Panache batteries

[cmstlist]

Do any Mobi dealers or other Vancouver stores (or even CDN web sites) have spare batteries for the Panache that work and are at a non-usurious cost?

Just wanted to check before resorting to eBay.

[bluenote73]

Do any Mobi dealers or other Vancouver stores (or even CDN web sites) have spare batteries for the Panache that work and are at a non-usurious cost?

Just wanted to check before resorting to eBay.

Nobody sells as cheap as Ebay in my experience.

Sent from my MZ604 using Tapatalk

[cmstlist]

Fair enough :-)

I was thinking I should go with ones specifically guaranteed to be OEM rather than knockoffs.

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

[droidacolyte]

You might find an online HK retailer (I like buying from dealextreme. Haven't ordered batteries from there though.) that has a cheap third-party battery that is compatible with the Panache/my Touch 4G.

EDIT: If you want OEM, that rules out the cheap third-party Chinese batteries. lol.

[shadowlord]

I bought a $5 USD knock-off from DealExtreme, shipping included. It works, but I just got it yesterday and haven't got it conditioned yet. Are the eBay ones much cheaper?

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/designer-s-replacement-3-7v-1500mah-li-ion-battery-for-htc-mytouch-4g-55868

Warning: It's not OEM. Use at your own peril.

I intend to store mine in my car for emergencies once I get it conditioned.

[bluenote73]

I used to buy everything from deal extreme, but now Ebay is my first choice for most items.

Sent from my MZ604 using Tapatalk

[droidacolyte]

I'm probably going to avoid getting screen protectors from now on on dealextreme. I got some Nexus S screen protectors and they fingerprint a lot and attract dust like crazy (I hear that they have good ones on amazon.com for a cheap price). I'm still waiting on the micro USB car charger I ordered. I was gonna get a car mount too so that I could use Google Navi while driving but I heard in the reviews that their car mounts look like they could scratch your screen. So I said forget that. Best to get a quality one locally. Or invest in a Garmin GPS (though probably blow whatever Google Navi has to offer out of the water anyway)

[cmstlist]

Yeah I went once with DinoDirect, which ships from Asia (was it Hong Kong or elsewhere? I forget). The product (a Nexus One battery) was subpar and took too long to arrive. So I am not enthusiastic about Dealextreme shipping from HK.

Ideally I'd like to buy from a physical storefront in Vancouver, but I'll settle for shipping from US/Canada. When I needed a less crappy spare N1 battery I bought the Momax brand from NCIX and was very satisfied. Sadly Momax has not made a MT4G/Thunderbolt battery.

[ECBomb]

Usually accessories (ie cases, screen protectors, or batteries) take over a month to arrive from Hong Kong (bought off eBay) so it definitely takes awhile...and I bought 2 knock-off batteries + a wall charger off eBay for less than $5. HOWEVER...the darn batteries wouldn't even charge after 2 hours of plugging it to the wall...so I'm staying away from knock-off batteries from now on. Just my experience at least.

[cmstlist]

Right, and at least on Amazon and eBay you can restrict your search to North America. That way if they ship you a piece of crap, you're better protected and didn't have to wait so long to receive said crap.

Sent from my HTC Glacier using Tapatalk

[shadowlord]

I've bought lots of stuff from eBay, Amazon and DealExtreme (and other vendors) over the many years.

Very generally speaking, each time I buy from Amazon or eBay, I'm dealing with different vendors each time, and you do take more chances than dealing with a single vendor every time. Many of the vendors have become pretty adept at manipulating their listings and the dispute resolution mechanisms so that it goes in their favor (like my recent "Stereo headphone extension cable" which was male-male).


I'm not promoting or defending DealExtreme, but here is a summary of my experiences with them:

1) I bought my Panache on Aug. 12, ordered the battery on Aug. 15 and got it on Sep. 6. Might have been a long weekend affecting delivery times, but generally takes 3 weeks.

2) DX's stuff is definitely "third rate", but about the same quality as what you order off eBay/Amazon merchants.

3) Shipping is always free. Hate having to work out check out a listing to see if you need to tack on shipping costs or not.

4) They always ship to Canada.

5) I have had defective items replaced by DealExtreme at no charge. They're pretty good about it, but you need patience since it takes at least 2-3 weeks for it to arrive in the mail.

6) My spare Panache battery is on its second charge/discharge cycle, but is still working. I figure it will take about a week of conditioning before I'll have a good idea of its performance relative to the OEM battery.


I think the key is to find a single vendor whose service you trust. That way, you know what to expect from order to receipt and how they deal with any problems that arise.

[cmstlist]

I have had "never arrived" and "not as advertised" items with eBay and Amazon but the buyer protection clauses saved me.