Wasabi battery update

<p>So about 18 Months ago I got that very inexpensive Wasabi branded two battery and a travel charger package from Amazon for my K-5. The batteries worked well until a couple of months ago one of them stopped holding a charge. Then last week the other one followed suit. So it seems with my usage (constant) they last about 1.5 years. For the money that still seems reasonable, but for comparison my OEM K-5 battery is still working well.<br>

<br />I just thought I'd update what I had said before which was that these were good batteries. I still believe that but maybe they aren't quite as good as the OEM ones. </p>

<p>My experience with Wasabi is that they produce good batteries however they don't last very long. Compared to OEM, they perform poorly. </p>

<p>Probably a good deal for folks who upgrade to a new camera body every year; for folks like myself who upgrade camera bodies as frequently as the United States Census knocks on my front door, not such a good deal. ;-)</p>

<p>Thanks for the update, Matt!</p>

<p>I have a set of Wasabi batteries + charger for my Q, the batteries seems to be working still but the charger (!) is not. I was fortunate I had four fully charged batteries on a recent trip because I was unable to recharge.</p>

<p>I buy the cheapest Chinese batteries for my K20D and K-5 cameras from eBay or Amazon - between $ 5 & 8 shipped. The (4) nos K20D batteries are going as strong as the Pentax original. The K-5 batteries are still too early to comment on (bought in January 2013).<br>

The same is true for the 3rd Party batteries for my Sony Camcorder.<br>

Maybe I am lucky, but please note that Pentax-Ricoh do not manufacture batteries, rather they farm them out.<br>

But I know of guys who are absolutely paranoid of 3rd Party batteries and prefer to spend $ 40 to 50 rather than just $ 5 to 8. I should know a little better, as I am a master mechanic, a DIY and a Graduate Engineer, and have researched a lot on batteries, even opening them up to have a look see.</p>

<p>I buy the cheapest Chinese batteries for my K20D and K-5 cameras from eBay or Amazon - between $ 5 & 8 shipped. The (4) nos K20D batteries are going as strong as the Pentax original. The K-5 batteries are still too early to comment on (bought in January 2013).<br>

The same is true for the 3rd Party batteries for my Sony Camcorder.<br>

Maybe I am lucky, but please note that Pentax-Ricoh do not manufacture batteries, rather they farm them out.<br>

But I know of guys who are absolutely paranoid of 3rd Party batteries and prefer to spend $ 40 to 50 rather than just $ 5 to 8. I should know a little better, as I am a master mechanic, a DIY and a Graduate Engineer, and have researched a lot on batteries, even opening them up to have a look see.</p>