Leica batteries

BrandonA, post: 441412, member: 11837 wrote: Has anyone found a good source for inexpensive batteries for leica rovers and total stations?
Leica brand wants a ton of money, but the last non-leica batteries we bought from china were absolutely terrible.
Any recommendations?

Yes, Geomax batteries. These would appear to be rebranded leica batteries. They are a good deal cheaper.

I have heard that the Geomax batteries do not fit the Leica instruments. Have not seen it for myself however.

Conrad is right, Geomax batteries are a very good option. They fit Leica instruments as they are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that Geomax doesn't offer 6.0 Ah batteries for total station whereas Leica does.

party chef, post: 441419, member: 98 wrote: I have heard that the Geomax batteries do not fit the Leica instruments. Have not seen it for myself however.

Party chief, you heard wrong. I buy them for use in our Leica GNSS units and Leica total stations

Go ahead and get the real deal. Like anything, you are in a bad position either way. I've used the knockoffs and they just don't work properly. Spent almost 1000 getting the real deal. But one down day due to batteries of a three man crew costs more.

Not sure which Leica battery charger you have, but they do sell one where you can recharge a battery.

Scott Ellis, post: 441446, member: 7154 wrote: Not sure which Leica battery charger you have, but they do sell one where you can recharge a battery.

Mine were over 10 years old and corroded, etc

old2969, post: 441448, member: 12214 wrote: Mine were over 10 years old and corroded, etc

Brand name batteries lasting 10 years sounds like a great deal to me. I agree with you buy the brand name. Also helps keep the warranty.

Scott Ellis, post: 441449, member: 7154 wrote: Brand name batteries lasting 10 years sounds like a great deal to me. I agree with you buy the brand name. Also helps keep the warranty.

Often than not, they'll give a good bundle price too.

Where are you buying the geomax batteries? We found one website where they wanted nearly 200 dollars/battery. Surely there is a less expensive option.

My Leica 1200 System will be 10 years old in November, still running the OEM 10 year old batteries, seems like a deal to me!

SHG

I ordered some duracell batteries (GEB 111 and 121) for TPS 1100 robotic from batteryfly.com and some of the newer batteries from the Leica dealer and never noticed any difference. Duracells were 1/2 the price of the Leica equivalent

" last non-Leica batteries we bought from china were absolutely terrible" - Same experience I had, however the Leica batteries I bought from FLT in Ft. Lauderdale work great, yes $$ but worth it in the long run, just like all of the Leica brand accessories.

T.W.

The GEB 111/121 are NiMH and fit numerous camcorders and it makes sense that there are good OEM replacement options. I still use a Duracell GEB111 for my DNA03. The new instruments all take lithium batteries and I don't think they are used by any retail equipment. Cheap batteries are not worth the costs associated with dead batteries.

I bought a Chinese battery for my GeoMax Zoom80 on eBay as an extra backup. It wasn't the cheapest one available, I think I paid around $100. It only lasts about half as long as the OEM batteries.

BrandonA, post: 441457, member: 11837 wrote: Where are you buying the geomax batteries?

Brandon, I bought the batteries from ebay from an australian dealer. A quick search reveals allen precision in your country sells the 4.4Ah ZBA400 battery for US$180. Geosurvey in the UK look like they are selling the same batteries for ?œ105.

We found one website where they wanted nearly 200 dollars/battery.

that is a good price for the 4.4Ah battery. It is a good deal cheaper than the Leica branded article which, I am confident, is literally the same battery with a different sticker.

Surely there is a less expensive option.

Don't do it.

The Geomax batteries are your clear best option. Any cheaper and you are into the knock-off market where battery quality seems to be highly variable. I have bought several knock-off batteries and they arrive capacities anywhere between reasonable, and DOA.

I re-cell my own. I got to the stage where I needed to re-cell 6 in one hit, so I bought a cheap capacitive discharge welder from China for less than $100 and bought individual cells. Works like a charm and saves me big bucks. I'm extremely happy with how long they last too. I haven't figured how to make them look pretty though.....but who cares?