I am in the market for a new charger and looking to pick up an Xtar Dragon VP4 Plus (their current flagship model). I found that IMRbatteries.com has them @ $75 + shipping.
However, if you buy 4, it drops down to $46 + shipping. So, if anyone else is looking to pick one up and wants to save some bucks (like almost $30), let me know!
I am not looking to orchestrate a massive GB on these, but I can handle 4. My plan would be to collect funds from members that commit to purchase (via PayPal), place the order, then ship each party’s charger out once received. Including shipping (fully insured USPS Priority Mail w/ tracking), I figure $55/ea. should cover it.
Or, if IMR will drop-ship them individually, that would be even better (would just need to confirm what they would charge).
So if you are interested, please post an “IN” here to get the ball rolling.
As soon as we get to 4 I’ll close it out, collect funds, and place the order.
To participate, please be in the US (or at least have a US shipping address) and be “PayPal ready”.
Does this thing have fully-independent slots on all 4? Meaning, can I charge .5a in slot 1, 1A in slot 2, and/or use another mode in the remaining slots all at the same time? I reason why I am asking is sometimes I only charge 2 18650 cells, then to make use of the time, I top-up, discharge for capacity, etc. my other li-lo or nimh in the remaining slots.
No, it has a selectable charge rate from .5A to 2A, but not independent slots.
It’s not as capable as a high-end hobby charger like the SkyRC MC3000, but it’s also not as complicated to use (and would be about half the price if we get this group buy going).
I edited the OP to include product info and a couple reviews. :+1:
Thats interesting and i didn’t know there was a happy face system. That said i did not exaggerate any of my observations in the thread i linked. I still use mine but i do think improvements would be very welcome.
Appreciate the additional opinion/viewpoint, and I agree that there are certain features that would be nice.
That said, I don’t personally have the need for an over-complicated hobby charger with an even more complicated user interface.
For me (and hopefully a few others) the VP4 Plus seems like a pretty good compromise considering the cost, features, and quality.
I’ve been very happy with all of my previous and current Xtar products as well, which is something I can’t say for any other charger brand I’ve owned so far.
So, instead of a discussion thread (which the above review threads are great for), I am hoping to simply get some folks together who are on the same page and/or have already done their due-dillegence and are also seeking to pick one up…so we can all save a few bucks.
Fair enough, though its always good to know more about something before deciding to buy it. If they fixed the temperature regulation and changed the percent to voltage it would make a much better charger for the money.
Except for the fact it gives internal resistance in regular units a Liitokala is superior in most respects and most are cheaper.
Hence my statement above regarding people who have already done their due-diligence on it.
FWIW, the only source I can find citing temperature regulation issues is your review here.
Regarding the percent vs. voltage display, that is pretty subjective IMO. Personally, I’d prefer both, but the percentage metric is useful on it’s own.
With voltage only, you have no way of knowing how long a battery has left to go to get to a full charge, once it hits 4.2v (or whatever the termination voltage is).
What respects would those be? I actually looked at their comparable unit (Lii-500) when searching.
When comparing it to the VP4 Plus, the Liitokala seemed to be lacking in the following areas:
Narrower range of cell-length compatibility (no D cells/32650s).
Doesn’t show discharge capacity when doing battery tests.
Termination current is too high (especially at lower charge currents).
Inferior voltmeter (less accurate with a higher minimum reading).
Also, when comparing the many reviews that HKJ has done on different Xtar and Liitokala units, it seems that the latter is sort of in the “meh” category, comparatively. YMMV…
I would also like both but since the percent is wildly inaccurate voltage works best.
Either i got a dud or they are lying about it having temperature regulation.
I can’t attest to 32560 since i have none so have never looked for this.
It does show discharge capacity, you can’t measure capacity properly unless you discharge the battery which it does do
Termination current i’ll assume your correct
When your buying chinese chargers the voltmeter built in seems to vary by sample, my Liitokala is a hair over 4.2V at termination and the Dragon is 4.15V at termination. I’ve bought 3 other chargers and none reached 4.2V
My Liitokala is repeatable in IR measurement but it does use a non standard unit and maxes out at 125 units
I don’t recall charging NiMH on my Liitokala so i can’t say, but the Dragon does seem to charge less then my LaCrosse BC700
I don’t use any charger as a battery bank so i’ll assume your correct
I’ll assume your correct on no top off charge (trickle charge?) on the Liitokala while the Dragon does. I can say my BC700 does trickle charge which is likely not good for Eneloops, especially if left overnight or longer
I’m not at all saying the Dragon is a bad charger, what i am saying is it has deficiencies. I have yet to find the perfect charger, so far i’ve only got good enough.
I’ve seen these listed at $89 + shipping, so I figured if we can get them for $46 + shipping, it would be a pretty good value for the features you get.
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