Thanks Foxxrocket,
I'm sorry to hear of your bad luck too. Just curious, what would you be tempted to do in the situation where they said they could send a "black box" battery immediately, but not the carbon. It will cost me $60 plus postage. I'm not sure whether I would take the chance or just go elsewhere. It's hard to know which batteries now are good ones from any manufacturer, and I'm not keen on spending another $120 with an unknown. From what I have been reading, I won't touch an SMC battery. Have you had good luck with any company in particular? Orion's been good for me in the past, but I'm not sure if they yet have a 5000 40C. Guess I'll have to check.