Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

The devices really don't like the extra .4 volts???
Wow, sensitive.

BebuLamar

it's not the different in voltage which makes them incompatible but the battery just won't fit. For example the Milwaukee 18V battery and DeWalt 20VMax battery have the same cells inside. Both of these battery would have the voltage from 18 to 21 depending on their state of charge.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

home brewer Loc: Fort Wayne, Indiana

The battery issue with respect to Nikon cameras has been brought up before. This time I think that I said it poorly. Why spend $2,500 on the Nikon D-850 that use to be considered and maybe still is one of the best cameras out there and then try to save $25 on an off brand battery? It is like trying to buy a great fiber tripod for less than half the cost of the known good ones and then crying when the camera and lens fail an unplanned impact test.

How do companies make something for less money? It's either cheaper labor, cheap materials, unreliable quality control or pp engineering.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

There are only two differences between a 20v and an 18v cordless tool battery. The first is a definition only and the second is a mechanical difference that stops one being used in the other. The definition is the tool voltage in that one is the starting voltage of the battery and the second is the nominal voltage. They both have exactly the same batteries in them. Why do this ? FUD and to make you buy yet another battery system.
In this case I don't know how they decided on 19.6v battery since it doesn't seem to fit either NiMh or a LiOn system. However I bet anything you like that the 20v batteries will run the 19.6v systems. Different charger of course so you need to investigate whether any sort of adapter is available that will fit one to the other.
If the problem is using the 19.6 v batteries in the later tools then just flag the exercise but if it is using the 20v battery on the 19.6v tools then look for an adapter. 19.6v batteries are probably on their last legs but the tools themselves are most likely okay.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

And the number 1 rule of buying cordless power tools is to decide before you start which brand you want to stick with. And only buy that brand for the next 20 years. I know people who haven't done that and only went on price and now have 4 different brands of tools and only 1 (or 2) batteries for each. No redundancy, huge management problem with 4 chargers, and some worthless tools now. It's called penny wise and pound foolish.

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

A very good argument if you only need a single battery. But if you have 8 batteries then the saving can be enough to pay the extra to buy the better fiber tripod !
Why does everyone making this argument only ever discuss a single battery ?

campyboy1 Loc: vancouver Washington

I know what you mean I had bought HP printer at Best Buy a number of years ago and signed up for there HP instant ink program. I had forgot that I had signed up for instant ink program and had bought new HP ink cartridges for my printer and installed them so after that every time I went to print something a message would pop up on my computer telling me that I was not using HP instant ink cartridges and when the ink cartridges would run low they would send me new ink cartridges and I am charged $6.50. each month at first, I thought it was a good deal but in the long run it's not I've had these same cartridges for years now I figured I've spent several hundred dollars down the drain for enough that I could have bought new ink cartridges at least 4 times over.

wetreed

My aftermarket batteries have worked fine for decades.

gwilliams6

The bottom line is that not ALL aftermarket batteries are made to the same standards and exact specs as OEM.

However if you do a little research in groups dedicated to your favorite brand of camera, you can find which aftermarket batteries have been tested , used and have a good record as a good fit and a good bargain for your specific camera.

I am sure there are some aftermarket makes of Nikon batteries that do work fine, and some that don't work as well.

It is a personal choice if you as a Nikon owner wishes to use strictly OEM batteries or not.

For Sony's NP-FZ100 battery used in their fullframe cameras and also used in some of their later APS-C cameras , there have been tests of all third-party batteries. Here is one such test.

ULTIMATE TEST: I BOUGHT EVERY Sony NP- FZ100 battery from AMAZON!!! - Here's the RESULTS!: From Tech Notice
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhuNddhABDw&t=332s

There may be such a test for Nikon third-party batteries already out there.

FYI, I have been using both OEM Sony, and Wasabi third-party batteries interchangeably for years now without any issues in my Sony A7RIII, A7III, A9, A7RIV, A1, A7SIII.

Cheers and best to you all. .

