X61s battery advice

[walrustahiti]

Hi, title says it all : I'm looking for experts advice in finding a X61s battery. So far, I've found some sellers on eBay (mainly shipping from HK) : are there some better options? More generally, what do I have to look carefully before buying a battery?
Thanks!

[theterminator93]

In general, any "compatible" packs will work, but the generic (non-Lenovo) ones will vary greatly in quality. They might not charge to 100%, they might cause the computer to due suddenly when operating under battery power at less-than-empty (or remotely close to empty) charge levels. My only experience with one was that it ran fine for about a year (despite wearing out quickly), then suddenly it started dying unexpectedly at a 90% ish charge.

The genuine Lenovo cells are more likely to operate as designed for a reasonable length of time. If the seller knows how to and is willing to provide it, a screenshot of the Power Manager information so you can see the battery details yourself is very valuable. Something like what this seller did: http://www.ebay.com/itm/272390380213?_t ... EBIDX%3AIT

Sanyo cells have traditionally been the least desired as they wear out more quickly. LG cells are good quality, but Panasonics are the best out there.

[rkawakami]

One other thing to consider is if you intend to use the X61s on an X6 Ultrabase: some aftermarket battery packs may NOT allow the X61s to mate to an Ultrabase. It has to do with the physical dimensions of the battery:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/ibm_x60/8-ce ... rket_1.jpg
http://www.kawakami-ca.com/ibm_x60/8-ce ... rket_2.jpg

[Shredder11]

I've bought a few cheap Ebay batteries for my X6x series models, and none have had any problems fitting in my docks. I guess I have been lucky so far, however I will maybe get my measuring tools out now to check!

[walrustahiti]

Thanks everyone for replying to me! I finally got a battery from ebay, with 82% remaining capacity... and 0 cycle count. I guess it was a pretty good deal. Battery was made in 2008...

[pgoelz]

1. I buy from Amazon. Returns are dead easy.

2. I do NOT buy old NOS batteries. Lithium cells degrade continuously from the day they are manufactured.

3. I look at reviews and do my best to buy a battery that seems to have good feedback. But I also don't spend a lot of money. I can replace my $20 battery several times for what one OEM battery costs so I am not terribly concerned about maximum performance.

Paul