Should I buy a cheap battery for my Macbook?

[grumpiegoblin]

Hi! I have an Macbook Pro a1278 late 2011 edition laptop where the battery has svollen up. Therefore I need to replace it. My question is, the batteries are in a range of prices all stating that they are 10.8V 4400mAh, is there a good reason not to choose the cheapest option? I'm currently looking at amazon uk and found from 16£ up to 60£. The 16£ one only has 2 ratings, and allthough they give good marks I want some more customer reviews.

I got the macbook for free as it was brooken and have replaced the hdd and glass, now its only the battery left. So I don't want to spend a lot on the battery as long as it works.

Please let me know if you had any experience with this or any other tips.

Cheers!

 

[snaky69]

Third party batteries have the nasty tendency of not lasting very long (i.e. swelling after less than 6 months, many friends of mine experienced this first hand). Poorly made, chinese copy-cat batteries(which is what you're seeing on Amazon) are also a fire hazard. I wouldn't want to burn down my house over a few bucks, I don't know about you.

It's a premium laptop, if all it takes to regain functionality is a genuine battery, it's not much money to fork out.

 

[grumpiegoblin]

Well I already replaced the hdd and glass, and no I don't want to burn down my house. However how do I know which is original, many of them say they are original. And some more serious third party once like Anker and Floureon. They both have over 100 reviews and a 4+ rating.

Any recomendations? thanks!

 

[DeltaMac]

In my experience (more than 20 years around Apple laptops, many of those in a service shop.) - cheap batteries are almost never a bargain. In fact, if you look around, the lowest price is often your warning to stay away - far away.
If you need good performance from a battery, then replace with a good one.
The price is what it is.
And likely the price will better than the frustration that you will feel when you have to replace that cheap battery again - too soon!
( I do like Anker, but have no experience with the batteries that they offer. )

 

[grumpiegoblin]

Thank you for all your help. I will go for a better battery then. But I wonder if the Anker battery is decent. They are a serious company so I would think they won't put a dangurous/bad product on the market.

 

[snaky69]

Well I already replaced the hdd and glass, and no I don't want to burn down my house. However how do I know which is original, many of them say they are original. And some more serious third party once like Anker and Floureon. They both have over 100 reviews and a 4+ rating.

Any recomendations? thanks!

If you want a genuine battery, the only source is straight from Apple.

There is a flat fee for it, including(IIRC) a top case replacement if you get it done in an Apple Store.

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7096288?language=en