Is there any danger in replacing my Dell laptop battery with a third-party battery?

Question

The extended-life battery on my Dell Inspiron 6000 conked out after 14 months. I don't want to pay $100-$200 for a new one from Dell.

I've noticed that third-party vendors are selling "new" laptop batteries for around $85. Are these things sketchy or is it OK? I just don't want to zap my system.

Thanks!

BTW, I already talked to Dell, and they said that the warranty expired on the battery, and that it's "normal" for batteries to die after one year of use, so my only option is to buy a new one. (We can put a man on the moon, but a battery that lasts for more than a year is somehow beyond us...)

Answer 1

great comparison ;)
it's always a risk to buy a third-party battery because you don't know where it stems from. it could be that it conk out already after 6 months or even earlier. i would say it's on your own risk.
btw, you can prolong a battery's life span using the AC adapter whenever it's possible, but then remove the battery from the laptop. continuous charging kills a battery.

Answer 2

The Li-ion battery in my Nikon camera cacked after a month. I replaced it with a cheapo clone which has lasted two years.