Warning: cheap EL wire from Amazon melted into my jacket

Felix Palmer · 2026-07-01T17:55:04.862455+00:00

I was at a cyberpunk night in Austin last month, wearing a vest I'd sewn EL wire into. Some guy comes up to me, says 'your sleeve is smoking.' Looked down and a cheap battery pack I'd bought for 9 bucks had shorted out and melted a hole through the fabric. He just handed me a business card for a guy who does custom LED work. Anyone else have cheap components almost ruin a project?

cameron5383mo ago

Switched to name brand parts after a close call, @jakeb25 nails why cheap batteries aren't worth it.

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jakeb253mo ago

9 bucks for a battery pack is asking for trouble, honestly lol.

5

west.anna3mo ago

Noticed the same pattern with cheap phone chargers and earbuds lately, everyone's trying to save a buck but ends up burning something down.

0