Is this UL hologram authentic? How can you tell?

I received a reply from UL.  The gist of it was:  "Based on the information you submitted, a Product Incident Report (PIR) investigation has been opened and assigned....  We will notify you upon completion of this investigation."
 
I don't know whether that is UL's standard protocol, or whether it is tacit agreement that something looks fishy.  I can't know how long their investigation will take, and, because my attic gets hotter with each passing day, I don't want to wait.  I'd rather buy some quality cat6 which isn't fishy and just get on with it.
 
What's a good, reputable place online to buy a well regarded domestic brand of Cat6 at a fair price and with speedy delivery?  For that matter, what would be a fair price for 1000 feet of said Cat6?
 
Because of the near pandemic of CatXX cable counterfeiting, I suppose the safest option would be to order directly from a manufacturer who actually makes it domestically and who ships without using any intermediaries.  Do any of the reputable domestic manufacturers sell direct to end users, or do they all rely on a potentially corrupted distribution chain?  I'd be willing to pay a premium if it guaranteed getting the genuine article and not a counterfeit, and that's the only method I can think of, unless someone here has a better idea.
 
I guess I won't be buying cabling from Amazon anymore... Such a pity!
 
Manufacturers almost always go through distributors.  I don't know of any that sell directly to end users.
 
Here is one online source for cable that I came across.  I haven't ordered from them before, but they carry cable from ICC, which is one of the brands DEL recommended. 
 
http://www.computercablestore.com/Cat6_Solid_Riser_Blue_catID1535.aspx
 
They also have Comtran brand, which is another US manufacturer.  
 
I don't have any experience with Comtran, but while doing a search on Comtran, I discovered that it is stocked by Home Depot.
 
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Comtran-1-000-ft-23-4-Gauge-Category-6-Riser-Blue-Internet-Wire-2704-0144K5/202206485
 
If there is a HD store near you and they have it in stock, maybe it's worth a trip over there to eyeball it.  The image of the box on HD's web page says "Made in USA."
 
I've bought almost all my wire on eBay, and had the good fortune to pick US brands before I learned of the counterfeiting problem.  So far, it has worked out for me.
 
Thanks.  I'll look into that.
 
I just found out that TAA certifies that the cable is produced domestically. It is what the Federal government requires.  Not sure how TAA works, or whether TAA is also at risk of counterfeiting.
 
I got a reply from the Monoprice Technical Support Associate whom I set the pictures to, and he said:
 
"I saw the picture and it doesn't look to be a fake. The cable is legitimate and doesn't seem to have any issues. If for any reason the cable doesn't work as it's supposed to, do let us know and we'll be able to exercise further options from there."
 
It came with a disclaimer at the bottom, which was:
 
"LEGAL DISCLAIMER
The information transmitted is intended solely for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain business confidential and/or proprietary material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this email in error please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer."
 
I wouldn't read too much into the disclaimer at the bottom of the e-mail.  I've seen similar disclaimers on many e-mails from corporations.  I think the lawyers are trying to cover the companies in case an e-mail is sent to the wrong address, or the information is used in a different way than they assumed.
 
Does their answer satisfy you, or do you still plan to get another brand?
 
I still have a couple holes I need to locate and bore in the top plates of some walls, so I'll prioritize that first.  Maybe when I'm done with that I will have heard from UL.  If not, though, then based on the Monoprice assurances (above) I'll probably just pull it, as the attic is already hot much of the time, and I don't fancy delays that will make my time there even hotter.
 
ND,
 
Welcome to the world of DIYing your stuff.  Yup here purchased a "few" 1000ft bulk boxes years ago.  That said its been 10 years and running Gb and POE these days thru the same wires and they do work fine. 
 
I have once tried that mid day in the summer in the attic thing.  Temps were way over 100F and it didn't work. 
 
Best to do it early morning.  Here sometimes have spent a good part of one day running one cable breaking it up in pieces while doing other stuff.  Its a hobby such that there was never any real time constraints other my own.
 
I envy you for writing about your endeavor as there are many folks here on the forum doing the same as you and we all learn from each other here.
 
I stopped by Home Depot this evening to pick up some painting supplies and while I was there, I swung by the electrical supplies.
 
There, I found boxes of Cat5e and Cat6 cable, plus spools of CL2 speaker wire, all manufactured by Southwire in the USA.
 
They all had UL hologram labels that look like the one on your box of Monoprice cable, with no sunburst pattern, but instead numerous overlapping arcs.
 
I can only guess that UL changed the design somewhere in the last 2 years.  But it surprises me that they didn't give the design change any publicity given the importance they place on  it for authentication purposes.
 
