i4 Nitecore charger question

[DaveP]

I disagree. My batts must have about 150 cycles by now (most were bought during April/May 2013). Rechargeable batteries lose about .5% of the charge over a short period. Leave them be for 15 days and they'll be almost fully depleted. The only ones that hold the charge for longer periods are Eneloop or Sony Cycle Energy batteries. All others get discharged, agreed, faster if they're older. Replenishing the charge in an intelligent charger should pose no problem for batteries.

Internal resistance is the culprit that depletes charge on unused batteries over time. I recently took 4 AA NiMh batteries out of a zip lock that I haven't charged in two years. They read about 20% under full voltage before I put them in the I4 charger for a refresh.

I've been rotating the same 4 AW 18650 IMR batts in my mods since April of 2012. After a year and a half, I think I can detect a little charge loss from when they were new, but two of them will get me through a day and sometimes into the next morning on my variable mods.

I think the key to long life is recharging them when they get to around 3.5v and giving the charged batts a rest before reuse. Mine get a turn in the mod every other day and a day of rest in between. If I were using the same two batts day in and day out and letting them drop out for a charge at 3.2v to 3.3v they would be much more stressed by now.