Amazon USA - amzn.to/2XV823V UK - amzn.to/2We4tE0 NOTE: The "Grad" or Grading mode charges the cell then discharges it and counts the capacity Help support the channel - www.patreon.com/mrbazreviews Follow me on Twitter - twitter.com/MrBazReviews Instagram - instagram.com/bazreviews/
I bought the previous model to this which is far better at least I can control the charging speed manually.. Xtar have really screwed up with this charger, there should have been a manual button to be able to to set the amperage to the correct level.. I've been left feeling very disappointed I was looking forward to a new model with improvements but this is a big step backwards..
@@Displays.1234. I agree it's a big step back. I've no idea why plenty complained about the VC2S and they had time to correct that. I'm not impressed I'd rather use the VC4 than this. They did say there were working on manual charging, can't see why it's so hard to do. There is a new Dragon coming out too, but I'm wondering if that's going to be a mess as well. Cooking AAA's at 2.0 amps isn't my idea of a good smart charger
@@MrBazReviews that's what I like about my dragon 4, the ability to press the manual button and check the correct charging rate for these cells inserted. I will now try and contact xtar About this, this charger really isn't good enough and not safe, I charge my Panasonic double loop AA batteries are half and amp, by pressing the manual button. I was waiting for a good second charger for a replacement for my xtar vp4 plus..
@@MrBazReviews Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA - 2A normal charging, only for Eneloop Pro AAA 2A - little more current then need. Certainly for the normal (not Eneloop) Ni-MH these current are too large.Normal Ni-MH (not Eneloop) have an internal resistance that is significantly greater than the Eneloop and for them the currents most often stand out are 1A and lower. Xtar is right that they do not see the big problem.
@@МихаилСеврюгин-ц2п I would never charge at 2.0A for AA, there is a big difference between can charge and battery health. It generates too much heat. 1.0A is the most I charge AA at to maintain battery condition. AAA 0.5A max It isn't just Eneloop it's other cells like the Sony Cycle Energy if it has low internal resistance it will apply a high charge (as shown 2.0A for Sony AAA) I consider it a problem and it's not just Ni-MH because some Li-ion cells charge at 3.0A and they are rated at a max charge of 2.0A some of them (as shown with the Samsung cell. I call it as I see it, yes it's a problem and Xtar should fix it
There is a new model named XTAR VC4SL which addresses (I think) all the problems you're talking about. I just ordered one, after spending too many hours researching battery chargers. And thanks for a great video! It was really helpful.
Yes, it is basically an VC4S with some minor upgrades. From what I can see the main things that are different is that it's now possible to charge protected 21700 batteries and it's also possible to manually set the charging current. And it's also nice to have a USB C connector instead of the micro USB.
Seems odd to me with 2 buttons they don't have charging current control something a charge like this really needs. It wouldn't be so bad if they were more cautious with the charging speeds dumping 2.0 amps into an AA or AAA cell isn't my idea of smart charging
I'm undecided on whether to buy Nitecore UMS4 or Xtrar VC4S... I heard that Xtar repairs batteries and nitecore doesn't.... which would be your choice of purchase and which is the best?
Both have flaws the Xtar is not on my buy list, both can activate low voltage cells There is no repair battery, it's activation function doesn't mean the cells will perform well
@@eduardofernandes7327 The review tells you what I think, ie not much the auto charge rates are way off with quick charge. The original VC4 is a better charger bottom line, the Nitecore also would be better. I do reviews to mention good/bad hence if you watch them you see what I think
Hey Mr Baz! I've been using this charger for ages now and didn't realise its pitfalls! Is there one in the UK you could recommend me? I am a vape using mostly 18650's and the odd recharge of some AA and AAA's! Thank you for the extremely well done and super informative video! 👍😄
Most of the problems happen with quick charge (ie faster charging rate). So, charging AA/AAA just don't use quick charge, and it won't try to pump silly high amps into small cells. It's alright for 18650 cells
@@MrBazReviews thank you for getting back to me! Note taken, I would have continued using it inappropriately if I hadn't seen your video, really appreciate the knowledge bro! 👍
Looks like it'd be a decent charger for larger li-ion cells, so long as you have a magnifying glass for the display lol, but not so good for smaller li-ion cells or even smaller cells in general (nimh or nicd). Thank you for the honest review.
@@TopDog8762 currently for me the liitokala engineer 500 is the best charger i have run across, i ordered it from a china store for $18 and it took about 6 weeks for me to recieve it because i live in the US, but well worth the wait. I should have ordered a fleet of them, and i don't even care about the testing functions it comes with, just as a charger - nothing i have - save for a single slot opus bt-c100 - beats it and i have dozens of chargers. I prefer the discharge/testing functions of the opus line better because with the opus you can discharge @ 600, with the liitokala you can only discharge @ 500. I don't like the multi-slot opus because of the fan, but the single slot opus has no fan and it has better usb coding. It generally kicks everything else i have, but its a single slot.
It might work for vapers who use high drain cells they can take a heavier charge. Problem is that's a lot less suited to protected cells most of the 18650's don't want to be charged above 2amps max, and most are best charged a bit below that. The AA/AAA problem is a mystery, but I told them about it and they were not overly concerned! I wouldn't use the charger myself because I mix cells quite a lot and sometimes only charge one or two. There are a lot of places to improve this so I can't recommend it sadly Display numbers are tiny they should have made them larger easy to do there is plenty of space
I was looking forward to this charger as my vp4 just died,I always seem to have spring issues on xstar chargers. I've just watched Mike Vapes review before this one and he concurs with your opinion,too many cons. So what four Bay xstar would you recommend? The dragon is too expensive and I would prefer a wall plug unit. Cheers.
Thanks for reviews. Which do you like better, this one or the Zanflare C4? Which other charger that you like will charge the small shorter batteries that these will fit plus also fit the longer batteries?
@@MrBazReviews ok, thanks again. So the charging speed is important too, hmm I see. Do most 18650 batteries charge fine at 1000 setting? Zanflare C4 charger is adjustable from 300, 500, 750, 1000. Are there any better and more versatile chargers that maybe can fit both the small batteries and the wider longer ones too?
I just ordered the MC4S and was thinking that maybe i should have went for something with a faster charging speed but after watching this,i'm glad i didn't. Thanks Mr Baz.Nice video as always mate.
I don't like this charger much, honestly you're better off with that one or the VC4 non S version I've kinda given up on Xtar recently both the 2 and 4 bay S chargers are just not worth buying IMO
I wouldn't be so harsh on this charger. It has more useful functions than the VC4, you can use the store mode to charge Li-Ion to 3.7V, you can measure the capacity and of course charge your cells faster. The fact that you cannot control the charging speed is a problem for people who charge NiMH and AA batteries or charge one cell at a time. I use it for charging many 18650 to storage voltage after capacity testing them using Lii-500, so high current is not a problem for me, as there are usually 4 cells charging at a time and I can always just use a 2A or 1A USB adapter to adjust charging speed. So it is better that VC4, but not for casual usage.
