Xtar VP1 or Efest LUC opinions needed

[Rizzyking]

I'm going to be purchasing a new charger in next couple of days as the one I bought which was supposed to be decent broke after four days . I've narrowed it down to the two in the thread title and will be buying either one from the same supplier. If it helps will be using Efest 18350, 18500 & 18650 battery's. All help and opinions welcome and appreciated .

 

[snout71]

Someone said the nitecore was the best or is that the one that broke on you?

 

[Codz]

I use an xtar VP1 and would recommend it. I did a bit of research before buying a charger as i would rather pay the extra for something safe. It has got a load of safety features and being able to see the battery voltage is an advantage too. It's also pretty quick compared to others. I had a look at some of the nitecore chargers but they didnt look up to the same standard as the VP1. That Efest Luc seems similar to the VP1, although i hadnt noticed them before.

 

[Rizzyking]

Yeah it was nitecore intelli i4 I bought that didn't last long wasn't impressed to be honest and not going to chance that again. Thanks codz lot of good stuff on the vp1 and seems to be worth the extra money. Thanks for the opinions guys .

 

[Scott_Simpson]

I have an xtar VP1 and love it. It took the place of the Pila I was using, and comparing the two of them, the VP1 is the clear winner for accuracy, repeatability, and convenience.

 

[Rizzyking]

Thanks Scott I've ordered a vp1 seems the best option so hopefully it will be here by the weekend .

 

[Scott_Simpson]

I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[Codz]

I put my evic on charge earlier today and at the same time put 2 18490s in the VP1. The 18490s both charged fully, i left the VP1 for half an hour... not that it was even warm, but i prefer not to even chance a charger overheating, then i put 2 18350s in and charged them and the evic was only at 85%.

I was not even using the VP1 on the fastest charging rate either (i was unsure whether it was suitable for 18350s)

 

[Scott_Simpson]

The VP1 has three charging rates: .25A (250mA), which is fine for 18350s or bigger, .5A (500mA), which is fine for 18490/18500s or bigger, and 1.0A (1000mA), which is fine for 18650s. For maximum battery life, the slowest rate is always best; even though it takes longer, the battery is under much less stress. Since I'm lucky enough to always be at my desk while my batteries are charging and am able to keep an eye on them, I always use the lowest rate (.25A) even when charging my 18650s.

 

[Codz]

The VP1 has three charging rates: .25A (250mA), which is fine for 18350s or bigger, .5A (500mA), which is fine for 18490/18500s or bigger, and 1.0A (1000mA), which is fine for 18650s. For maximum battery life, the slowest rate is always best; even though it takes longer, the battery is under much less stress. Since I'm lucky enough to always be at my desk while my batteries are charging and am able to keep an eye on them, I always use the lowest rate (.25A) even when charging my 18650s.

Nice tip. I didnt realise the lowest rate extended battery life so will use that all the time in future. I work from home a lot so dont have to leave them unattended at all whilst charging.

 

[Rizzyking]

Good info there Scott will charge my 18650's at .5 to let them live a bit longerr .

 

[BCFCMike]

On the subject of chargers, I currently have the USB Charger suited for my desired device in my shopping basket (Vision Spinner), I was going to buy the MAINS charger too with the USB socket in, but I have my phone charger which also has the same format, will this be safe to use?

Sorry for the newb question...

 

[Rizzyking]

Hi bc for the sake of a few quid I wouldn't take the chance and just buy the extra usb mains adapter. My vp1 and battery's arrived today and all Is good nice to have some decent battery's my zmax seems better then it was with the cheapies I had been using definitely lasts longer .