"Parts for your Dell" batteries vs. generic batteries

A forum search gave me some info on the topic in the title. But that info was kinda dated, so I'll ask here.

The battery of my D620 is finally dying after 3 years. I need a new one but don't wanna spend too much since that laptop will be replaced soon.

Dell battery is ~$135. I can find generic batteries for as little as $40.

Thoughts?

 

Two thoughts/risks when buying generic batteries:

1.) The aH ratings are usually lower than what is stated on them(meaning lower battery life).

2.) Quality control issues could lead to an impure Li-on cell that could combust(yeah we heard about legit Dell ones doing it too, but generic batteries are usually more prone to it.)

Personally... because I'm mobile with my laptop, I want to get just one generic battery, see how it goes, if it breaks I'll just toss it.

 

I'd get a genuine Dell battery. You can keep the costs down by buying 'em off eBay, though. Just make sure that your seller is indeed selling a genuine part; Paypal will subsequently do a pretty good job covering you if you get something fake.

 

In my experience the generics do not last as long. They also tend to just suddenly die. Try finding a New Genuine Battery on eBay or maybe a used one that still holds a full charge.

 

I was in the process of getting a new battery for a 700m I had kicking around. Bought a generic 9 cell from ebay and the one I got only charged up toe 78% and died at 34% for some reason. Tried a few times and same thing. Got a replacement and now I get a message saying it is a unidentified battery and will not charge.

I emailed asking for a refund and did not get a response, I am done with generic batteries.

 

YMMV with any batteries, just depends on how much risk you want to take.

My mother, my daughter and I all got Dell laptops at about the same time. The battery in my mother's machine lasted 1 year, the battery in my daughter's machine lasted almost 2 years. My battery is still going strong after 5 years. So I figured if the original Dell batteries can fail at that rate how much worse could it be with generic batteries. So I searched amazon and ebay for reputable battery sellers. I found some, but all of them had a few bad sales, so I picked one and took my chances. 1.5 years later and so far the battery is doing well.

If I needed a battery in the future I would lean towards a generic but I would consider the value of the machine it was going into also.

 

thanks, all. looks like I will purchase an original dell battery off ebay.

 

yep dell ebay....

 

By my exprence, the 9 cell battery for a d630 ordered from the cheapest ebay seller (new) beat out my real dell battery by far!

my dell 9 cell battery is around 1.5 year old and is last only 2-3h MAX, and my aftermarket still last 4h and is around 1.5 year old too and here the kicker, the aftermarket battery was used alot more!

 

used dell battery might be a better bet than generic one if buying from ebay. my original dell 6-cell battery for vostro 1400 died in 13 months from purchase of the machine with no reason(always use AC power), then bought one 6-cell used dell battery from ebay at only about $20, after 16 months to date, its wear level is still 0% and works great(although i only use AC power in most time, with battery usage not more than 20 hours in 16 months).