpensive, common tubes remarked to make them more valuable. This is usually done by changing the type printed on the tube, but can also be done by changing the country of origin. There were several major perpetrators. Please do not use any of these malicious fakes to get ideas of potential tube substitutes.

Marked or remarked as suitable substitutes - The original type is usually evident, but the tube is somehow remarked as suitable for another type. Again, do not confuse these with legitimate substitutes.

"Friday at the Tube Factory" - These are factory printing errors. These are not malicious, but can be confusing.

Just click on the links below to see pictures and descriptions.....



Marked With Intent To Deceive

Fake Single Plate 6B4G (remarked, rebased VT-25)

Fake 6JK6 (remarked 6CB6)

6L6GC #1, #2. #3 - False country of origin

Fake 12AT7 #1 (remarked 5965)

Fake 12AT7 #2 (remarked 6414)

Fake 12AU7 (remarked 5965)

Fake 12J5GT (remarked 1626)

Fake 12SK7 (remarked 12SJ7)

Fake 45 (remarked 2A3)

Fake 80 (remarked 5W4G)

Fake 7581A (remarked Russian 6L6GC)

Fake 8417 (remarked 6Y6GA)



Marked As Suitable Substitutes

Fake 6AJ8/ECH81 (remarked 6JX8/ECH84)

Fake 6C5G (remarked 6L5G)

Fake 6SQ7 (remarked 6SZ7)

Fake 6Y5GT (remarked 84/6Z4)



"Friday at the Tube Factory"

1620 mis-marked as 1622

5693 mis-marked as 5963