Best batt charger?

[Blaze]

I need the pro advice of the modder squad here. What's the BEST batt charger to have?

Must haves:

Must be multifunctional (14500, 16320, 18500, 18650).
Must be able to charge Lith-Ion and IMR HD without overcharging.
Must be accurate, I don't want to have to mess around with a multimeter EVERY time I take the batts off charge.
Must be rugged. My chargers tend to receive a bit of abuse.

So, is there such a charger out there that meets all these conditions?

 

[WillyB]

Decent.

Buy Pila IBCT 4-stage Charger, AC Adapter | Pila BC01-AC01

 

[Blaze]

That looks it might have been a winner if it weren't for the trickle charge. Any others?

 

[duby]

Hunting around CPF is seems the ultrafire Wf-139 is pretty popular.
It stops charging at or just below 4.2v. Due to inconsistencies it seems end voltage can vary from unit to unit all around 4.18v though.

As far a ruggedness is concerned I couldn't tell you. My chargers don't move around all that much. But its relatively inexpensive at least.
However there are claims that it doesn't cut off on CPF
http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?t=230502

similar complaints about the Soshine charger, and complaints about some WF-139s as well.
Apparently the wf-139 comes in varying versions.

At this point my suggestion would be to order a from someplace like madvapes or Lighthound. Charge a few batteries and check to make sure its not overcharging and the cut-off works. If it doesn't ask for an exchange.

 

[duby]

Did some more looking for you blaze.
Apparently some versions of the WF-139 have issues with the longer protected 18650s. In addition the 16340 contacts don't come soldiered. A little bit of tooling on the plastic and you can fit both batteries in the spring contacts, or a simple soldier job and the side contacts work fine.

There is this one from Soshine
SOSHINE__Products -- 18650/RCR123 Li-ion Battery Charger|SC-S1 mix -- SOSHINE

From the website it meets all your charging requirements though I can't speak to it being sturdy. Most of the reviews state that the door is flimsy, but it can be removed with no loss of function.

I've been using the Trustfire TR-001 with out any issue. It fits all batteries listed and charges to 4.18v and 4.17v depending on channel. Mine cuts off fine. Once again, I don't beat mine up that much so i can't speak to that.

Hope that helps.

 

[duby]

Alright Last post I swear.
Here's a post on CPF that goes over some of the pros and cons
14500 18650 Lion charger - Summary of good threads - CandlePowerForums

The pila charger seems to be well liked.

 

[Blaze]

Thank you for all that info

After re-reading the specs and posts and such, I'm thinking the Pila is the way to go

 

[Sci]

I've used the previous version of this charger - AG-126 Lithium Ion Battery Charger. It works great. I've let batteries charge overnight without worry of overcharging & all the batteries I've metered after charging were 4.2v.

Here's the specs on this version:
New updated version. Has two independent charging channels for Li-Ion batteries but will now also charge Ni-MH and Ni-CD 1.2 volt batteries. 750 ma output at 1.2 volts and 650 ma output at 4.2 volts, charges batteries fast.
Smart electronics chooses the fastest charging method based on the inserted batteries.
Easily fits 18650, 18500, 18350, 14500, 17670, 10440, 16340 and CR123.

Plugs directly into a wall outlet and a single LED provides charge status for both channels. Easy to use and operate.

 

[aarik]

I use a programmable RC charger. Those are the fastest and safest way to charge Lithium ion batteries. They will charge any battery in 1 hour.

Search for B6AC Charger

As the connector, i had a USB EGO charger that went bad, so i took it apart and gutted all the electronics, soldered 2 wires to the connector, reassembled the plastic case and hook it up straight to the charger.

Madvapes has them for a few bucks.

For the RCR123 batteries, i use an ultrafire from lighthound.com ($12) and i am working on some type of tray so i can charge and balance them with the RC charger. I'll probably end up gutting the ultrafire for that.

 

[Villager]

Any charger suggestions for IMR 10440 batteries?