Anyone using Nitecore New I4 4 Bay charger?

[Robbert]

I need a charger,capable of auto shutoff or trickle charge,that I can leave charging cells without worrying about burning down my house.Also would like it to put a good charge on liion cells.
Fast charging or discharge isn't needed .Just a basic charger capable of auto shut down.
The New I4 4 bay seems to be getting good reviews and it's under 20.00 with car charge plug.Id guess it can charge 4 18650 overnight or 7-9 hours???
Is it a dependable charger?

 

[opticruby]

I need a charger,capable of auto shutoff or trickle charge,that I can leave charging cells without worrying about burning down my house.Also would like it to put a good charge on liion cells.
Fast charging or discharge isn't needed .Just a basic charger capable of auto shut down.
The New I4 4 bay seems to be getting good reviews and it's under 20.00 with car charge plug.Id guess it can charge 4 18650 overnight or 7-9 hours???
Is it a dependable charger?

I would never advise leaving batteries for long periods fully charged on chargers, or unattended.

Nitecore are reliable chargers (for me,anyways), and yes they cut the power to the cell when fully charged.

Also these can come in handy. A lipo charge bag.

 

[VapieDan]

Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray my batteries on charge to keep. If I die before I wake. I know I should have removed them way too late!

 

[SteveS45]

I have the Nitecore I4 for over a year and I am totally confident in it's performance. I do not have the luxury to be awake or around while my batteries are charging and it is used everyday and night.

 

[Opinionated]

I need a charger,capable of auto shutoff or trickle charge,that I can leave charging cells without worrying about burning down my house.Also would like it to put a good charge on liion cells.
Fast charging or discharge isn't needed .Just a basic charger capable of auto shut down.
The New I4 4 bay seems to be getting good reviews and it's under 20.00 with car charge plug.Id guess it can charge 4 18650 overnight or 7-9 hours???
Is it a dependable charger?

I own one.. yes i find it very dependable. Yes it will charge 4 18650's overnight..

It is, however, not advisable to charge unattended, but i have done it before without problems. Make sure your getting your batteries from a reputable battery company, not a vape shop. I recommend somewhere like Liion Wholesale Batteries | Li-ion battery distributor so you can be certain the batteries your buying are of the highest quality.

What i have never done, is to use the car charger... I have no comment on that, but i would definitely buy another i4 and purchased one for my son, so i do have a lot of faith in this charger.

 

[DaveP]

Call me over-conscious, but I unplug chargers, even cell phone chargers before I leave the house or go to sleep at night. You'd hope that a charger component failure would leave the charger inoperative, but there's always a chance that failure could disable the sensing circuit and cause a runaway.

Theoretically, the drain on the charger lowers as full charge is reached. When voltages equal drain reduces in a charge circuit and cut off occurs. That theory is fine, but what happens if a Dendrite reaches the outer casing of the battery prior to cutoff? That's when the electrolyte expands from heat and spews hot electrolyte from the vents.

If you charge unattended, use an approved battery charging bag on the charger. It might just save the fire department a trip for only $7.99.

Safe Charging Bag

 

[Mooch]

Call me over-conscious, but I unplug chargers, even cell phone chargers before I leave the house or go to sleep at night. You'd hope that a charger component failure would leave the charger inoperative, but there's always a chance that failure could disable the sensing circuit and cause a runaway.

Theoretically, the drain on the charger lowers as full charge is reached. When voltages equal drain reduces in a charge circuit and cut off occurs. That theory is fine, but what happens if a Dendrite reaches the outer casing of the battery prior to cutoff? That's when the electrolyte expands from heat and spews hot electrolyte from the vents.

If you charge unattended, use an approved battery charging bag on the charger. It might just save the fire department a trip for only $7.99.

Safe Charging Bag

I recommend not doing that.
These chargers already operate at above 70°C internally and the core temperature of some components can be significantly above that. Technically, we call that Frakkin' Hot.

Putting a charger in a bag raises the temperature even more, of both the charger and battery, and increases the chance of charger failure. I strongly recommend just buying a 12" floor tile and using that as your charging surface, leaving the charger out to cool as designed.

 

[DaveP]

I recommend not doing that.
These chargers already operate at above 70°C internally and the core temperature of some components can be significantly above that. Technically, we call that Frakkin' Hot.

Putting a charger in a bag raises the temperature even more, of both the charger and battery, and increases the chance of charger failure. I strongly recommend just buying a 12" floor tile and using that as your charging surface, leaving the charger out to cool as designed.

I've thought about the heat thing. I've never used a charging bag, anyway. I just charge when I'm able to monitor progress. I always have several battery cases full of charged cells ready to go and charge at night when I can stay close to the action.

The ceramic tile is a good idea. Call me over-cautious, but there's still a safety exposure any time no one's there to monitor charging.