This is a review of the Xtar MC2S lithium-ion portable charger. The MC2S is a simple and small 2-slot charger for a wide range of standard lithium-ion cells. It supports sizes from 10440 all the way up to 21700.
Please see my youtube video for a full description of the Xtar MC2S charger.
The charger is powered by a standard micro USB cable. The cable is supplied.
Each slot charges up to 1 amp, and Xtar uses a TC/CC/CV algorithm which first selects the best charging speed based on the internal resistance of the battery. Larger batteries, like an 18650, will get the full 1 amp charge, while smaller batteries get less.
Charging works well, giving a full 4.20v charge. It will take about 4 hours to fully charge 1 or 2 empty 18650 cells.
The interface is extremely simple, as expected from a travel charger. A red/green LED above each slot tells you the charging state; red for charging, green for done.
Pros:
- Small, simple, and easy to use. Great for charging needs while travelling.
- 2 x 1A charging is nice to see on a charger this small.
- Automatic detection of appropriate charging current, depending on cell.
- Lots of safety features.
Cons:
- Only charges lithium-ion, not NiMH.
- Will stop charging both slots, if one battery is removed. So make sure to either wait for both cells to finish, or unplug and plug in the charger when removing cells.
The charger was provided by Xtar for review purposes. I receive no other form of compensation, and all my reviews are independent.