Can anyone recommend a place to buy a laptop battery?

October 25, 2010 12:49 PM

Can anyone recommend a place to buy a laptop battery? I need a battery for a Vostro 1500 and I refuse to pay what those greedy bastards at Dell are asking.
posted by nooneyouknow to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

If you're careful with seller ratings, eBay can be great for this.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:57 PM on October 25, 2010

Gov Connection seems to have one for $134. No idea if that's better or worse than Dell wants.
posted by bowmaniac at 1:05 PM on October 25, 2010

Be very careful if you go the eBay route. While many of the generic batteries are just as good, some can have shoddy construction and poor voltage control. If the battery ships from China, particularly Hong Kong, it's probably either a generic or a knock-off. Definitely go through seller ratings and feedback comments. Second-hand batteries are usually a terrible idea, as you have no idea what the condition will be and how much charge potential it has left.

With that said, I've bought laptop batteries on eBay a few times and never had a significant problem. (On one the plastic panel that actually covers the cells started to come off. A little superglue and all was fine.)
posted by truex at 1:18 PM on October 25, 2010

I got one on ebay for my Vostro 1000 for $35, and it works perfectly. It even has a 3 year warranty.
posted by Linnee at 1:22 PM on October 25, 2010

Tigerdirect.com has that for $100.00, plus shipping. They're a reputable company with an excellent shipping system. I ordered a part from them Thursday and received it Friday, with normal shipping. I don't hesitate buying from them if I need something electronic.
posted by JohnE at 2:15 PM on October 25, 2010

newegg.com

I've gotten great deals on replacement parts for my dell.
Good luck
posted by QueerAngel28 at 2:40 PM on October 25, 2010

I've had extremely bad luck with aftermarket batteries from eBay. I'm not sure what's going on exactly, but two died on me within a month, one of which apparently damaged the laptop's charge controller. I also had an aftermarket charger that shorted out and could have caught fire had it been unattended. I'd at least go with a company that puts its name on the product and sells through an online retailer, rather than the unbranded ones that sell directly on eBay.
posted by miyabo at 3:05 PM on October 25, 2010

Beyond eBay, you can also check Amazon resellers. They also have a rating system, and I had a pretty good experience with LaptopMate. They sell 3rd party products, but they're well-priced and quick to reply. I ordered a replacement charger for a Dell laptop, and the first one didn't actually fit the plug on the laptop. I sent a complaint via email, explaining the problem, and they sent out a new one pretty quickly, with no request to return the first adapter they sent out. The second adapter fit, and charged the dead laptop without any weird chemical smells or overheating, so it seems to work. Overall, they have a really good Amazon rating.

I feel like a shameless shill here, but I was really surprised how responsive and helpful they were, and their over-all rating is really high. The fact that I got an adapter that didn't fit the first time is a bit shady, but I realize that's part of the risk you run with a $3.66 adapter (shipping was almost twice as much).
posted by filthy light thief at 4:03 PM on October 25, 2010

I've purchased several Dell-equivalent batteries and AC adapters from Diamondback Battery & Electronics and was very happy with their products and fast service. Looks like they have an equivalent battery for the Vostro 1500 for about $60.
posted by fuse theorem at 4:50 PM on October 25, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I will check these out.
posted by nooneyouknow at 7:03 AM on October 27, 2010