Simple things to me must be done right such as having an acceptable charging rate. It's very easy to do that - yet escaped Xtar. It's not just that but the display is not very good too small. I just don't like it, but most would have just posted a marketing video - I gave an honest view on the product. I don't like it much and I wouldn't buy it Of course if you are charging Li-ion and more than one at a time it will work OK. I have to consider it from a buyers perspective and point out areas that might be a problem.
Thank you! I didn’t know the difference between the vc4 and vc4s I’ll stick with the vc4 to keep my batteries lasting longer! I was tempted by the storage mode but probably wouldn’t use it anyway.
I don't like it much there are some useful features but the charging speeds are all over the place when using quick charge. I think the VC4 is the better bet
Super review here; question; What charger would you recommend to charge 4 x 21700 and also to take protected cells and finally that doesn't fry the smaller batteries as you mentioned with this one? Thank you in advance.
Thanks not too many take protected 21700 cells but the UM4 Nitecore does there is an S version with faster default charging speeds, and faster speeds. The UM4 can charge up to 1.5A for 2 bays and also allows you to adjust charging current for each channel. It's pretty good also USB, though you need quick charge USB output to get those faster speeds. Hope that helps that's the one I use for 21700 cells
What flashing battery type (eg Ni-Mh) means ? Ive inserted 4 batteries after testing 2 of them are not blinking, 2 other NiMh flashes .. All params are displayed for all of 4 cells (curr / cap / IR) EDIT: After few minutes it stopped blinking on both cells. One of inserted (blinking) cell was almost fully loaded, and now it shows very small capacity Can it be that during this blinking device has discharged battery to zero and started charging from scratch ?
So what do I need to buy to drop the charge rate down to 1 amp? A special power adaptor? I would just buy the VC4 but I really want to be able to read the internal resistance of the battery.
Just use a normal 2A 5V adapter. The quick charge ones are where the problem is for single/dual cell charging a high charging rate. It's less of an issue (bar AAA's or small Li-ion cells) with the normal 5V 2A adapters
Great videos. actually i have seen lot of your videos for charges but im confused a bit. i mean what would you consider the best one for 4 slots that having all the goodies like charging speeds adjustment, that supports all or most types of batteries, reading battery health , and saving baterry, or discharge capacity test? what would you suggest based on those criteria because i ve seen lot of your reviews and i'm kinda confused! thank you
There is lots to learn here, not necessarily only about this particular charger. Can you charge non-rechargeable batteries (my old, rudimentary charger does that, but there is no control on it)?
@@MrBazReviews im a vaper, i would be charging 18650s. Planning to buy a good/best 4 or 2 bay charger. Could you recommend? Im picking between Nitecore Q4, UM4, XTAR VC2PLUS master
Nice review mate thanks, lots of info very clearly spoken. I agree 3 amps into a AA, AAA or 18650 will reduce the quality of the battery I think 1 amp is plenty for charging just be a bit patient. After watching this review I think I will go for the VCS4.
I prefer the VC4 myself, on this one if you are not using a quick charge adapter, the charging speeds are not as dramatic (can still be a bit high). More an issue 1 or 2 cells So just keep an eye on it when you put cells in
@@MrBazReviews got 18w qc3 5v 3a single output... It does the job,. But isnt 18w too low? I see all single Port qc3 are 18w. Is amy with higher voltage?
@@miklaus2873 Quick charge 3.0 is up to 12V, charging slows down later stages. I can't remote trouble shoot your problem; I would suggest getting a USB tester if you think there is an issue
Hello. So based on your summary, would you say if I plugged the charger in a standard 2.1 or 2.4 amp wall charger, my aaa and aa batteries would charge at .5 amp? Because that's would I would use this for primarily. My xtar vc2 master has .5 amp. Thanks for the review.
It depends on no. of cells inserted and the internal resistance. As there is only 2amps to play with on a 5 Volt USB it can pick half an amp sometimes it picks 1.0 amp. I am not happy with the charger in quick charge or normal 5 Volt for AAA cells. So I can't really recommend it unless you tend to charge multiple cells at a time or vape with high drain cells you want to charge. There is no way to control the charging level manually and IMO that is a mistake
It's not ideal for Ni-MH charging at all, it might pass for is someone vaping/charging a lot of 18650's at higher speed. Just not enough control over things for my taste, I wouldn't buy it myself. Shame Xtar had the basics of a good charger on the VC4
Hy . like your video review very much . i am in dificulty to decide for activate cell, charging and discover real capacity of 18650 ( real health ) , wich i have some old cells wich is the best ? Cand I format cells lit-ion ? Xtar vcs4s ? Or dragon vp4 + ? Or what you recomand ? Thanke you
@@MrBazReviews mate, I noticed that the charger charges two 18650s at 1 amp when you use a non fast charge adaptor. Switch it to fast charge adaptor and it charges at 2 amps which I dont like. So my advice to people is just use a non fast charge adaptor and you will be fine. I always charge two or 4 batteries at a time so for me this charger is perfectly fine.
@@bee1978 You can do that as I said don't use quick charge adapter helps, has to be pointed out - Xtar really should have thought about that and they didn't. So you can work around it, but you shouldn't really have to
It's more an issue with single cells, but I'm not happy with the higher charging rate. So you can use it, just keep an eye on the charging speed it picks. It will vary depending on the battery
@@MrBazReviews yea i use him too, charging one cell from usb 2.0 from my laptop (that usb gives 500mA max so the cell is always charged with 500mA, even ni-mh)
This is a helpful review. The evaluation is solid, the shortcomings are still there. I wish I had seen this before I ordered it... I'm sending mine back - it goes blank and locks up with four NiMH, and is non-responsive until unplugged and restarted. I'll watch some charger reviews before deciding on ordering the 8 bay (16 bay?) model. I REALLY want to get capacity readings on some older cells.
The 8 bay I don't recommend you can only use four bays for testing. Zanflare C4 is pretty good for testing, Opus also worth a look. I gave up on Xtar this was disappointing and the VC2S is also sub par
@@MrBazReviews I'll look at those. I looked at my order and it turns out I had ordered the 8 bay model, and they shipped the wrong one... Now I'm not sure WHAT to do... Exchange and then send back the correct one or try it out to test some of my older batteries while I decide - but one thing's for certain, this model is weak and deficient.
@@MrBazReviews Opus BT-3400? OUCH! That's > than $60 on Amazon! I'd be better off dumping all my batteries and just buying new ones! 😁 :-D The Zanflare C4 may be my next try. Serious, the XTAR VC4S is a sick dog to use. I've had two "2400 mAH" AA NiMHs on it for more that a day, and it's still running the test. These aren't old, they're not shot, but it's taking its sweet time with testing them. To think that I wanted to test 20 AAA NiMHs from Amazon in addition to my boxes of salvaged 18650s and dozens of AA NiMHs. I wouldn't get through even the new batch of AAAs before the return period ran out. (If it weren't for all of the Christmas decorations that need the AAAs, I would bother with them. Now that I bought them, I just want to make sure they meet their advertised capacity. That's a sad reason to have to keep them - "I couldn't test them in time.")
