VTEK cordless reciprocating saw rejected at border over fire and shock risk, OPSS reports

An import of a VTEK cordless reciprocating saw sold via Amazon has been rejected at the border over a high risk of fire and electric shock, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has reported.

OPSS published the product safety report on 6 November 2026 under notification number 2610-0149. The case was notified by Local Authority Trading Standards, according to the report.

The product is a VTEK-branded reciprocating saw, model V716, supplied with a charger and power supply. OPSS listed the Amazon product identifiers as X002CQQOES7 and FBA15M2VZGTNU000012 and gave the country of origin as China.

The hazard

The report's hazard section said the supplied plug had no fuse. OPSS said a fuse is needed to ensure safe operation under fault conditions and that, without one, the product may overheat and ignite.

OPSS also said the plug face did not meet the dimensional requirements of BS 1363 and could not make a secure connection to the socket.

The earth pin was sheathed, and the live and neutral pins sat less than 9.5mm from the edge of the plug face, which the regulator said exposed the user to live parts.

On that basis, OPSS said the product did not meet the requirements of the Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 or the Plugs and Sockets etc. (Safety) Regulations 1994.

Regulation 7 of the 2008 machinery regulations, published on legislation.gov.uk, states that no responsible person shall place machinery on the market or put it into service unless it is safe.

The corrective action

The measure type recorded by OPSS was "import rejected at border". The regulator's product recalls and alerts guidance sets out three categories of notice.

A product safety report, the category used here, covers specific products found in the UK where corrective measures other than a recall have been ordered or taken. Product safety alerts cover product categories or sectors with risks of serious injury or fatality. Product recalls apply to products already sold in the UK and may require owners to act to get a free replacement, repair or refund.

The GOV.UK list can be searched to check products, and users can subscribe to email updates when new products are added, according to the guidance.

The regulator

OPSS describes itself in its enforcement policy as the national regulator for product safety and construction products. It is responsible for regulating most consumer goods, excluding food, medicines and vehicles, and is the enforcement authority for a range of product regulations.

The enforcement policy says OPSS works with local authorities, other market surveillance authorities and border control authorities, and may use the full range of enforcement tools and powers available to it. OPSS says its primary purpose is to protect people and places from product-related harm.

The VTEK saw case was logged as PSD notification number 2610-0149, with a recall/alert date of 6 November 2026.