Advice on getting a new laptop battery

[blackbird34]

Hi everyone

What are the specs to look for when getting a new laptop battery?
Which specs out of the voltage/ number of cells/ intensity in mAh give the best idea of the battery life and value for money I can expect?

For example, bearing in mind that i'm in France and that shopping on US sites would give very high delivery costs, is a 12 Cell battery with 10.8V and 8800mAh/95Wh [Amazon link] a good deal or can I get something better? i've been looking around a bit but i'm no expert... Especially as the Amazon sellers i've been looking at have very few user comments/ ratings...

Good night

[tgalati4]

You can't trust the specifications printed on a battery. User's experiences and reviews are your best bet. There is a lot of crap out there so beware. Crappy lithium cells are easy to hide and only after you have had the battery for 3 months will you know if it works correctly and what kind of battery life to expect.

I would find a local source with some sort of return/warranty policy. I would also buy two batteries, and rotate them every 3 months. Most laptop batteries are only good for 300 charge cycles or 3 years which ever comes first. Daily battery use (a student lugging to class every day) will mean that the battery will only last 1 to 2 years. Using battery on the weekends (coffee shop use) you will get 3-4 years.

Voltage, Amperage and Watt-hours are meaningless. Does the battery fit your laptop properly? Does it charge and discharge properly? Is your charging brick large enough to both run the laptop and charge the battery at the same time? Specifications won't help you with those questions.

You might have luck getting some lithium cells and rebuilding your current battery pack. At least you know what's in your battery pack.

If you purchase the battery in the link you provided and it fails to perform, then leave feedback on the Amazon page and return it.

[mips]

You can repack the cells in your existing battery if the electronics are still good. This way at least you know you are buying decent cells. ThemAh & Wh ratings when accurate will determine how long you can run your laptop for, the higher the rating the better.

[blackbird34]

I had a quick read on replacing cells, it looks a little more technical that replacing a laptop hard drive... Do you know of any decent tutorials for it?
Besides I'm not absolutely sure the electonics are good either, because my battery indicators and so on keep overestimating the leftover time by 20 to 30% and making the battery fail on me.

Do you know if there are any decently reputable sites for batteries? I've looked at Materiel.net, touted as the French Newegg (I got a hard drive there once), and a 12 cell 8800mAh HP battery there is 109 euros, twice as much as my first Amazon link...

[mips]

https://www.google.co.za/webhp?sourc...43828540,d.d2k

[blackbird34]

Thanks very much for the info

I don't really have the tools for all that, so I had a go at buying the battery off my link and I'll see, I could give you feedback on it if you want!

[tgalati4]

The overestimating happens when the battery response is no longer linear. Normally declining voltage is linear with use-time. When you have one or two bad cells, the battery falls off a cliff, voltage-wise from 10.5VDC to 9VDC--forcing an emergency (ungraceful) shutdown.

If you measure the voltage of the individual cells, you can often spot the bad one. So you can sometimes get by with replacing only one or two cells. Also, if you see corrosion or leaking on one or two cells, then they need replacing. If 4 or 5 cells are bad, then I would replace all of them. So buy one locally (expensive), by a cheaper one overseas and wait, buy some cells to fix your existing battery. Then share your experience on each. You will have 3 batteries in the end and know a lot more about batteries than you care to.

Check the voltage on your power brick. It needs to be at or slightly above the rated voltage printed on the brick. Also, check the condition of your power jack on the laptop. A loose or broken jack will cause charging problems. The power supply needs to be able to power the laptop without the battery in it. Although some laptops won't boot without a battery.

[3rdalbum]

I know almost nothing about the science behind batteries. This is an anecdote only.

I bought an Acer Aspire One years ago, which came with a 3-cell battery. I wanted more battery life, so I bought a 9-cell third-party battery from an e-bay seller in Hong Kong. A year later, I bought a newer model Aspire One that also came with a 3-cell battery.

Both the genuine 3-cell Acer batteries are dead. The computer won't run for even a second with these batteries, even if you try to charge them. The no-name 9-cell battery is still going strong. The 9-cell is nearly four years old. The 3-cells died in less than two years each.

Buying a no-name battery from a high-rated seller in Hong Kong, that costs less than a lower-capacity genuine battery, may be the best option!

[mips]

I know almost nothing about the science behind batteries. This is an anecdote only.

I bought an Acer Aspire One years ago, which came with a 3-cell battery. I wanted more battery life, so I bought a 9-cell third-party battery from an e-bay seller in Hong Kong. A year later, I bought a newer model Aspire One that also came with a 3-cell battery.

Both the genuine 3-cell Acer batteries are dead. The computer won't run for even a second with these batteries, even if you try to charge them. The no-name 9-cell battery is still going strong. The 9-cell is nearly four years old. The 3-cells died in less than two years each.

Buying a no-name battery from a high-rated seller in Hong Kong, that costs less than a lower-capacity genuine battery, may be the best option!

Luck of the draw I say. If it uses quality brand cells & electronics then it will be good.

[mastablasta]

Luck of the draw I say. If it uses quality brand cells & electronics then it will be good.

not really. my cousin had a simialr experience. inluding shipping he payed 24 USD for delivery from hong kong to europe. an equivalent batter on local market would cost him 80-100 EUR. the battery is sitll running. the battery was so cheap he though he wouldn't lose so much money by ordering it if it turned out it is bad. he bough another one later on. also works well a year into its service.

it helps to decide if the seller has a good reputation.