In search of replacement batteries for older ThinkPads
July 24, 2014 8:47 PM Subscribe
The hive mind was a major help when I was in the market for a couple of used ThinkPads...It's time for the inevitable follow up question: Any recommendations for good Thinkpad battery sources?
I have two X60's, and two T60's (single boot and double boot, Win7, XP, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS)
I recently bought several aftermarket batteries from a reputable laptop battery outfit; they were reasonably priced, not 'cheap'. There were a range of glitches (one X60 battery didn't sit flush, the batteries for the T60 won't lock properly). All seem to charge properly, and hold that charge. The T60 batteries will have to go back.
(When I was originally looking, it seemed to me that Lenovo didn't carry the 6 cell batteries for T60s - I'm willing to purchase from Lenovo if I can't find a good aftermarket option.)
All ideas welcome.
I have two X60's, and two T60's (single boot and double boot, Win7, XP, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS)
I recently bought several aftermarket batteries from a reputable laptop battery outfit; they were reasonably priced, not 'cheap'. There were a range of glitches (one X60 battery didn't sit flush, the batteries for the T60 won't lock properly). All seem to charge properly, and hold that charge. The T60 batteries will have to go back.
(When I was originally looking, it seemed to me that Lenovo didn't carry the 6 cell batteries for T60s - I'm willing to purchase from Lenovo if I can't find a good aftermarket option.)
All ideas welcome.
I buy literally whatever the cheapest battery on amazon or ebay is that's shipping from inside the US.
I've gotten one shitty battery the connector literally fell off of, but the rest have been totally fined and performed as expected. One was ever so slightly too wide(like, barely 1mm) and i just jamfulled it in and it's still working great.
It's worth noting that the last two machines i did this on were... an X60 and a T60, too.
If it doesn't fit or lock properly something, just return it and order one from a different seller. And yea, i had to re-seat several times and really wiggle/jam the T60 one to get it to lock, for what it's worth.
I've amusingly had better luck with the absolute cheapest ones than i have with like, anker or whatever brand name non bottom of barrel ones. I've probably bought more than ten, all for different machines. The only time i don't recommend the cheapest possible ones is the sealed-in mac batteries.
posted by emptythought at 11:34 PM on July 24, 2014
I've gotten one shitty battery the connector literally fell off of, but the rest have been totally fined and performed as expected. One was ever so slightly too wide(like, barely 1mm) and i just jamfulled it in and it's still working great.
It's worth noting that the last two machines i did this on were... an X60 and a T60, too.
If it doesn't fit or lock properly something, just return it and order one from a different seller. And yea, i had to re-seat several times and really wiggle/jam the T60 one to get it to lock, for what it's worth.
I've amusingly had better luck with the absolute cheapest ones than i have with like, anker or whatever brand name non bottom of barrel ones. I've probably bought more than ten, all for different machines. The only time i don't recommend the cheapest possible ones is the sealed-in mac batteries.
posted by emptythought at 11:34 PM on July 24, 2014
Best answer: I've long been a fan of Kahlon. They aren't just resellers, they actually make the parts (and in the case of laptop batteries, even higher-capacity versions, if you don't mind it sticking out a little bit since it's literally two battery cells stacked atop each other inside a unified shell) and extensively test them to ensure compatibility. The gear is very reasonably priced-- definitely cheaper than if you were to go through Lenovo. The orders also arrive very quickly, sometimes overnight even if I use the free shipping option, though I suspect that may have more to do with my living less than a couple of hours away.
I can't recall ever having any problems with ordering from these guys.
posted by Yoshi Ayarane at 8:14 PM on July 25, 2014
I can't recall ever having any problems with ordering from these guys.
posted by Yoshi Ayarane at 8:14 PM on July 25, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks ... this is helpful so far I did very well (with AskMeFi's help) in finding used and refurbished ThinkPads (Ebay sellers, mostly). But I hear such crazy battery stories...and, expensive as the Lenovo batts are - they do last well (when treated right - easier said than done for all sorts of reasons).
It seems nobody's mentioning the more popular battery sources that I'm aware of...
Kahlon looks very interesting; they don't seem to have anything for a T60, though (unless I"m just missing it).
posted by ferkit at 11:23 PM on July 26, 2014
It seems nobody's mentioning the more popular battery sources that I'm aware of...
Kahlon looks very interesting; they don't seem to have anything for a T60, though (unless I"m just missing it).
posted by ferkit at 11:23 PM on July 26, 2014
Best answer: Browsing the Kahlon site - wouldn't this be it? When I put in T60 for "model search" they returned a few specific kinds of T60s (different years/styles) and I just clicked on the first one. I think they might all use the same batteries (or basically the same batteries - my experience with Lenovo has shown that interchangeable parts sometimes have different model numbers), but I'd check to be sure.
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:21 AM on July 28, 2014
posted by needs more cowbell at 10:21 AM on July 28, 2014
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posted by needs more cowbell at 10:55 PM on July 24, 2014