non-OEM batteries

Hello everyone,

I need to replace the batteries on my T42 (still going strong

The official 6-cells from lenovo are $150, compared to $40 from various vendors from buy.com, amazon, etc. I'd like to ask you all for advice - have you folks bought battery replacements from such 3rd parties? Whasts your experience? Suggestions? Any help you can provide me is much appreciated...

 

Well just because it's on amazon or eBay doesn't mean they're all non-OEM. I have no experience with Amazon but on eBay most of the ones i've looked up for my T61p are genuine Lenovo/IBM.

 

youre right, ebay does have official ones, but the cost tends to be pretty high - im curious if anyone has bought non OEM and been happy, or if theres a concensus to use a specific vendor/avoid all non OEM entirely, etc.

 

Here we go, one for about 45 USD

http://cgi.ebay.ca/NEW-Genuine-IBM-...ItemQQptZLaptop_Batteries?hash=item5d26816d24

 

I haven't tried any non-oem batteries but I heard some nice reviews from Level 8 Technology. My sister and I were planning on getting new batteries from there later.

http://www.level8technology.com/ibm-thinkpad-t42-battery-ibm-thinkpad-t42-laptop-battery-612

 

Given that the battery is the most dangerous component of your computer (i.e. the part most likely to explode / start a fire if it fails catastrophically) I prefer to use only OEM replacement batteries. Have a look at what happened to Alan Cox's (famous Linux kernel developer) ThinkPad 600 with a 3rd party battery back in Sept. 2006.

In theory it should be possible to produce a 3rd party battery as good or better than the OEM battery. In practice, it's very difficult to know the quality of the battery you buy. Here is one way that 3rd-party batteries can differ from OEM. (Lack of safety feature.)

A great place to buy genuine Lenovo batteries at reduced prices is at the Lenovo outlet. But the selection is hit and miss, so if you need a battery in a hurry, that's not the best option.

A final, related, note that doesn't help you right now, but might in the future: Lenovo is now offering extended warranties on batteries of new ThinkPads, at least in the U.S. For $20 at time of purchase, you can get one free battery replacement over the next 3 years. Seems like a good deal if you put a lot of "mileage" (cycles) on your battery.

Best regards,
Frank

 

You folks misunderstand OEM. OEM means made to manufacturer's specifications rather than being genuine Lenovo, Sony, Dell, etc. While some of these other brands may claim OEM specs I doubt such specs are open source. Rather its propeietary. OF course the PC manufacturers just source from battery manufacturers but they are also made to spec. I think you are taking a risky chance buying a non-genuine battery. It could damage your NB or even explode. If there is a recall, the fly by nights just close. Have you ever heard of them issuing a recall?

For the extended warranty, does one get a refurbed or new?

 

Don't be fooled by the 3-year battery warranty. When you purchase a new ThinkPad system, you see two options (among others) listed under the "three year warranty" heading:

• 3-year depot warranty (around $110)
• 3-year battery warranty (around $130)

And you think to yourself, wow, for $20 extra, Lenovo will guarantee your battery for 3 years! What a deal!

Wrong. The 3-year depot warranty guarantees the computer (except the battery) for three years. The 3-year battery warranty guarantees only the battery (and not the rest of the computer) for three years. The 3-year battery warranty option does not extend the warranty coverage for your system, so you are paying $130 (instead of $20) for the battery warranty.

 

It's a bad deal, seems like it. $120 up front and then a call option with a strike price of $20 with the price set and paid at the beginning.

=120 + 20/(1+R)^3 = cost to you with R=treasury yield

If this is > than current cost of a battery then its a deal breaker.

Lenovo makes 120 *(1+R)^3 + 20 while component costs are likely to go down over time.

 

I'm thinking that if you are going to use an non-OEM battery. You would use Lenovo's Power Manager to set the thresholds to stop charging at a certain percentage vs. a continuous charge. If you are using Linux then look around. I'm pretty sure there are scripts that will do "threshold limits" for you.

Another thing if you are paranoid would be to charge it up and then take it out. Put back in your Lenovo OEM. That way you have a backup when the Lenovo battery gets low.

I feel that the prices for genuine Lenovo batteries are outrageous! I don't blame anyone for wanting to save a little money.

 

If you would have used Power Manager properly perhaps you would not need a new battery. The percentage thing works.

 

Using Battery Thresholds will not extend the life of the battery indefinitely. The point I am making is that if someone decides to buy non-Lenovo batteries they can use the Thresholds to make sure they don't have a continuous charge to it. I use the Lenovo Power Manager 3 (XP), 4 (W7), and a Python script (Linux) to set stop and start charging times.

 

Slightly off-topic, but if I'm keeping my laptop on my desk most of the time, should I leave the battery out and just charge/discharge it once a month?

 

Leave in, using Power Manager thresholds to charge at say below 40% and stop at 50%. This means if AC is plugged in, the battery is basically just sitting there doing nothing. Preserves it. I don't advise leaving it out. In case of a surge you want the AC adator to take the hit and next the battery. This assumes you ahve no surge protector.

 

Yes but... heat is a battery's enemy, and usually the battery when in the laptop regularly heats up to over 30C.

 

And how about this one ::
http://cgi.ebay.ca/12-Cells-Battery...cessories_LaptopBatteries?hash=item414c51f9e1