@@ramixnudles7958 The Opus is cheap enough on Banggood avoid price gougers on Amazon (applies for many products). I've no time for Xtar really they messed up their last few chargers big time, they don't listen to feedback and new products are worse v the older ones! I'm not sure what is so hard about allowing individual channel control either, but they seem to be struggling with the concept. Shame really hence I wasn't very keen on their last few models, the VC8 was alright but fell a bit short again
@@MrBazReviews I'll look on Bang Good. I think you have a video on searching one of the other outlets... How to get results through the on-site search engine. If it wasn't you, it was someone else who was doing equipment reviews.
Quick tip: per evitare che il caricatore usi automaticamente la corrente più alta è sufficiente usare un cavo usb nono quick charge, ossia con lo spinotto non arancione o alternativamente non usare un caricatore quick charge 3.0
@@MrBazReviews to prevent the charger from automatically using the highest current, simply use a normal usb cable (not quick charge), i.e. with the plug not orange or alternatively do not use a quick charge 3.0 charger
Thanks for your honest review but unfortunately I already bought it before watching your video :( I was looking to find a video for functionality when came a cross here , is it dangerous to use or just not so good for the batteries health ? I had nitecore i2 for 2 years until the button gone /stuck inside & after that it was getting too hot and only one line was working ,so decided not to buy from nitecore anymore and 2nd choice was Xtar and I tried to buy their newest release to be on the safe side !!! poor me ... shall I just bin it and buy something else ? I only use it for 18650(3000 and 3500 mah) and nothing else .
It's not dangerous just the charging speeds are too fast for some types of cell. I would charge 18650 3500mAh at 1.0 amp for longevity, the 3000mAh can be charged higher. Just keep an eye on the charging speeds - more an issue on the quick charge as it has more amps available than the normal 2.0A. I'm just disappointed Xtar messed up this release, they added more features but forgot about the basic stuff (ie charging control/current selection)
Thanks, do I have option to keep it on normal all the time ? I couldn’t figure out how to switch between normal or fast charging speed. Or is just possible by using different kind of cables ? Not so sure ...
Yes it is dangerous to charge lipo at high current!! You should NEVER charge a lipo at more then 1amp unless you just absolutely have to. Higher charge rate =more heat= diminished life span.
@Hamidreza Montazeri I just stumbled on this looking at flashlight reviews. @Mr Baz Reviews is being hyper-conservative with charging rates and may even be compromising the longevity of his NiMH cells by charging them too slowly. NiMH cells hate being overcharged -- that's what kills them. The problem with NiMH cells is that end-of-charge detection is hard. The signs that NiMH cells give you that they are fully charged are subtle, and chargers can have a hard time recognizing when NiMH cells are done charging. If the charger can't see that the cell is charged, it will overcharge it, which will kill it fast. Charging the cell faster makes the signs more obvious and less likely to be missed, and is also one of the reason why very fast chargers often end up not fully charging the cells (they terminate too early). It obviously varies by manufacturer and cell design, but a good rule of thumb is not to charge NiMH cells at less than 0.5C (C being the capacity of the battery). 1C is ideal for many if not most NiMH cells. So for those nominally 1900mAh Eneloops AAs, 2A is almost the perfect charge rate, and 1A is very close to the bottom (950mAh) before it's being charged too slowly and risking compromise of reliable charge termination. Charging slower than 1C does not measurably prolong the life of a typical NiMH cell, but too much slower can certainly *shorten* it's life! I have Sanyo Eneloops that are over 10 years old that still measure out to 1900-1950mAh -- almost always charged at 2A. I have Eneloop AAAs (nom. 900mAh) in the same state; always charged at 2A, and working perfectly. (Of course, to actually properly test the AAAs, I have to lower the charge current to 1A, otherwise the charge terminates a little early and the reading comes up 50-150mAh low. A couple hundred mills doesn't matter much in a remote control or a flashlight, so it's usually not worth the minor inconvenience to change my charger from it's 2A default.) Indeed, I have yet to throw an Eneloop cell away because it aged and lost too much capacity, although I have misplaced a few! Actually, I've yet to throw one away, period. They are excellent batteries, and while they will eventually degrade with aging either way, cycling and environmental conditions are the main drivers of damage on high quality NiMH cells like Eneloops. Since none of my Eneloops are cycled that often, they last a really long time. (Older Sanyo Eneloops are rated for (IIRC) 1,000 cycles; newer Panasonic Eneloops (of which I also have many, several years old) have crazy large cycle ratings, like >2,000.) Lithium Ion batteries are an entirely different story, complicated further by the fact that "Lithium Ion" is an umbrella term for a bunch of different lithium battery chemistries. In general though, Lithium batteries charge in two stages - a bulk stage, and a saturation stage. In general, they really don't give a crap how fast you bulk charge them (within reason) to around 70 or 80% SoC, as the bulk charge is like 99% efficient (so it doesn't produce much heat, which kills Lithium cells) and is low voltage (another killer of lithium cells). However, the saturation charge is very sensitive to charging rate, voltage, is much less efficient, creates most of the heat, and is actually the part of the charge cycle that does most of the damage to the cell. If people started implementing systems that skipped the saturation charge on lithium batteries, you'd probably see lithium batteries with rated cycle counts of 2-3k (or more!) instead of 300-500. Of course, you lose 20-30% of your capacity. EVs often make exactly this tradeoff; my Leaf terminates charge at 90% (which it calls 100%) and allows you to configure it to terminate charge at 70-something% (which it calls 80%); Teslas allow you to configure early termination at a range of points (I think 60-90%) and Tesla recommends you only charge to 100% on the occasions where you're going on a trip where you will need the extra range (I believe they even call it trip mode). This "saturation" stage is also why Li-ion batteries (including in EVs) take 2-3 hours to charge no matter how "fast" your charger is. The saturation charge is always much slower than the bulk loading of the battery, and if you charge even a little too fast during the saturation charge, Li-ion batteries tend to get very explody, very quickly. Assuming the charger under review is working correctly, it's going to charge that Li-ion cell for 3A constant current only until the cell reaches 70-85% SoC (which the battery doesn't really care about). After that, it's going to switch to constant voltage mode, which performs the saturation charge (which damages the battery, but gets you a few delicious extra mWh of energy). How well it implements the saturation charge and charge termination will be the dominating factor in determining how quickly it kills the cell; not whether it bulks at 2A or 3A. If you take the saturation charge out of the picture, I doubt you could tell the difference between identical 3Ah cells that have been bulk charged at 2A and at 3A for their lifetime without extremely expensive and sophisticated equipment and statistical filters to get rid of the noise. But I could be wrong. To look at it another way, most Li-ion cells come with a recommend charge rate around 0.8C. On a 3Ah cell, 3A is 1C, so it's barely over the line of optimal rate (and pretty much would be optimal for a 3500mAh cell). 2A is ~0.6 c, which means you're just wasting time but not hurting anything. Likewise, 1A would be ~0.3C, wasting more time but again, not hurting anything. To look at it yet another way, EVs are inching ever closer to the goal of 15-minutes to 80% charge (notice the 80%?), which would imply a charge rate of 4C on huge batteries (ie., lots of explody potential) that are designed to last for many years. While the cells and charging systems in an EV battery are of course designed for it (think active cooling and the like), your 18650 cells are still surprisingly similar to them. 3A of course could be pushing it for some really small cells. It would be 6C for a hypothetical 500mAh Li-ion cell, which is pretty aggressive, most likely damaging, and probably even a little dangerous. But from what I saw in the review, it looks like smaller cells get a lower rate, so as long as that detection is reliable, no big deal. (I did not see the reliability of that detection tested in the review, which is kinda disappointing, as it might be the difference between a charger and a time-delay bomb. Oh well.) If you want to see how a device works and let someone else do the work of running some tests for you, UA-cam is a great place and people like @Mr Baz Reviews provide an incredible service. On the other hand, if you want good, factual information about how batteries work and how to care for them, visit batteryuniversity.com/. And of course, look up the spec sheets on your particular cells to see what the manufacturer recommends. tl;dr: Ignore what the OP says about charging rates; it's somewhere between not quite right and just plain wrong. If you are otherwise happy with the charger, then you shouldn't regret your decision to purchase it.
