Buying a new battery

[amag]

Hey everyone,

My 6 cell battery for my T60 has completely died after only about 1.5 years of use (is that a normal lifespan? I do have it plugged in a lot, but I have the power manager set to "extend battery life" charging mode or whatever).

In any case, I need a new one - I'd like to get another basic 6-cell battery, but the lenovo website lists all of the T series batteries(6,7 and 9 cell) as requiring 4 weeks to ship - is this accurate? And if so, is there any reputable source for purchasing new T series batteries than can get them to me faster?

Thanks

[sarbin]

welcome to the forum.

post a "wtb" in the marketplace. i'll bet there are some folks that can help you out.

[steveg47]

The Lenovo part number for that battery is 40Y6799. But beware! there are many 3rd party batteries out there. My recommendation is to buy only the original Lenovo battery. You probably can get one quickly from Buy.com ... http://www.buy.com/prod/thinkpad-t60-se ... 11995.html

Also note that there is a 9 cell battery for the T60; part number 40Y6797.

[hellosailor]

Amag-
Depending on who you ask, a lithium battery should be good for 500-1000 cycles, most likely 500. If you cycle it once a day, it could be dead in 18 months. If you use a computer mainly on AC, it could be good for four years or longer.
Oddly I've seen lithium batteries reading 90-95% one day and dead the next, I'm not sure any of them will age to 4-5 years despite the best of care.

I'd also suggest sticking to Lenovo or a reputable source with brand name cells in their battery. No-name chinese battery suppliers have earned a bad name for lithium batteries that fail, and even the best have had problems with fires. I won't gamble on something that might start a fire while I'm sleeping. (Yes, I know the Lenovo battery packs are made in China too. One can only hope they are made "better".<G>)

[LIVE4SPD]

FYI My Dell and Lenovo Reps are all saying that batteries are in short supply because some factory in China that makes all the cells burned down like 2 months ago.

Not sure when inventories will build back to normal.

[Miller88]

I believe that one factory caught fire and another got hit by the earthquake.

I bought a 3rd party battery. It was ... okay ... but didn't have the equivalent of the 6 cell IBM battery.

[hart22]

I for one can recommend Brad for genuine Lenovo batteries at great prices. Bought several from him, highly satisfied each time. (And apologies if this is sounding more and more like a marketplace forum thread... )

Quality, price, and communication with him are superb.