I can use some adice in choosing a new charger.
Looking for on that charges both Li-ion and Ni-mh cells in 18640,16340,15270, AA and AAA size.
Option for12v car charging or usb chargin is a plus but not a must.
I’ve narrowed it down to these 3:
xtar vc4
Nitecore D4
Opus BT - C3100 V2.2
Are these similar to eachother or is one better in quality, safety or options?
I’m biassed to Nitecore because of good feedback on the brand in general (not specific to this charger) but I can’t see the differences anymore through all the specs. :o
+1 for Lii-500 - more versatile with capacity test. Can be bought on aliexpress for $20 with wall adapter or for $15 without one(it uses standard 12V 2A adapter).
Had an earlier version of the Nitecore > gave it away (mine did NiMh poorly, overheated them. Not a problem with most units)
Have the VC4 - good CHARGER, that’s all it does, but it does well. I use it a lot for charging.
Opus - My go to charger for analyzing or anything special. I’d keep this if I could have nothing else.
Not familiar with the Lii-500.
I think I did. I’m pretty sure it was a legit unit. Some of them had that problem. I have some superior NiMh/NiCad chargers so that was not an issue for me.
I have a VC4, I don’t currently feel the need to analyze cells since I only use single cell lights so I’m happy with a good all around charger. My only problem with it is portability. I don’t think any 4 cell charger is really portable enough for me. I keep it at home and loosely monitor how many mah the batteries take to charge. I keep several spare batteries with me at work for my main light and one for my backup. I also keep a small single cell charger with my spares just in case things at work get out of hand and I don’t get to go home. I don’t think I’ll ever have to use it though. On a busy night a few weeks ago (hit and run investigation and a warehouse fire) where I used my main light for hours and hours I still only needed to grab one backup cell out of three
Never heard of fake Liitokalas but who knows? Everything with good reviews gets copied sooner or later. Nonetheless many friends this side of the big pond bought from AX and are very satisfied. I think some vendors simply have lower margin up front instead using some obscure coupon deals, seasonal promotions, lotteries etc…
Lots of discussion on Liitokala vs. Opus. Both seem to be winners, with some differences that may sway an individual.
Note - some hate the little fan on the Opus. ALL little fans like that are ‘crap’. If you get one apply some quality lube BEFORE you ever use it, that way it doesn’t start wearing right away. I did that with mine and it’s holding out fine. Yes, it does whine a bit but I have it in my basement charge area (steel, stone, and smoke alarms) so it doesn’t bother me.
Indeed the fan of the bigger opus is a big turn off for me, immediately out.
Even the servers I bild in the past got those little nasty fans removed for some custom ducts and big fan, no matter if they were stashed in a closed and never heard or not.
Hate little fans
And do all charging with the charger next to pc to feel the cells regularly.
Hey Thanks! That makes it extra interesting!
I really appreciate all the feedback and experiences guys.
This definitely helped me make up my mind!
I decided to go with the Xtar VC4.
In the end I picked this one because it’s powered by an usb compatible powercable which allows me to hook it up to my solar panel
Now the waiting begins.
