Wow scary. I didn't realize they were that dangerous. How do you know which ones are bad and how do you improperly charge them to make them dangerous? I just stick it in my charger and when it turns green take it off. I even vape holding my 3 month old baby. Now you got me scared. LOL Really though. Maybe I should do some research too.
How do we know if our batts and chargers are safe?? Is it dangerous if I leave it on the charger all night? I'm guessing the answer to that is yes! Wow.. who knew? And is there any way to tell if there's a problem with a battery? Questions, questions!! I use V2's and Elite 808's... no plans for acquiring anything much bigger than those as they've worked very well for me.. how unfortunate for this poor man,,, and the rest of us too. The anti-ecig bandwagon is about to get fuller. damn.
One of the most important safety factors with li-ion chargers is whether or not they trickle charge. The rest of the proper charging methods are good to have (which is kind of complicated to explain), but having
true charge termination (or at least extremely low trickle charge, like in the 100 microamp, uA, or less range) is probably one of the most important things to have. Sadly most of the li-ion chargers on the market trickle charge at a dangerous rate (in the double or triple digit milliamp range, which is VERY bad).
You can test your own chargers by using a DMM (Digital multimeter) to test the current after the charger has fully charged the battery. Just know that to test current you need to wire the DMM's probes in series with the battery and charger, and this can be a tricky method.
Please see this thread over at CPF, scroll down the thread and check out the section about testing the charger's current (its a ways down the first post), he explains how you can test this (also has pictures, which helps a lot in figuring out what he is talking about).
Simple guide to using a DMM for measurements
As for my suggestions on chargers, the Pila IBC is one of the best ones out there ATM.
Pila IBC Charger for 14500 / 17500 / 18500 / 18650 3.7 volt Lithium Battery Charger
If you want something cheaper but still does a great job following most proper charging procedures, check out the Xtar WP2 II, you can get it for about $17.
Xtar WP2 II Li-Ion Charger
Here is a thread taking measurements/review of this charger, its a good read and explains that the charger is indeed pretty good and safe. Surprisingly its one of the better ones out there despite its cheap price tag.
Review of / Measurement on Xtar WP2 II charger
Stay safe guys and gals! Li-ions are not batteries to take lightly!
