eBay Battery?

Hi,

Does anyone bought a battery from eBay and how reliable are they?
I’m asking because my battery now hold 60% charge and original will cost me $$$ but from ebay are much cheap.

Thanks

 

I asked this same question before and got my in answer in time to buy an official Lenovo battery instead. The after market batteries don't register with the Lenovo Power Manager correctly so you can't get accurate cycles, adjustments, etc etc. Physically they may be bad for your system also but I didn't purchase one. I wouldn't take a chance on the after market battery.

 

Yes that’s true …. but have you seen the 12 cells one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/12-Cells-Battery-IBM-ThinkPad-T60-T60p-T61-T61p-40Y6797_W0QQitemZ400092979826QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_LaptopsAccessories_LaptopBatteries?hash=item5d27666272

 

I asked the same question here:
http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=444219

Personally, I'm willing to try out an ebay battery that claims to be genuine Lenovo. But the one seller that has them on ebay, who is a powerseller with great feedback and all that, banned me from buying their batteries after I asked them for a serial # and whether or not they were really genuine lenovo batteries or not. Fishy.

 

i will be weary of ebay batteries.

 

I have bought 3rd party ThinkPad batteries on eBay, and they worked fine for me. I get pretty accurate battery voltage, current, and capacity readings, and the battery performance (in terms of capacity and run time) meets my expectation for a new battery.

I am a Linux user, so I do not know if (or how) Lenovo Battery Maximizer complains about 3rd-party batteries. But I have had the eBay battery for two months, and I am very satisfied.

 

I just bought an Ebay 9-cell for my T60 for a trip I was just on. My experience has been the same pretty much. And yeah, the Power Manager does get angry with you, lol. But overall, I'm happy with it. $60 for 5 hrs of movie watching on the plane? Worth it to me.
However, I use my original 9-cell (which is down to 2.5 hrs of life under the same conditions as the 5 hrs with the new one) most of the time. This is mostly to preserve the new battery so it doesn't get as worn down as much. And then as a minor secondary, just in case the Ebay battery were to do something bad.

But from what I've read online, the Ebay batteries usually have the same brand of cells inside them as the OEM batteries. The major difference is that the batteries were not specifically designed for the computer you buy them for. Internally, they're more of a generic design that's meant to work with a wide range of different computers. The casing and fit and everything is fine, it's just the internal circuitry of them that's rather generic.

The best advice that can be given about Ebay batteries that I've come across is try to buy from a seller in the US, and one who has lots of positive feedback, and ideally a seller that just sells batteries. In the course of all those sales, if there was something really wrong with those batteries, you'd see them with the low feedback score.

Still though, if you were going to be using laptop daily, on the new battery, I would advise shelling out the extra money for an OEM battery on Ebay. (Or an OEM battery ordered elsewhere to avoid the possible pitfalls of Ebay) But of course, you have to be careful and verify that it is indeed OEM.
(I bought what was advertised to be an OEM Thinkpad charger on Ebay once..the 'M' in the IBM is white. Not blue. Not OEM, lol. That being said, I haven't had any issues with it, and it's a great charger to keep in my backpack.)

 

OEM batteries use Sanyo, Panasonic, Sony and LG cells.... and ebay battery use cells from some unknown suppliers.

 

this discussion comes up again and again. the final conclusion is always the same: the ebay batteries will die much faster than the original and from a price/performance perspective the original battery is the better value. there seem to be some legit 3rd party batteries (though not on ebay usually), but they also are always more expensive than the cheap ones.

i bought my original/new 9 cell battery for my t42p for 63€ (~90 usd). just check if you get a good deal.

 

Lenovo constantly have cheap oem battery for sale in their online site, some of them are brand new or refurb, but in the end it works to be cheaper than what ebay has to offer and lot safer too.

 

I would actually be wary of how unscrupulous those eBay sellers can and will be. Individual Li-ion and LiP cells manufacturered from China are vastly inferior to Korean and Japanese cells--yet another glaring aspect and why I'm glad major laptop companies almost universally avoid those cells made in China.

A lot of those inexpensive eBay batteries ship straight from either Hong Kong/China, or almost. They also cost much less. Ironically, individual raw Li-ion cells from China also cost less. So where do you think those cells will come from?? Thus, unless you are buying a genuine Lenovo battery there, I have yet to see an aftermarket battery on eBay that even claims higher quality cells from a better country of origin.

Bottomline: You pay less, you get MUCH less.

However, because all rechargeables need to be treated as a consumable due to their limited life, you should also be wary of a used battery, a new yet aged battery, or a refurbished battery.

cvec7: Sorry but I can't say I agree with that. Especially about the part of the same brand of cells. The higher quality Japanese/Korean cells themselves cost significantly more.

flynn337: I wonder if it's because their batteries "fell off a truck" and you sure seem nosy like a Lenovo cop going so far as to asking for a serial number (ie, it's probably hot!)

 

Luck of the draw. I would use ebay if their price was a'lot lower than the manufacturers price. And if it didn't hold a good charge or something, I would return it. Keep an eye on their return policy, make sure they do acccept returns.

 

In my experience, the lower quality cells also lose their permanent, maximum charge far quicker. So an aftermarket battery that may seem to hold a decent charge right when you purchase it, could very well lose that far faster shortly down the road.

