Battery charger recomendations

[zzooti]

I would like a better charger for my 18350 batteries; the one I have works great, but it's not really what you'd call portable; does anyone sell a usb charger? usb ports are everywhere now, and I already have a slick wall/car charger with usb port which I use for my Infernos.

 

[Ratchet]

I just bought this one..... Pila IBC Charger for 14500 / 17500 / 18500 / 18650 3.7 volt Lithium Battery Charger
VERY nice and seems to be one of the top-notch chargers on the market. It works perfect for my 18650's and comes with a spacer for the smaller batteries, too.

Never mind, didn't read the part about you wanting a USB charger........

 

[zzooti]

USB isn't a necessity, it would just give me more options; I think I've seen a few with a car cig lighter plug option-that would make it somewhat portable.

 

[IronAP]

Here ya go. Not usb but still good for the money.
Review of / Measurement on Xtar WP2 II charger

 

[Ratchet]

USB isn't a necessity, it would just give me more options; I think I've seen a few with a car cig lighter plug option-that would make it somewhat portable.

The pila charger I linked to above has the option of buying a car adapter for it........ And as much as I can gather, this seems to be one of the very best chargers on the market these days.......

 

[Honkey Kong]

The xtar WP2 II that IronAP is on par with the Pila (internal Technology) and roughly half the price. The Pilas used to be the best, but with the Xtar offering the same thing there is no reason to pay double the price+ for a Pila.

 

[D. Waterhouse]

And the Xtar comes w/ a car adapter for free.

 

[zzooti]

I checked the links-the Pila looks pretty good, although they didn't give much info on it; they didn't list 18350 or 16340 batteries, but as Ratchet said it comes with a spacer, so one could assume.....

The Xtar also looks like a good unit; the review was a little too technical for me, but I think I got the gist of it-I don't understand the usb port function though; it says you have to have a battery in one of the slots for the usb port to work, but they don't really explain how it works-does the battery merely complete the circuit, or does the battery actually power the usb port, even if its unplugged? If the battery actually does power the usb port, that would be a handy feature-I could charge, say, my cell phone or my Inferno when I'm away from a plug.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

 

[D. Waterhouse]

I checked the links-the Pila looks pretty good, although they didn't give much info on it; they didn't list 18350 or 16340 batteries, but as Ratchet said it comes with a spacer, so one could assume.....

The Xtar also looks like a good unit; the review was a little too technical for me, but I think I got the gist of it-I don't understand the usb port function though; it says you have to have a battery in one of the slots for the usb port to work, but they don't really explain how it works-does the battery merely complete the circuit, or does the battery actually power the usb port, even if its unplugged? If the battery actually does power the usb port, that would be a handy feature-I could charge, say, my cell phone or my Inferno when I'm away from a plug.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.

Yep , the battery powers the USB port.

 

[zzooti]

Yep , the battery powers the USB port.

I think we have a winner; now to find one for sale

Well, that didn't take long-310vapers has it for only $13.49!

 

[Queen]

+1 for the pila

 

[BuGlen]

My brother just got the XTAR and the best deal we could find was here:

Xtar WP2 II Charger

 

[zzooti]

What about the Xtar MP2? Charges 18350 & 16340 without spacers, can charge LiFePo batteries (if I wanted to use them) and it does have a usb cable.

 

[ScottGChi]

Definitely agree with zzooti about the MP2. I've got one since I use mostly 18350 and 16340 bats and I was tired of adding and removing spacers in my WP2. It uses a USB cable and I think it was GeekGirl that did a review on it saying it was actually better than the Pila since it has better overcharge protection. Clouds of Vapor has it on sale for like 10 bucks now.

http://www.cloudsofvapor.com/store/127-new-at-cov/1186-xtar-mp2-charger.html?keyword=xtar

 

[zzooti]

Yeah, I'm liking the MP2, it's what I was originally looking for, something I can charge from a wall outlet, car plug or usb port; and clouds of vapor is a vendor I've bought from & trust.