Need charger recommendations

[absoluttalent]

It has been awhile since I last bought my charger.
I currently have a xtar VP4. But I may have to get a new replacement.

Long story short; Wife was making soup mishap
I opened it up, wiped everything down as best I could. I am going to give it 24hours to completely dry what I couldnt get to. I did try plugging it, but it seemed like 2 of the rails had something there and was applying charge.

So more dryout time to see if it fixes itself. But I still think better safe than sorry.
Are there any other good chargers out now or should I stick to another vp4?

I charge 3 batteries at a time mostly. I liked the vp4 because it still had 1amp for 2, or .5amp for 3-4 batteries

 

[Fozzy71]

I like my Efest LUC Blu6. 0.5a on all rails by default but you can ramp them up with the app if you need to. I charge singles, pairs and sets with it generally on 0.5a unless time is an issue.

 

[DaveP]

I have the Xtar VC4, Nitecore I4, and Efest LUC 4. All are good chargers, but the Luc 4 will charge 4 18650's at 1A, while the Xtar will only charge two at a time at 1A or four at .5A, like AbsoluteTalent said. The Nitecore is seldom used for anything but NIMH batteries since it's limited to .5A. I keep the first two on the kitchen counter and sometimes use both at once, if necessary.

The Xtar provides more info about the condition of the cells. You get MAH numbers that give you a relative value for what it takes to charge. That's not an accurate number that can be match to new cell advertised values because those numbers are derived from a 2.5v-2.8v start point, but it's a good indication of cell condition if you watch the numbers over time.

We all need more than one charger. You never know when one will die suddenly.

 

[Barkuti]

Hello!
New kid on the block: Enova Gyrfalcon AL-44 reviewed by Budda @BLF Pretty nice looking imho.
Other popular alternatives: Opus BT-C3100, Liitokala Lii-500.

Cheers

 

[ShowerHead]

Hello!
New kid on the block: Enova Gyrfalcon AL-44 reviewed by Budda @BLF Pretty nice looking imho.

That looks like one nice unit! I may have to order one. Save time over the D4 I currently use.

 

[Barkuti]

Just saw HKJ published its official review of the Enova Gyrfalcon AL-44 on BLF.
Check it out on its website: Review of Charger GyrFalcon All-44

Cheers

 

[ShowerHead]

Hello!
New kid on the block: Enova Gyrfalcon AL-44 reviewed by Budda @BLF Pretty nice looking imho.

Just got one from IMR Batteries. They have it and its 8 bay brother for less than GearBest.
GYRFALCON All-44 4 Channel Digital Battery Charger

 

[ShowerHead]

A follow up to the GyrFalcon 4 bay that I've had about a month now.

I love everything about it. Except...
The slides are crap. I put batteries in and they are at random angles and if the batteries are moved I get a different volt reading.
So, I have to be extra careful when I put batteries in so that the voltages match or within .01V of each other.

Much to like here, however that one 'fail' kinda has me looking for a different charger. Why should I have to worry about the placement of batteries when I haven't ever had that problem with other chargers?

 

[DaveP]

I like the 26650 slots. That gives you lots of finger room for installing and removing 18650's.

Rails are usually tight and hard to move on most new chargers. I move them in and out to wear down rough spots and they eventually break in and smooth up on most chargers. A little silicone helps, too.

I wouldn't like the rail contacts not being at right angles to the battery. That's just poor workmanship in manufacturing. Proper contact is crucial to good charging.

 

[Barkuti]

“Proper contact” isn't that crucial in charger rails, you're just dumping ≈1A of current on the battery so an extra of 0.05Ω contact resistance just means the charger will reach the CV phase a tad earlier and the charging time is going to be a few additional minutes, nothing more. Put some lubricant on the slides, slightly rotate each cell upon insertion, and get along with it.
Now, with regards to these mods you play with , there is where you have to be sure your cells make proper contact, as you're discharging at very high rates and thus any stray resistance takes a heavy toll.

Cheers

 

[Coldrake]

A follow up to the GyrFalcon 4 bay that I've had about a month now.

I love everything about it. Except...
The slides are crap. I put batteries in and they are at random angles and if the batteries are moved I get a different volt reading.
So, I have to be extra careful when I put batteries in so that the voltages match or within .01V of each other.

Much to like here, however that one 'fail' kinda has me looking for a different charger. Why should I have to worry about the placement of batteries when I haven't ever had that problem with other chargers?

I got my GyrFalcon All-44 a few weeks ago and I'm not having any problems with either flat tops or button tops. The slides on mine are fine. The bays are wider to accommodate larger size batteries so the walls aren't snug to an 18650 like they are in some other chargers. Just put your batteries in straight and it you'll be fine.

In my opinion the GyrFalcon All-44 is a great charger for the price, in quality, features and performance. I'm quite impressed with it. It makes my old Intellicharger i4 seem like a toy.
At $35, the GyrFalcon All-44 is only about $15 more than an Intellicharger i4. It's a no brainer for me.

