I currently own a SkyRC MC3000 and XTAR VC4, the latter was my first proper charger before purchasing the MC3000, did have a BL700 but slot 3 decided to depart!
Curiosity is getting the better of me and I am looking for a new toy - primarily for charging Eneloops in most flavours and potentially 18650’s. The VC4 annoys me due to the meter style display and also max 0.5amp charging rate when using 4 slots. I am tempted by the XTAR VX4, mainly due to the display showing all four slots at the same time, sadly it is also limited by 0.5 charging current on AA or similar.
The Vapcell S4 has got my attention but it seems to look a bit less robust in both build and quality control, when compared to Xtar and SkyRC. I have discounted the 3100 and Liitokala for various reasons, mainly noisy fan and what appear to be quality issues for the Liitokala. My gut instinct tells me to stick with SkyRC and Xtar but the Vapcell is tempting, if people on here think the 3100 or Liitokala are worth a look then I am open to ideas!
Maybe the smart move is just hold out for the SkyRC NC3000 Pro, depending on price point, I guess this will be $60-80 or similar. Normally I go by @HKJ reviews which mostly seem quite favourable for Xtar, and of course the MC3000.
Appreciate any input, I know this is third world problems but toys are toys and you can never have enough
Thanks @TARTARACERBERUS and @raccoon for the replies and welcomes, feel like a Vapcell S4 Plus will get purchased for testing. Once the reviews come out for the SkyRC NC3000 Pro I might well give one of those a try, looks like quite a useful if not slightly expensive dedicated AA and AAA charger.
I ran some Eneloop AA standard and Pro’s through the XTAR VC4 yesterday, didn’t quite push as much into them as the SkyRC but close. Power adapter/brick used for the XTAR is critical as most already know, even the higher powered Apple charger was not enough, vast improvement when using 3AMP quick charge product.
The Enova Gyrfalcon products have also just come onto my radar, had noticed these but not read reviews, seems like the three reviews @HKJ has kindly produced favoured these quite strongly. Will research these some more, including the newer S8000, which aside from lack of temperature sensors looks quite interesting. Appears the All-44 and All-88, reviewed very well and termination on Nimh even at low charge current was good.
Thank you for the input and of course the excellent review content you provide, I have been through quite a few
The XTAR MX4 and Vapcell BL4 are sitting top of my list at the moment, do you find the MX4 works OK with NiMH with the limit of 0.5A, that was my only concern, otherwise I really like the look of that unit.
Once the S8000 becomes available again I might well try one, I guess it is indulging a bit when the SkyRC MC3000 is already in my possession, in which case the XTAR or Vapcell probably make more financial sense!
That is my current train of thought to be honest, wish it could cover 1A for NiMH. My charging of 18650’s is less frequent at the moment, mainly Eneloop’s.
Any thoughts on the ISDT charger range from users, again with Eneloop cells in mind mainly. I seem to think after looking at some reviews and feedback they weren’t on my radar.
If the price is right I will be tempted to get the Gyrfalcon S8000, ISDT C4 EVO and the Vapcell S4 Plus to test alongside the MC3000. Ability to link some of these chargers to various analysing tools is also intriguing and something I will experiment with. The ISDT N8 looks appealing because I could space out 4 Eneloops for easier access and cooling, but of course that unit has no fans and the potential heat build up is a consideration.
Side note reference to the C4 Evo, is the fan on latest models still noisy, I see there are mods for Noctua replacements, a brand I have plenty of experience with. Seems crazy to me that on a relatively high end charger they would spec such a high noise item.
Although the Powerex/Maha 9000Pro has registered in my searching, not quite sure about that one due to some mixed reviews.
I have an ISDT N8, and getting the batteries out when I am charging 8 is not a problem. It’s easy. Heat isn’t a problem either (NiMH’s).
I like the N8, but at first it stopped charging when it shouldn’t. A quick firmware update took care of that, and now it is very good for NiMH’s. I haven’t tried other types, but I have read that it isn’t good for Lions.
I have a Vapcell BL4 too. Those 2 chargers are a nice combo for me.
Thank you for that response, nice to get feedback from someone with both. Sounds like you are mainly using the N8 for NiMH’s which is my intended use. Are you finding they terminate at correct voltage now, my MC3000 normally stops Eneloops at around 1.52v from memory. I tend to sometimes get behind on charging Eneloop so the ability to throw in up to 8 at a time, or a mix of AA and AAA would be nice.
Have the N8 and BL4 been with you for a while, did you own any other brands before these two.
I really like my MiBoxer chargers. They allow adjustment of charging current, show internal resistance, show how much charge has been put in, and terminate charge appropriately. They work great for my LiIon and nmh cells, and the prices are nice as well.
I know that there are people that object to fan noise. I don’t like it much myself. But there is value in having fans. A big enemy of electronics is heat. Lots of heat can be generated by these chargers, especially with multiple cells on discharge. It is good to be able to move it away from the interior of the charger as much as possible.
I just use my chargers in a separate room which minimizes the noise that I hear.
- primarily for charging Eneloops in most flavours and potentially 18650’s. The VC4 annoys me due to the meter style display and also max 0.5amp charging rate when using 4 slots. I am tempted by the XTAR VX4, mainly due to the display showing all four slots at the same time, sadly it is also limited by 0.5 charging current on AA or similar.
