Nitecore i4 v2 or XTar VP1

[Kemosabe]

im trying to decide on which charger i want to upgrade to. i know both xtar and nitecore are considered great brands. both models seem similar. the nitecore has 4 bays while the xtar has 2. but the xtar can use 3 different currents. xtar also has a better screen but it appears that it wouldnt tell me much more than what the little battery bars do on the nitecore. the nitecore can be had for a bit less but i dont mind "splurging" on the xtar if its worth it. what do you guys think?

i plan on charging MNKE 18650, AW IMR 14500, 18350 & 18490, and eFest IMR 18350 & 18490.

Nitecore: http://www.fasttech.com/products/0/...ore-i4-v2-li-ion-ni-mh-ni-cd-smart-battery-ch

XTAR $32.89 XTAR VP1 Dual Channels Multi-Functional Li-Ion Battery Charger - US plug at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

i currently use a Tenergy charger (i think its the TN270) Battery Charger for Electronic Cigarettes

btw is there a Battery & Charger sub-fourm? thought that would be the best place to post this but im not sure if it exists (yet).

 

[awsum140]

I haven't used a Nitecore charger and got an Xtar VP1 about a month ago. I'm very happy with the Xtar The little bargraph display isn't all that important to me, the voltage reading at completion of charge is what counts. I've checked it against three different multimeters, from a cheapie to a fairly expensive one ($100+) and it seems accurate within about .02 volts. Being able to manually set the charge rate is an advantage to me.

 

[Butters78]

It doesn't have the fancy screens etc but my Pila has treated me very well.

 

[Coastal Cowboy]

The Nitecore is a fine charger. But if you don't mind paying the extra cost of the Xtar, it is an upgrade.

 

[Kemosabe]

It doesn't have the fancy screens etc but my Pila has treated me very well.

oh thats right. i totally forgot about the pila chargers. i remember those being widely heralded as great as well.

 

[Baditude]

The Pila has been the top charger for our needs for 2 - 3 years. It hasn't been upgraded in that time span, so it doesn't have the fancy LCD display of the now equally heralded Xtar VP1. I've had a Pila for 1.5 years, and it has been a workhorse, charging my batteries faster than the Xtar MP6 II and Nitecore Intellicharger i4, which I also own. It often was requested to charge up to four batteries a day. Recently, one of its bays stopped charging, so I was forced to purchase a new charger.

I first bought the Xtar MP6 II because I have so many more batteries to charge than another 2 bay charger could handle. It will not easily accept my 18350 batteries (spring loaded bays allow this size to pop out of the charger). Frustrated, I bought the Nitecore i4.

The Nitecore i4 has the slider bars that I prefer over the springs-loaded to accept all of my batteries. Its bays all charge independently and have independent LED lights to indicate progress of battery charging, just as the Xtar VP1. This is my primary charger now and I am very happy with its results.

No doubt the VP1 is an excellent charger, but I'm not sure whether it has any additional features other than a nice looking LCD screen over the Nitecore.

 

[Kemosabe]

The Pila has been the top charger for our needs for 2 - 3 years. It hasn't been upgraded in that time span, so it doesn't have the fancy LCD display of the now equally heralded Xtar VP1. I've had a Pila for 1.5 years, and it has been a workhorse, charging my batteries faster than the Xtar MP6 II and Nitecore Intellicharger i4, which I also own. It often was requested to charge up to four batteries a day. Recently, one of its bays stopped charging, so I was forced to purchase a new charger.

I first bought the Xtar MP6 II because I have so many more batteries to charge than another 2 bay charger could handle. It will not easily accept my 18350 batteries (spring loaded bays allow this size to pop out of the charger). Frustrated, I bought the Nitecore i4.

The Nitecore i4 has the slider bars that I prefer over the springs-loaded to accept all of my batteries. Its bays all charge independently and have independent LED lights to indicate progress of battery charging, just as the Xtar VP1. This is my primary charger now and I am very happy with its results.

