Review: Trustfire TR-005 26650 Charger from Manafont

Trustfire TR-005 26650 Charger Review From Manafont

Summary:

Battery 1 x 26650 / 25500 / 26700 / 18650 / 16340
Switch Rear right corner
Modes 3.0 volt / 4.2 volt
Output: 3 volt

1.5 amps

Output 4.2 volt 1.5 amps
Input voltage

110-240V 50-60HZ

Price paid $10.94 USD
Date Ordered: 26 March, 2012
From: Manafont TR-005

DIMENSIONS:

  • Total Length: 13.5 cm
  • Width: 52 mm
  • Height: 35 mm

Pros: ★★★★

  • Cheap
  • Fast charging at 1.5 amps (most others ive seen are 0.5 or 1 amp)
  • Good build quality and finish
  • Comes in a nice box
  • Internation input voltage can be used world wide 110-240V 50-60HZ
  • Good starter for people who want to get into 26650 flash lights
  • over voltage/current protection (claimed)
  • short-circuit and battery reverse polarity protection (tested)

Cons: ★★★

  • Basic
  • Charger will only charge at 1.5 amps good for large batteries like the 26650/26700/25500 and top shelf 18650,s like panasonic, redilast and awa IMO. I would not charge a 16340 at 1.5 amps IMO.
  • USA only power cord (i used an old AU printer power cord with no problem)
  • Cheap
  • If you dont slide the (-) negitive contact near the base of the charger it jams on its metal slide
  • Can not test mAh, IR or voltage on its own

Summary: ★★★★

Good charger relatively fast, Ive had this one going for two days and all night non stop (not recommended to leave any chargers charging or discharging overnight or unattended) with no problems, its kept all the magic smoke in. From what i can tell is the charger ramps down as the battery nears full like most chargers, but if you leave a battery in the charger once charged and the green light is on there might be a very very small trickle charge coming through, but all the batteries Ive tested stop before 4.2 volt.

Test Cells End Voltage: ★★★★

  • Trustfire 26650 4.18 volt
  • Trustfire 26650 4.18 volt
  • king kong 26650 4.19 volt
  • king kong 26650 4.19 volt
  • king kong 26650 4.18 volt
  • king kong 26650 4.19 volt
  • NCR18650A 18650 4.18 volt
  • NCR18650A 18650 4.17 volt

A few pictures:

Types of power cord plugs you can use with this charger they are pretty common.

My recommendation for good protected 26650 batteries

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/8030

I bought four of these from an online e-cigarette shop when they first came out. I've got a lot of 26650 cells of a variety of chemistries and some 32600 LiFePO4 cells. I'd hoped that these chargers with their 1.5A charge rate would be much faster than my UltraFire WF-188 charger, with its 650mA charge rate (even after doing a suggested resistance mod to the WF-188 to improve charge rate and raise cutoff voltage).

Here's a pic of them in 3.0V mode with 4AH 32600 LiFePO4 cells loaded (with the help of some homemade adapters). The cells were loaded at 2.58V open.

Unfortunately, that pic was taken 11 hours after they entered the charger! (Notice that the charging lights are all still red.) The lights finally turned green and the charge stopped at or around hour 12. If the charge rate is ever 1.5A, it's not for very long at all.

I also compared these chargers in "4.2V" mode to the UF WF-188 in "3.7V" mode, using some good 3.3AH 26650 IMR cells.

Begin:

Five hours later:

Looks can be deceiving though... the WF-188 lights turn green and it goes into trickle mode way too early. I tested open voltage of all six cells after the four in the TR-005 finally lit green and the open voltage of the cells in the WF-188 was still only ~4.09V. I actually ended up finishing off the charge on the two cells that were in that charger by placing them in the TR-005 chargers, after the other four cells finished charging.

In the end, the TR-005 was a faster charger, with less time needing to be spent in trickle mode, and the green LED being a better indicator of when to take the cells off the charger. Those small advantages aside, it still takes what seems to be an absurdly long time to charge up large cells, more so for LiFePO4 than for LiNiCoMnO2 cells.

I'm not certain, but I think a hobby charger with a charging profile that meets the battery manufacturer's specs for charging would do the job in less than half the time of the TR-005. I wish I'd invested in a hobby charger, power supply, and made a nice set of charging cradles, rather than buying so many cheap chargers. I've always imagined selling some of my lights as gift sets with the chargers and cells included, but people never seem to want more than just the light whenever I sell any.