Hello friends, I have a problem for a few months ... The CH2 does not work for me ... You can see "Err" in the CH2, I put a battery and nothing happens, any solution? Thanks
D4 is 750mA charge rate, so it's slower - though it is a decent charger This is alright if you use high drain cells and want fast charging, otherwise the VC4 and VC4L (same thing just one is USB C) charge at 1.0amp
I'm interested in buying this basically for the "Grade" mode, have you tried it? if yes. is it accurate? I would like to test if the 18650 batteries I have are truly 3,400 mah, and can you recommend any other good 18650 mah tester?
have you ever used one of these testers ---> www.ebay.com/itm/Lithium-Ion-18650-Battery-Capacity-Tester/123886671523?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180105095853%26meid%3Dfa8be046862e435ca7d3dc56c4f49ec6%26pid%3D100903%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D20%26sd%3D123886671523%26itm%3D123886671523%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2509164&_trksid=p2509164.c100903.m5276 do you think it is worth buying? I don't really want to spend allot of money just to find out the real capacity of my 18650 battery. I don't no to much on testing batteries, this comes with 2 resistors, what are the resistors function?
I prefer the older one, this one puts a high current into cells no way to control it other than lower input I don't like the display either on this one. Shame
@@MrBazReviews thank you for your reply, I think it’s the new 2021 version. XTAR VC4L Charger 2021 NEW 18650 Battery Charger 4bays Universal 18650 Charger with LCD Display USB vap battery charger for liion 3.7v battery 16340 18350 20700 21700 26650 1.2V NI-MH NI-CD AAA AA www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R3DRFLB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_hX28Fb0QKNKPX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Hi Mr. Baz, is there any charger that uses power cord instead of usb, that can charge 21700 battery and has display. I love my Efest Luc V4 with the only down side that it cannot charge 21700 battery, even the unprotected one. Thanks
Thanks for the advise, i saw on your review it doesn't accomodate 21700, and apparently it is not available anywhere in my country (Indonesia). Any other suggestion?
Good review of a below mediocre charger. I have the VC4SL which have the possibility to change the charge current but with most NiMH cells I tried the charger stops charging at below 500mAh for totally empty 800mA and higher AAA cells. The Grade (capacity test) works also bad, the cells show mostly horrible low capacity and getting charged fully at this mode. Still asking myself why Xtar is recommended on many (Flashlight)-fora
I think it's down to Xtar, "was pretty good" - going back maybe 4-5 years ago. Their more recent releases have been IMO ill judged, and with some very obvious design flaws. This one and the 2 bay charger are just anything but smart when used with a quick charge power output. They had some OK products back then, the VC4 was far from a bad charger in most ways a decent charger, some of their power banks are alright (looked at a few not bad accuracy hit and miss on some with the display working fairly well though). I stopped looking at their stuff, it just bored me and they just don't seem to "get it" or take feedback very seriously at all. Let me put it like this, I wouldn't bother buying their products
I think this is one of the first reviews for the newly-released Xtar VC4S charger. I have a question, since it's not listed on the specs. Would you know what is the discharging current when doing the capacity test? It probably may not indicate the discharge current on the display, but we might be able to have a rough estimate by checking how long it discharges a known-capacity battery. (maybe use a low-capacity cell like a 14500 or 18350), then try to do a capacity test ('grading mode'), time approximately how long it takes from full to discharged. Example, if a known 1000mAh 18350 takes around 3 hours to do the 'discharge' mode test on the VC4S, then the discharge current is likely somewhere around 0.3A (1000 divided by 3 hours).. Would appreciate to find out this info. Thank you.
It's not mentioned because there is no discharge on this charger, other than the storage mode for Li-ion cells. You can't test the capacity with discharge the Dragon can. You can only get an idea of capacity on fully discharged cells (ie counts how much it puts into a cell)
@@MrBazReviews Based on some ad I saw on the Internet (actually from a Chinese website), it seems to indicate that one of the 3 modes of the VC4S -- I suppose that would be the "grading" mode -- will do a charge - discharge - charge cycle. I wouldn't suppose that this means it does a capacity test? I'm not certain I understand what the ad/specs actually mean though, but from what I understand, clicking the Mode key once while in Charging mode, will change to the Grading mode. Would you be able to make a short video demo-ing what clicking each Mode does? Appreciate if you could do this. Thanks in advance.
Might do will have to let it run and test it to see if it does. Would have been useful if Xtar actually told me I did ask multiple times for information - didn't get any
@@dta1 I ran a full test on the "Grading" mode and it's as you say a charge, then discharge then counts the capacity and charges it up again. Sorry for that I didn't have time to fully test it when I made the video and Xtar didn't tell me about it ;-) Either way I'm still not too happy with the high charge rates and lack of manual control over charging rate
please help me. whats the different of xtar vc2 and xtar vc2 plus? i want to buy it. or what better / must i buy in the same price with vc2 plus? nitecore? or? nitecore type? sorry for bad english. i just want to get the best charger low budget version :( but i still confuse what brand, and what type/series of that brand for the best to buy.
Different display on VC2, slower charging, VC2 Plus has faster charging (up to 1.0 amp per slot) timer instead of VC2 display the VC22 plus is probably better overall, also has power bank function
@@MrBazReviews awesomeness, features list looks lovely.. Would have never found that with all the junk chargers that seem to float around online, recently getting back into vape game and needed updated charger from my Efest Luc S2
That's the problem no control over charging speed, hence the video I make pointing it out. Best you can do is use a lower input current no quick charge or put more than 1 cell in to drop the charging speed.
@@MrBazReviews Using standard charger doesn't seem to work. I tried plugging it to a cheap 5V1A adaptor and it still tries to charge my 700mAh 14500 with 2A. Obviously it will fry the adaptor sooner or later. VC2S seems to be less sensitive with the power input compared to the old VC4, as the latter will go 0.8A whenever I plug this adaptor.
1.0 amps is still high for smaller 16340 or AAA cells. IMO this is a failure because of the lack of control over charging speed regardless of if you use quick charge or not If I find problems I don't pull punches many do, not here because it's a poorly designed charger sorry to say
@@MrBazReviews That is for a single cell..As USB 2.0 can not supply more then 500ma.. USB 3.0 can supply 900ma..Type 3.1\ TYpe C will give you 2 amps 100watts max. Just stay away from Quick Charge ports. Or use the PC to control the output. Problem solved.
