I have both, and notice that the same AW IMR 18650 will come off the Pila reading 4.12v, and off the WF-139 anywhere between 4.18~4.20v. All my batts are less than three months old and get rotated and cycled regularly. Is this charging discrepancy anything I should be worried about?
Charges Pila vs. WF-139 LITHIUM CHARGER
- Thread starter hildicat
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Can't help you with the Pila but my batteries come off my WF-139 the same as yours.
I wouldn't worry about it to much as long as the charged current isn't way above 4.2... my 139 started charging at above 4.25...sometimes ever 4.3 or 4.35 and that was a big concern. Those batteries don't hold a charge for very long anymore.
I'd consider that a good specimen for a charger. I was not sure if vaping was for me so I went against my personal rule and bought an ultrafire WF-139 to save some bucks. I've used the charger for 2 months now and my batts come fresh off the charger at 4.29, don't sound too good.
I plan to upgrade to a Pila by month's end.
I plan to upgrade to a Pila by month's end.
4.29 HOLY S!!!!!! AND CONSISTANTLY? HOLY S AGAIN!!!!!!
I would chuck that charger and get another one asap, if money is an issue Xtar makes a 2 bay charger that is nearly identical to the Pila, I've owned both, and the Xtar is less than half the price.
I would chuck that charger and get another one asap, if money is an issue Xtar makes a 2 bay charger that is nearly identical to the Pila, I've owned both, and the Xtar is less than half the price.
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I tried to post a link but it wouldn't let me when i went back to edit
Xtar MP2 II
Xtar MP2 II
jkmtwo - thanks for the last push, bro. That is a good wake up call. Money is thankfully not an issue for me, it was just my cheapassedness. I have marked the batteries that were charged on the WF-139 and I will change chargers this weekend. I will likely get a Pila and/or look into the Xtar as a backup.
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The Pila is built to stop charging at a bit less then the TR-001,,,,I've been running 2 TR-001's for 2.5yrs or more now and never had an issue with either one. Next one I'm getting though will be the Xtar when I need one.
Sniperboy- yeah I know hat you mean, but I always tell people, what's the point of getting a top of the line pv, and, getting the cheapest batts, and charger possible? A few bucks is nothing compared to safety.
MWA- I have both the 6 bay, and the 2 bay by Xtar, and they have the one bay that I'm thinking about getting, mainly because I think it can charge via USB. I love the 6 bay, I like only charging once every 10 days to 14 days, and the 2 bay pila just didn't cut it, because I had to babysit all day, now I put the batts in, a couple of hours later I check, and go back to what I'm doing.
Wow talk about a thread derail. Sorry op.
MWA- I have both the 6 bay, and the 2 bay by Xtar, and they have the one bay that I'm thinking about getting, mainly because I think it can charge via USB. I love the 6 bay, I like only charging once every 10 days to 14 days, and the 2 bay pila just didn't cut it, because I had to babysit all day, now I put the batts in, a couple of hours later I check, and go back to what I'm doing.
Wow talk about a thread derail. Sorry op.
you can use the reset button on the Pila, when the batt comes off 4.15v or lower it will contineu charging to 4.17v - 4.18v. gives a better performance from the batts tastewise, if the batts are 4.15v+, in my experience that is.
had a WF-139 once, died within a month, so no good words for that one. and yes the Xtar is a very good alternative for the Pila, always off the Xtar with 4.19v or 4.20v on them.
had a WF-139 once, died within a month, so no good words for that one. and yes the Xtar is a very good alternative for the Pila, always off the Xtar with 4.19v or 4.20v on them.
I am now using Sismax Intellicharge i4
charging all sizes of batteries, from 26650 to 16340
Then decide for himself whether a battery is 3.7 v or 3v, and charging the right way
but when I remove the battery from the charger, measuring 4.23
say that is too high?
charging all sizes of batteries, from 26650 to 16340
Then decide for himself whether a battery is 3.7 v or 3v, and charging the right way
but when I remove the battery from the charger, measuring 4.23
say that is too high?
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Not saying 4.23 is too high at all... I would be concerned with anything over 4.25... absolutely 4.35 is too high- what I was experiencing with my WF-139 (after ownership for about a year). The proof was in the pudding- those batts die quickly...take a long time to charge too now. They are in a pile away from the decent ones and probably should go in the trash, to be honest.
Just wanted to update my findings as a public service to anyone who may be researching, and I don't want my earlier post to be misleading. I recently purchased a PILA as I had previously threatened 
and after charging both fresh batteries and/or the batteries that had been charged on the Ultrafire WF-139. I was shocked to see that the batteries were still coming off at 4.29.
Please continue reading..
After a bit of thought I have narrowed down the culprit to a POS ebay special digital multimeter. It was consistently getting too high a reading. I just sucked it up and bought a more expensive Craftsman digital multimeter from Sears and it was giving me 4.17-4.18 off both chargers. Worth the peace of mind.