No doubt the VP1 is an excellent charger, but I'm not sure whether it has any additional features other than a nice looking LCD screen over the Nitecore.

thanks Bad. which charger are you referring to when you say one of its bays stopped working?

 

[Baditude]

thanks Bad. which charger are you referring to when you say one of its bays stopped working?

My first charger ever, the Pila. As I stated, it was a workhorse for the time I used it for nearly 1.5 years. It handled up to 4 batteries a day from 14500 up to 18650 batteries. I liked the spacers it uses, they fit the different size batteries perfectly. Charged batteries faster than the other chargers that I now own (Xtar and Nitecore). Always been impressed with its build quality and performance.

I can't confirm it, but I've read the Pila and VP1 use special sophisticated algorhythms which can prolong the life of higher quality batteries. A couple of AW 18650 IMR batteries which I purchased with my Pila are still in my battery rotation, nearly as good as new, after being charged by the Pila for 1.5 years. Is this typical? I don't know; what's the expected lifespan of these batteries? This is longer than I expected, and I somewhat attribute it to the Pila.

Then one day I noticed the left charging bay lights weren't working, so I did the best research I could at the time and got the Xtar 6 bay charger. You know the rest of the story from there.

 

[Kemosabe]

my batts (AW 18490s primarily) seem to be the same since i got em last august. im not sure if ive been lucky or if ive been using my batts less than the average vaporer, or perhaps im getting a decline so gradual that i dont notice it. could be any combo of the three i guess. and im only using a tenergy charger. but i want to upgrade. that xtar looks plain awesome.
i always pull my batts off the charger as soon as the light turns green, careful to not overcharge. and i usually charge them when they reach 3.4-3.6v, but i do reach 3.2v on occasion and a couple of times down to 2.5v by accident. ive been waiting for these batts to die a complete death for a few months ( ive heard 1 year on average for IMRs). ive been also contemplating this charger (linked below) as a suppliment charger / meter of sorts and less for its charging ability, just so i can see how healthy my batts are. but its nice to hear that youre at the 1.5 year mark with no noticable degradation. i guess i can put off my RTD purchase for a few more months

$14.72 Soshine SC-S7 LCD Universal Ni-MH/Lithium Smart USB/AC Battery Charger - w/ USB & cigarette lighter cables at FastTech - Worldwide Free Shipping

 

[Kspike]

I have the Nitecore i2 and i4. Both I have been very pleased with. I bought the i4 once I needed more bays simply because I was satisfied with the i2. Never any problems, simple, no fuss charging different size batteries in tandem. I don't have any experience with the pila or xtar, so can't compare.

The nitecore is solid. Sounds like its six to one half dozen to another though.

 

[awsum140]

One of the key things is to have a charger with a good algorithm for lithium batteries. Multi-purpose chargers may not have the best algorithm for any, just a single one for all or generalized ones for each battery style. To me, it's kind of like what happens when Congress gets involved in just about anything, the original purpose gets overwhelmed by add-ons.

 

[Rickajho]

Well first all Xtar chargers have a two year warranty and USA support for warranty exchanges if you ever need it. No idea what Nitecore backs their chargers with.

I do like the display on the VP1. Not so much for "tracking" the progress of charging in progress. What I do find interesting is seeing how the voltage of any given battery "rolls back" from 4.2 volts after the charge cycle is completed. Voltage drop on older batteries happens sooner, some IMR's drop their voltage after a charge cycle is completed sooner, and more, than others - stuff like that has been revealing. The voltage drop is expected from any battery once the charge cycle is completed - it's interesting to actually see that info on the VP1 display.

Regarding the "independent" channels of the 4 bay Nitecore - or any charger in the market today with more than two channels: True - you can charge different size/capacity batteries in each channel. But that's where the "independent" stops. All these 4+ bay charger rely on rapidly switching the charging/monitoring circuit between batteries in bay 1 and 3, 2 and 4 etc. Technically, no matter how many bays it has it's only charging two batteries at a time, rapidly switching between the banks as it goes. If you put more than two batteries in these 4+ bay chargers you just end up with longer overall charging times.