@@MrBazReviews so I received mine, proceeded to connect it to my Samsung wall charger ( 5v 2a). The screen would flash on for a few seconds and then off again. Would not work even with a different cable. So I then connected it to my dji drone charger with 2 USB ports. If worked fine very weird.
@@asilaydying1984 It's a no no for anyone. I can't even give the charger to someone because I would worry they'll toast their cells. Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes not that's not good enough. Easy solution is a sensible default charging speed 0.5/1.0amp then let people pick if they want higher or lower etc. I've told Xtar not to release it, the delay was trying to get them to understand this isn't a good charger I'm not sure the message has sunk it but we'll see if it's on sale. If I get items in for review I can't pull punches this just isn't up to scratch. I wouldn't even use it as a free review sample, let alone buy it.
ya all Xtar chargers are home user chargers... really hate the "watch home user" style voltage, and charge current display, can't adjust charging speed, charging speed is dependent by how many cells you put in it... far form professional or semiprofessional grade... just a toy...
@@MrBazReviews I also want to buy one of these chargers, and spent few hours this week searching for good one (youtube reviews) and not too expensive... from the one that I can find I think the Xtar VC8 plus is better than this (nice display and some current adjusting) so is more close to semiprofessional grade, but I was able to find only the VC8, not the plus ones.. I will see... For Home User I think VC4s is really well designed... as home user does not know terms like amperage,...so they put the vaping battery there and charge it... VC8 is a combination with an almost perfect charger and a basic one... so here is really compromise staffs... but I can't buy it, and cut it with a saw in half...
@@MrBazReviews well im only charging li-lion 18650 and 21700 cells with the charger, and their datasheet says 0.xxx up to 3A is recommendet... so it shouldnt have an inpact to the lifespan of the batterys right? Since i always charge atleast 2 batterys ill never go above 2A.
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I bought the previous model to this which is far better at least I can control the charging speed manually..
Xtar have really screwed up with this charger, there should have been a manual button to be able to to set the amperage to the correct level..
I've been left feeling very disappointed I was looking forward to a new model with improvements but this is a big step backwards..
@@Displays.1234. I agree it's a big step back. I've no idea why plenty complained about the VC2S and they had time to correct that. I'm not impressed I'd rather use the VC4 than this. They did say there were working on manual charging, can't see why it's so hard to do. There is a new Dragon coming out too, but I'm wondering if that's going to be a mess as well.
Cooking AAA's at 2.0 amps isn't my idea of a good smart charger
@@MrBazReviews that's what I like about my dragon 4, the ability to press the manual button and check the correct charging rate for these cells inserted. I will now try and contact xtar
About this, this charger really isn't good enough and not safe, I charge my Panasonic double loop AA batteries are half and amp, by pressing the manual button. I was waiting for a good second charger for a replacement for my xtar vp4 plus..
@@MrBazReviews Panasonic Eneloop Pro AA - 2A normal charging, only for Eneloop Pro AAA 2A - little more current then need. Certainly for the normal (not Eneloop) Ni-MH these current are too large.Normal Ni-MH (not Eneloop) have an internal resistance that is significantly greater than the Eneloop and for them the currents most often stand out are 1A and lower. Xtar is right that they do not see the big problem.
@@МихаилСеврюгин-ц2п I would never charge at 2.0A for AA, there is a big difference between can charge and battery health. It generates too much heat. 1.0A is the most I charge AA at to maintain battery condition. AAA 0.5A max
It isn't just Eneloop it's other cells like the Sony Cycle Energy if it has low internal resistance it will apply a high charge (as shown 2.0A for Sony AAA)
I consider it a problem and it's not just Ni-MH because some Li-ion cells charge at 3.0A and they are rated at a max charge of 2.0A some of them (as shown with the Samsung cell.
I call it as I see it, yes it's a problem and Xtar should fix it
There is a new model named XTAR VC4SL which addresses (I think) all the problems you're talking about. I just ordered one, after spending too many hours researching battery chargers.
And thanks for a great video! It was really helpful.
I've not used it so can't say. It is a bit different I believe basically a VC4 with USB C
Yes, it is basically an VC4S with some minor upgrades. From what I can see the main things that are different is that it's now possible to charge protected 21700 batteries and it's also possible to manually set the charging current. And it's also nice to have a USB C connector instead of the micro USB.
The sl allows you to set the charge rate.
Hey Mr Baz, thanks for your great reviews! What 4 bay chargers would u recommend for charging AA & AAA NIMH batteries? Thanks, All the best!
The original VC4 is still very good, they got it mostly right on that one
@@MrBazReviews thanks buddy, much appreciated!
I am glad you pointed out that you can not control the current by a button selection. Only by the source of power or how many cells are inserted.
Seems odd to me with 2 buttons they don't have charging current control something a charge like this really needs. It wouldn't be so bad if they were more cautious with the charging speeds dumping 2.0 amps into an AA or AAA cell isn't my idea of smart charging
@@MrBazReviews Charging smaller cells at those currents will most certainly shorten their life span.
I'm undecided on whether to buy Nitecore UMS4 or Xtrar VC4S... I heard that Xtar repairs batteries and nitecore doesn't.... which would be your choice of purchase and which is the best?
Both have flaws the Xtar is not on my buy list, both can activate low voltage cells
There is no repair battery, it's activation function doesn't mean the cells will perform well
@@MrBazReviews Yes I was wrong, I meant xtar vc4sl.
Which do you think is better? which one would you choose?
@@eduardofernandes7327 Not the Xtar
@@MrBazReviews wouldn't you choose Xtar Vc4sl? do you like nitecore ums4 better? do you think it's better?
@@eduardofernandes7327 The review tells you what I think, ie not much the auto charge rates are way off with quick charge. The original VC4 is a better charger bottom line, the Nitecore also would be better. I do reviews to mention good/bad hence if you watch them you see what I think
Hey Mr Baz! I've been using this charger for ages now and didn't realise its pitfalls! Is there one in the UK you could recommend me? I am a vape using mostly 18650's and the odd recharge of some AA and AAA's! Thank you for the extremely well done and super informative video! 👍😄
Most of the problems happen with quick charge (ie faster charging rate). So, charging AA/AAA just don't use quick charge, and it won't try to pump silly high amps into small cells. It's alright for 18650 cells
@@MrBazReviews thank you for getting back to me! Note taken, I would have continued using it inappropriately if I hadn't seen your video, really appreciate the knowledge bro! 👍
Looks like it'd be a decent charger for larger li-ion cells, so long as you have a magnifying glass for the display lol, but not so good for smaller li-ion cells or even smaller cells in general (nimh or nicd). Thank you for the honest review.
I recently (a few months ago) purchased a Nitecore UMS4 that works much like this Xtar but does allow you to select charge current.
