Batteries - Pentax OEM vs After Market - Wasabi

Michael Piziak · 06-29-2014, 06:22 PM

Originally posted by y0chang

this pretty much goes with what I see on my wasabis, they get 75 percent of the shots but are 1/3 as cheap, like most things you get what you pay for. I got one pentax one and 2 spare wasabis. I did get a weird flickering on my back camera screen, I wonder if that was an overcharged with the quick battery charger. The thing is that almost all li-ion batteries are chinese manufacturer now. Hell nikon been making em in china since at least the d40 era...

I use one Promaster and one Wasabi battery myself (in the k-r). Both of these batteries last about the same amount of time. I haven't had a Pentax battery, but I'm sure they are better.

On rare occassions, I've had my back screen flicker or go out - turning the camera off & on solved it. Dunno if it was the batteries or what.

I thought Wasabi would be better than the cheaper Chinese batteries on eBay, but I'm told by the guy that tests them that they aren't. Oh well, I sill prefer the Wasabi - atleast they have a name on them and hopefully they have some level of quality control because of that.

A sidenote: I use my Pentax recharger for both of these batteries.

Last edited by Michael Piziak; 06-29-2014 at 07:39 PM.

GibbyTheMole · 06-29-2014, 07:46 PM

I dunno about batteries for DSLRs, but my Wasabi batteries for the Q work as well as the OEM batteries, as far as I can tell.

ScooterMaxi Jim · 06-29-2014, 08:19 PM

Originally posted by GibbyTheMole

I dunno about batteries for DSLRs, but my Wasabi batteries for the Q work as well as the OEM batteries, as far as I can tell.

Not quite my experience. The three MaximalPower cheapies have had a decided slight edge over Wasabi, but neither brand is up to the OEM. My philosophy is to just keep a handful of extras at the ready for the Q which drains batteries faster than a puddle in a desert drought.

semaca · 04-02-2015, 08:28 AM

I want to buy two batteries, but the shipping from Amazon was around 25$, the same price of the wasabi pack

On the local market I can buy all kinds of brands. Patona is one of them, but it's only 1400mAh. That is not enough power, no?

lytrytyr · 04-02-2015, 08:47 AM

Originally posted by semaca

On the local market I can buy all kinds of brands. Patona is one of them, but it's only 1400mAh. That is not enough power, no?

It always matters whether it's an honest rating, or just marketing hype

semaca · 04-02-2015, 12:47 PM

Blumax seems to be another option. There should be no problem with 3rd party batteries...

osv · 04-02-2015, 07:39 PM

i've had pretty good luck with the wasabi batteries, but $25 shipping is >ack!<

why not look for feedback on the internet for those other brands.

Obin Robinson · 04-12-2015, 02:56 AM

Originally posted by waterfall

I had very bad results from two third party batts purchased as backup and will never use anything than OEM Pentax now. Just not worth the risk to me. Two third party batts would give me 200 shots on a K30. Pentax batt was good for 500. Now with K-3 my Pentax batts give me 1000 shots without flash. Or more. I have never exhausted a Pentax batt in a single day.

BTW, I routinely shoot 500 per day as part of my work. Nothing worth showing, those are all evidence photos. The point is only that I had a bad experience with third party batts.

I fully agree. I buy the OEM batteries when there is a sale going on or I have a coupon code from a vendor. The aftermarket batteries have disappointed me before so I just stick with OEM.

obin

BennyBoy · 04-13-2015, 07:28 PM

I've had great results from these B&H brand batteries.

Watson D-Li90 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.4V, 1800mAh) B-3704

danielwsc · 05-11-2015, 10:33 AM

Update on my purchase. They're OK, but not as good as OEM. Certainly not the 2900mAh as labelled.

mrg9999 · 05-16-2015, 01:00 AM

Why would I risk a $10 battery in my $1000 camera? If I put the wrong battery in my Porsche, they cancel the warranty. The Pentax battery may be made by someone else, but presumably they can trace the supply chain. I suspect the cheaper alternatives just failed some quality inspection during manufacture, and are sold re-badged through grey markets.My company does this with their own memory products.

