Replacing battery cells - good idea?

I have two batteries for my Thinkpad T23 - one is dead, and the other is dying (< ~30 minutes of battery life). I want to be able to use this laptop for ~6-12 months more (probably start looking to upgrade around the time Santa Rosa is released..) - so I need more battery power.

I heard of a site http://www.refillbattery.com/ which replaces the battery cells with new ones. Sounds like an interesting idea - and they can do it for pretty cheap (~1/2 the cost of a new battery from IBM direct, a bit cheaper than E-bay). Now, my concern is.. in light of the recent battery recalls, and the "caution - do not open" text printed right on the battery.. is this type of thing safe?

For anyone in the Toronto area, would you recommend these people? Or a different company?

If this isn't the way to go (for whatever reason).. where would I be able to find a new( or new-ish) battery for relatively cheap? I'm a bit concerned about trying to buy on E-bay, what with all of the less than honest sellers trying to pawn off defective merchandise that does not perform as expected...

 

I would be rather concerned with the safety of using a battery that was replaced like the one your mentioned. I'm actually not very hot on the idea of unofficial batteries for notebooks either.

Unofficial batteries are not built with the same quality or safety standards as the licensed ones. Of course, there are many available at a fraction of the cost of the real thing--so many buy them. Some have problems and others don't. It's all discussed in more detail in the battery guide.

If you really need battery power--you may consider taking a risk on a third-party battery. There are a number of websites that sell them and you may get what you need at a lower price than a licensed battery.

But if the battery is only $100-150 and you get a year's productivity out of it--I don't think that's too high a price to pay considering you'd be earning money while using the notebook.

Also, Santa Rosa will be released in the next few months so you may just want to make do with your current battery and AC power until you buy your next system. Particularly if you are going to buy a Santa Rosa system right after its release.

 

I just did a super quick Google search, and it looks like you can get a battery for just $50. Most likely unofficial, but the savings are probably worth it. Like, you'll have a much better chance of selling your laptop once you get a new one if it has a battery than if it doesn't. I once got a battery just to sell. Unofficial. From iGo for ThinkPad 770z - a super old model. Worked like a charm.

This place says it'll pay for return shipping if for any reason you're not satisfied. So if it doesn't work, you're covered.

Here is official battery for just $77 shipped, but you save $10 with Google checkout, so that makes it $67. Not free, but affordable.

You may be able to find better deals if you spend more time searching...

Malia

 

it's safe for them to replace battery but not for us. You might as well buy similar to what malia mention as the T23 so battery is getting cheaper. But make it is OEM battery or it is just a replacement.

I've heard some recommendation with the batteryrefill website before so can't go wrong if you decide to get from that website.