Price Drop on Batteries

[Dynamike]

Greetings all

I have been a Roomba user ever since they first came out.
I was allways disturbed by the high cost of replacement batteries($60 the last time I checked iRobot store).
Two weeks ago ,I checked Ebay and found a battery dealer selling new APS's for $27.50 and free shipping.
I took a chance and bought 2.
GREAT BATTERIES.......one held a 75 min run on carpet and the second one ran over 100 min before I shut it down.

[Spirit Force]

Beware that those batteries might be inferior quality.. So those batteries might die quickly.. I've never seen good quality matched cells for that kind of price.. If you consider that that battery case is worth few dollars then there's the labor involved.. They also want some profit so if they use something like 15$ or less for 12 cells.. For good quality matched cells you'll pay something like 5-10$ each. I think mfortuna can chime in on this one since he has RC racing experience. How often you use those batteries? Just asking because I'd be interested to see how long will those last..

[DBCubix]

I have had nothing but good luck with the eBay batteries. Just caveat emptor. Look for the higher mAh batteries and sellers with good feedback. I've been using eBay batteries for close to a year and they work better imho than the factory ones.

[mfortuna]

Irobot's batteries are unmatched basic cells. I really believe they are overpriced for what you get. The ebay packs seem to be priced such that they could contain very similar batteries to the Irobot packs.

I have read a few people had initial issues with ebay packs, I don't recall many people posting complaints about longevity.

What I don't like are sellers that claim their batteries are matched and will vastly outperform Irobot's batteries. Cell matching is a time consuming process that adds cost both in labor and the fact that marginal cells the supplier paid for will have to be discarded or used in lower priced packs.

Some sellers I have looked at claim 200+ missions but then have a 60 day warranty. They don't seem to be backing up their claims.

So like DBCubix said, stick with sellers with good feedback.

Be wary of unsupported performance claims.

I looked around on the web and it is pretty easy to find cells for under $2.00 each in quantities of 2000. One company was Supreme Power. They had cells as low as $1.61 each.

What I found really interesting is their 3300mah subC NIMH spec lists the number of cycles rated at 300 but is for reference only and appears to apply only if the standard charge rate of 330mA is used. I'm sure there are caviets to that number based on temperature and discharge voltage.

The spec lists the maximum charge rate as .5C or 1650mA. At that rate the max temperature is 50C.

[Spirit Force]

I have had nothing but good luck with the eBay batteries. Just caveat emptor. Look for the higher mAh batteries and sellers with good feedback. I've been using eBay batteries for close to a year and they work better imho than the factory ones.

Which seller/battery you got running for a year? I got one ebay pack going in Disco, but been running it only for few months and it's just helping out the 560. Just thought to warn about those batteries because not long a ago someone in RR reported ebay pack dying after 3 months (if I recall it right). I'm looking a new battery for a friend and would like to get something reliable so I'm open to suggestions. All-battery sells their packs with only 3 months warranty.

[DBCubix]

Which seller/battery you got running for a year? I got one ebay pack going in Disco, but been running it only for few months and it's just helping out the 560. Just thought to warn about those batteries because not long a ago someone in RR reported ebay pack dying after 3 months (if I recall it right). I'm looking a new battery for a friend and would like to get something reliable so I'm open to suggestions. All-battery sells their packs with only 3 months warranty.

I have about 3-4 from various sellers. I am careful when I look at descriptions and pics of the battery as well as seller feedback.

[Dynamike]

Well I'll keep you updated on the longivity of the packs.
All I got to say is that in all my years of running Roombas ,I have never had a battery pack that ran over 100 Mins.

[Dynamike]

Here is a update on the batteries.
It's been 4 months and both batteries are still running 100 min and 85 min.
I don't know if I just lucked out or if the 1/2 priced batteries are for real.
I'll keep you posted.

[poconogal]

I have had nothing but good luck with the eBay batteries. Just caveat emptor. Look for the higher mAh batteries and sellers with good feedback. I've been using eBay batteries for close to a year and they work better imho than the factory ones.

I too purchased my new battery on Ebay and so far it has worked very well, with increased run time. This is what I purchased for $33 and "free" shipping:

Brand NewBattery for iRobot Roomba 500 Series 14.4V 3300mAh

PRODUCT FEATURES:
This brand new battery compatible with all 500 series Roomba FloorVac models Charges in 3 hours with ABS charger. Provides up to 120 minutes of run time, 50 percent greater useful life than original Roomba batteries.
Compatible with the following models:

* iRobot Roomba® 510
* iRobot Roomba® 530
* iRobot Roomba® 535
* iRobot Roomba® 540
* iRobot Roomba® 550
* iRobot Roomba® 560
* iRobot Roomba® 570
* iRobot Roomba® 580

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:
Votlage:14.4V
Capacity: 3.3Ah (3300mAh)
Battery Type: NiMH
Max. Discharging rate :10C at 24 A