Is it worth buying a brand new battery from Lenovo?

[fyodor1917]

I'm using a 6 cell battery for my 14.1" t60. It came with it used and I think it's older because it still has the IBM logo on it. I get about 2 hours of battery life out of it at the moment and i'm wondering if a brand new battery from lenovo would give me an extra hour or so. Currently a new 6 cell from lenovo that is compatible with my computer is about $150 I think (almost what paid for the computer). An off brand battery I bought for $20 on Amazon also lasts about 2 hours.

Does anyone have any experience with a brand new battery? I specifically mean one straight from lenovo. I think there are a lot of unused but somewhat older batteries that have been sitting around so I want to clarify I mean brand spanking new directly from lenovo.

[ZaZ]

I usually find the best prices for batteries on eBay. You can get genuine batteries there, but there's a lot of third party batteries too.

[91011]

It's very possible to get a genuine battery off ebay - I have many.
In your search term put: -for (dash for) that will rule of many, but not all, of the knockoffs.

Don't know what type LCD you have but you need to be especially careful - the 14" T60 4x3 models use a different battery than the 14" widescreen.

[fyodor1917]

Sorry what I meant to ask is if the new genuine 6-cell batteries last significantly longer than the one I have currently (~2 hours). Even at full price it might be worth it to me if they are and that's what I meant when I asked if they were worth buying...

[fyodor1917]

It's very possible to get a genuine battery off ebay - I have many.
In your search term put: -for (dash for) that will rule of many, but not all, of the knockoffs.

Don't know what type LCD you have but you need to be especially careful - the 14" T60 4x3 models use a different battery than the 14" widescreen.

I have a 4:3 model. How will I identify the battery and what would happen if I use the wrong one? Or would it not even fit?

[Neil]

Just won't fit...they are physically different. You can search for a battery with the same FRU# as you currently have, that should ensure compatibility.

As for run time, it's hard to say. I don't have experience, but imagine that a battery with new cells from Lenovo would not be much, if any, better than a battery with new cells from another source. The cells could very well have been manufactured in the same plant.

The only thing to look out for are off brand batteries that are sold as genuine Lenovo. That's just dishonest at least, if not illegal. But, good quality 3rd party batteries should be equal to an OEM brand with the same cells. Just my opinion. Others will have different opinions, I'm sure.

[fyodor1917]

Then I guess a new revision to my question is how long does a 6 cell battery typically last when it's brand new from lenovo?

[91011]

No one can accurately tell you. Depends on your power settings, gpu, cpu, whether your Wifi/BT radios are on, screen brightness...and what you're doing

This is what the book says:
6-cell: up to 6.0 hr; opt 9-cell: up to 9.0 hr; 9-cell plus Ultrabay battery: up to 11.5 hr

Note, "Up To"
I would guess 50-70% of their estimate is more real-world.

[fyodor1917]

ok thanks for that info. Mine never lasts much more than 2 hours even if i'm taking steps to conserve power like dimming.

[twistero]

Do you have Power Manager installed? If so, you can see detailed stats of the battery, including actual capacity and designed capacity. You can then calculate how long a new battery will last based on how long the current battery lasts.

[miro_gt]

Then I guess a new revision to my question is how long does a 6 cell battery typically last when it's brand new from lenovo?

2.5 to 3 hours typically, but depends on many things as posted above. So say from 2 hours for sure to 3.5 hours if you dont do much and take measures to keep battery life.

I do remember mine when new did 3:15 with not much usage on wifi.

[ZaZ]

I do remember mine when new did 3:15 with not much usage on wifi.

Yeah, that seems about right, but as noted, much will depend on the settings.

[ohbludvlsfan]

Buy from level8technology.com. Their batteries have the chip in them that makes your Thinkpad think it has a genuine lenovo battery. I have been using one for almost 6 months with no issues. Cost me $68.

[Radioguy]

Anyone here tried the monstrosity 12 or 14 cell aftermarket batteries? I still wonder if their casings are flimsier than 9 cell ones; especially since they are weight-bearing and have their own rubber feet.

[TuuS]

@radioguy, I've never tried one, but the fact that the battery firmly attaches to your system board on one end, and supports the weight of the laptop on the other... well, unless this thing is really well thought out, it could easily apply torque to your board and perhaps damage it. It doesn't take much to damage a board and on a traditional battery, the only torque on the board is from the weight of the battery itself, not the entire laptop.

If you do get one, be VERY careful, you might even want to put the laptop on a stand that allows the battery to hang free, but I think it's probably not worth the risk, but if you do get one, let us know what you think and if it looks like it's able to support the weight without transferring torque to the board.

[Radioguy]

Alas, this is not the first thread I've asked this in. I'm just hoping there's already a guinea pig out there.

As for the torque applied to the mobo: Allowing it to hang, considering the weight of such a thing, is probably just as risky as having it bear the weight of the machine. Seeing as there's no authentic OEM version of this battery to be copied, I just wonder if whoever adapted another T6x compatible battery (9 cell?) held to the same tolerances otherwise. I also wonder if they cut back on the plastic in the areas extended to accommodate the added cells and feet. If anything, the region would require even thicker plastic and need to allow less flex, but who knows....hence my hoping someone already took the plunge.

[ac12]

It is for that reason that I got a 6 cell battery for my T61 rather than the 9 cell battery. I can be clumsy, so I did not want to hit the part of the 9 cell battery that sticks out the back of the computer, breaking the rails that the battery slides onto....or breaking anything else. For me, less run time is cheaper than breaking the computer.

[Radioguy]

I have an authentic 9 cell, and it's pretty good - short of cases and sleeves I have that won't accommodate the T61 with it installed. (@#$%!).

Seriously, I think it's worse to have to remove it more frequently for such reasons than to have less runtime due to a lower capacity battery.

[allen]

hi, i see this thread is a couple months old,
but i just wanted to see what the general consensus was for buying a battery,

oem from ebay better than 3rd party?

i'm probably looking for 9 cell as a 2nd battery for my 6yr old t60p.
the original 6 cell lasts about an hr w/ full brightness and 2 hdd's inside.

[cadillacmike68]

OK, Level8 tech is now charging $108 for their batteries. That changes the equation for some.

I wouldn't put a monstrous 12 cell etc in my T61s. The 9 cells work fine and you can still put the T61 in a dock. Yes it's a little larger, and sticks outside, but if you carry two batteries when traveling as i always do, you can put a 6 cell in the t61 and carry the 9 cell separately.

I like the "up to" notation - reminds me of car salesmen.