I've tried both. I like the K1 besides the tiny rubber fill plug that I always have a hard time getting a grip on. The 1FC was one I reviewed but haven't spent any time with it after the review.
Figured I'd update my post from Tuesday. My two orders (DIY mixing supplies and a few tanks with RBA coils) have both arrived, the DIY order on Thursday and the tanks arrived today. 
The DIY order included PG base which looked clear to me from a sample I poured into a cylinder. Seemed to have an odor when I opened the (plastic) bottle, but I did not note any real odor from the sample. I was more focused on checking it out and getting it closed back up and put away until I'm ready to bottle it for storage.
Ordered another batch of same.
The Beasty tanks came today, order correct and in good health.
Also picked up some wire and cotton on Wednesday.
And ordered more wire.
Was figuring to stick with Kanthal, but now I'll have Ni80 and SS too.
And more cotton. Three different brands all together.
Oh, and some ceramic tweezers and the Coil Clout coiler.
And, I heard back from a local shop about what rebuildables they could get from a shortened short list that I left with them. I'm going with the Arbiter 2 and Solo.
For now...
The DIY order included PG base which looked clear to me from a sample I poured into a cylinder. Seemed to have an odor when I opened the (plastic) bottle, but I did not note any real odor from the sample. I was more focused on checking it out and getting it closed back up and put away until I'm ready to bottle it for storage.
Ordered another batch of same.
The Beasty tanks came today, order correct and in good health.
Also picked up some wire and cotton on Wednesday.
And ordered more wire.
Was figuring to stick with Kanthal, but now I'll have Ni80 and SS too.
And more cotton. Three different brands all together.
Oh, and some ceramic tweezers and the Coil Clout coiler.
And, I heard back from a local shop about what rebuildables they could get from a shortened short list that I left with them. I'm going with the Arbiter 2 and Solo.
For now...
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Good start.Figured I'd update my post from Tuesday. I placed two orders (DIY mixing supplies and a few tanks with RBA coils) that day and received the DIY order on Thursday, the tanks arrived today.
The DIY order included PG base which looked clear to me from a sample I poured into a cylinder. Seemed to have an odor when I opened the (plastic) bottle, but I did not note any real odor from the sample. I was more focused on checking it out and getting it closed back up and put away until I'm ready to bottle it for storage.
Ordered another batch of same.
The Beasty tanks came today, order correct and in good health.
Also picked up some wire and cotton on Wednesday.
And ordered more wire.
Was figuring to stick with Kanthal, but now I'll have Ni80 and SS too.
And more cotton. Three different brands all together.
Oh, and some ceramic tweezers and the Coil Clout coiler.
And, I heard back from a local shop about what rebuildables they could get from a shortened short list that I left with them. I'm going with the Arbiter 2 and Solo.
For now...
Got a new XTAR VC4S charger but this thing is soooooo slow. And now it's even slower than before, at first it took 4 hours to charge two batteries, it's been 5 and they aren't done yet. Wondering if something is wrong.
What charger are you guys rocking? Missing my MiBoxer.
What charger are you guys rocking? Missing my MiBoxer.
As I understand it, if you have all 4 slots charging, you only get max 0.5A per slot if plugged into a regular 5 volt USB source. If you want a max 1A per slot when using all 4 slots, you'll need to be plugged into the 9 volt quick charger. Could this be your issue?
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I only have two XTAR VC4. And these only work off of 5v USB. Bay 1 and 4 will charge at 1A each (2A total). But if anything is in bay 2 or 3, then all bays charge at 500ma. Just like UncleJunkle had said. The XTAR VC4S didn't exist yet when I bought mine. Having two of them, I can charge four cells at 1A each or 8 @ 500ma.
Couple things. I didn't get a 9V quick charger and the instructions don't mention anything about it.
We're up to 7 hours here and my two 18650 are not charged. I did learn some things form that video, I think I might have changed the charge type from cap to something else. I'll stick to cap from now on.
Based on his review of how it charges AAA and AA I might look for something else.
I'll stick the batteries in just slots 1 and 4 next time and see how it goes. If not well though I'm in the market for a new charger.
We're up to 7 hours here and my two 18650 are not charged. I did learn some things form that video, I think I might have changed the charge type from cap to something else. I'll stick to cap from now on.
Based on his review of how it charges AAA and AA I might look for something else.
I'll stick the batteries in just slots 1 and 4 next time and see how it goes. If not well though I'm in the market for a new charger.
Well according to that video, the XTAR VC4S doesn't work like the XTAR VC4 does and you can't control the charging current by which bays you use. The XTAR VC4S assigns the charge current by the internal resistance of each battery.