Thumbs down on Nitecore for me. I don't like seeing problem reports on ECF including the words "overheating", "exploded" and "melted" - for both the Nitecore chargers and the batteries put in them.

 

[Rickajho]

One other point for consideration: The Xtar VP1 (hell even the $20.00 Xtar WPII 2) can recover & charge batteries than have been allowed to go under voltage. Don't know if the NiteCore's can do that.

 

[Baditude]

Regarding the "independent" channels of the 4 bay Nitecore - or any charger in the market today with more than two channels: True - you can charge different size/capacity batteries in each channel. But that's where the "independent" stops. All these 4+ bay charger rely on rapidly switching the charging/monitoring circuit between batteries in bay 1 and 3, 2 and 4 etc. Technically, no matter how many bays it has it's only charging two batteries at a time, rapidly switching between the banks as it goes. If you put more than two batteries in these 4+ bay chargers you just end up with longer overall charging times.

I've seen you post the above frequently. Can you provide some links to document this? Not questioning you, I would just like to read how this is done from a resource.

 

[proraptor]

I just got a vp1 and its awesome. That led screen is worth its weight in gold

 

[Rickajho]

One of the key things is to have a charger with a good algorithm for lithium batteries. Multi-purpose chargers may not have the best algorithm for any, just a single one for all or generalized ones for each battery style. To me, it's kind of like what happens when Congress gets involved in just about anything, the original purpose gets overwhelmed by add-ons.

What I liked to see about the VP1 in the flashlight geek reviews is the VP1 has identical CV/CC charging curve performance as the Pila. You can get the same performance as a Pila with the addition of the display readout. Oh, and be able to charge batteries as small as 10440's because of the VP1's switchable charging current. Pila is a great charger - don't get me wrong - but it either needs to reinvent itself or do a significant price drop if it wants to stay competitive against the likes of the VP1.

 

[sawtoothscream]

I use a nitecore, I dont fallow the battery indicator though. Sometimes it will say full charge when the battery is at 3.8v, sometimes it will still be at half when the battery is at 4.2v. I just charge until the second bar is solid and check the battery with my multi meter every so often after that until I get to 4.2V or a little over

 

[Rickajho]

I've seen you post the above frequently. Can you provide some links to document this? Not questioning you, I would just like to read how this is done from a resource.

Here ya go => Review of Charger SysMax/NiteCore i4 V2

"The charger has two charger channels, one channel is handling slot #1 and #3, the other channel is handling slot #2 and #4. When charging cells in both slots for a channel, time division is used to distribute the charge (See scope traces)."

"All four slots at the same time. The charge time is longer because the two charge channels need to share current between the four slots. The charge time is 11 hours." (Charging 4 18650 batteries)

The same is true for the Xtar 4+ bay chargers. I can pull those results up too if you want. The bottom line is if you want to pull batteries off a charger as quickly as possible stick with a 2 bay charger.

 

[Rickajho]

I use a nitecore, I dont fallow the battery indicator though. Sometimes it will say full charge when the battery is at 3.8v, sometimes it will still be at half when the battery is at 4.2v. I just charge until the second bar is solid and check the battery with my multi meter every so often after that until I get to 4.2V or a little over

I'm sorry but that's just scary, or wrong, or defective.

 

[Kemosabe]

I use a nitecore, I dont fallow the battery indicator though. Sometimes it will say full charge when the battery is at 3.8v, sometimes it will still be at half when the battery is at 4.2v. I just charge until the second bar is solid and check the battery with my multi meter every so often after that until I get to 4.2V or a little over

Good to know!
Thanks for your tips, Rick.
I'm going with the xtar.
And maybe that Shoshine to test capacity. Any comments on the Shoshine?