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    Rebuilt vs. OEM batteries

    Discussion in 'Hardware Components and Aftermarket Upgrades' started by kldsckldslklasd, Jan 26, 2007.

  1. kldsckldslklasd

    kldsckldslklasd Guest

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    I'm looking at 8800mah batteries for my ze2000, and ebay seems to be flooded with ones that have been rebuilt, mostly with japanese cells, and they sell for quite a bit less than a new one from HP. Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they as good as the OEM batteries (or better even)?
     
  2. vassil_98

    vassil_98 Notebook Deity

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    I haven't used rebuilt batteries but I can assure you they would not be better than the original batteries. From my experience, everything different from an original manufacturer battery would be a risk to the laptop and a waste of money.
     
  3. Malia

    Malia Notebook Evangelist NBR Reviewer

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    At the same time, they just might work. I got a battery for a Thinkpad I was selling for $25 shipped. There were no guarantees, but I checked feedback very thoroughly, so I decided to risk it. Most people don't want to leave negative feedback for fear of retaliation, so I was looking for comments like "didn't work, but I guess that's what I bargained for", and I also went to look at the auction to see if it was the same model or not. Anyway, the battery came, it was by some brand whose name I no longer remember, though I'd probably recognize it, and it worked perfectly! So I got a battery for a quarter of the price. Umm I don't know if that's exactly what you're referring to, but here's my 2c.

    Malia
     
  4. chrisyano

    chrisyano Hall Monitor NBR Reviewer

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    There definitely are risks involved when buying an "off-brand" battery. This is covered in the battery guide above. Main reasons are lower safety standards and possible difference in specs.

    Of course, many use them without any problems--as is evidenced by the vast amount of generic batteries available on the market today. It's up to you to decide if you want to incur a little extra risk to save a few bucks. Personally I'd go with the more expensive branded battery.
     
  5. rockharder

    rockharder Notebook Evangelist

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    I would say, rebuild and OEM, they are all the same. Both of them just savage dead battery pack and took out original cells, then replace new with similar spec. It is like you buy an alternator from AutoZone, they are all rebuild pieces.

    If you have little bit electronics background and really want to save money, why don't you rebuild on your own? I did the math for my machine. If I spend ~$65 and one hour self labor, I can have 5200mAh new battery pack for my V3000Z. That is 30% more than HP original capacity. If you want less capacity, you save even more. Do you think HP will make their own brand cell? Of course not. They just select the cheapest that they can find. For the same package size, HP can go with 4000mAh, 4400mAh, 4800mAh, and 5200mAh. And HP happen to select the lowest one with "The Same Sales Price". Not only HP, every company does the same thing.

    The only thing need to be concerned is the charging circuit. Higher capacity require higher charging current. But all circuits were built with marginal design in mind, so I won't worry too much about it.

    If you really want to be safe, buy the same capacity.

    I would say, the original may not be the worst, but definitely not the best.
     
  6. kldsckldslklasd

    kldsckldslklasd Guest

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    I looked in the battery guide and didn't find it the first time, but now I see it. I think I'll just risk it, I really don't have the $180 to shell out to HP for this as opposed to ~$95 on ebay for the rebuilt one. btw, for anyone still wondering a link to one of the many auctions

    rockharder, I thought about rebuilding mine, but it just wouldn't last long enough, my current battery only lasts about 2 hours, and I have a 3 hour long class that I need it for. So, even with a jump from 4000mAh to 5200, it'd still only roughly last 2 1/2 hours.
     
  7. rockharder

    rockharder Notebook Evangelist

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    OK, I understand your position. Celeron won't do better on power optimization.
    Sad for you. If it is Turion, or Core Duo, it will go way beyond 3.5 hrs.
     
  8. Jucius_Maximus

    Jucius_Maximus Notebook Guru

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    I bought a non-OEM battery via eBay for my sister's ThinkPad T20. Supposedly this battery was made by LG and it cost about 1/3 the price of an official battery.

    It worked 100% properly with no problems, and the battery life was equal to the OEM battery's rating.

    Now of course this is just one experience and the battery the non-OEM next person buys from some other seller may be cheaply made without overcharging protection, improper cooling etc and it could blow up in your face.
     
  9. JM

    JM Mr. Misanthrope NBR Reviewer

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    If it's a Sony or Dell branded battery, it could literally do that.

    :p



    I myself would never buy a non-OEM battery, but, if you wanna save some cash and risk it, you may just end up very happy with the savings of a battery that does work for you.

    It's kinda a hit and miss thing.
     
  10. grumpy3b

    grumpy3b Notebook Evangelist

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    a question to ask any of those sellers is how old is the battery you are buying. A lot of these sellers list old stock (even the name branded batteries) that has been sitting on a shelf in a hot warehouse for a year or so...this can directly affect the battery performance.

    I have bought batteries on eBay for laptops and have always asked about the production date for the battery. If they do not know move on and find a seller that does as there are plenty of battery sellers online.

    I actually got a very good deal on a new HP brand battery from http://shop.atriniti.com/ it was actually cheaper then buying on eBay by a good $50...
     
  11. kldsckldslklasd

    kldsckldslklasd Guest

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    well, I got a used OEM one off ebay for less than the rebuilt ones ($53 + s&h), it only charges to ~8000mAh, but I fell asleep after I'd been using it on battery power for a little over 4 hours, and it was still reading 23%. The seller was run-cycle-run, definately was a good investment.