So if there are some obvious feature differences that were missed please mention them. Any of these three would be good but why not go for the gold? Some things that are not important here are that the VP2 has only two bays, the price is not important, that a charger may not completely top off/charge fully the battery (say if one had a 4.20v and after a short time the battery tested at maybe only between 4.05-4.19v), that no fan is built-into the charger (since there will be a small fan blowing on the charger next to it.
Some important things are the ability to charge 26650's, four separate channels for charging, a USB output would be nice but not mandatory, the ability to charge the newest high-power batteries (such as the 5200mah batteries with the optimum voltage, current etc.).
It becomes very energy consuming to go through so many choices for chargers especially after just having gone through the flashlight choices (which was just done having spent maybe about 100+ hours doing so) and battery choices as well. The batteries we will be using will be probably some of the very best that once can purchase and maybe they will only be 18650's and/or 26650's.
That about wraps up the request. Maybe one or two feature differences were missed so that is why the reason for this post. This request is not meant to be a technical breakdown as to the best technical charger - it is just about features, really.
The flashlights and batteries chosen will be the first good lights and accessories being bought here so no real experience is being used.
Thank you for any assistance and opinions rendered.
If you want any and all of your li-ions charged right, go with the VP2
If you want your batteries to be analyzed, combined with a decent charger for both li-ion and nimh, go with the C3100
If you want a charger that just works, or are on a budget, and want to charge both li-ion and nimh, go with the nitecore I4 or I2
Note on the battery voltage not being exactly 4.20: The voltage will fall a little when the battery gets off the charger, less so for newer batteries, more so for older ones. This is normal.
Edit:
Also of note are the xtar SP-1, MC-1, and the XP-1
Yes we understand this to be the case. The thread with the debate between this being normative and not was read as well. It was in the VP2 giveaway thread recently from around May 2014.
Very good advice. I have also faced the same choice of choosing a charger and I purchased Opus BT-C3400 because it allows me to measure the remaining capacities of used batteries.
Only Opus BT-C does it, as Musicmagic wrote.
But I just bought the 3100 2.1 at 44.39 USD total cost ( free shipping )
when the above ref. is at 68 something total.
No real difference between the two if I’m correct…
Am I ?
But if someone sees the 3400 with free shipping…please post! :email:
Wait…
The OP says it’s not important that a charger has only 2 bays…then says it has to have 4 channels….that’s something i could not understsand then.
Also you forgot to mention the Liitokala Lii-260 and the unknown Lii-300 from which I’m eagerly waiting the HKJ review since he stated he’s reviewing it since 3 weeks ago.
I believe it could also take 26650 maybe with an adapter (i don’t remember)
Also it could take 72mm long cells
It has usb output (powerbank)
And It is a charger/analyzer, but despite the Opus it only has 1A max CC …so beware
Regarding charging curves it should be better than the OPUS if I recall it correctly
P.S: opus 3400 and 3100 v2.1 are the same thing….so if you find a deal on 3100v2.1 don’t mess seeking for a 3400 which is the same thing
I always wanted to ask you if instead of spending 25-30 euros in one of those analyzing charger would be much better a 30- 60 € for one of those 50-80-150W hobby charger (for under 60€ you could have a 300W discharge one) , considering one always have a spare PSU laying somewhere in the house. Maybe a laptop one or even a Desktop one (maybe a single 12V rail could not be enough thou).
Sure you lose the ability to analyze capacities of 2 cell at the same time if charging in parallel, also different chemistries at the same time. Also don’t know it is totally safe to charge let’s say a 2.8V cell with a 3.2V. Or cells with different form factors…
But Do the charging curves appear A LOT better?
Also is the Opus Pulse current a lot worse than the Liitokala charging current for a “everyweek recharge”? Or am i wrong?
Hobby chargers are more universal and has much better charge curves and more safety, you do also avoid heat from the charger.
BUT: They can only handle one cell at a time*, you need to do you own charge cradle and you often need to push considerable more buttons.
* Except with a balancing rig, and it can slow down the charging.
With 18650 I would not worry much about the pulse current, but with smaller cells I am not too happy about it. The LiitoKala do not use any pulses but a steady charge current.
Only two opinions on Amazon. This one was the first…coming from a 3400 seller…Never been substanciated.
But this not the correct thread…How to chose between three very good chargers…
- I’m probably going to buy the 300 . Powerbank function is really usefull when phone/tablet batteries are expensive/hard to change or when the device is meant to be disposed of when batteries are dead ( The case of many bluetooth loudspeakers )
-Support of LiFePo would be nice. I’ll write to the maker
I’m sure the OP has already chosen a charger, but in my experience so far, I trust my Xtar the most. Very consistent and precise. For simply charging li-ion it’s hard to beat.
I have found my Lii-300 to be useful, but not as well made as I had hoped. Discharge tests are always higher on one channel and the cells terminate charging at 4.26V. It’s been useful for weeding out bad cells from my laptop pulls, and really like the fact that USB out uses both slots, but other than that, I would not use it on a regular basis for charging.
