Thinkpads Forum

We have 2 T61's that are about 1.5 years old. One battery is completely gone with an error that says it won't charge. The other one only lasts about 15 minutes. Both are the 9 cell OEM batteries. This is pretty sad since the original battery in my T30 still works for about 30 minutes!!!

I need to buy new batteries but see no point in paying such high prices for OEM batteries that don't last. Has anyone had good experiences with other battery manufacturers?

You can see if your battery is maybe subject to a recall. Lenovo announced some recalls on certain batteries displaying the "cannot be charged" message. Even though it seems the FRUs are different from yours, it won't hurt to try:
http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-battery ... s-1452331/

My personal experience with genuine IBM/Lenovo batteries has been mostly very good. Whereas experience with non-OEM batteries may vary. You can find a few threads in these forums where people describe various issues with them.

Grab a couple of OEM T6x batteries from the Lenovo outlet (scratch n dent) store. They back in stock for under $50.00.

dr_st wrote:You can see if your battery is maybe subject to a recall. Lenovo announced some recalls on certain batteries displaying the "cannot be charged" message. Even though it seems the FRUs are different from yours, it won't hurt to try:
http://www.slashgear.com/lenovo-battery ... s-1452331/

Thanks for the link but unfortunately no luck.

sktn77a wrote:Grab a couple of OEM T6x batteries from the Lenovo outlet (scratch n dent) store. They back in stock for under $50.00.

Only a 90 day warranty on those batteries! I see some non Lenovo batteries advertised with a 3 year warranty. I don't know if they are any good but might be worth a try.

Ed H wrote: Only a 90 day warranty on those batteries! I see some non Lenovo batteries advertised with a 3 year warranty. I don't know if they are any good but might be worth a try.

I wouldn't worry about that - the 90 day "cosmetically blemished" Lenovo batteries will last much longer than the "3 year warranty" aftermarket batteries! And read the warranty on those aftermarket batteries - even if the company/seller is still in business (highly unlikely) they aren't worth the pixels they are displayed on!

sktn77a wrote: I wouldn't worry about that - the 90 day "cosmetically blemished" Lenovo batteries will last much longer than the "3 year warranty" aftermarket batteries! And read the warranty on those aftermarket batteries - even if the company/seller is still in business (highly unlikely) they aren't worth the pixels they are displayed on!

Ok...you convinced me to stay with Lenovo batteries. The outlet store has a couple of 6 cell batteries but no 9 cell. I assume it is just a matter of keeping an eye on the site for new stock?

sktn77a wrote:Grab a couple of OEM T6x batteries from the Lenovo outlet (scratch n dent) store. They back in stock for under $50.00.

Thanks for this great info sktn!