Buying genuine Lenovo batteries by manufacturer

[dr_st]

For most Thinkpads Lenovo uses 2-3 different battery manufacturers, with Sony, Sanyo and Panasonic being the common.

Common experience shows that some batteries fare better than others over time, most notably Panasonic tend to hold their maximum capacity closer to design capacity better than Sanyo. So when buying a new battery I would have an obvious preference for Panasonic.

Batteries by different manufacturer have different FRUs, but the same part number. For example, the 6-cell battery for T/R/W/SL is P/N 40Y6799, with FRU 42T5246 for Sanyo, 92P1139 for Panasonic and 92P1141 for Sony.

When you order directly from Lenovo or from a reseller, you order by the part number, and so have no control of what you get.

When ordering from eBay, it is also a mess. Very often merchants just list all the possible FRU/P-N, and you don't even know whether they are selling a genuine Lenovo or just a compatible battery unless you ask them directly.

So, is there a reliable way for me to get a specific battery from a specific manufacturer for a specific laptop?