Depending on how flat the batteries are will affect the charge time as well as how close the cell is to 4 volts as it will be ramping down the charge rate, the battery size will also affect this.

I was charging 26650 in around 3 to 5 hours depending on how flat the cell was the 18650 was a a bit quicker. A hobby charger's time around would be around the same for balance charging but i could charge 6 in the time it would take to charge one.

Even a hobby charger will ramp down once the cell is near full and this is the longest part of the charge while it might be slightly quicker then a TR-005 there is not a really big gain in time saving unless you charge more then one at a time.

This is how i charge my 26650,s and 18650,s normally

Balance charging 3 x 26650,s take around the same time charging one on the TR-005 but i can balance charge up to 6 at a time in the same time, monitor each cells voltage plus other features.

This thread about balance charging might interest you

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/3118

This thread has some stuff in there about hobby chargers and accessories for them

https://budgetlightforum.com/t/-/1621

But not every one wants to buy a hobby charger, power supply and then have to buy parts to make up there own leads. I enjoy it and i like having one charger that charge's every battery in my house and the power supply i have for my charger is used for more then just my hobby charger.

TrustFire 0005

I received one about one week ago and am happy with it.

Lights are one 18650 and one 26650 so it could be fine for me.

If I had extra $'s would have gotten a hobby charger.

Very nice pictures and reviews above :bigsmile:

Thanks. I'd always assumed a hobby rig would vastly outperform a single/dual purpose charger like the TR-005. Now that I know that it still takes 3-5 hours to fully charge a 26650, I don't feel as bad about spending $40 on 4 TR-005s and $15 on the WF-188. I'd be hard pressed to build a hobby rig for as little as that and charging times apparently aren't that much different. I kinda wish I hadn't sold my other WF-188 though. Those adapters I made to charge the 32600s in the TR-005 are kind of a hack-job.

I does. On a hobby charger you can adjust the charge rate, i.e. you can easily change to a 2A charge rate and get a much faster charge time.

But 1A is probably best for the batteries.

I left some IMR cells on mine overnight and they tested at 4.22V the next morning.

Unfortunately most of the low end chargers over charge or trickle charge, the key here is to keep and eye on them and do not leave any battery on any charger charging over night, its not recommended and its the best way to avoid this, but 0.02 volt is OK it will not hurt the cell and the protection on protected cell's does not kick in till around 4.35 volt's.

Thanks alot everyone for your recommendations I bought two of these from Hank @ IO where I bought the king kongs also.

http://www.intl-outdoor.com/16340-to-32650-liion-battery-charger-p-306.html

The charger you linked only charge's at 0.65 amps thats a bit low and would be really really slow for charging 26650,s the one in this review charges at 1.5 amps and would charge 3 x 26650's in the time the charger you linked could charge just over 1 x 26650. Plus it look's like you would have to cut of the plug and add your own say if you need a EU or AU plug so it might only be suitable to US buyers. Not just use an old power cord you had sitting around your house and plug it into the charger like i did. It will take approx 15 + hours to charge a fully depleted 26650 with the charger you linked. Do not leave any charger on over night or unattended.

Hey Benckie, I like the charge current on this one. I've made note of it in case I feel I need something to charge faster than what I have. Thanks.

No problem

This might be another contender 2 bay 1 amp each bay, Manafont have confirmed this.

TrustFire Dual Channel Li-ion Battery Charger For 26650/25500/26700/18650/16340 - TR006 (US Plug)

It should fit the protected trustfire 26650 batteries since its made by trustfire.

I'm in for one. I'm thinking of selling that 2D Mag mod I just did along with the two 26650IMR cells. This charger will complete the set nicely.

Ive been using this a lot to make sure it is good enough to give to my old man as a gift, did not want to give him a dodgy charge, but ive been very happy with the charging time and performance for the price. So IMO it is ready to gift and ill go back to using my hobby charger the icharger 106b+.

Could I charge 14500's with this one, or 1500mA is too much and will damage the battery?

1.5 amps is way to high for 14500's. 18650's is about the smallest battery i would use it for and even then i only charge high end 18650's with mine.

SO I can charge my TF flame 18650 & 26650 with this one, and for the 14500's stick with my WF-139...

Yes, i would not charge any battery smaller then a 18650 with this charger as it has a high out put.

What disadvantages are there for a charger like this one versus one that does cc/cv type charging?