Heavy Hitters vape cartridges are known for coming in rad-yet-stylishly macabre packaging. And they’re especially known for providing potent puffs of weed oils that don’t contain fillers like vegetable oils or vitamin E acetate. Of course, these factors combined make Heavy Hitters’ carts ideal candidates for black marketeers to sell their own, fake versions of these award-winning products.

Why should you avoid fake Heavy Hitters’ carts? For one, you have no idea what’s actually in them. Licensed and legit Heavy Hitters’ products must undergo regular lab testing to ensure they’re not loaded with contaminants.

Second, there’s a lung illness epidemic sweeping the nation, and health authorities suspect that vaping black market weed cartridges is causing the crisis. Although officials still aren’t sure what’s causing the illness, it’s probably best to stick with licensed, tested products if you’re going to insist on continuing vaping. 

Gallery — Here's What Fake Vapes Actually Look Like:

Unlike our other guides on spotting fake TKO, Kingpen, and Stiiizy products, this one for Heavy Hitters won’t provide any smoking-gun clues to look for. That’s because whoever is making fake Heavy Hitters cartridges in China has almost perfectly duplicated the real ones, according to Burt Blaze at Dab Connection. In other words, if you’re looking for tell-tale signs of a fake Heavy Hitters with knock-off CCELL batteries, wrong logos, or errors on the packaging, you’re likely not gonna find them. 

The only way to confirm if your Heavy Hitters vapes are real is by checking the company’s map of authorized retailers. These are the only stores that Heavy Hitters says are allowed to carry its products. And if you find them elsewhere, Mammoth Distribution, the company that distributes Heavy Hitters, has a section on its website where consumers can report bootleg versions. According to the Los Angeles Times, the company also hired a former federal prosecutor to help combat the knock-offs. 

After seeing the map, you’ll notice that Heavy Hitters is only sold in California, too. So, if you bought your Heavy Hitters vape pen in any other state besides California, there’s a good chance you’ve got a fake. The same goes for if you bought your Heavy Hitters product from some street dealer operating out of their car, basement, or back alley.

Additionally, there are, allegedly, at least four companies in China manufacturing fake Heavy Hitters carts. Those companies are Nuwelltek Technology Limited, Shenzhen Vayea Technology Co., Shenzhen Ugo Technology Co., and Boerxin Technology Co. If your Heavy Hitters products are in any way related to these four companies, either as sellers or distributors, they’re almost certainly fake AF. Avoid ‘em at all costs.