XTAR CHARGERS 2A - 8A

[evan le'garde]

Has anyone here had any experience with either of these two xtar battery chargers. I've been brousing around maybe looking for a more powerful charger to reduce charging times. I'm tired of using the xtar VC2 at 0.5A, for four hours, to charge my batteries. Are there any other chargers which can charge quicker than the ones i've listed below ?.

Xtar Rocket SV2 Charger Set for Li-ion Batteries

Xtar Over 4 Slim Charger Set for Li-ion Batteries

 

[Mordacai]

Hello @evan le'garde, SkyRC MC3000 is a good charger. Not cheap by any means but holds 30 different programs that can be customized.

A review.
https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger SkyRC MC3000 UK.html

A decent seller with listing.
SkyRC MC3000 Battery Charger

And some other reviews.

Xtar SV2 rocket.
https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar SV2 Rocket UK.html

Xtar over 4 slim.
https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Xtar Over 4 Slim UK.html

Youll have to copy and paste the links for the reviews as ECF just doesn't like posting them properly. And hopefully you'll find what you need though, good luck.

 

[Baditude]

You probably don't want to charge batteries faster than 2A if you want your batteries to last.

 

[Mordacai]

@Baditude, true. I've heard charge rate of 1/2 (half) capacity is the highest that should be used for extending the lifespan of batteries.

 

[evan le'garde]

@Mordacai @Baditude

I did read this review for the Xtar over 4 slim, Review: XTAR Over 4 Slim 4A Fast Charger | BudgetLightForum.com
He says, in the last paragraph, that charging at 4A is making the batteries really hot.

I didn't think rapid charging would cause any problems with batteries. I certainly don't want to reduce the life of the battery though.

Based on that, the Xtar SV2 Rocket charger would be the better option. After all, an hour to charge my batteries isn't too long.

 

[Baditude]

@evan le'garde I always have several sets of batteries available so I don't have to be concerned about fast charging. Maybe you need more batteries?

 

[evan le'garde]

@evan le'garde I always have several sets of batteries available so I don't have to be concerned about fast charging. Maybe you need more batteries?

I do use 12 paired VTC4's but they are down to around 1300mah. No, it's just, having to be present whilst the batteries charge means watching over them for four hours. Having a faster charge means i can get on with other things. Four hours is a long time to wait to charge batteries. One hour seems reasonable though.
Going to start using my Provari 2.5 again, in rotation. Still, i do need to replace all of my batteries soon. I'm looking at getting some button top Sony VTC6 3000mah 15A batteries or Panasonic NCR 3400mah 6A batteries for the Provari. Going to need a load of flat tops too for my box mods, probably, Sony VTC6. I exclusively vape mouth to lung and always a 1ohm coil at 11.5 watts, or around 3.5 volts in the Provari. I'm not sure about the low amp rating of 6 for the Panasonic though, but I like the high mah. How low would the amp rating become after say a couple of hundred cycles ?!.

 

[Baditude]

I'm not sure about the low amp rating of 6 for the Panasonic though, but I like the high mah. How low would that amp rating become after say a couple of hundred cycles ?!.

I don't believe the Provari will accept an amp rating lower than 10 amps. It requires a "high drain" battery, which that Panny is not. If not mistaken, that 3400 mah Panasonic is a protected battery, which the Provari also would not like. Provari's were pretty particular about the batteries used.

Of course you already know the Provari needs a button top battery.

 

[evan le'garde]

I don't believe the Provari will accept an amp rating lower than 10 amps. It requires a "high drain" battery, which that Panny is not. If not mistaken, that 3400 mah Panasonic is a protected battery, which the Provari also would not like. Provari's were pretty particular about the batteries used.

Of course you already know the Provari needs a button top battery.

If the Provari won't take a battery with a rating lower than 10A then there's no point getting any of these Panasonics. Having said that i did a quick search and couldn't find any vendors who say they are protected batteries, but it doesn't matter anyway so.....

I'll go with the Sony VTC6, when i eventually get around to buying some .

 

[evan le'garde]

And i don't think i'm going to find any authentic AW batteries out there, so i'm not going to bother searching for any of them.

 

[Baditude]

And i don't think i'm going to find any authentic AW batteries out there, so i'm not going to bother searching for any of them.

Nope you won't. AW has gone to the same place that Provape has.

 

[Baditude]

Orbtronics sells a 2100 mah 30 amp button top, but its currently out of stock.

All the other Orbtronic models are protected "low drain" batteries from what I could see. 18650 Battery (Rechargeable) Li-ion 3.7V Cells - Orbtronic

Orbtronic batteries are all re-wrapped Panasonic or Sony batteries.

 

[evan le'garde]

I'm not sure if they are available here in the UK.

 

[Baditude]

No, it's just, having to be present whilst the batteries charge means watching over them for four hours. Having a faster charge means i can get on with other things. Four hours is a long time to wait to charge batteries. One hour seems reasonable though.

I'm not usually in the same room as where my batteries charge. I just don't charge batteries when I'm not in the house.

Place your charger on a non-flamable surface. Tile or porcelin counter top, a metal baking sheet, pyrex baking dish.

 

[Eskie]

I'm not usually in the same room as where my batteries charge. I just don't charge batteries when I'm not in the house.

Place your charger on a non-flamable surface. Tile or porcelin counter top, a metal baking sheet, pyrex baking dish.

I have a nice area of tile floor. I can place the charger there (there's no traffic by me or anyone to accidentally step on it) about 2 feet away from anything else. Even if a battery were to get all dramatic I'd have a mess to clean up but no property damage to worry on. That said, I am around to do the clean up should the unforeseen ever occur. If I am charging and have to go out and not be around, I unplug it and resume when I'm home. I can't do better than that and that's the level of risk I can accept.

 

[Ryedan]

I was looking for a higher power charger a while back and got a Folomov A4 from Illumn for $25. Here is a review from lygte-info.dk.

I think I've had it now for about a year and I'm very happy with it . All four bays do 0.25A, 0.5A, 1A and 2A and the outer two bays go up to 3A. My batteries are all 3000 mAh so 3A is 1c. I normally charge at 1A, but if I blow it and need a fast charge the 3A setting is really quick. Batteries do get noticeably warm at 3A, but no where near too warm for safety. I also like that the transformer is not in the charger box so the batteries do not see that heat.

 

[bigbob2322]

I will be doing a review for Xtar soon on their ST2 Fast Charger. Stay tuned, here's a sneek peek.

 

[evan le'garde]

Batteries do get noticeably warm at 3A, but no where near too warm for safety. I also like that the transformer is not in the charger box so the batteries do not see that heat.

The Xtar over 4 slim has a seperate transformer. And that probably helps keep the batteries temperatures down. But, @Baditude and @Mordacai said that making batteries too hot reduces their lifespan, so suggested no more than 2A for charging. Mooch makes a similar claim.

 

[Dougiestyle]

Charge batts in a fire-proof box, and you don't have to babysit them whist charging.

 

[Baditude]

Charge batts in a fire-proof box, and you don't have to babysit them whist charging.

But DON'T use a Lipo charging bag. The fire resistant bag was not designed for the batteries we use, but for lipo batteries. Lipo battery chargers are not put into the lipo bag, only the batteries. Since we charge our batteries in an external charger, we can't separate the two. Using a bag for our type of batteries and chargers can trap heat within the bag, causing more of a problem than if not using the bag.