OT: Camera battery

filmy wrote on 12/31/2003, 5:15 PM
Just a question - has anyone done business with Sterling Tek? I have tried to search for any good/bad info about them and can only find a few 'reviews'. I had a battery die (well close to death anyway) and come to find out it is a discontinued battery. They have a replacement battery for a fraction of the price of the next 'brand' of replacement battery. Any feedback pro or con would be great.

Comments

farss wrote on 12/31/2003, 6:06 PM
Can't offer anything about them but just a word of warning about Sony Li-Ion batteries. We have a lot of them, ones purchased most recently die very quickly and they are not cheap.
But just recenlty we'd pulled one out of service as it wasn't charging right and left it on the shelf. Some time later I picked it up and there was a hole melted in the side and obvious smoke damage on the shelf. If it had been in a camera bag or on a camera major damage could have been done.
Take note, it wasn't on charge, it wasn't shorted out. The thing had become a time bomb, one that went off. Having them die is bad but doing this is very bad.
I'm actually sorry that we just took it back to our Sony dealer and got a replacement. This has potenital disaster written all over it. I'm not just talking damaged equipment here, imagine having one in a camera bag do that on an aircraft, stick a cigarette lighter in the bag with it and you've got a serious risk of big trouble.
Also the electrolyte used in these batteries is pretty toxic, this battery still smelled very bad so in a confined space if the thing went off again you could end up not too well.
In future when I travel on aircraft the camera batteries are going in a sealed metal container.

BTW, if taking a camera and batteries on a flight make certain the batteries are charged. If airport security are doing their job they'll ask to see the batteries power the camera. I've only had this happen to me twice, once in central China, the other time at HK airport.