Dziadzi Loc: Wilkes-Barre, PA

I just bought an off brand grip from a company called Woot. Actually, it was a 2for $42. It fits well and works fine. I kept one and sold the other on ebay.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

I'm fat and easy and would skip a couple meals.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

OME for me has always been the way to go. I use the Nikon MB D17 on my Nikon D500. One of the reasons I use it is because with a Nikon Adapter I can also use my Nikon D4s EN-EL18a battery in my grip and shoot all day and all night. At this last Christmas Nikon was offering a free Nikon Battery Grip MB D17 with the purchase of a Nikon D500 plus half off on the Nikon 16-80 lens. Nice huh.

Pipkin Photography Loc: Pinellas County, Florida

Vello BG-N11 (purchased shortly after the D7100 came out) on my D7100 and, recently purchased, D7200. It was great to save the $$$ with great reviews, however I do not like the thought of having one getting "stuck" on the camera body. This has been documented with some aftermarket grips. Just do your research, for sure. I have had no problems with mine, however I have recently noticed the internal gears starting to have a little play. It has been removed and I plan on disassembling it to check for wear. More than likely cheaper internal components (for starters) that sets the aftermarket apart from the Nikon grip. As others have stated, trying to save money SOMETIMES can turn around and bite you in the rear! I am not that lucky so mine is now retired...
UPDATE: It stays off, lol! Internal gears are starting to wear. Not good so better safe than sorry...

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

I am a bit strange and will use only OEM equipment. I have a D810 and bought a pre-loved grip to minimize the cost rather than a secondary brand unit. Just not interested in performance issues or possible damage to my (camera) body.

DoyleY Loc: Worland, Wyoming

I have a Vivitar and have had no problems.

Rich K

I have a Vello grip for my Nikon D3200 and I love it. I have been using it for the last two years and no problems.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

I just went through a bad experience with the MB-D12 Nikon grip on my D810. My D810 would not power up with or without the grip being on I sent it to Nikon's repair facility in NY and for $650 they returned it fixed when the battery was in the body of the camera, however it did not work when using the battery in the grip, but not in the camera. I figured that the MB-D12 also had a problem and sent it to Nikon's repair facility in NY, at first they quoted me $30 to fix it and I approved the work, next thing the quoted me and additional $150 and told me when they opened it the found that the motherboard was fried and had to be replaced, I refused the repair and purchased a Neewer Vertical Battery Grip for $60 and don't have a problem with it. I am not sure if the problem with the original MB-D12 caused the problem with my D810 or visa versa.

njarendt Loc: wisconsin

I use the promaster grip on my nikons with no problem and at a lot less cost.

Dbotnick Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

I have been using the Newer grip on my D7100 and it functions fine. There is a definitive build quality difference from the Nikon, but for my purposes the value of the Newer was best.

Leon S Loc: Minnesota

I would rather have an extra battery in my pocket than a grip. The only thing a grip did for me was to impress the customer when I did weddings.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

$400.00 or more is a lot for a battery grip since there are so many aftermarket grips that are a lot cheaper and work just as good.

Brucej67 Loc: Cary, NC

Maybe as a separate issue is what advantage does a grip offer. For me my hands are large and a grip helps me hold the camera more securely.

Elsiss Loc: Bayside, NY, Boynton Beach, Fl.

To me, $400 semolians is a lot of money for a battery grip. I bought one about 3 or 4 years ago for my d7000. Paid $219.00 and thought it was a tad expensive, but it has worked flawlessly for me. I'm sure you can do better with a used OEM.

mrfisher77 Loc: Mayfield Heights, Ohio

Nikon's is not worth the money unless you are a fan-boy, have money to burn, and want to brag that you over paid. I have now owned two off-brand grips for my Nikons. Both have performed flawlessly.

First up is the Meike, dual battery grip for my D5100. I've had that grip since January 2012. It was in solid service for years with no issues...I even used a generic battery in it, parked next to the OE Nikon for all those years (Put the OE Nikon in first, let it read the chip, then put your generic in.). Of the 26,xxx on the shutter count, I could easily say that 24,xxx were with the that grip installed. $35 on Amazon - https://smile.amazon.com/Meike-Vertical-Battery-Camera-Shutter/dp/B01H50J80K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1489331019&sr=8-3&keywords=meike+d5100+battery+grip

Second up is the Meike for my D750. Zero issues. Works perfectly. The 750 even knows the grip is there and lets you custom assign the grip buttons functions. The grip looks like the Nikon, texture is good, build and quality is awesome, it even comes with a remote for bulb control. Again, absolutely flawless operation. $77 on Amazon- https://smile.amazon.com/Meike-MK-DR750-Multi-Power-Battery-Wireless/dp/B00QTG0CZC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489331124&sr=8-1&keywords=meike+d750+battery+grip

I can't speak to the other off-band units out there but I can both of these Meike units. They are both reviewed well on Amazon. If you want to see pictures of the grips, as installed, let me know and I'll send them to you. I can also send a screen shot from the D750 to show the grip button customization.

Cheers!