 

[bussdriver]

Yep, that's the one.
Hohm Base | Hohm Tech, Incorporated - Hohm Tech, Incorporated

 

[SteveS45]

Nitecore I4 has treated me right but I can't comment on the others because I have no personal experience with them.

 

[bussdriver]

While I'm at it, this one looks intriguing if only I could find it readily in the states.........
MC3000 Charger

USA: SkyRC MC3000 NiMH / NiCd / NiZn / Eneloop / Lithium-ion / 4.35V / LifePO4 Analyzing Bluetooth Charger - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers

 

[BackDoc]

WOW, for the guy who has everything

 

[ShowerHead]

I like the 26650 slots. That gives you lots of finger room for installing and removing 18650's.

It does indeed give me plenty of room for fingers.

I got my GyrFalcon All-44 a few weeks ago and I'm not having any problems with either flat tops or button tops. The slides on mine are fine. The bays are wider to accommodate larger size batteries so the walls aren't snug to an 18650 like they are in some other chargers.

So this is the SANSABELT of chargers?
I just found that, for example, one battery reading 3.28 and another reading 3.37 was disconcerting. I don't so much mind that the reading is off, but when fully charged, are the batteries over or under charged? Which reading is right, which wrong?

In my opinion the GyrFalcon All-44 is a great charger for the price, in quality, features and performance. I'm quite impressed with it.

Yep, as I said, the charger is great, lots of function, features, display is excellent.
I did put some rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around the desk. None in my package, maybe they just missed them on mine.

USA: SkyRC MC3000 NiMH / NiCd / NiZn / Eneloop / Lithium-ion / 4.35V / LifePO4 Analyzing Bluetooth Charger - Batteries, Chargers, and PowerPax Carriers

That's the one you should aim for. Expensive, but checks every box on your charger wishlist. No PWM either.

 

[DaveP]

“Proper contact” isn't that crucial in charger rails, you're just dumping ≈1A of current on the battery so an extra of 0.05Ω contact resistance just means the charger will reach the CV phase a tad earlier and the charging time is going to be a few additional minutes, nothing more. Put some lubricant on the slides, slightly rotate each cell upon insertion, and get along with it.
Now, with regards to these mods you play with , there is where you have to be sure your cells make proper contact, as you're discharging at very high rates and thus any stray resistance takes a heavy toll.

Cheers

You will always have small resistance issues with dissimilar metals. That probably doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, but when you can touch a charging battery and the charger suddenly notices that it's charged, there's some voltage drop across the contacts affecting the monitoring circuit. It doesn't change the price of tea in China, but clean contacts are always good.

I've always hated electronics that required twisting and tapping to get them to work right. Just one of my pet peeves as a tech rep. It's why I always carried a small bottle of De-Oxit in my toolbag. Low voltage contacts in free air will always develop some amount of oxidation, especially when they aren't gold plated. It's only bad when logic circuits misread levels and sense a high when it should be a low logic level.

 

[ShowerHead]

Here's what I'm talking about. If nobody else has the same issue, then I need to get it RMAd shortly.

If I wiggle them a bit, I see this. Note that the first battery didn't change. This happens with any slots.

If I do indeed have to futz with the batteries and get them juuust right, it isn't the charger for me.
Reasonable care, sure. More than that, eh.

 

[Coldrake]

.

 

[Coldrake]

So this is the SANSABELT of chargers?

Hardly.

I did put some rubber feet on the bottom to keep it from sliding around the desk. None in my package, maybe they just missed them on mine.

Why do you need rubber feet to keep it from sliding around? Are you on a boat? I'm not being facetious, I'm serious.

I just found that, for example, one battery reading 3.28 and another reading 3.37 was disconcerting. I don't so much mind that the reading is off, but when fully charged, are the batteries over or under charged? Which reading is right, which wrong?

Here's what I'm talking about. If nobody else has the same issue, then I need to get it RMAd shortly.
View attachment 631123
If I wiggle them a bit, I see this. Note that the first battery didn't change. This happens with any slots.

View attachment 631125

If I do indeed have to futz with the batteries and get them juuust right, it isn't the charger for me.
Reasonable care, sure. More than that, eh.

I tried a battery 5 times in each slot, here are my readings. I wiggled and changed the angle of the battery and the readings didn't change while it was in the slot.
Bay 1
3.66
3.67
3.67
3.67
3.68

Bay 2
3.66
3.67
3.66
3.65
3.66

Bay 3
3.68
3.68
3.68
3.68
3.68

Bay 4
3.67
3.68
3.68
3.68
3.68

Personally I don't think a few hundredths of a volt is going to make any difference as to over/under charging, nor do I think it will cause any damage to a battery. I also don't know if you can expect a $35 charger to be perfectly accurate to a hundredth of a volt. I'm no expert on batteries or chargers, maybe someone with more knowledge and expertise can tell me if I am wrong. @Mooch ?