What's the better charger for cells ?

[ralph persico]

In comparison which charger does anyone find to be a better choice,
Opus BT-C3100 V2.2 Charger or The
NITECORE UMS4 Intelligent Charger?
I own an xtar VC4 but this charger I feel did not live up to all the hype about the whole quality issue. I had it for 5 years but six months after I purchased it, it gave me nothing but problems. I'll never buy anything by xtar again.
The two I mentioned for comparison look pretty sweet on the specs and all but I just can't seem to make up my mind and I hate to fall for any fake hype about quality again.
Anyones who actually owns the Opus or Nitecore chargers I mentioned opinions or experience with these chargers would be much appreciated.

 

[Eskie]

If you check out the battery and charger subforum here you'll find reviews and feedback on chargers on the market. Batteries and Chargers

 

[Myrany]

I have owned 2 Nitecore chargers and they both gave up the ghost in less than a year. My Xtar however just keeps right on going.

 

[stols001]

I had my beloved 2 bay Nitcore that thing for 3 years. It died recently. I have an Xtar charger but I feel it like, (it's two bay only) it charges up stuff too fast.
The dials are also more complicated than the dash on my car. I feel as though... Myself and THAT charger are like, not compatible with each other.

Anna

 

[Eskie]

I have a Nitecore D4 in regular use over 3 years. Still works fine. it's like all these electronics. Eventually they will fail, some faster than others. That, however, shouldn't be the sole factor in choosing a charger.

 

[ralph persico]

I have owned 2 Nitecore chargers and they both gave up the ghost in less than a year. My Xtar however just keeps right on going.

Yeah, based on my charger I feel Xtar is highly over rated. The amps meter fluctuates all over the place when charging. Something not right with the internal power connector.

 

[ralph persico]

I have a Nitecore D4 in regular use over 3 years. Still works fine. it's like all these electronics. Eventually they will fail, some faster than others. That, however, shouldn't be the sole factor in choosing a charger.

Yes in some ways true but for the money people put out for these products they should last for many long years. It's a shame that some manufactures don't believe in real quality any more for paying customers.

 

[Baditude]

I still have a Nitecore Intellicharger 4 bay that serves as my backup; its always been slow. I've got an Xtar Vp 4 that is fast with a great display screen. I:d buy another. Opus is good...expensive...and can be compliated to set up.

 

[Spydro]

Buy a Gyrfalcon All-88 once and you'll never buy another charger again. When I got mine a couple of years ago it retired all of my LUC's, Nitecore's, Xtar's and other lessor chargers I have.

 

[zoiDman]

Yeah, based on my charger I feel Xtar is highly over rated. The amps meter fluctuates all over the place when charging. Something not right with the internal power connector.

I have the Same Issue with my VC4.

The Amps will sometimes fall from .5 to .25 when charging in the 1 & 3 Bays. And if I move the Power Cord, sometimes the unit will shut down.

All that said, the charger has been used At Least once a Day for the last 3 Years straight. So I feel I have gotten my 26 Bucks out of it.

 

[Rossum]

IMO, the best chargers XTAR made was the VP series. I have a few of those, all 5 years old now. No problems with 'em ever, except for the displays having dimmed some over the years.

 

[bubba106]

Yep I love my gryfalcon-40, but my Miboxer c-4 is great too.

 

[vapdivrr]

Anyone still use a pila charger? It's just a 2 bay, but have had mine for 6 years maybe and still perfect

 

[Baditude]

Anyone still use a pila charger? It's just a 2 , but have had mine for 6 years maybe and still perfect

That was my first charger. A real workhorse for about 2 years when one of the bays stopped working. By that time, I needed a four bay charger, and got the Nitecore Intellicharger 4 bay. Now using the Xtar VP2.

 

[Rabbiporkchop]

I've had this charger for a couple years with no problems charging in my car.

 

[Blitzdonlife]

I use a nitecore 2 bay charger, not sure of the model. I have used an older nitecore 4 bay, and 2 bay charger for 4+ years in the past. I never had any problems with any of these chargers.

Electonics wear out people. They use components that have a limited lifespan, usually what fails are the electrolytic capacitors, similar to common failiures in flat screen televisions. Some components don't last, and some are designed to fail.

As long as a device perform the functions it is designed for and prevents potentially hazardous failures with the safeties in its design specifications for its expected lifespan, it is a good product. If it fails, replace it. If it is designed without the necessary safeties, don't buy it.

Pay attention to whether it is performing appropriately. Buy a multimeter and check it's output over time, as well as the batteries resting voltage after a charge. These are basic operating principles when dealing with electronics and batteries (aka. Electrochemical storage devices).

Advertising is not to be trusted. The main purpose of advertising is to sell a product. Advertising creates an interest in what it is trying to sell. Do some in-depth study on chargers, and specifically, on the circuits and manufacture of the circuitry used for producing your charger.

If you're not into that, that's ok. Knowing how and why something fails is very interesting to me. I hope you engage these questions and find interest in this subject.

Knowing what is the beginning, asking why is the next step, and understanding how is one of the last, most important steps in creating a better product (not counting all the b.s. involved in getting a product to market).

Sorry for the rant, we seem to be living close to the age of idiocracy. Peace, I'm out.

 

[vapdivrr]

That was my first charger. A real workhorse for about 2 years when one of the bays stopped working. By that time, I needed a four bay charger, and got the Nitecore Intellicharger 4 bay. Now using the Xtar VP2.

When this goes will probably buy a fancier 4 bay , but it's still kicking and , not that I use them anymore, but it also has the little round screw in plugs for the 18350 and 18500 batteries...before this one had a 1 bay ultrafire, but never liked the metal slide connection that allowed for different lenghts of batteries, but that still works too.....

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

 

[Baditude]

When this goes will probably buy a fancier 4 bay , but it's still kicking and , not that I use them anymore, but it also has the little round screw in plugs for the 18350 and 18500 batteries...before this one had a 1 bay ultrafire, but never liked the metal slide connection that allowed for different lengths of batteries, but that still works too.....

That's a unique feature that the Pila has over most other chargers on the market. For people who may have arthritis or weakness in their fingers (like I have), inserting and removing batteries from the Pila is much easier than the stiff metal slide connectors found in most other chargers. The removeable connectors can be adjusted to the length of the battery, and using more than one allows you to charge shorter batteries line the 18350 and 18500 batteries.

 

[Zaryk]

I use the opus BT-C3100 v2.2 and have zero complaints. My previous nitecore charger lasted almost a year, but started heating up my batteries to level that was still safe, but I was uncomfortable with. I also used a cheaper xtar and it broke in a couple of months of use. The spring anchors for the battery sleds broke. I use my Efest luc6 as a backup now. It has proven itself reliable for 18650s, but rips wraps on 2x700 batteries frequently.

If i had to buy another charger, I would 100% go for another opus v2.2 any day. It's not the best out there, but in it's price range I have yet to find better.

 

[vapdivrr]

That's a unique feature that the Pila has over most other chargers on the market. For people who may have arthritis or weakness in their fingers (like I have), inserting and removing batteries from the Pila is much easier than the stiff metal slide connectors found in most other chargers. The removeable connectors can be adjusted to the length of the battery, and using more than one allows you to charge shorter batteries line the 18350 and 18500 batteries.

That's it...I was wondering where that European end came from, it's part of my charger....