If it passes all the tests (I would expect it do, but I need to do some more measurements), then there are two things in favor of it:
The display, the obvious is that it can be used to see the charge state of the battery, but it can also be use to estimate the age of the battery (Not in years, but how word down the battery is).
If you are using 16340 and especially 10440 cells, the 0.25A range is very useful.
Generally I would expect it to be more expensive than the XP2, a custom made LCD display does cost more money than 3 leds.
Why is it that generally, charging a 16340 at 0.25A is preferred over 0.50A, while charging a 14500 at 0.50 is totally acceptable even though they are both 4.2V 750mAh cells?
I once contemplated between 16340 and 14500.
My mind automatically jumped to(assuming the same tech): h(πr^2) ie, more area=more power.
16340= ~6832.64mm^3
14500= ~7693mm^3
Sorry, the 26650 doesn’t fit comfortably in there.
+1 on the i4. If it’s a LiION/NiMH, I’d much rather go with a “brand name” than a knock off for safety sake — even if many of the components are the same.
I would assume because it does 3.0/3.2V. I personally would stick with my i4, although I’d like to see a new version that could do up to 2 amps for Li-Ion.
Hm, that’s true. LiPo support is quite… rare. i4 nor XTAR SP2 support this type of cells.
Anyway, I personally don’t like these all-in-one chargers, unless it’s hobby charger. Right now I prefer one, but good, charger for li-ion and other one for NiMh.
Okay Jason, I ordered one. I’ll stick my SP2 in a drawer until I need it to charge 26650. I sure hope the slides are nice and smooth, I hate sticky sliders.
I don’t think the price is going to come down too much. $35 has been the norm for SP2 for a while. $15 more for the VP1 isn’t too bad when you consider.
What pushed me over the edge was…I got a brand new Eye40 and wanted to charge my cells so I could test it out…staring at those three solid red LEDs on my SP2 with no idea of how the charge was doing was driving me nuts.
The price is $50 everywhere I’ve looked. Buying it from Ualnosaj at HID Canada I feel more comfortable if I encounter any problems. Hell, I could just drive over there if I wanted. Sometimes getting $5 cheaper from some site in China, isn’t worth the bother if you encounter problems.
$50 with free shipping, and a coupon that covered the HST…I’m happy.
I know what u mean i have sat in kitchen up and down checking temp of batteries on charge watching for the light to go green for last couple of hours lol…