Please Recommend 2 Bay Battery Charger

[Hobbs]

Have an XTAR VC2 Plus battery charger that has gotten a little persnickety. Still works but 18350s are a little loosey-goosey in the sleds and 100% reliable charging is iffy, so looking to replace. Would prefer 2 bay and capable of charging NiMh/NiCd as well as 18350, 18500 and 18650 batteries (no other size Li-ion batteries used).

Was looking hard at a Nitecore SC2 but find several reviews noting how hot it gets and the fact that the display label easily peels off. SOoooo, what's the best charger for my needs, be it a Nitecore SC2, another XTAR VC2 plus or whatever. Not capable of NiMh/NiCd charging isn't a deal breaker. Could still use the XTAR for that. Looking for the best. Thanks !!!

 

[bombastinator]

I might worry more about the 18350s than the charger. Haven’t seen a decent one of those sold in a long time.

The new hotness in chargers is chargers that can detect fake batteries and monitor battery aging. With the explosion in counterfeit batteries it is arguably a modern necessity.

1.) The ability to drain a battery down to 2.5v and charge it back up while counting how many ma go into it

2.) the ability to read internal resistance.

Together they’re not perfect, but charting the changes in the two over time can tell you both how worn a battery is, and if the battery is new sometimes tell you if it is real or not.

There are a couple of higher end 4 bay chargers that can do this. I don’t know of any 2 bay ones though :/
Bright side is there are some other ways to get these readings though they are generally more complicated.

 

[Hobbs]

I only buy batteries from those recommended as only selling authentic (mostly from imrbatteries). So having fakes is not a concern ... at this point. And when they fail to perform, I just buy new ones.

Additionally, I'm not interested in the nuts and bolts science of it. I just need the best "plug 'n play" charger that fully charges at the optimal rate without overcharging and that's all it does ... and does it best, are okay with me.

 

[bombastinator]

I only buy batteries from those recommended as only selling authentic (mostly from imrbatteries). So having fakes is not a concern ... at this point. And when they fail to perform, I just buy new ones.

Additionally, I'm not interested in the nuts and bolts science of it. I just need the best "plug 'n play" charger that fully charges at the optimal rate without overcharging and that's all it does ... and does it best, are okay with me.

That requirement leaves the field open to most all chargers these days except the no-names. Any other features you might be interested in?

Another option if you’ve got the time is to wait for @Mooch ’s battery charger testing thing to come out. Might be awhile. it sounds like he’s running into some really weird behaviors from some chargers

 

[Baditude]

Guide to Choosing a Li-ion Battery Charger

I recommend either an Efest LUC V2 or an Xtar VP2. Top notch performance and affordable. My personal opinion is Nitecore are not quite as well made as the above brands and the old Nitecore Intellicharger i4 that I had seemed to charge at a slower rate than my Xtar VP4. The Xtar VP4's display screen is light years better than a Nitecore.

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[Hobbs]

Thanks guys !!!
I stumbled on a charger review site in DK / Denmark (I'm in the US) but the technicals are WAY over my head. I'm just a pedestrian vaper in need of the best plug 'n play 2 bay charger.
Batteries and chargers

 

[Rossum]

I recommend either an Efest LUC V2 or an Xtar VP2.

I really like my VP1s. I've got three of them have been in service for over five years now (in three different locations). The one downside is that the displays seem to dim over time and have gotten hard to read in bright light. Sadly, the VP1 has been out of production for a while now.

I have some VP2s as backups. The only difference is that they accommodate fatter batteries such as 26650s (that I have no use for) and have a three position switch setting to accommodate LiFePo cells, as well as those rare Li-Ion cells that can be charged to 4.35V rather than 4.20V.

One tip for any charger: Do not let the slides slam when removing the batteries.

 

[AngeNZ]

Thanks guys !!!
I stumbled on a charger review site in DK / Denmark (I'm in the US) but the technicals are WAY over my head. I'm just a pedestrian vaper in need of the best plug 'n play 2 bay charger.
Batteries and chargers

I use the Golisi L2 charger and nitecore ums2 charger. But both use a micro-usb port for power.

I prefer using ac powered chargers. A good one is the Golisi S2 2.0A Smart Charger. It gives you a 2A fast charging slot if you need it and is ac powered.

 

[madstabber]

Thanks guys !!!
I stumbled on a charger review site in DK / Denmark (I'm in the US) but the technicals are WAY over my head. I'm just a pedestrian vaper in need of the best plug 'n play 2 bay charger.
Batteries and chargers

Here is that same guy but with an easier to read format. He uses smiley faces for ratings and lists capabilities of each charger without the graphs that are harder to understand.

Round cell charger index
Just click on the name of the charger if you want a more in depth review.
Also for a recommendation I say just get another Xtar. They make nice no fuss chargers that are well built.

 

[Northstar6]

I hardly ever see it mentioned but I've had a Zanflare C4 charger for nearly 2 years and it's been great. Handles just about any battery you can think of...Nimh AA/AAA, 18650, 10440 and pretty much everything else out there.

It has analyzing features and can be used as a power bank, too. It's quiet and never gets too hot either. HKJ I think is the reviewer who writes about charges, he gave it a decent review. It is reliable and built well.

It's a 4 bay, but if I'm not mistaken they make a 2 bay version as well.