SterlingTek LP-E6 Batteries for $15

[1kind]

Posted this on POTN but thought I would share with you guys as well

I was on Amazon about to buy something and got a pop up notification saying an item I had in my cart had a price change. I looked and it was for the LP-E6 battery. I purchased this last month for $25 with free shipping but the price has dropped $10 to $15 with free shipping on orders over $25.

If you have a 7D, 5D3, 60D, this is a great battery

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DHKJYM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005DHKJYM&linkCode=as2&tag=dcre-20

I just did a review on the battery on my site and I'm tempted to buy another 2 just to qualify for the free shipping.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Just because 99.9. percent do not overheat and ruin a camera or burn down your house, does not make them a good deal.
And, having been involved with fire safety of commercial aircraft, I cringe at the thought of having them on a aircraft, knowing they have already brought down a 747, and other crashes are suspect.
Please don't bring them on a airplane flight, and never put them in checked luggage.
BTW, I've seen them overheat in a digital camera and swell up like a balloon. 
Even high end Li-on batteries that have stringent QA and safety tests fail far too often IMHO.

[1kind]

Just because 99.9. percent do not overheat and ruin a camera or burn down your house, does not make them a good deal.
And, having been involved with fire safety of commercial aircraft, I cringe at the thought of having them on a aircraft, knowing they have already brought down a 747, and other crashes are suspect.
Please don't bring them on a airplane flight, and never put them in checked luggage.
BTW, I've seen them overheat in a digital camera and swell up like a balloon. 
Even high end Li-on batteries that have stringent QA and safety tests fail far too often IMHO.

SterlingTek are known for their aftermarket batteries. I've owned a couple of them and all work fine with no problems. This is an option for those who don't want to shell out $50 for OEM batteries.

OEM batteries/products also fail whether it be cameras, phones, laptops, etc. They aren't all perfect either. "Don't bring them on a airplane flight" pretty much implies, don't bring any electronics with you at all.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

SterlingTek are known for their aftermarket batteries. I've owned a couple of them and all work fine with no problems. This is an option for those who don't want to shell out $50 for OEM batteries.

Yes, they are well known and have lots of complaints about poor batteries, even though they have tended to be better than the really cheap ones sold on ebay. 

The US post office no longer allows you to send any li-on batteries or electronic devices that contain a li-on battery thru international mail.   Since they are in a cargo hold, there is no chance for the crew to put out a fire, and the halon extinguishers in the cargo compartment will not necessarily extinguish a li-on battery fire.  You really do not want to be on a plane with li-on batteries in someone's luggage.
All those devices with large li-on batteries are going to cause another air disaster, its just a matter of when,, and how bad.

As I noted, even the best batteries fail, but why increase the odds of failure to save a few dollars?   

[preppyak]

As I noted, even the best batteries fail, but why increase the odds of failure to save a few dollars?

Because the odds of that, as you mentioned, are small, and because the OEM's fail too. And because I can have 3 or 4 aftermarket batteries for the price of one hilariously overpriced OEM battery. Moreover, maybe Canon will feel the pressure to lower their margins and sell batteries at a reasonable price.

I have one Canon LP-E6 and about 4 Maximal Power ones. If I only bought OEM, I'd have maybe 2 batteries and I'd have been screwed on longer trips without charging. Its the same reason I don't buy Canon lens hoods or other accessories; I can outfit myself with all the gear I need for 25% of the price and use the extra hundreds of dollars on lenses. Just because they can jack up the prices for stuff that costs practically nothing to produce doesn't mean they should, or that I should support them

Lets do a worst case scenario. The Canon LP-E6 is $60 on Amazon, the Wasabi batteries are $15. So, let's say I buy one OEM battery, and 4 Wasabi's. The Wasabi batteries have to have a 50% failure rate and only charge to 50% for me to break even. They arent that bad (in fact, my Maximals are still easily 95% the OEM after about a year), so I end up with thousands of more shots before needing to charge a battery.

Just because 99.9. percent do not overheat and ruin a camera or burn down your house, does not make them a good deal.

Yes, yes it does. Just because something fails .01% of the time doesnt make it wildly dangerous...Id venture my odds of a battery fire are about as good as me getting hit by lightning. Especially since an OEM battery can fail as well, so might as well save money to put towards the insurance I'll need for my burning house...

The reality is that I can read the reviews and make an informed decision. I know I am taking a slight risk that I'll get a dud battery, but, I can also return it pretty easily

[1kind]

SterlingTek are known for their aftermarket batteries. I've owned a couple of them and all work fine with no problems. This is an option for those who don't want to shell out $50 for OEM batteries.

Yes, they are well known and have lots of complaints about poor batteries, even though they have tended to be better than the really cheap ones sold on ebay. 

The US post office no longer allows you to send any li-on batteries or electronic devices that contain a li-on battery thru international mail.   Since they are in a cargo hold, there is no chance for the crew to put out a fire, and the halon extinguishers in the cargo compartment will not necessarily extinguish a li-on battery fire.  You really do not want to be on a plane with li-on batteries in someone's luggage.
All those devices with large li-on batteries are going to cause another air disaster, its just a matter of when,, and how bad.

As I noted, even the best batteries fail, but why increase the odds of failure to save a few dollars?

I don't know where you're reading your reviews. Reviews I've read all state they are good with a few stating they have typical problems but nothing extreme like your assumptions. Rarely do you see news report or people saying that their battery exploded. Same goes for any news for that matter about li-on batteries causing fires.

The chances of something catastrophic is very very minimal. You probably have a better chance of hitting the lotto or like someone said, getting hit with lightning.

[timkbryant]

I bought two Sterlingtek batteries for my 1000D (I can't remember the model) back in the summer of 2010. I've never had a problem with either of them.

They have held their charge for the weeks they have sat from being charged to being put into the camera.

Just my two cents as a satisfied user.