this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2023
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ThinkPad

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I bought a replacement battery that was not OEM off eBay. After about 4-6 months of use, the thing nearly blew up on me. The battery got so hot it could've started a fire. Seriously, spend the extra money, its not worth the risk.

If you're buying a replacement make sure it meets the safety standards and it is approved for use. I'm going to be buying only OEM batteries/chargers from now on.

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[–] unix_joe@lemmy.sdf.org 1 points 1 year ago

I've been using Anker chargers and USB-C cables exclusively since the USB-C transition half a decade ago. They fold up neatly and deliver more power at a fraction of the size of a standard ThinkPad charger.

Five countries, both 220 and 120 and I haven't had a single issue and they are used daily.

You can do non-OEM and still be fine.

Regarding batteries, non-OEM is pretty much the only way to go if you are beyond the Lenovo warranty period. You can't even get fresh batteries from Lenovo for 8th generation machines anymore.

[–] PHLAK@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

This should say "Don't buy shitty non OEM chargers". There are plenty of reliable non OEM brands that sell perfectly reliable chargers. Anker for example.

[–] jcarax@beehaw.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I absolutely support this for batteries, largely because nobody reputable sells replacement laptop batteries. But I feel perfectly safe with Anker chargers, and a few others. I also mostly use a USB-C monitor these days, and have no problems after rather limited use so far. But I'd be hesitant to buy some of the cheap no-name monitors for use in the same capacity, nor the cheap Chinese charger of the week off Amazon.

[–] dudewitbow@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I mean many chargers/power supplies have and follow standards, ESPECIALLY if its a USB-PD compliant charger. batteries have a lot of wild west aspects to them. Bundling both in the way OP has it is not the way to go.

[–] moonsnotreal@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I got a 3rd party replacement battery for my t420 about a year ago. Maybe I should keep an eye on it...

[–] kjaeselrek@lemmy.ml 1 points 3 months ago

Hey, sorry for necroposting, but how is your battery doing? If it’s still cranking and not-exploded, would you mind sharing the brand? I’m considering replacing the battery in a T420 and trying to decide between shelling out for OEM or rolling the dice on third-party.