@@TopDog8762 currently for me the liitokala engineer 500 is the best charger i have run across, i ordered it from a china store for $18 and it took about 6 weeks for me to recieve it because i live in the US, but well worth the wait. I should have ordered a fleet of them, and i don't even care about the testing functions it comes with, just as a charger - nothing i have - save for a single slot opus bt-c100 - beats it and i have dozens of chargers. I prefer the discharge/testing functions of the opus line better because with the opus you can discharge @ 600, with the liitokala you can only discharge @ 500. I don't like the multi-slot opus because of the fan, but the single slot opus has no fan and it has better usb coding. It generally kicks everything else i have, but its a single slot.
@@shawnburr8692 Thats a great endorsement for the Litokala 500.
It might work for vapers who use high drain cells they can take a heavier charge. Problem is that's a lot less suited to protected cells most of the 18650's don't want to be charged above 2amps max, and most are best charged a bit below that.
The AA/AAA problem is a mystery, but I told them about it and they were not overly concerned!
I wouldn't use the charger myself because I mix cells quite a lot and sometimes only charge one or two.
There are a lot of places to improve this so I can't recommend it sadly
Display numbers are tiny they should have made them larger easy to do there is plenty of space
@@MrBazReviews Xtar does make quality products perhaps they will see reviews and listen to comments and improve this charger.
I was looking forward to this charger as my vp4 just died,I always seem to have spring issues on xstar chargers. I've just watched Mike Vapes review before this one and he concurs with your opinion,too many cons. So what four Bay xstar would you recommend? The dragon is too expensive and I would prefer a wall plug unit. Cheers.
The first VC4 is better in my view, the UM4 Nitecore is also worth a look. Depends on the type of cells you are charging if it's mostly Li-ion or not
@@MrBazReviews Mostly 18650 Batts for vaping,ability to charge AAA etc would be nice but not absolutely necessary. Thanks.
@@DullahanBrewing The two I mentioned would be my picks for multi format charging
+1 for VC4
Thanks for reviews. Which do you like better, this one or the Zanflare C4? Which other charger that you like will charge the small shorter batteries that these will fit plus also fit the longer batteries?
For smaller cells the Zanflare is a better bet as you can control the charging speeds ie much lower. Otherwise the Opus is a good bet too
@@MrBazReviews ok, thanks again. So the charging speed is important too, hmm I see. Do most 18650 batteries charge fine at 1000 setting? Zanflare C4 charger is adjustable from 300, 500, 750, 1000. Are there any better and more versatile chargers that maybe can fit both the small batteries and the wider longer ones too?
I just ordered the MC4S and was thinking that maybe i should have went for something with a faster charging speed but after watching this,i'm glad i didn't.
Thanks Mr Baz.Nice video as always mate.
I don't like this charger much, honestly you're better off with that one or the VC4 non S version
I've kinda given up on Xtar recently both the 2 and 4 bay S chargers are just not worth buying IMO
@@MrBazReviews thanks for the solid advice.If i get another,i might invest in the VP4 Dragon?
@@ninjamaster7724 Dragon is OK at the right price no individual speed per bay all 4 are set, for testing it's pretty accurate
I wouldn't be so harsh on this charger. It has more useful functions than the VC4, you can use the store mode to charge Li-Ion to 3.7V, you can measure the capacity and of course charge your cells faster. The fact that you cannot control the charging speed is a problem for people who charge NiMH and AA batteries or charge one cell at a time.
I use it for charging many 18650 to storage voltage after capacity testing them using Lii-500, so high current is not a problem for me, as there are usually 4 cells charging at a time and I can always just use a 2A or 1A USB adapter to adjust charging speed.
So it is better that VC4, but not for casual usage.
Simple things to me must be done right such as having an acceptable charging rate. It's very easy to do that - yet escaped Xtar. It's not just that but the display is not very good too small. I just don't like it, but most would have just posted a marketing video - I gave an honest view on the product.
I don't like it much and I wouldn't buy it
Of course if you are charging Li-ion and more than one at a time it will work OK. I have to consider it from a buyers perspective and point out areas that might be a problem.
Thank you! I didn’t know the difference between the vc4 and vc4s
I’ll stick with the vc4 to keep my batteries lasting longer! I was tempted by the storage mode but probably wouldn’t use it anyway.
I don't like it much there are some useful features but the charging speeds are all over the place when using quick charge. I think the VC4 is the better bet
Super review here; question;
What charger would you recommend to charge 4 x 21700 and also to take protected cells and finally that doesn't fry the smaller batteries as you mentioned with this one? Thank you in advance.
Thanks not too many take protected 21700 cells but the UM4 Nitecore does there is an S version with faster default charging speeds, and faster speeds. The UM4 can charge up to 1.5A for 2 bays and also allows you to adjust charging current for each channel. It's pretty good also USB, though you need quick charge USB output to get those faster speeds. Hope that helps that's the one I use for 21700 cells
@@MrBazReviews Thanks for the fast response. much appreciated.
What flashing battery type (eg Ni-Mh) means ?
Ive inserted 4 batteries after testing 2 of them are not blinking, 2 other NiMh flashes ..
All params are displayed for all of 4 cells (curr / cap / IR)
EDIT: After few minutes it stopped blinking on both cells.
One of inserted (blinking) cell was almost fully loaded, and now it shows very small capacity
Can it be that during this blinking device has discharged battery to zero and started charging from scratch ?
Might have been low voltage activation
So what do I need to buy to drop the charge rate down to 1 amp? A special power adaptor? I would just buy the VC4 but I really want to be able to read the internal resistance of the battery.
Just use a normal 2A 5V adapter. The quick charge ones are where the problem is for single/dual cell charging a high charging rate. It's less of an issue (bar AAA's or small Li-ion cells) with the normal 5V 2A adapters
@@MrBazReviews Okay thank you. I have plenty of 5 volts laying around.
Great videos. actually i have seen lot of your videos for charges but im confused a bit. i mean what would you consider the best one for 4 slots that having all the goodies like charging speeds adjustment, that supports all or most types of batteries, reading battery health , and saving baterry, or discharge capacity test? what would you suggest based on those criteria because i ve seen lot of your reviews and i'm kinda confused! thank you
Easier to watch this I pick out some I have liked and prefer. For testing the Opus or Dragon work well
ua-cam.com/video/Kmoo-_izexE/v-deo.html&t=
Xtar dragon vp4 plus
There is lots to learn here, not necessarily only about this particular charger.
Can you charge non-rechargeable batteries (my old, rudimentary charger does that, but there is no control on it)?
Do not recharge single use cells they leak don't do it ever
Really nice review, Help me a lot to choose one charger.Thanks for the work and time.
Glad I could help
Thank you for your review. Thank you for organizing it.
I was looking for a ni-mh charger. What would be good?
Get the first VC4 not the S it's better overall
@@MrBazReviews Thank you for your quick answer. It helped me a lot to choose the charger.
If you prefer the old XTAR VC4 over this one, what nitecore charger could better or match the VC4 overall?
The UM4 is equivalent ie USB powered
@@MrBazReviews im a vaper, i would be charging 18650s. Planning to buy a good/best 4 or 2 bay charger. Could you recommend? Im picking between Nitecore Q4, UM4, XTAR VC2PLUS master
Nice review mate thanks, lots of info very clearly spoken.
