Help with possibly fake Elixir Nanoweb strings please!

hassleham

I've done some research into this on google before posting but a lot of the info online is on acoustic strings and not Electric Nanowebs. I'm by no means a string connoisseur and i've never used coated strings before, so unsure what to look out for!

I've always sworn by Ernie Ball Slinky Strings (had a lot of issues with snapping other brands) but I decided to buy some Elixirs for my main strat as I was told by the previous owner when i bought it that it had elixirs on, and they've lasted incredibly well since I then (I did about 6 gigs on original set without them feeling worn out).
 
I ordered a pack of 3 nanoweb 10's from Amazon and put a set on my strat just before Christmas. Played one gig with them and had no issues but got to the New Year's Eve gig and snapped the B string in the first song! This was the first red flag, so I had a closer look at another packet and I can't see any coating on the strings at all, and there are some other issues which compare to the fakes posted online. Also, i've looked back at my Amazon order and discovered that they weren't sold directly by amazon, and they actually came from a seller in China (another red flag!)

 Like I said, i'm no expert, so i've attached some photos and hoping to get some confirmation before I chase Amazon for a refund.
Am I right in thinking that you should be able to see some coating even on Nanoweb strings?

Cheers

Balrog68

I've only used elixir Nanowebs once and I couldn't see the coating either but could definitely feel it and they should obviously be lasting longer.
They don't sound like legit Nanowebs and I'd be contacting amazon... They're not cheap strings! 
Personally, I would never buy strings online, unless it was direct from a a reputable music store. 

fretmeister

I will buy from Amazon, but only if the seller is Amazon themselves - no resellers.

Never had any trouble that way.

digitalkettle

Coating on nanoweb is quite hard to see.

Iirc, they do scuff up pretty quickly with aggressive pick use...you'll be able to see the frayed material as a give-away.

Here's an extreme example:
https://blog.riff.org/sites/default/files/elixir180-1.jpg

digitalkettle

I use Elixir Optiwebs and I get a lot of life out of them (and no noticeable fraying).

So I'm surprised your B string popped...the 'China thing' is indeed a red flag ;-/

CarpeDiem

I've used Elixir strings for years and never had any issues with them, but I've always bought from reputable music stores. The Elixir website includes a form that can be used to report a detective string, so I would suggest notifying them of your experience including where you bought the strings from. If they do prove to be fakes, I would also notify Amazon and claim a refund.

idiotwindow

fretmeister said:

I will buy from Amazon, but only if the seller is Amazon themselves - no resellers.

Never had any trouble that way.

It's not a foolproof option because of the Amazon practice of commingling (the pooling of certain branded goods into a common stock to facilitate the Prime delivery service). Some product lines – such as Apple accessories – are now so replete with counterfeit items that the chances of receiving fakes appears quite high. Customer reviews for these products (including those made by customers who have bought direct from Amazon) are filled with complaints about receiving fakes. 

p90fool

While it does sound likely yours are fakes, Nanowebs are a little on the brittle side if disturbed, for example if you remove your strings to work on a guitar and then put the same ones back on. 

Also, when I switched to Nanowebs a few years ago I broke as many strings in the first year as I did in the previous decade using EBs, but that was simply because I was getting half a dozen gigs out of them instead of one, and any strings will work harden eventually. 

I now replace them after four full-length gigs, and have never broken any since.