MadMathMind · 05-17-2015, 07:41 PM

So my first Wasabi battery finally bit the big one; after about 400 shots in one day, it went to 0% almost instantly. Next week I had major AF issues. I attribute it to the battery going bad and have replaced it. I had used it as the primary battery for nearly 2 years, so that's a pretty good run.

You guys who say they don't last as long as the OEM, do you use their charger or the OEM one? That the Wasabi charger is faster may be bad for the battery itself and contributing to its reduced lifespan. I didn't see issues with mine until after nearly 2 years. I only bought the batteries and still use the OEM charger.

**Rondec** · 05-18-2015, 03:34 AM

Originally posted by MadMathMind

So my first Wasabi battery finally bit the big one; after about 400 shots in one day, it went to 0% almost instantly. Next week I had major AF issues. I attribute it to the battery going bad and have replaced it. I had used it as the primary battery for nearly 2 years, so that's a pretty good run.

You guys who say they don't last as long as the OEM, do you use their charger or the OEM one? That the Wasabi charger is faster may be bad for the battery itself and contributing to its reduced lifespan. I didn't see issues with mine until after nearly 2 years. I only bought the batteries and still use the OEM charger.

I used the Pentax charger. I really did find a few less shots from the Wasabi batteries as compared to OEM ones, but the biggest difference was that the Wasabi batteries depleted quite a bit faster when using much live view or, in really cold conditions. I still use them as they are quite a bit cheaper.

y0chang · 05-18-2015, 06:02 AM

i only use the wasabi charger when on a road and need a charge. The wasabi chargers were overcharging or undercharging the battery sometimes. Used a wasabi for long exposures, and it was at 2/3 charge after 15-20 30 sec shots.

semaca · 06-26-2015, 04:07 AM

With my cheap battery I did over 900 shots (with no flash) and I still got some energy at the end of the day.

05-11-2015, 10:33 AM	#40
danielwsc New Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 8	Big Mike's update Update on my purchase. They're OK, but not as good as OEM. Certainly not the 2900mAh as labelled.

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06-29-2014, 06:22 PM	#31
Michael Piziak Closed Account Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: West Virginia Posts: 2,815	Originally posted by y0chang this pretty much goes with what I see on my wasabis, they get 75 percent of the shots but are 1/3 as cheap, like most things you get what you pay for. I got one pentax one and 2 spare wasabis. I did get a weird flickering on my back camera screen, I wonder if that was an overcharged with the quick battery charger. The thing is that almost all li-ion batteries are chinese manufacturer now. Hell nikon been making em in china since at least the d40 era... I use one Promaster and one Wasabi battery myself (in the k-r). Both of these batteries last about the same amount of time. I haven't had a Pentax battery, but I'm sure they are better. On rare occassions, I've had my back screen flicker or go out - turning the camera off & on solved it. Dunno if it was the batteries or what. I thought Wasabi would be better than the cheaper Chinese batteries on eBay, but I'm told by the guy that tests them that they aren't. Oh well, I sill prefer the Wasabi - atleast they have a name on them and hopefully they have some level of quality control because of that. A sidenote: I use my Pentax recharger for both of these batteries. Last edited by Michael Piziak; 06-29-2014 at 07:39 PM.

06-29-2014, 07:46 PM	#32
GibbyTheMole Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Iowa Photos: Albums Posts: 2,275	I dunno about batteries for DSLRs, but my Wasabi batteries for the Q work as well as the OEM batteries, as far as I can tell.

06-29-2014, 08:19 PM	#33
ScooterMaxi Jim Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 1,520	Originally posted by GibbyTheMole I dunno about batteries for DSLRs, but my Wasabi batteries for the Q work as well as the OEM batteries, as far as I can tell. Not quite my experience. The three MaximalPower cheapies have had a decided slight edge over Wasabi, but neither brand is up to the OEM. My philosophy is to just keep a handful of extras at the ready for the Q which drains batteries faster than a puddle in a desert drought.

04-02-2015, 08:28 AM	#34
semaca Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: RO Posts: 143	I want to buy two batteries, but the shipping from Amazon was around 25$, the same price of the wasabi pack On the local market I can buy all kinds of brands. Patona is one of them, but it's only 1400mAh. That is not enough power, no?

