I’m looking for a low cost but reliable 18650 charger without too much of a “cheap feel”.
Basic features needed:
2 or 4 cells
charges each cell independently
stops charging when done
good quality contacts
some type of battery “health” indicator
There are several DX chargers that seem to fit the bill, and I’m wondering which one YOU would prefer.
Thanks, I appreciate your help 
illumination supply and the nitecore i4………screw buying it from DX
Nitecore has some of the best, if not the best “budget” smart chargers available. the i2 charges 2 cells and the i4 does 4 cells
Are you dead set on buying it at Deal Extreme? While it doesn't necessarily have a health indicator the Xtar WP2 II is an excellent value smart charger and it can be had for $15-$20.
Keep in mind, most products from DX are of lower quality and in reality, over priced at times. PLUS it will take a good 2-3 weeks for your purchase to arrive if not longer. I see you are from FL so by using illumination supply, you will not only be supporting a member of this community but also get your order in 2-3 days!!! Calvin is a great guy and I did a GB for the i4’s on another forum a few months ago. the i4 is already dirt cheap from them but he was kind enough to give us a few more dollars off and we ended up getting like 50 chargers sold in a week 
I have both the Nitecore I2 and the Xtar XP2 II and I prefer the Xtar by far. It can charge bigger cells at 1A and it also has the ability to provide USB power.
My Xtar cuts off right at 4.2v while the Nitecore charges up to around 4.22 (18650’s on both), as measured on my non-calibrated Fluke.
The Nitecore can charge NiMH cells but it doesn’t fully charge them as compared to my dedicated NiMH chargers.
you must have got a faulty i4 since mine charges NiMH cells fully, odd
if all your looking for is 18650s then its a coin toss, but if you plan on using it as an all purpose charger like me, i4 is the only way to go. can do 16340s to 18650s, NiMH to 22650s, C cells and everything inbetween
Depend on the charger that you need, I think usually can find cheaper than DX (unless they have special promo). I’ll buy from IS too if near them and they have it with about same price range.
The Nitcore i4 also takes more time to charge four cells than to charge two cells because the current is divided between two slots.
Here are good technical reviews of these two chargers.
Review of the i4: Review of Charger SysMax/NiteCore i4 V2
Review of the WPII: Review of Charger Xtar WP2 II
One of the best 4 channel chargers reviewed by HKJ: the SoShine SC-S1 mix (v3). Current is not stepped down like the i4. Charges all 4 channels at 1000mA, faster than the i4 too.
-Garry
I have the Xtar WP2 and had trouble, but it was replaced under warrantee with no problems. When it is time for a new one I will go with this one: Xtar VC2S-L battery charger - Orbtronic.com
Something odd here.
The one HKJ reviewed (V3) clearly charged four cells at about 950mA each. Yet the V3 version on DX is labeled with channels 1 and 2 at 300mA and channels 3 and 4 at 1000mA, and the description reads “Output current: 600 / 1000mA”.
Another version on DX is described as having “Output current: 4000mA”. The photo of the charger label is too blurry to read.
Thanks for the replies.
I like illumination supply and am glad you guys pointed out the charger.
I’ll probably be ordering one soon.
AGREE
DX’s seems good for things like optics and boards, but there’s a scent of GREED on a lot of other stuff. I’m kicking myself for defaulting to them so often. On that note I was also looking at the Trustfire protected 3000 mah “flame” as a way to get the most bang for the buck, but is there another good value protected 18650 cell I should consider?
I appreciate the help.
These Sanyo protected 2600mAh's from FastTech. Gonna be tough to beat those.
-Garry
Thanks for the info. I’ll probably buy the batteries from fasttech.
No idea if it’s faulty or not, but my Nitecore is the I2 and not the I4. I rarely use it to charge NiHM’s as my dedicated chargers do a much better and faster job.
No, watch out for the name.
I like the max not as much the mix (The mix is not a bad charger, but Soshine did make a few bad decisions).
Ah yes, I knew there were two versions that almost look identical (or do). Have to watch out for the correct version and I wouldn't order from DX and trust them to send the correct one. In my haste yesterday I must have linked the wrong one, sorry. I would order from HKE.
-Garry