When you need a battery,
    there is only one name
       you need to know....
  

Replacement batteries are not all the same!  A battery is a composite of the internal cells, the housing, and the connection between the battery cells and the contacts.  Suffice it to say that there are varying quality levels of cells.  There is an international standard for defining cell quality.  In July 1999, NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, released the American National Standard for Portable Rechargeable Cells and Batteries - Safety Standard, C18.2M, Part 2-1999. This standard defines performance requirements for portable, rechargeable cells and batteries, helping manufacturers ensure safe operation under normal use and foreseeable misuse. The purpose of the Standard is to insure product safety by achieving uniformity of the testing requirements as defined by the American National Standards Institute, the International Electrotechnical Commission and Underwriters Laboratories.

There is also a standard for manufacturing (i.e. the integration of cells with consistent quality, properly connected in an efficient housing).  This is called ISO 9001:2000, an international standard that gives requirements for an organization’s Quality Management System (“QMS”). It is part of a family of standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”) often referred to collectively as the “ISO 9000 series”. For this reason, you may sometimes hear your suppliers refer to being “ISO 9000 certified”, or having an “ISO 9000-compliant QMS”. This will normally mean that they are claiming to have a QMS meeting the requirements of ISO 9001:2000, the only standard in the ISO 9000 family that can be used for the purpose of conformity assessment.

The key word applicable to both the NEMA and ISO standards is consistency!  Uniformity (NEMA) and conformity (ISO) essentially mean the same thing - an assurance of consistency as it relates to quality.  Many manufacturers to not subscribe to these standards.  They simply purchase some cells, make up a case mold, and wire them up.  This is a recipe for inconsistent performance, frequent replacement, and poor value.  We believe that in the long run most users will benefit in selecting batteries that meet both NEMA and ISO standards.

We offer batteries from four manufacturers.  Motorola original (Original Equipment Manufacturer or OEM), Honeywell, and UNiROSS. In most instances, you will pay more for an OEM replacement battery.  You are basically paying for consistent quality.  For those who prefer OEM products, we are proud to offer Motorola.  There are also manufacturers who produce batteries for their own products and extend their capabilities to build batteries for other applications.  This is the case with Honeywell who initially got into the battery business to produce batteries for their security products. We also class Honeywell as an OEM with extended product capability.  Then, there are those companies who do nothing but produce batteries and accessories for any market requiring a replacement battery.  That is the function of UNiROSS. 

As a general rule, an extended product manufacturer such as Honeywell will be less expensive than an OEM for comparable products.  Suppliers such as UNiROSS will be even less expensive without sacrificing of quality or performance.  There is yet another supplier type.  We generally refer to these companies as assemblers.  Their primary function is to produce batteries at the lowest possible price.  In most cases, this will not include NEMA or ISO certification.  When you purchase from one of these companies, we recommend caution.  There are some really bad batteries out there!

There is one company that we can recommend that does not have NEMA and ISO compliance.  That company is Power Products Unlimited. In general, the prices of UNiROSS and Power Products will be very close.  Our main reason for offering Power Products is two fold.  First, they have a broader range of replacement batteries for 2-way radio products.  Second, they are located relatively close to us which means faster delivery on stock items and lower shipping costs.

For your consideration, we have provided pricing information on your choice of communications batteries from Motorola, Honeywell, UNiROSS, and Power Products.  Our personal recommendation is Honeywell.  We have been working with Honeywell for a number of years and Honeywell is the product of preference by our Association users nationwide.  Special pricing for Fire Department on Honeywell batteries is available at www.falcon4u.com/FirePartners.  Special pricing for Police department is available at www.falcon4u.com/KACP.  Normally, these prices are available only to members of the Alabama Firefighters Association and the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.  However, we will extend honorary membership pricing to any fire & rescue or law enforcement agency until similar agreements are available in other areas.  Commercial users can get maximum discounts on Honeywell batteries at www.falcon4u.com/Users.

All of our Nickel Cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries are covered by a manufacturers 18 month warranty that provides replacement if capacity drops to less than 80% of the rated capacity.  Nickel Metal-Hydride (Ni-MH) and/or Lithium Ion (Li-Ion)  batteries are covered for one year with a minimum of 80% capacity guaranteed.  

You can purchase the battery of your choice by simply clicking on the item price under the desired manufacturer's price column.  Note:  All NiMH and LiIon batteries require a rapid charger.  All battery chemistry types followed by the suffix -IS are rated Intrinsically Safe and are Factory Mutual approved for use in incendiary atmospheres (See manufacturers product specifications for additional information). 

                             36 - 20th Avenue NW- Birmingham, AL 35215 - Phone 205.854.2611 - Toll Free 800.489.2611

Copyright 2005 - Falcon Direct, Inc.
This page was last updated on 09/02/2005