18650 charger with voltage cutoff under 4.2 volts?

[P-Funk]

I am a newbie to regulated mods with external batteries. After much reading, I decided to purchase the LG HG2 IMR18650 batteries for their reliability and convenient compromise between draw and capacity.

The literature I reviewed suggests that a battery's lifespan can be greatly improved if it is charged slowly and stopped below its full capacity. Upon reviewing the specifications of the commonly suggested 18650 chargers, it seems that they share a voltage cutoff of 4.2 volts. Google was unable to locate for me any fancy chargers with an adjustable cutoff.

Is anyone aware of a charger with a lower voltage cutoff or an adjustable one?
Would such a device be worth it in light of the relatively small expense of batteries?

I am not on a meager budget and am willing to spend whatever is needed to obtain the safest, most exacting charging hardware. Thanks in advance for any direction you can provide!

 

[Assi]

Most of the old Budget chargers (Ultrafire, Surfire etc.) had a cut-off at 4,13V - 4,15V, because they had no Controller. In battery-packs the cut-off will be terminated by a PCB (Protection-Circuit-Board), or by BMS (Battery Management System).
On a regulated Mode the voltage in the mode is stable, however the voltage in the battery drop down. There is a so called step-Up regulater in the Mode that balances the Voltage and Keep it stable. When you use a battery, that is not fully charged, the running time of the battery is reduced.
"Manipulation" of Voltage in order to get more cycle-life would not make always sense.
Btw...few years ago Samsung SDI and LG manufactured batteries with cut-off-Voltage at 4.35V. Those batteries were however 2C-3C batteries (like ICR18650-28A, ICR18650-30A and LG D1). Charging the ICR18650-28A (2800 mAh nominal) for Example up to 4.2V gave you 2550 mAh and a additional 300 cycles.

 

[Mooch]

I am a newbie to regulated mods with external batteries. After much reading, I decided to purchase the LG HG2 IMR18650 batteries for their reliability and convenient compromise between draw and capacity.

The literature I reviewed suggests that a battery's lifespan can be greatly improved if it is charged slowly and stopped below its full capacity. Upon reviewing the specifications of the commonly suggested 18650 chargers, it seems that they share a voltage cutoff of 4.2 volts. Google was unable to locate for me any fancy chargers with an adjustable cutoff.

Is anyone aware of a charger with a lower voltage cutoff or an adjustable one?
Would such a device be worth it in light of the relatively small expense of batteries?

I am not on a meager budget and am willing to spend whatever is needed to obtain the safest, most exacting charging hardware. Thanks in advance for any direction you can provide!

There are "hobby" chargers used by the radio-control crowd, from places like Hobby-King, where you can adjust the charging voltage and many other settings. But they're a lot more complicated to use.

You can achieve much of the same effect by removing your batteries from the charger as soon as it hits 4.15-4.20V. You lose 10%-15% of capacity, i.e., run time, but will gain some overall battery life. But this may not be convenient to do or be worth the time and effort versus just buying an additional set of batteries every year so so.

 

[sofarsogood]

There is less amp load on the battery if the voltage is topped off as the day wears on. I charge the battery in my regulated mod on board as the day wears on to keep it topped off. I also like a topped off battery when I leave the house. That's my theory, not certain if it prolongs battery service life. I do the same with my phone.

 

[VapieDan]

The Opus BT-C3100 stops at about 4.19. It has many nice features as well. A little on the pricey side. They do go on sale if you can wait.

Opus BT - C3100 V2.2 Li - ion Digital NiCd NiMH Battery Charger ( US Plug )

 

[P-Funk]

Sounds to me based on these few responses and the other threads on this forum that I am perhaps a little too concerned with this. I think I'm just gonna get the Nitecore D4 and hope for the best. Thanks for the replies.