Percival P. Cassidy wrote:
But this experience has got me wondering how after-market batteries in
general compare with the ones installed by reputable manufacturers of
UPSes and other devices.

I have had good luck with both Panasonic and Power-Sonic sealed lead-
acid batteries, and bad luck with everything else I've tried, including
BB Battery, UB, CSB, and Power Patrol. All the Power-Sonics I bought
before 2013 were made in Mexico, but the ones I bought in 2013 were made
in China. I put them in my old APC UPS (circa 2000) but their longevity
remains to be seen. I'd be inclined to trust a Yuasa, based on
experience with their flooded batteries, but I have no experience with
their sealed lead-acid batteries. I get about five or six years from
these batteries in a computer UPS, where the utility power is pretty
reliable. I have mostly used the "7 Ah" size (which, these days, is
often labeled 7.2 or 7.5 Ah).

I usually order them online from Digi-Key or Mouser. I checked Amazon
and a few sellers there are showing *pictures* of a Power-Sonic battery
but probably *shipping* some junk battery. Caveat emptor.

Note that the "7 Ah" size can come with 3/16" wide or 1/4" wide tab
terminals; make sure you get the right one. Also, I worked on an APC
1U rack-mount UPS that specified batteries with a flame-resistant
casing; this was only easy to find in Panasonic's line. (They are in
the Power-Sonic catalog but I couldn't figure out how to buy them in
small quantities.)

I think that every battery from an APC UPS that I've ever examined was
made by CSB, and the ones that came from the CyberPower UPS are by
"B.B. Battery"; the latter is definitely Chinese, and I think CSB is
also.

I'm pretty sure CSB is "China Storage Battery".

Matt Roberds