I agree 3 amps into a AA, AAA or 18650 will reduce the quality of the battery I think 1 amp is plenty for charging just be a bit patient.
After watching this review I think I will go for the VCS4.
The earlier model VC4 is better IMO I would use that over this one
Exactly... low and slow! Li-ions wear out quick if you charge them too fast.
Nice video tq...
Please suggest me which one is better..
1. MXQ G12 android 8.1 tv box
2. X96 max TV box"
Both use the same chipset but I would prefer the X96 one myself
@@MrBazReviews ok, thank you very much
I already purchased this, would I be better getting the VC4?
I prefer the VC4 myself, on this one if you are not using a quick charge adapter, the charging speeds are not as dramatic (can still be a bit high). More an issue 1 or 2 cells
So just keep an eye on it when you put cells in
What is the difference between Xtar VC4S and Nitecore UMS4?
Please suggest which one is better.
The nitecore is the better charger, you can control the charging speed and it can take the protected 21700 cells
@@MrBazReviews Thank you very much.
That's a no for me. Keep my VC4 and VP4 Plus and I'll get a Liitokala Lii500 instead of this one. Thanks for your review.
Whats charger did you use? QC3? How much do3s It take to charge a 21700 4200mah battery?
Aukey QC adapter, there are many look around. 1 cell 3A you can figure it out pretty easily
@@MrBazReviews got 18w qc3 5v 3a single output... It does the job,. But isnt 18w too low? I see all single Port qc3 are 18w. Is amy with higher voltage?
@@MrBazReviews also Is It normale It take 2 more hours to charge a 21700 4200mah battery?
@@miklaus2873 Quick charge 3.0 is up to 12V, charging slows down later stages. I can't remote trouble shoot your problem; I would suggest getting a USB tester if you think there is an issue
@@MrBazReviews i want to know your wattage and reccharge time
Hello. So based on your summary, would you say if I plugged the charger in a standard 2.1 or 2.4 amp wall charger, my aaa and aa batteries would charge at .5 amp? Because that's would I would use this for primarily. My xtar vc2 master has .5 amp. Thanks for the review.
It depends on no. of cells inserted and the internal resistance. As there is only 2amps to play with on a 5 Volt USB it can pick half an amp sometimes it picks 1.0 amp. I am not happy with the charger in quick charge or normal 5 Volt for AAA cells. So I can't really recommend it unless you tend to charge multiple cells at a time or vape with high drain cells you want to charge. There is no way to control the charging level manually and IMO that is a mistake
@@MrBazReviews thank you .
Thanks a lot for that review. I suspected that charging AA NI-MH could be a problem and unfortunately I was right.
It's not ideal for Ni-MH charging at all, it might pass for is someone vaping/charging a lot of 18650's at higher speed. Just not enough control over things for my taste, I wouldn't buy it myself. Shame Xtar had the basics of a good charger on the VC4
@@MrBazReviews Yeah, because of your information I bought the VC4 now. Also €10 cheaper :)
Do you know if xtar has released an updated version with this fixed?
Why it's not good for NIMH?
Hy . like your video review very much . i am in dificulty to decide for activate cell, charging and discover real capacity of 18650 ( real health ) , wich i have some old cells wich is the best ? Cand I format cells lit-ion ? Xtar vcs4s ? Or dragon vp4 + ? Or what you recomand ? Thanke you
The dragon is the better charger easily, but costs more. Or look at the Opus that is a more affordable tester
I just purchased this yesterday from fogstar to charge my 18650 batteries as I vape. Oh well. I'll still use it despite it not being recommended...
It will do the job just not ideal for smaller cells
@@MrBazReviews mate, I noticed that the charger charges two 18650s at 1 amp when you use a non fast charge adaptor. Switch it to fast charge adaptor and it charges at 2 amps which I dont like. So my advice to people is just use a non fast charge adaptor and you will be fine. I always charge two or 4 batteries at a time so for me this charger is perfectly fine.
@@bee1978 You can do that as I said don't use quick charge adapter helps, has to be pointed out - Xtar really should have thought about that and they didn't. So you can work around it, but you shouldn't really have to
Good video I brought this with the fast charge plug, but after watching this video will not be using it.
It's more an issue with single cells, but I'm not happy with the higher charging rate. So you can use it, just keep an eye on the charging speed it picks. It will vary depending on the battery
@@MrBazReviews yea i use him too, charging one cell from usb 2.0 from my laptop (that usb gives 500mA max so the cell is always charged with 500mA, even ni-mh)
Hello, can i use a phone charger to power this charger? Thanks for answer.
You can it will work fine
This is a helpful review. The evaluation is solid, the shortcomings are still there.
I wish I had seen this before I ordered it...
I'm sending mine back - it goes blank and locks up with four NiMH, and is non-responsive until unplugged and restarted.
I'll watch some charger reviews before deciding on ordering the 8 bay (16 bay?) model. I REALLY want to get capacity readings on some older cells.
The 8 bay I don't recommend you can only use four bays for testing. Zanflare C4 is pretty good for testing, Opus also worth a look. I gave up on Xtar this was disappointing and the VC2S is also sub par
@@MrBazReviews I'll look at those. I looked at my order and it turns out I had ordered the 8 bay model, and they shipped the wrong one... Now I'm not sure WHAT to do... Exchange and then send back the correct one or try it out to test some of my older batteries while I decide - but one thing's for certain, this model is weak and deficient.
@@MrBazReviews Opus BT-3400? OUCH! That's > than $60 on Amazon! I'd be better off dumping all my batteries and just buying new ones! 😁 :-D
The Zanflare C4 may be my next try.
Serious, the XTAR VC4S is a sick dog to use. I've had two "2400 mAH" AA NiMHs on it for more that a day, and it's still running the test. These aren't old, they're not shot, but it's taking its sweet time with testing them.
To think that I wanted to test 20 AAA NiMHs from Amazon in addition to my boxes of salvaged 18650s and dozens of AA NiMHs. I wouldn't get through even the new batch of AAAs before the return period ran out. (If it weren't for all of the Christmas decorations that need the AAAs, I would bother with them. Now that I bought them, I just want to make sure they meet their advertised capacity. That's a sad reason to have to keep them - "I couldn't test them in time.")
@@ramixnudles7958 The Opus is cheap enough on Banggood avoid price gougers on Amazon (applies for many products). I've no time for Xtar really they messed up their last few chargers big time, they don't listen to feedback and new products are worse v the older ones! I'm not sure what is so hard about allowing individual channel control either, but they seem to be struggling with the concept. Shame really hence I wasn't very keen on their last few models, the VC8 was alright but fell a bit short again
@@MrBazReviews I'll look on Bang Good. I think you have a video on searching one of the other outlets... How to get results through the on-site search engine. If it wasn't you, it was someone else who was doing equipment reviews.
We have this charger- can you please explain how to put in on quick charge??
