Generic or Used Battery?

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james2008 · #1 Post by **james2008** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:26 pm

Hi all, this is my first post on the forums.

I recently got a T42 without a battery. I will be using it almost exclusively in areas where power outlets are available.

I want a battery, though, just to be safe in case of power outages/power strip failures/unintentional unpluggings/to move from one desk in the library to another.

Would I be better off with one of the generic batteries available on eBay or with a used IBM/Lenovo battery? I won't travel much, so reliability and price are more important factors for me than capacity. I'm on a tight budget, and a $100+ new battery isn't an option.

Thanks for any thoughts! If you have purchased a battery on eBay, please let me know how it's holding up. Someone else posted in the thread below asking participants to review their eBay purchased generic batteries here:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=58442

I'd be interested in that info as well.

-Jim

(Edited for clarity)

#2 Post by **Harryc** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:41 pm

Your best bet is to post a 'WTB" add here in the marketplace forum for a genuine IBM battery for your T42, either new or with very low cycles. There are members here who sell both.

sojourner · #3 Post by **sojourner** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:45 pm

Sometimes people with your requirements buy a used battery. Ebay has used batteries. The Marketplace sometimes has used batteries too.

I have one I've thought about selling to buy a new one. It's a 4.4AH IBM. If you are interested PM me for the details.

james2008 · #4 Post by **james2008** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 8:08 pm

Thanks for the feedback.

My concern about buying a used battery is that they may have been poorly cared for, and, as a result, might be even less reliable than a new generic.

Why do you recommend a used original over a new generic?

#5 Post by **gator** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:07 pm

james2008 wrote:Why do you recommend a used original over a new generic?

Because generic batteries die really quick compared to original batteries, and sometimes the thinkpad does not like such batteries. Not to mention poor battery lifetimes ... and safety issues too. Unless you are on a tight budget, look for a slightly used battery with a lesser cycle count and battery health in green. You'd be better off with such batteries, esp since you can find very good used T4x batteries.

If you were looking at a long discontinued model like the 600 series, there is no other option ... but if you can get good used batteries (or even unused authentic ones, plenty listed on ebay) why take a risk?

edit: here is one from the marketplace, plenty availble per your budget:
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=62614

james2008 · #6 Post by **james2008** » Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:40 pm

I appreciate the information, and thanks for that link! I'd seen some used batteries posted on eBay, but the seller did not go to the trouble of sharing Wh ratings reported by the the Thinkpad battery utility.

As someone with very little experience with laptop batteries (this is the first laptop I've owned, and I'm loving it), would you say that the 40 Wh battery will do what I'm looking for? Judging by what the seller said in the Marketplace thread, a 40 Wh battery would give about an hour's worth of charge time, assuming normal use. That would be perfect for me, assuming there aren't other reliability issues to be concerned about with such a heavily used battery.

Thanks again, and I hope the info here helps someone else too.

sktn77a · #7 Post by **sktn77a** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:49 pm

I agree to go with a near new IBM battery rather than a generic - I've had several generics and they just don't last. They key is to get one with a low cycle count but, more importantly, a remaining charge capacity of >40Wh. If you can find this for a reasonable price, go for it. Unfortunately, if I had a battery with low cycle count and high remaining charge capacity, I wouldn't be getting rid of it! So they may be in very short supply. A battery with >40Wh should last at least 2 hours and maybe longer.

An alternative is to get a dead battery and send it to batteryrefill.com for a cell replacement for about $50 (they also sell the complete battery for about $70). I've had good luck with two re-builds from them. However, a couple of other people on this board weren't happy with them as their turnaround is slow (3-4 weeks).

james2008 · #8 Post by **james2008** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 12:56 pm

Thanks for sharing your experience with generics. I'm set on a used battery now rather than a generic.

So what would you consider to be a low cycle count for a T4X battery?

Anything else to look out for?

NovaKnowledgeNow · #9 Post by **NovaKnowledgeNow** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 6:09 pm

Okay, I don't have the battery MaxiMiser utility, I do however have the thinkpad Power Managaer thing when I double click on the battery indicator. I'd love to know how many cycles I've used. How many cycles on a battery is acceptable?

SaberX · #10 Post by **SaberX** » Tue Jul 15, 2008 7:24 pm

Also remember that a low cycle count dont always mean a good battery.
The girlfirends T41 has a 6 cell IBM battery with only 20 cycle count.It's in the red with a 17.76Wh out of full 47.56Wh.With the first use date of 2004-09.
The first use date i think is more important.Look for one that has a first use date not that long ago.

msidd · #11 Post by **msidd** » Fri Jul 18, 2008 4:57 am

I think the most important factor would be the "Full Charge Capacity" then "Cycle Count" then Manufacturing date.

Generic or Used Battery?

Generic or Used Battery?

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