Which XTAR charger?
- Thread starter oplholik
- Start date
- th_trl_thread_readers 0
- Status
Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger
- Guide to help a novice in choosing a charger. Covers recommended brands, suggestions for the number of charging bays you'll need, independent bays, LED or LCD models, and "smart chargers".
I really like the VP-1 the best, mainly because it is pretty much foolproof. The VP-2 is great too. But I like the fact that you do not have a voltage switch on the VP-1. One less thing to go wrong. I would recommend the VP-1, if all you charge is 18000-series batteries.
The only caveat: the VP-1 does not charge 26650 batteries.
The only caveat: the VP-1 does not charge 26650 batteries.
Still using a Xtar XP-4 since 2 year's now! I wonder how long these things should last. I've found it to be perfect and fool proof which is ideal for a newb. Now I also want something which gives a bit more information and I believe there is one which shows the cells internal resistance?
I saw that on either Illumn or rtd when buying batteries and almost added it to my shopping cart.
I saw that on either Illumn or rtd when buying batteries and almost added it to my shopping cart.
FWIW, I have the Xtar VC4 and it's a good charger, but the 1A charging rate is limited to 2 bays. 3 or more batteries at a time and it downshifts to .5A.
The upside of the VC4 is that if you run the batteries to cutoff in a mod before charging you get a representative reading of the MAH capacity in the display. I suppose that's calculated by the power it takes to charge the battery to 4.2v. The MAH reading the display rises over time as the cells are charged. My new Sony 2100mah VTC4's showed 2060mah when they reached full charge. I suppose the VC4 charger can reveal weak cells during charge.
For $21.75 it was a good deal from Amazon. I still use my Efest LUC 4 charger when I need to charge multiple cells at 1A. My old Nitecore i4 is doing duty as a NiMh charger for AA and AAA.
The upside of the VC4 is that if you run the batteries to cutoff in a mod before charging you get a representative reading of the MAH capacity in the display. I suppose that's calculated by the power it takes to charge the battery to 4.2v. The MAH reading the display rises over time as the cells are charged. My new Sony 2100mah VTC4's showed 2060mah when they reached full charge. I suppose the VC4 charger can reveal weak cells during charge.
For $21.75 it was a good deal from Amazon. I still use my Efest LUC 4 charger when I need to charge multiple cells at 1A. My old Nitecore i4 is doing duty as a NiMh charger for AA and AAA.
Well I liked the VP4 so much I bought a second one so I can charge up to 8 VTC5's at a time. I've owned a few chargers over the time I've been vaping, and so far the VP4 is my favorite.
Well, I just ordered the VP4 and not the VC4 because I thought the VP would charge all 4 bays at 1A. Guess I was wrong and should have bought the VC4. Any reason the VP is better and costs 10 bucks more?
I like the bells and whistles in the display on my VC4, but it will only charge 2 18650's at a time at 1A. Those must be in slots 1 and 4. It also needs a 2A USB wall charger power supply to do that. I'd order the Xtar USB 2A USB power supply for $6.95 from Amazon when you order the VC4.
The VC4 has its good points, like the MAH display that tells you relative condition of the battery once it's charged. It also shows the actual voltage of each cell as it charges instead of an LED bar graph.
For more than 2 cells at a time, I use my Efest LUC 4 that can charge all four bays at 1A. It will do 2A if your batteries can take it.
Last edited:
Well, I had already ordered the VP4. I had thought it would charge all 4 bays at 1A, but I was mistaken. It does come with a power supply. I was thinking it was a better charger, but maybe not.
Actually I think the VP4 will charge all 4 at 1A. Its the VC4 that won't.. My Nitecore is still working fine but Im eventually going to get one of those two next. Aside from the charging amperage and the display the big different between the VP and VC is the VC will also charge AAA/AA/C/D batteries. The VP only does 18xxx and 26xxx batteries.
That's what I thought as well, but the above review says: "When only slot #1 and/or slot #4 is used the maximum current is 1A. If there is any batteries in slot #2 or #3 the maximum will be reduced to 0.5A."
It just arrived, so I will find out soon and will post my findings. It does look nice and it came with a car adapter as well, which is nice. I had the Nitecore i4 but it's been flaky for the last year. I have to jiggle the cord to get it to work.
I just looked and the box states 1000mA x 2 and 500mA x 4. Oh well, still looks nice.
Ahh ok so it IS the same. Yeah on their page for the VC4 they list the input at 2A but they don't list any of those specs for the VP4. I have the Nitecore D2, its actually done a decent job, but its kinda flaky with my AA's I use in my wireless mouse. Sometimes it takes a few minutes of jiggling them around before the charger will recognize them and even after that a lot of times it flips flop back from Li-Ion to NiMH before it finally starts doing its job.
I still use my EFest LUC4 when I need to charge 3 or 4 18650's at 1A for quicker turnaround. It's also the one I take on trips for the same reason.
I have no regrets with the VC4. It's a nice charger with good graphics on the display. It will charge in a vehicle at .5A on a 500ma USB vehicle port and at 1A if you have a 2A - 12volt USB car charger.
I have no regrets with the VC4. It's a nice charger with good graphics on the display. It will charge in a vehicle at .5A on a 500ma USB vehicle port and at 1A if you have a 2A - 12volt USB car charger.
Purchased the XTAR VC2 Plus a while back. It has never missed a beat and regularly on the go 16 hours a day. Yes I use a lot of batteries.. Considering buying another.
The USB charge point is a great addition as well.
The USB charge point is a great addition as well.
- Status
Similar threads
