Please recommend me a quality 18650 charger that charges under 8 hours
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I think the Nitecore is fine. I have the i4 and while I wouldnt leave it to charge my batteries through the night or leave it charging while I am not in the house, it seems to work fine.
The XTAR and Pilla are supposed to be the best chargers. I didn't want to have to worry about getting spacers for my 18350s, so I just went with the Nitecore.
Keep your Trustfire still though. As much as it takes forever and a day to charge, you may need it one day.
The XTAR and Pilla are supposed to be the best chargers. I didn't want to have to worry about getting spacers for my 18350s, so I just went with the Nitecore.
Keep your Trustfire still though. As much as it takes forever and a day to charge, you may need it one day.
I also have the efest luc. It kicks .... Mine didn't come with a car charger though...
Ehhh - so some xTar charges need extra spacers for short batteries. I got four extra spacers for $1.80 when I got the charger.
What I don't like about the NiteCore chargers are the quality control issues. Like an entire Rev. 1 run of the product that, basically, wasn't safe to use requiring the design to have significant changes. And now reports on ECF about the AC line cords being poorly manufactured with the charger plug end of things starting to show bare wire and needing replacement. That's the type of line cord I would expect to come with a TrustFire...
Saving $5.00 in the game of Xtar vs. Nitcore - not worth it. Don't cheap out on, of all things, the charger.
What I don't like about the NiteCore chargers are the quality control issues. Like an entire Rev. 1 run of the product that, basically, wasn't safe to use requiring the design to have significant changes. And now reports on ECF about the AC line cords being poorly manufactured with the charger plug end of things starting to show bare wire and needing replacement. That's the type of line cord I would expect to come with a TrustFire...
Saving $5.00 in the game of Xtar vs. Nitcore - not worth it. Don't cheap out on, of all things, the charger.
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Just for clarification the Xtar VP1 doesn't need spacers, and also comes with a regular and car charger plug.
True.
The Xtar WPII 2 also comes with the car 12 v line cord, and can be used to charge USB devices with a single 18650 battery in it.
And:
The Xtar VP1 in testing charges identically to the Pila.
But, unlike the Pila, the VP1 has that snazzy backlit status display. The VP1 can also charge batteries as small as 10440's due to it's options to change the charging current: 250 mA, 500 mA or 1 amp.
For the same price of the Pila you get the same performance, plus the cool new backlit display. Not saying the Pila isn't a good charger - in many ways it set the standard for how a charger should work. But for what's out there today and what you get in features, the Pila is really looking over priced, especially when compared to the Xtar VP1.
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Ehhh - so some xTar charges need extra spacers for short batteries. I got four extra spacers for $1.80 when I got the charger.
What I don't like about the NiteCore chargers are the quality control issues. Like an entire Rev. 1 run of the product that, basically, wasn't safe to use requiring the design to have significant changes. And now reports on ECF about the AC line cords being poorly manufactured with the charger plug end of things starting to show bare wire and needing replacement. That's the type of line cord I would expect to come with a TrustFire...
Saving $5.00 in the game of Xtar vs. Nitcore - not worth it. Don't cheap out on, of all things, the charger.
I didn't care about the cost. Just the convenience of being able to charge stuff without having to worry about keeping track of the stupid spacers.
I would go for the pila, I struggled through 2 Efest Lucs before I gave up and grabbed a Pila. The Luc's voltage detection is really inaccurate. Both of the ones I had would tell me my Batts were fully charged, 9 times out of 10 when I checked them on a multi meter they would be between 3.9 to 4.1. Very rarely did a battery meter out at 4.2 volts. I would have to take the battery off and put it back on a few times in order to get it to a full 4.2 volts. Because of it's inaccuracy, the fancy LCD screen was next to useless. Other than the spacers, the Pila is no muss no fuss. I put the batts on, wait till the lights blink green and voila, full charge every time.
I also recommend the Pila. Researched these forums prior to purchasing, and that is what I bought. Charges all my batteries, 18650, 18500, & 18350 just fine. Two at a time if i prefer.
Paid $45
Paid $45
FYI: I just tested the Nitecore i2 I just received this past week, and it took about 5 hours to charge 2 AW 18650 batteries. The same batteries take about 3 to 3.5 hours in my Pila charger. The Nitecore does appear to be a decent charger for the money (about $20 on Amazon), but it only outputs .5 amps max which will take longer to charge larger capacity batteries.
The Nitecore I got replaces an XTar WP2 II that had one of the charging bays quit after about 6 months use, and we'll see how well the Nitecore holds up over time.
The Nitecore I got replaces an XTar WP2 II that had one of the charging bays quit after about 6 months use, and we'll see how well the Nitecore holds up over time.
I have the xtar sp-2, it charges my 18650's in 2.5 to 3 hours on the 1a setting. It has 3 charging levels .5, 1, and 2 amp. The 2a is for 26650's but the half and one amp are good for anything smaller. It takes about 5 hours on the half amp level FYI. Great charger that charges multiple sizes without the need for spacers. If you want a led readout on your charger the xtar vp-2 is the way to go. It also has multiple charging speeds, but only up to 1amp which is fine if your only charging 18650. You don't want to charge 18650's at 2 amps anyway because it can be dangerous and shorten the life of your batteries.
I'm afraid to even hint how.long I've had.my XTAR 6's. I guess I'll just treat each day forward as a bonus and appreciate it.
I second this choice. I have 2 of them and they are great chargers.
This seems like a pretty decent deal on a Nitecore i4 w/free shipping, i grabbed one:
New Nitecore I4 Intellicharger Charger for 18650 1850014500 18350 16340 18700 AA | eBay
New Nitecore I4 Intellicharger Charger for 18650 1850014500 18350 16340 18700 AA | eBay
I have one. It's good, but it's new, so I can't speak for longevity.
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