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

Most items don't have chips to tool so generic battery ok, using the car analogy makes no sense, just like this 11 pages. Save the $20 and enjoy them. Not me!!
I had issues one time for a critical shoot and caught problem during a practice run.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

That's not the point of Louis' video. It's about a manufacturer limiting the choices to OEM only, and charging a premium once they have a strangle hold on the market. It's a software limitation. Lenses and bodies are expensive yes, but that doesn't justify an OEM charging a $100 premium for a 25 cent thermistor. If it were only an issue of pennies, yeah most in their right mind would not use an aftermarket part unless it was a supply chain issue. And, in cases of supply chain issues, you want to know you have choices other than the OEM if need be. Aftermarket makers need not cheap out either and sacrifice safety for a 25 cents part. Options and choices keep competition alive.

Sidwalkastronomy Loc: New Jersey Shore

My battery for my Canon 77D OEM was $20.00 more then aftermarket that swelled inside my camera

chrissybabe Loc: New Zealand

If the OEM was only $20 more than aftermarket all my batteries would be OEM. For everything I owned that takes a battery.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

I agree!

First of all, it's good to understand that the "battery" industry and the usage and maintenance of batters have evolved and changed progressively over the years. In the past, there were comparatively few choices and technologies. There were cheap carbon-zink, alkaline, disposable, rechargeables, Copper Tops vs. Energizers mercury button batteries, lead acid, and gel cells. Now the industry is known as the Enegery Storage Industry and for this old photograher with a kinda halfway-decent knowledge of photo-electronics, all of this newfangled stuff, that's out there nowadays, is way above my pay grade. I receive all of the technical literature but some of it must be meant for NASA!

The good news is that many of the latest innovations and improvements have yielded much better performance in the batteries photographs used in ther gear such as greater charge capacity per cycle longer all-around longevity, less propensity for failure or damaging leakage, faster and safer recharging rates, and smaller size and lesser weight than equivalent voltage and ampere/hour specs of thertr predecessors.

When comparing battery brands for value, performance, and safety, there are some caveats that some folks are not factoring in. Any given decent battery will perform better and last longer provided the is maintained properly, regularly, and according to required procedures. Frequency of usage, duty cycles, charging cycles, and required residual char for long-term dormant storage all count well. The efficiency and curre dray of the camer, strobe trigger, or other accessories must be considered as well. A One photograher may claim that their aftermarket batteries perfor as good or better than those labeled OEM brands based on the formed
their good maintenance procedure and kinds of equipment. Another may offer a bad review of their OEM batteries but perhaps, due to poor maintenance or extremely heavy-duty usage.

Also sadly, there's always somebody or some company that will sell inferior stuff for a lower price.

Among professional photographers in various specialties-photojournalists, wedding and event shooters, industrial and commercial folk, sports specialists, and nature and wildlife folks, there tends to be a grapevine, and the decent serviceable, rugged, and reliable gear rises to the top in reputation and the "junk" will soon fall out of favor.

Anotere philosophy to consider. I'm sure y'all have the heart e expression "nothing is forever"! In ther
photography equipment business, has become a commandant in the marketing strategies of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. Unfortunately this business of "GAS" has off-gassed and affected photograhers. The good news is that there are also great technical, engineering, and innovation that are out there if one can afford all of them.

Gone are the days when a pro or advanced amateur bought into a camera or system from Graflex, Rolleiflex, Leica, Nikon, and a few kinda industry standards and use their cameras or system for eons and then headed them down their grandchildren. Old school? OK, but there were some great, iconic, and just some damn-good bread-and-butter images made with simple equipment-savvy shooters. Yes! You need good gear to do the work efficiently and successfully, however, you can make great images with relatively modest gear if you have the required skill sets.

A change in battery compatibility is only the tip of the iceberg and after all, the battery is the HEART of your costly, high-tech, multi-featured super camera. You don't want your system to experience "heart failure". So, do the research, know specifications and maintenance protocols, buyer beware, and as the lawyers say "govern yourself accordingly! In imaging/electronic/digital technology, "Times they are Achangin" at warp speed!