Hi,
I just ordered a light that uses 26800 cells. I ordered the light with a cell and then bought a couple of the QB26800 cells.
Now I am looking for a charger for the cells. All of the posts I have read about this are pretty old now. So is there anything new on the market?
I do have a few hobby chargers that I can use with magnets to affix the leads. But this is not a very elegant solution. Also, I don’t have a balance harness, so I can only do one cell at a time.
So, I am looking for something that can charge more than one cell and hopefully has a charge rate of 2 amps or better.
I have been using an Xtar SC1 Plus, which is a single-bay charger that is designed to fit 26800s, and it does 3A. I am on my second one so far, as the first one managed to burn up after about 6 months. I would not recommend charging unattended, but I guess that goes for any cheap Chinese-made charger. The good thing is they are cheap, though - around $10 - and easy enough to get on Amazon or from battery sellers.
I also have a Convoy L8 which has built-in 3A charging. And now the Nightwatch Super Valkyrie which seems to have even faster charging than that. So there is that approach, get a flashlight that doubles as a charger?
A backup I have for oddly sized batteries like 10180s and what-not is the Trustfire UC10, a flex charger which can also charge 26800s, since it is just wires with magnets (no fixed bays), but only charges at a paltry 1A. It’s a pretty good compact emergency charger though, for keychain lights and things, and also cheap enough to find on Ebay or similar.
Well, not ideal. Texas Grizzly was not thrilled with it.
I will keep it in mind, thanks. But am really hoping that there is something better.
Maybe not though. I don’t think the 26800 has gotten the popularity that some thought it would as of a couple of years ago. I guess that would reduce the motivation of manufacturers to produce something in a full featured multicell charger for them.
I modified a Nitecore UMS2 with a dremel and it has worked fine. You need to use a usb power supply that is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 certified to get the most out of it. (get the advertised charging speeds) I’m not a big fan of the user interface, but it works.
If Vapecell made a 26800 compatible model I’d be all over that. I like my Vapecell S4 Plus a lot more.
I’m sure it is essentially the same design inside. The cavity that I bored into should be empty, but you could remove the bottom of the charger to confirm that yours is the same before you start removing material. I took the bottom off so I wouldn’t damage the plastic “track” that the spring-loaded contact runs on.
I saw a how-to on modifying the UMS2 and the other guy actually cuts out part of the plastic “track” on the bottom piece to allow the contacts to overtravel. But the spring contacts do not ride inside the track, only on top of it so you do not need to modify the bottom piece.