And both models will reduce the charge current if the supply can't provide enough amps for a faster charging. Like if you use a 500ma USB supply and fill all four bays, you'll only get 125ma charging tops. That would take like over 20 hours to charge.
Both models will tell you the charge rate. Since yours is taking so long to charge, I'm curious what it is saying it is charging them at? The XTAR VC4S can charge each bay at different rates.
I’m using the Opus BTC3100
Right, it's sold separately.
Yeah, that's crazy. Are these old batts? If so, may have really high internal resistance. Time to get rid of.
Look at the display. What amperage are they charging at?
This has no bearing on the charger's performance.
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Personally, I don't like the idea of faffing around with power sources and # of batts in order to regulate the charge currents. Too much hassle for me since there are other reputable chargers that have manual current control. I like to be able to set that manually as I see fit/prefer.
That's the one major thing I like about my Efest LUC 2 and LUC 4 chargers. On the LUC 4, the current can be set for 0.5A on all 4 slots and 1 amp on all 4 slots...it's powered by an included wall plug (you cannot power it via USB. There is a USB port on the back but I believe that is strictly for using it in powerbank mod - in other words, it's an output, not an input). Can also be set to 2A charging but this is only for 2 slots (the 2 middle sots, the outer 2 slots are disabled in 2A mode). The charge currents are set with one simple button.
The LUC 4 does not take 21700 batts, though. There is a newer version (HD?) but I never owned it so I can't say how good it is but I can tell you that my Efest LUC chargers have lasted me over 5 years, probably over 6 years. The LUC 4 is my most heavily used charger and is on it's last leg. But I feel I got my money's worth. I would probably buy another but not sure since it doesn't do 21700. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I highly recommend it for an 18650 charger. I have 2 LUC 25 charger that I bought at the same time but one is still in the box (never used) and the other has not seen nearly as much use so can't speak to their longevity compared to the LUC 4. But I like them both the same.
I also have the Opus BT-C3100. I have not used it nearly as much as my LUC chargers, but I do like it. It will take 21700. It's not marketed as a 21700 charger because it was designed back before 21700 was a thing so there is not a boatload of clearance for the 21700, but they do fit. One thing some may not like about it is that it has a bit more complex user interface and people usually care for if all they want to do is simply charge their batteries. But all the bays are independent, more or less, so charge currents can be set individually for each battery...up to 1A (I believe). If you want 2A charging you can only do 2 batts at a time (I think).
But honestly, if you liked your Miboxer and you eventually want to replace the XTAR VC4S then I say just go back to the Miboxer. However if you want a decent, easy-to-use-and-understand charger for 18650 (max), Efest LUC 4 all the way.
I like my Miboxer C4-12 v2 charger.
Each of the 4 bays is independent and can do up to 3A simultaneously. It will charge all the current batteries we use.
Miboxer C4-12 |18650 Battery Charger|Smart Charger
Each of the 4 bays is independent and can do up to 3A simultaneously. It will charge all the current batteries we use.
Miboxer C4-12 |18650 Battery Charger|Smart Charger
I almost asked if this was the case and thought "No way, they would never do something so stupid as to make you buy a separate accessory to get normal charging time."
Both brand new sets of batteries, I rotated new ones in this past fall.
If I set it on "cap" and then look at the charge with two batteries in it says 240mA. That's my max.
Shopping for chargers because I'm certainly not spending more money on something they should have included in the box.
This is what I had last. I think it died because I blew my vape directly at it for two years and it got coated. But after this experience I think I'm going to go back to it. It was soooo fast.
I have a few chargers besides the Miboxer, a couple Nitecore's and an XTAR SV2.
The Nitecore's are older and still work fine (they won't take any 2x700's).
I was not impressed with the XTAR SV2. A spring broke in one of the bays. That turned out to be a known problem with those. I won't buy another XTAR charger.
Well that's the way XTAR seems to do things. It has it's upside: if you don't need the "extras" then you don't pay for them...keeps the retail price point way down and more attractive. You should not need the 9v charger, though.
That doesn't seem right. Can you manually set the cap? I don't remember the video mentioning something about a "cap" but I wasn't paying attention too closely since I'm not really in the market yet for a charger and probably will never buy an XTAR (no offense to XTAR users, just seems like too much faffing for me on the model's I have looked at).
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I've been blowing vapor at/on my LUC 4 for 5+ years. That doesn't mean vapor residue was not your problem, though. Just thought I'd share that.
This is something I Couldn't believe that XTAR did. Produce a Charger targeted at the Entry to Mainstream Market that Didn't have the ability to set Charge Current Rates.
I could see if XTAR released a Charger with an Optional "Auto Charge" Feature. Yeah that would be Great. But a Full Auto Charger where the User Can't Override what the Charger "Thinks" is Best? That Isn't Innovation.
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