Are Cheap Batteries Worth The Money?

Someday, you may be able to go a year between cellphone charges. Someday, we may finally get those flying cars we were promised, too.

In the meantime, we have to live with the technology we have. When it comes to replaceable batteries, you pretty much get what you pay for. Most cheap batteries die a lot sooner than their more expensive counterparts, pretty much defining the phrase "false economy." In other words, you'll pay less in the long run if you invest in quality.

At $6 a pop, the Energizer Ultimate AA lithium battery may seem wildly indulgent. But in Consumer Reports' tests in a camera, this battery took 1,286 shots before dying, at a cost per 50 shots of 23 cents. Compare that with the 50-cent Kirkland Signature battery, which fired off just 172 shots (29 cents per 50 shots) or the $2.50 WalMart SuperCell at 133 shots (a whopping 94 cents per 50 shots).

Similarly, at $59.49, the Dell Inspiron® for models 15, 1525, 1526, and 1545 Laptop Battery (High capacity also available for $67.99) may seem like a stretch but when you compare it to a cheaper battery, the differences in performance and product quality are evident. Cheap batteries for the same model go for $7.60 from SIB on Amazon. But with customer feedback like this:

• "For the first 3 weeks of having it, the battery would only charge to 45% and stop!" 
• "Bought this product and it didn't work....Holds no charge."
• "Battery stopped working after 10 months of use." 

The hassles of returns, the waiting, the searching and browsing all over again, and loss of productivity are just not worth it.

Edited by Limewit Tech Blog

Photos courtesy of Limewit Tech Blog

Written by Liz Weston