Need an 18650 battery smart charger

Random Dan

Random Dan

Joined
Jan 21, 2012
Messages
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Need a good 18650 battery/charger set for a Zebralight SC60 and looking for recommendations. I'd like to get a smart charger because I have a history of forgetting about charging batteries. I'd like to keep it under $40 for the charger and a couple batteries. Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
Random Dan said:
Need a good 18650 battery/charger set for a Zebralight SC60 and looking for recommendations. I'd like to get a smart charger because I have a history of forgetting about charging batteries. I'd like to keep it under $40 for the charger and a couple batteries. Any ideas?

Thanks!
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While a smart charger should terminate properly and not trickle charge, it is not recommended to leave batteries (especially li-ion) unattended.

That said, the NiteCore Intellicharge i4 v2 is pretty good bang for the buck (~$25.00) from the reviews I have read. You also can't go wrong with the 4Sevens charger either, however that is only a single bay, or the Pila IBC (although pricier).
 
moshow9 said:
While a smart charger should terminate properly and not trickle charge, it is not recommended to leave batteries (especially li-ion) unattended.

That said, the NiteCore Intellicharge i4 v2 is pretty good bang for the buck (~$25.00) from the reviews I have read. You also can't go wrong with the 4Sevens charger either, however that is only a single bay, or the Pila IBC (although pricier).
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Will the Nitecore charge 3.0v batteries?
 
I think I'll go with the I4 because it can charge 18650s and RCR123s (the two types of batteries I would be most likely to want to charge). Thanks!
 
No problem, I'm thinking of picking one up myself. Be sure to post your thoughts on it when you receive it. One word of warning on charging RCR's (this would also apply to 14500 and 10440 cells), be sure to charge them in pairs (I believe you have to use the 1st and 3rd bays, or 2nd and 4th) as the charging current is much to high for a single RCR. When charged in pairs the charge current is shared between the 2 cells and is at a safe level that will be healthy for the cells.
 
get yourself a crate full of primaries until you learn proper battery discipline :p
on a serious note, i would never leave batteries charging unattended.
 
Random Dan said:
What's the advantage to buying "protected" batteries?
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they have an internal circuit which cuts off the battery once it has reached a voltage level below what is "safe" for the battery. that is, if you discharge an RCR below a certain voltage (like 2.8V??) it will permanently damage the battery. Also overcharging a battery is bad apparently.
 
Midget said:
they have an internal circuit which cuts off the battery once it has reached a voltage level below what is "safe" for the battery. that is, if you discharge an RCR below a certain voltage (like 2.8V??) it will permanently damage the battery. Also overcharging a battery is bad apparently.
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Thanks. The Zebralight SC60 has over discharge protection, so I shouldn't need a protected battery.
 
your call. some people like to have duplicate protection safeties for fear that one might fail. it's not like protected cells are very expensive or a hindrance.
 
Get a Pila charger. It stops charging once the 18650s are topped off. I would also advise (like others before me) to purchase batteries with a built-in protection circuit. This will prevent overcharging and relieves some of the worries with leaving them on the charger too long. For protected batteries, I'll suggest the AW 18560 in the highest milliamp rating you can afford. I have 3 3100mA 18650s in my JetBeam RRT-3 and they give about 1.2 hours on Turbo mode (1950 lumens) until the light shuts off due to overheating or low voltage. Very good performance.
 
safetyman said:
Get a Pila charger. It stops charging once the 18650s are topped off. I would also advise (like others before me) to purchase batteries with a built-in protection circuit. This will prevent overcharging and relieves some of the worries with leaving them on the charger too long. For protected batteries, I'll suggest the AW 18560 in the highest milliamp rating you can afford. I have 3 3100mA 18650s in my JetBeam RRT-3 and they give about 1.2 hours on Turbo mode (1950 lumens) until the light shuts off due to overheating or low voltage. Very good performance.
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Yes and yes.
 
Howdy,
Pila is good. Protected 18650 are very good. ALWAYS checking max voltage and or drain with a volt meter, very very good. Not knowing what your doing with these items... Very Bad.
Regards...
 
Everything you wanted and need to know and then some.

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/content.php

Probably good to start here with explosions, house fires etc. from not knowing about recharging batteries or cheap gear..


http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/forumdisplay.php?107-Smoke-and-Fire-Hot-Cells-and-Close-Calls-The-dangerous-side-of-batteries&


Regards...
 
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Thanks for all the input guys. I ended up going with the Sysmax/Nitecore I4 charger and two Orbtronic 3100mah protected 18650s.
 
I know this is an old thread but im bout to pull the trigger on Xtar WP6 II 6 bay charger and AW IMR 18650s anyone tried this combo or either individually ??
 
Honestly, I couldn't recommend the Nitecore charger. Mine (i2) stopped working after about three charge cycles of 16430. I'm going to contact the place that I bought it from to see if they can do anything for me.
 
Yep, I have Pila for my 18650s. It's considered a top choice over at CPF.
safetyman said:
Get a Pila charger. It stops charging once the 18650s are topped off. I would also advise (like others before me) to purchase batteries with a built-in protection circuit. This will prevent overcharging and relieves some of the worries with leaving them on the charger too long. For protected batteries, I'll suggest the AW 18560 in the highest milliamp rating you can afford. I have 3 3100mA 18650s in my JetBeam RRT-3 and they give about 1.2 hours on Turbo mode (1950 lumens) until the light shuts off due to overheating or low voltage. Very good performance.
Click to expand...
 
I used to own a Pila charger myself but it stopped working. Rather than get another one I opted for the Xtar VP1.

Like the Pila it has two dual charge bays but also improves upon it as it: Fits 16340-18650 cells without the need for charging adapters, has dual voltage display, and 3 different charging current settings. I only wish it had separate current settings for each channel that would allow charging an 18650 at a higher current than a 16340.

Edited to add: Xtar has released the VP2 which offers all the features of the VP1 with the ability to charge cells sized up to 26650 as well as 3 different types of battery chemistries.
 
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