i_am_the_swammi Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 My work laptop battery is at the end of the road...unit will only stay running unplugged for about 10-15 minutes. I knwo I need a new battery. So the question is: do i buy it direct from IBM, and pay basically retail ($180), or are those "other" companies that produce batteries for all laptops reputable? Do they last as long? They are about 25-35% of the cost of an "IBM" battery, so I could get 3-4 of them and still pay about what I would for an IBM-branded battery. Am I getting raped paying for an IBM battery? is it like buying dealer-authorized parts for my car, instead of going to Firestone? I have no idea on this type of stuff, so any techs/IT gurus input would be hugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Dells are notoriously bad for their batteries, so I unfortunately had a ton of experience in buying aftermarket/replacement batteries. I bought them on the cheap, and they died faster than the Dell replacements. I may have had some issues other than the battery, but it was my determination that you should probably just pay the extra coin for the "real deal". Similarly, my wife bought a replacement wall plug/charger thingie for her Macbook, as one of our cats has an affinity for chewing up power cords. She opted for the $25 "just like the real thing, but from China" version... and every time she plugs it in, it makes a very odd buzzing sound. We don't leave it plugged in unless we're around and paying attention, you know, just in case... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Dells are notoriously bad for their batteries, so I unfortunately had a ton of experience in buying aftermarket/replacement batteries. I bought them on the cheap, and they died faster than the Dell replacements. I may have had some issues other than the battery, but it was my determination that you should probably just pay the extra coin for the "real deal". Similarly, my wife bought a replacement wall plug/charger thingie for her Macbook, as one of our cats has an affinity for chewing up power cords. She opted for the $25 "just like the real thing, but from China" version... and every time she plugs it in, it makes a very odd buzzing sound. We don't leave it plugged in unless we're around and paying attention, you know, just in case... my wife also has a device that she plugs in and it also makes a buzzing noise. she calls it her "lil unta." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sunday Couch Potatoe Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) For 180.00 your already 2/3 of the way to a nice new one these days. I mean I just paid 350.00 for a Compaq for my 15 year old son and it is better than my laptop 230 GB harddrive and all the bells and whistles. Don't know how old your computer is but for a little more money I'd upgrade and have windows 7 and a better Computer. If not than I do believe the companies who sell batteries are reputable but it's still at your own risk. My brother is a district manager for Staples and he always suggests going new when things start going wrong even a battery most of the time it's a snowball affect with these things. Good Luck! Edited March 2, 2010 by Sunday Couch Potatoe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darin3 Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 For 180.00 your already 2/3 of the way to a nice new one these days. I mean I just paid 350.00 for a Compaq for my 15 year old son and it is better than my laptop 230 GB harddrive and all the bells and whistles. Don't know how old your computer is but for a little more money I'd upgrade and have windows 7 and a better Computer. If not than I do believe the companies who sell batteries are reputable but it's at your own risk. My brother is a district manager for Staples and he always suggests going new when things start going wrong even a battery most of the time it's a snowball affect with these things. Good Luck! Exactly what I ended up doing... scrapped the Dell, which was only a couple years old, but for another $120, got a brand new Toshiba. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) Can't scrap the IBM....work provided box, and its a pretty nice laptop definitely need to replace the battery, so thanks for the input on the generic battery.....probably worth the extra $120 or so to get the real deal. Edited March 1, 2010 by i_am_the_swammi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twiley Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I've used eBatts in the past to buy laptop batteries. I'm not sure how they compare to other sites out there but it was cheaper than the manufacturer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Can't scrap the IBM....work provided box, and its a pretty nice laptop definitely need to replace the battery, so thanks for the input on the generic battery.....probably worth the extra $120 or so to get the real deal. Since it's a work provided laptop...can you get the battery swapped out (maybe under warranty) thru your IT dept? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Dick Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) my wife also has a device that she plugs in and it also makes a buzzing noise. she calls it her "lil unta." Does it have a Tebow head on it? Or is it yours that has that? Edited March 1, 2010 by Chief Dick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
untateve Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 Does it have a Tebow head on it? Or is it yours that has that? hmmm...note to self--CD is a marketing genius. Must get my people to contact Tebow and run with this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i_am_the_swammi Posted March 2, 2010 Author Share Posted March 2, 2010 Since it's a work provided laptop...can you get the battery swapped out (maybe under warranty) thru your IT dept? I am the IT department ....there's only three of us, and my boss is always the kind of guy to say "just order another battery thru IBM". I'm the guy that likes to save us a buck or two, so I googled my make and model, and was amazed to find some compatible batteries for a fraction of the cost as going thru IBM. Just have no idea if they are apples-to-apples. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buddahj Posted March 2, 2010 Share Posted March 2, 2010 I am the IT department ....there's only three of us, and my boss is always the kind of guy to say "just order another battery thru IBM". I'm the guy that likes to save us a buck or two, so I googled my make and model, and was amazed to find some compatible batteries for a fraction of the cost as going thru IBM. Just have no idea if they are apples-to-apples. What's the cost of the cheaper battery? If it's only $25-50 cheaper...I'd probably go with the IBM one. If it's like $100 cheaper then I'd roll the dice on the no-name brand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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