Best place to get replacement batteries?

I have a Precision m4400 and a Latitude d820 that both need new batteries. Dell's prices are insane - are there any other sources to get reliable/good batteries from? I'm very weary of a random eBay auction. BatteriesPlus has then about $30 cheaper than Dell from Rayovac. I've heard of them at least.

Thanks in advance.

 

Maybe I am just frustrated with the D-Series batteries, but in my honest opinion, there are no good batteries for these notebooks, not even from Dell. I have tried Dell (last about 18 months) and various other non-branded batteries, which lasted from a few days to about 18 months. Most online stores seem to switch suppliers, too.

E-series: I only buy the 3 year warranty batteries with new E-series notebooks, so hopefully Dell will have to replace them shortly before the 3 year mark, so that the replacement will last for the rest of the 4 to 5 year useful life of notebooks in my organization.

My only recommendation fpr D-series batteries: buy from somebody who offers at least a 12 month warranty and is likely to be around to honour it.

 

The battery in the D is the original and still holds a tiny charge after 5 years. I'd loaned it to my father and he's giving back. I'd like to make it at least usable if i can. But the backlight in the display is pretty dark - don't want to replace everything.

The E came with a 6 cell which is really to small. Lasts about 1-1.5 hrs on battery. Too short to get anything done.

BatteriesPlus has a 12 month warranty. I'll give them a shot - I know they've been around for a few years at least (and have retail shops near here).

 

You'll probably get the best deal on eBay. Make sure it specifies genuine OEM, otherwise, it's going to be a waste of money (generic/aftermarket batteries are no good at all). I've bidded on a bunch of new E4300 and E6400 batteries and got several for around $20 to $40.

 

I would only do that (ebay) if there is a warranty and somebody to stand behind it, Amazon marketplace is another alternative. New is, unfortunately, relative. You may get a battery that has never been used, but has been manufactured several years ago. While technically new, lifespan and charge of such a battery will be severely below that of fresh batteries. Stating that "generic/aftermarket" batteries are "no good at all" is to general a statement to hold water. Some aftermarket batteries are in fact quite good, the problem being that you never know if you will get one of these or one of the lemons.

 

Amazon Marketplace is usually filled with aftermarket batteries. While those batteries may seem to work well at first, they rarely last long. I've had my fair share of somewhat "name-brand" aftermarket batteries, and would never buy one again. I have yet to find any aftermarket batteries that are worth trying.

Besides, the quality of lithium batteries is not something you would want to gamble with. Spend a little more and get peace of mind, as well as a better battery that has quality, matched cells.

 

And where could I buy such a battery for the D-series? Certainly not from Dell, I tried that - their batteries last hardly any longer than the aftermarket stuff.

 

None of my D610 batteries had any problems, they all lasted about three years. I'm still using the original battery that came with my D620 and D630 and get fairly good performance (2 hours without doing silly things like lowering the brightness).

If the cells are made in Japan like my first D620, you'll get pretty good life. The battery in my second D620 had cells from Korea and crapped out in about a year, which doesn't really surprise me.

 

Errr.... checked against the battery recall bit, right? I think it was the Sony ones which had some sort of problem after a really long time...

 

I had a D610 battery that was recalled, but the D620 battery wasn't.