The 4.18 reading I get seems to be consistent with what is said here and it matches my hard to read analog multimeter. I plan to check my new multimeter with another in case I run into a friend who has one.
Lesson learned, always check all links to find which one is weakest. The WF-139 is not necessarily bad. (I bought mine from a reputable US seller 3/2012).
I have no regrets buying the Pila since I was set on it to begin with, however and will keep the WF-139 Ultrafire as a spare.
and after charging both fresh batteries and/or the batteries that had been charged on the Ultrafire WF-139. I was shocked to see that the batteries were still coming off at 4.29.Please continue reading..
After a bit of thought I have narrowed down the culprit to a POS ebay special digital multimeter. It was consistently getting too high a reading. I just sucked it up and bought a more expensive Craftsman digital multimeter from Sears and it was giving me 4.17-4.18 off both chargers. Worth the peace of mind.
The 4.18 reading I get seems to be consistent with what is said here and it matches my hard to read analog multimeter. I plan to check my new multimeter with another in case I run into a friend who has one.
Lesson learned, always check all links to find which one is weakest. The WF-139 is not necessarily bad. (I bought mine from a reputable US seller 3/2012).
I have no regrets buying the Pila since I was set on it to begin with, however and will keep the WF-139 Ultrafire as a spare.
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Pila is probaby the very best charger you can get and can charge faster than most others if not all. That said I have no reason to pay for one because I have at least 6-10 batts of each I use so no need for speed 
or cost.
or cost.
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For those of you with the X-tar 6 bay ............. some info. This is what I read in a flashlight forum. First, bays 1&2, 3&4, 5&6 have a connection so that the charger can vary the amperage on each bay when charging. If only one bay, in a set, is being used the amperage will be higher than if both bays are in use. The charger splits the amperage, thus, lowering the amount going to each battery and slower charging rate to each of two batteries. In other words the available amps are shared between two batteries in a set, 1&2, 3&4, etc.
With that knowledge it will be easier to grasp my next experience/observation. The X-tar 6 has reversed polarity protection. I'm not sure if it is built into the "brain" of system but for sure the spring will collapse, turning bright orange and hot just like the spring in a REO does when there is a short. In the case of the X-tar 6, with itss "connected" bay sets, springs collapsed in both loaded bays when I put one battery in wrong way, wrong polarity. Charger unplugged. Load AW IMR 18650 into bay 1, correct polarity, put second battery AW IMR 18650 in bay 2 up side down, wrong polarity.......... Plugged in charger and both springs, bay 1 and bay 2 instantly collapsed, glowing bright orange, and hot enough to give off a tiny puff of smoke.
The batteries may have been harmed. They did charge up to 4.2 and I used them. I did not mark them, though. Within the next week I had to "trash" (actually throw into recycle battery bin) two of my older AW IMR 18650s due to reduced vape time. One only lasted an hour and one lasted <30 minutes of good vape time. Those very possibly could have been, and probably were, the two that were on charger when the springs collapsed due to reverse polarity. Most of my AW IMR 18650s are over a year and giving reduced vape time. But two of them became abruptly unusable instead of the slow decline like the others.
So now my 6-bay X-tar is a 4-bay. The other remaining bays, sets 3&4 and 5&6 are unaffected and charging properly.
Hugs, Feisty Alice
With that knowledge it will be easier to grasp my next experience/observation. The X-tar 6 has reversed polarity protection. I'm not sure if it is built into the "brain" of system but for sure the spring will collapse, turning bright orange and hot just like the spring in a REO does when there is a short. In the case of the X-tar 6, with itss "connected" bay sets, springs collapsed in both loaded bays when I put one battery in wrong way, wrong polarity. Charger unplugged. Load AW IMR 18650 into bay 1, correct polarity, put second battery AW IMR 18650 in bay 2 up side down, wrong polarity.......... Plugged in charger and both springs, bay 1 and bay 2 instantly collapsed, glowing bright orange, and hot enough to give off a tiny puff of smoke.
The batteries may have been harmed. They did charge up to 4.2 and I used them. I did not mark them, though. Within the next week I had to "trash" (actually throw into recycle battery bin) two of my older AW IMR 18650s due to reduced vape time. One only lasted an hour and one lasted <30 minutes of good vape time. Those very possibly could have been, and probably were, the two that were on charger when the springs collapsed due to reverse polarity. Most of my AW IMR 18650s are over a year and giving reduced vape time. But two of them became abruptly unusable instead of the slow decline like the others.
So now my 6-bay X-tar is a 4-bay. The other remaining bays, sets 3&4 and 5&6 are unaffected and charging properly.
Hugs, Feisty Alice
That was my 1st choice and almost bought one and decided I didn't want to hassle with spacers and could save money by getting a TrustFire TR-003P4 which charges all the type batts I use. Besides my TR-001 still works fine after being in use for almost 2 years makes a fine backup.
In the charger is a AW IMR 16340 & 18350 & 18650 2000 mAh
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