Are $25 aftermarket laptop batteries from Ebay good or bad?

[GoodEnough]

Stuff like this.

Good or bad?
Same as OEM? Better? Worse?

 

[NickelPlate]

I'd consider any cheap battery purchases from eBay or overseas exactly that, cheap batteries. That said I have bought some that were pretty decent and others that were turds. YMMV, but look for brand name OEM replacements.

 

[Binky]

All china-cheapo batteries made for any purpose are the same - all over the map.

Almost never as good as OEM, but often worth the price unless you prize ultimate performance above all else.

 

[GoodEnough]

Ok,so they do work then? Yes they don't need to be OEM equivalent, but they might be a great bang for the buck when OEM batteries are $250 vs $25 for repro..

 

[Berliner]

they might be a great bang

Yes, exactly.

 

[corkyg]

They can be good value, they can be poor value. E-Bay is not a source you can generalize. It is a collection of many sources, some good, some bad. I have bought 3rd party replacement batteries at my local Batteries + store, and they have been very good value.

 

[Compman55]

I have had great luck. But I have a fear, I never charge them unattended. That is the most likely point they will explode. They can also explode when in use, but then you are in front of it. Seldom to li-ion batteries explode in an neutral state.

So out of the few I have bought, they seem to work well.

 

[corkyg]

Yes, there is a risk in charging Li-Ion batteries. Makers have been working to lessen them, but they are there. This article provides an excellent overview, and concludes with good recommendations:

http://www.techlicious.com/blog/the-risk-of-exploding-lithium-ion-batteries/

IUntuitively, I would add that 3rd party "el cheapos" would pose a higher risk.

 

[fire400]

yep couldn't agree more, it's hit and miss.

some come with warranties too, but nothing is guaranteed.

even genuine products that have had aging shelf life guarantee nothing.

something else to consider is the degradation rate of many laptop users' battery integrity and the protocol charging/charge-retention communication between OS and motherboard.

we may think we're getting a new battery, but if the final-product engineering is mostly trash, like the TxxS series of thinkpads 2009-2012, then don't expect stellar quality regardless of battery manufacturer.

good luck

 

[gmaster456]

I've used them in the past. Not as good as OEM batteries typically but worth the price.