 

My impression is that discussions about 3rd party batteries always end inconclusively (instead of definitely in favor / against 3rd party batteries). People who claim that 3rd party batteries die faster / hurt your computer / kill your kittens seldom back their claims with experience (for the simple reason that people who dislike 3rd party batteries do not buy 3rd party batteries). Without real experience, those claims are just claims (which may be true or false).

Can you link to a few threads that end with the "final conclusion" as you stated?

 

http://forum.eeeuser.com/viewtopic.php?pid=579904
Discussion on issues with Chinese made packs
http://www.all-battery.com/li-ioncylindricalrechargeablebatteries.aspx
These guys don't even sell li-ion cells from a less reputable Chinese source.
In fact, at one point I think they even said bluntly that 2600mAh cells couldn't be reliably manufactured there. In fact, I think that was about the Tenergy cells a while back. That's the only company I would even remotely consider (and you likely wouldn't get those from an eBay batttery).

Personally, I wouldn't mind an OEM battery made from these:
http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/en091218-2/en091218-2.html

 

Well like I said, that's just what I've read when I was researching into buying them. I have yet to crack open one of the ebay batteries and see just what's in there.
Interestingly, my Lenovo Power Manager reports the cells in my Ebay batt are Sanyo cells. However, I do agree with most of what you've said, and wouldn't be surprised if they were no ACTUALLY Sayno cells.


I still stand by that if you're careful, and don't need to rely on an Ebay battery as your main battery, they're not a bad way to go. Personally, I will be replacing my T60 this summer with something else (possibly not even a Thinkpad, sadly), and until then, I'm sure my $60 Ebay battery will hold up just fine for occasional use. I just think if you need to rely on the replacement battery multiple days a week, it's probably better to go with OEM and pay more and avoid the issues like other posters have stated may occur. (much higher rate of wear, etc) But if it's something you're going to be using just every now and then, you'll be fine.

 

Sanyo (now owned by Panasonic) cells are made in China mostly, and they are used extensively in Ipods of various generations, and they are extremely cheap each cell is around 3 to 5 dollars USD... while the Sony and Panasonic cells are made in Japan............. These ebay batteries using Sanyo cells, could using the defective cells that was part of the recall, which without the safety circuit in the official battery, could lead to an explosion or fire like in some older IBM and Dell laptops.

Considering how many recalls have been put on the Japanese battery cells, recent recall from Lenovo, IBM, Dell, Apple have all involved made in Japan Sony Cells........ so quality wise i am not sure how good they really are. Panasonic cells so far have exhibited the highest longevity and durability of any battery cells used in thinkpads in the past 10 years.

Sanyo cells are the worst due to the number of across the industry recall, closely followed by Sony......

The quality of battery depends on the purity of anode, cathode and the solid solution electrolyte.

 

I thought the fire related to the Sony cells was actually due to a faulty battery assembly (something about metal shavings outside the cells, but within the plastic casings).

As far as I can tell, Lenovo is using the Panasonic 2900mAh which is even higher quality in the batteries of their new models. That's a good sign, because I don't think Panasonic's competitors have gone beyond 2600mAh...

 

plastic casings as in the plastic wrap around the cell or the case of the battery??

 

I just purchased a 7 cell for my T61 from lenovo's outlet. It was labeled as a scratch and dent. When I recieved it I was pleasantly surprised not a scratch and over 3 hrs with my dedicated video. Cost $36.00

 

most of the battery from these outlet are actually new... so there are good bargains to be had from the outlet in USA.

 

Thanks guys,

I think I will go for ebay, 60-70 GBP is big enough reason for me
And to tell you the true I’m not happy with my T61p, build quality is crap compare to my old T41
My touch pad got broken and now the battery…..

 

thats false..
i have an ebay battery and keep track, and all the information is there in power manager, and its correct

 

do any of you have expeerience.. or are you just making bad assumptions??
i say go ahead and purchase it from a reliable ebay-er...
my ebay battery is awesome!
(on my t43) and i have 0 problems with it!
great buy and hundred less than original 9 cell

 

I bought one used genuine Lenovo battery.

It is as claimed. Good quality so far.

 

i have had couple of experiences with ebay batteries on the T4x laptop, all three have died........ after 1 year of use, around 50 to 60 charge cycle on them...... compared to the Panasonic battery which is still going strong...

 

I had a horrible experience on ebay battery. I bought an apple battery, which lasted for three cycles. The seller have 99.65% positive feedback and agreed to put a replacement. After I shipped back (extra 15 dollars), he never gets back to me. By the time, I cannot put a bad feedback on him. I guess this is how they keep their positive feedbacks......

 

While the savings may be enticing to us all, the risk of the thing blowing up and injuring someone or torching not only your NB but you home or office makes the proposition not a smart one. Maybe if you can get a genuine Lenovo one then if would be different but do you trust the seller? Have you seen the movie Brackdraft? It's not even funny. Not all of the eBay sellers will sham you straight but but would have to say most of them are shady. Not in the sense you wont receive a product but they tend to overstate the product. I recall in trying to understand what OEM exactly means with a certain retailer not even on eBay I almost got scammed. Even Nextag tried to remove a post I made and had the audacity to try to harrass me into removing it. Of course I refused. But they took it down anyway. Losers. Most recently in trying to purchase another part on eBay the seller had the aucacity to say he really wasnt sure if it was genuine when he was lying through his teeth and knew that it was not.