04-02-2015, 08:47 AM	#35
lytrytyr Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2011 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,310	Originally posted by semaca On the local market I can buy all kinds of brands. Patona is one of them, but it's only 1400mAh. That is not enough power, no? It always matters whether it's an honest rating, or just marketing hype

04-02-2015, 12:47 PM	#36
semaca Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: RO Posts: 143	Blumax seems to be another option. There should be no problem with 3rd party batteries...

04-02-2015, 07:39 PM	#37
osv Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: So Cal Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,080	i've had pretty good luck with the wasabi batteries, but $25 shipping is >ack!< why not look for feedback on the internet for those other brands.

04-12-2015, 02:56 AM	#38
Obin Robinson Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Photos: Albums Posts: 272	Originally posted by waterfall I had very bad results from two third party batts purchased as backup and will never use anything than OEM Pentax now. Just not worth the risk to me. Two third party batts would give me 200 shots on a K30. Pentax batt was good for 500. Now with K-3 my Pentax batts give me 1000 shots without flash. Or more. I have never exhausted a Pentax batt in a single day. BTW, I routinely shoot 500 per day as part of my work. Nothing worth showing, those are all evidence photos. The point is only that I had a bad experience with third party batts. I fully agree. I buy the OEM batteries when there is a sale going on or I have a coupon code from a vendor. The aftermarket batteries have disappointed me before so I just stick with OEM. obin

04-13-2015, 07:28 PM	#39
BennyBoy Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2013 Posts: 43	I've had great results from these B&H brand batteries. Watson D-Li90 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack (7.4V, 1800mAh) B-3704

05-16-2015, 01:00 AM	#41
mrg9999 New Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Photos: Albums Posts: 17	Why would I risk a $10 battery in my $1000 camera? If I put the wrong battery in my Porsche, they cancel the warranty. The Pentax battery may be made by someone else, but presumably they can trace the supply chain. I suspect the cheaper alternatives just failed some quality inspection during manufacture, and are sold re-badged through grey markets.My company does this with their own memory products.

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05-17-2015, 07:41 PM	#42
MadMathMind Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Houston, TX Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,717	So my first Wasabi battery finally bit the big one; after about 400 shots in one day, it went to 0% almost instantly. Next week I had major AF issues. I attribute it to the battery going bad and have replaced it. I had used it as the primary battery for nearly 2 years, so that's a pretty good run. You guys who say they don't last as long as the OEM, do you use their charger or the OEM one? That the Wasabi charger is faster may be bad for the battery itself and contributing to its reduced lifespan. I didn't see issues with mine until after nearly 2 years. I only bought the batteries and still use the OEM charger.

05-18-2015, 03:34 AM	#43
Rondec Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Gladys, Virginia Photos: Gallery Posts: 27,651	Originally posted by MadMathMind So my first Wasabi battery finally bit the big one; after about 400 shots in one day, it went to 0% almost instantly. Next week I had major AF issues. I attribute it to the battery going bad and have replaced it. I had used it as the primary battery for nearly 2 years, so that's a pretty good run. You guys who say they don't last as long as the OEM, do you use their charger or the OEM one? That the Wasabi charger is faster may be bad for the battery itself and contributing to its reduced lifespan. I didn't see issues with mine until after nearly 2 years. I only bought the batteries and still use the OEM charger. I used the Pentax charger. I really did find a few less shots from the Wasabi batteries as compared to OEM ones, but the biggest difference was that the Wasabi batteries depleted quite a bit faster when using much live view or, in really cold conditions. I still use them as they are quite a bit cheaper.

05-18-2015, 06:02 AM	#44
y0chang Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: United States Posts: 793	i only use the wasabi charger when on a road and need a charge. The wasabi chargers were overcharging or undercharging the battery sometimes. Used a wasabi for long exposures, and it was at 2/3 charge after 15-20 30 sec shots.

06-26-2015, 04:07 AM	#45
semaca Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: RO Posts: 143	With my cheap battery I did over 900 shots (with no flash) and I still got some energy at the end of the day.