RAL said:
I stopped by Home Depot this evening to pick up some painting supplies and while I was there, I swung by the electrical supplies.
 
There, I found boxes of Cat5e and Cat6 cable, plus spools of CL2 speaker wire, all manufactured by Southwire in the USA.
 
They all had UL hologram labels that look like the one on your box of Monoprice cable, with no sunburst pattern, but instead numerous overlapping arcs.
 
I can only guess that UL changed the design somewhere in the last 2 years.  But it surprises me that they didn't give the design change any publicity given the importance they place on  it for authentication purposes.
Click to expand...
 
 
I did the same thing and looked at Comtran boxes you mentioned above.  Looks like the hologram design was changed, stating in 2013.  2012 still had the old sunburst design.  Based on the boxes at the store I was at, it was also "NO." through 2012, and it went to "No." starting in 2013.
 
I agree it's strange not only that UL didn't give publicity to it, but it's also strange that there's almost no internet chatter about it.  Seems to suggest few people are paying any attention to the holograms, probably because few people are even aware of the counterfeiting problem.  I mentioned it in passing to the Home Depot employee in the electrical department, and he said flatly, "There is no counterfeiting."  I would not have been aware of it either if I hadn't chanced upon it in the course of investigating the CCA issue, and I wouldn't have known about the CCA issue if an Amazon reviewer hadn't called attention to it.  
 
By the way, I did find that Black Box manufactures its own CatXX cable domestically (and their website does differentiate it with "Made in America" to differentiate it from the cables it manufactures offshore), and they do ship directly.  Unfortunately, I can't say for sure whether it's UL Listed or not.  I did ask, but the answer I got seemed hedged rather than an absolute, unqualified "Yes, it is UL Listed."
 
So, I'd say there's hope for finding a domestic manufacture which ships directly to end users and whose CatXX cable  is UL Listed.  If I were to do this over again, with benefit of hindsight, that's what I would look for.
 
From last night, here's a photo of a 2013 hologram on a Comtran box of Cat6 at Home Depot.  On first glance, it seems similar to what's on my box of Monoprice Cat6.
 
 
 
 

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For comparison, again from last night, here's a photo of a 2012 hologram on a box of Cat5e at Home Depot, showing the sunburst design was still in use in 2012.  Apparently the color shifting two color inks in a ying-yang style had already been discontinued by then and replaced by....?
 

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Here's another one from last night at Home Depot of Comtran Cat5e solid riser.   It's not "UL Listed".  Rather, it's "UL Certified."  Quick now, what's the difference?   :)
 
Don't remember?  Neither do I.  If there's a consolidated page that shows and explains what all the markings are, what they mean, and what they're supposed to look like, please post a link.  I've been to UL's website, and I'm not finding that sort of basic information in one spot.  Rather, the information there is scattered, often dated, and sometimes seemingly non-existent (such as, for example, what the current hologram should look like). Is there a better place to look?
 
For instance, this: https://markshub.ul.com/markResources/files/english/Enhanced_UL_Certification_Marks_Flyer_0913.pdf
explains what this new enhanced marking is and is supposed to look like, and the allowable variations, but the enhanced marking on the hologram in this photo doesn't conform to it or the allowed variations in multiple, significant ways such as, for example, failure to include a unique identifier or file number in the marking..
 
If UL is that loosey-goosey between what it actually allows and what UL says is required, then these markings are almost useless for spotting counterfeits.
 

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NeverDie said:
I got a reply from the Monoprice Technical Support Associate whom I set the pictures to, and he said:
 
"I saw the picture and it doesn't look to be a fake. The cable is legitimate and doesn't seem to have any issues. If for any reason the cable doesn't work as it's supposed to, do let us know and we'll be able to exercise further options from there."
Click to expand...
Doubtful most would admit outright to something they don't know about....For others: you can't put a pentascanner or qualifier and certify the cable to perform at standard....the length would be too great (more than 90m) and while it may come close, the distance should cause a fail.
 
The basics I'll spell out for all commodity items: Barring unique differences or construction details (nylon rip cord, plastic separating pairs, no plastic separating pairs, jacket construction, colors, etc) the facts basically hold the same. A CM cable is essentially the same cost across the board within a certain percentage (same with CMR or CMP; apples to apples). The only difference in cost is generally the volume the distributor or purchaser goes through. A putup of CCI cable vs. a putup of say, WCW cable is going to essentially be the same cost within a percentage for any non-custom or special spec cable. The only way a commodity item can be made cheaper is via labor (offset by freight costs), packaging, or advertising....or by changing a certain spec item, such as conductor material or (as I've seen AWG, 23 to 24, etc). The raw material prices remain relatively constant as a commodity (barring the volatile market a few years back) and the variable is the exchange rate.
 
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