Attach it to a quick charge device ie adapter or power bank etc
Quick tip: per evitare che il caricatore usi automaticamente la corrente più alta è sufficiente usare un cavo usb nono quick charge, ossia con lo spinotto non arancione o alternativamente non usare un caricatore quick charge 3.0
I have no idea what you said but thanks
@@MrBazReviews to prevent the charger from automatically using the highest current, simply use a normal usb cable (not quick charge), i.e. with the plug not orange or alternatively do not use a quick charge 3.0 charger
Thanks for your honest review but unfortunately I already bought it before watching your video :(
I was looking to find a video for functionality when came a cross here , is it dangerous to use or just not so good for the batteries health ? I had nitecore i2 for 2 years until the button gone /stuck inside & after that it was getting too hot and only one line was working ,so decided not to buy from nitecore anymore and 2nd choice was Xtar and I tried to buy their newest release to be on the safe side !!! poor me ...
shall I just bin it and buy something else ? I only use it for 18650(3000 and 3500 mah) and nothing else .
It's not dangerous just the charging speeds are too fast for some types of cell. I would charge 18650 3500mAh at 1.0 amp for longevity, the 3000mAh can be charged higher. Just keep an eye on the charging speeds - more an issue on the quick charge as it has more amps available than the normal 2.0A. I'm just disappointed Xtar messed up this release, they added more features but forgot about the basic stuff (ie charging control/current selection)
Thanks, do I have option to keep it on normal all the time ? I couldn’t figure out how to switch between normal or fast charging speed.
Or is just possible by using different kind of cables ? Not so sure ...
Yes it is dangerous to charge lipo at high current!! You should NEVER charge a lipo at more then 1amp unless you just absolutely have to. Higher charge rate =more heat= diminished life span.
@Hamidreza Montazeri I just stumbled on this looking at flashlight reviews. @Mr Baz Reviews is being hyper-conservative with charging rates and may even be compromising the longevity of his NiMH cells by charging them too slowly.
NiMH cells hate being overcharged -- that's what kills them. The problem with NiMH cells is that end-of-charge detection is hard. The signs that NiMH cells give you that they are fully charged are subtle, and chargers can have a hard time recognizing when NiMH cells are done charging. If the charger can't see that the cell is charged, it will overcharge it, which will kill it fast. Charging the cell faster makes the signs more obvious and less likely to be missed, and is also one of the reason why very fast chargers often end up not fully charging the cells (they terminate too early).
It obviously varies by manufacturer and cell design, but a good rule of thumb is not to charge NiMH cells at less than 0.5C (C being the capacity of the battery). 1C is ideal for many if not most NiMH cells. So for those nominally 1900mAh Eneloops AAs, 2A is almost the perfect charge rate, and 1A is very close to the bottom (950mAh) before it's being charged too slowly and risking compromise of reliable charge termination. Charging slower than 1C does not measurably prolong the life of a typical NiMH cell, but too much slower can certainly *shorten* it's life! I have Sanyo Eneloops that are over 10 years old that still measure out to 1900-1950mAh -- almost always charged at 2A. I have Eneloop AAAs (nom. 900mAh) in the same state; always charged at 2A, and working perfectly. (Of course, to actually properly test the AAAs, I have to lower the charge current to 1A, otherwise the charge terminates a little early and the reading comes up 50-150mAh low. A couple hundred mills doesn't matter much in a remote control or a flashlight, so it's usually not worth the minor inconvenience to change my charger from it's 2A default.)
Indeed, I have yet to throw an Eneloop cell away because it aged and lost too much capacity, although I have misplaced a few! Actually, I've yet to throw one away, period. They are excellent batteries, and while they will eventually degrade with aging either way, cycling and environmental conditions are the main drivers of damage on high quality NiMH cells like Eneloops. Since none of my Eneloops are cycled that often, they last a really long time.
(Older Sanyo Eneloops are rated for (IIRC) 1,000 cycles; newer Panasonic Eneloops (of which I also have many, several years old) have crazy large cycle ratings, like >2,000.)
Lithium Ion batteries are an entirely different story, complicated further by the fact that "Lithium Ion" is an umbrella term for a bunch of different lithium battery chemistries. In general though, Lithium batteries charge in two stages - a bulk stage, and a saturation stage. In general, they really don't give a crap how fast you bulk charge them (within reason) to around 70 or 80% SoC, as the bulk charge is like 99% efficient (so it doesn't produce much heat, which kills Lithium cells) and is low voltage (another killer of lithium cells). However, the saturation charge is very sensitive to charging rate, voltage, is much less efficient, creates most of the heat, and is actually the part of the charge cycle that does most of the damage to the cell. If people started implementing systems that skipped the saturation charge on lithium batteries, you'd probably see lithium batteries with rated cycle counts of 2-3k (or more!) instead of 300-500. Of course, you lose 20-30% of your capacity. EVs often make exactly this tradeoff; my Leaf terminates charge at 90% (which it calls 100%) and allows you to configure it to terminate charge at 70-something% (which it calls 80%); Teslas allow you to configure early termination at a range of points (I think 60-90%) and Tesla recommends you only charge to 100% on the occasions where you're going on a trip where you will need the extra range (I believe they even call it trip mode).
This "saturation" stage is also why Li-ion batteries (including in EVs) take 2-3 hours to charge no matter how "fast" your charger is. The saturation charge is always much slower than the bulk loading of the battery, and if you charge even a little too fast during the saturation charge, Li-ion batteries tend to get very explody, very quickly.
Assuming the charger under review is working correctly, it's going to charge that Li-ion cell for 3A constant current only until the cell reaches 70-85% SoC (which the battery doesn't really care about). After that, it's going to switch to constant voltage mode, which performs the saturation charge (which damages the battery, but gets you a few delicious extra mWh of energy). How well it implements the saturation charge and charge termination will be the dominating factor in determining how quickly it kills the cell; not whether it bulks at 2A or 3A. If you take the saturation charge out of the picture, I doubt you could tell the difference between identical 3Ah cells that have been bulk charged at 2A and at 3A for their lifetime without extremely expensive and sophisticated equipment and statistical filters to get rid of the noise. But I could be wrong.
To look at it another way, most Li-ion cells come with a recommend charge rate around 0.8C. On a 3Ah cell, 3A is 1C, so it's barely over the line of optimal rate (and pretty much would be optimal for a 3500mAh cell). 2A is ~0.6 c, which means you're just wasting time but not hurting anything. Likewise, 1A would be ~0.3C, wasting more time but again, not hurting anything.
To look at it yet another way, EVs are inching ever closer to the goal of 15-minutes to 80% charge (notice the 80%?), which would imply a charge rate of 4C on huge batteries (ie., lots of explody potential) that are designed to last for many years. While the cells and charging systems in an EV battery are of course designed for it (think active cooling and the like), your 18650 cells are still surprisingly similar to them.
3A of course could be pushing it for some really small cells. It would be 6C for a hypothetical 500mAh Li-ion cell, which is pretty aggressive, most likely damaging, and probably even a little dangerous. But from what I saw in the review, it looks like smaller cells get a lower rate, so as long as that detection is reliable, no big deal. (I did not see the reliability of that detection tested in the review, which is kinda disappointing, as it might be the difference between a charger and a time-delay bomb. Oh well.)
If you want to see how a device works and let someone else do the work of running some tests for you, UA-cam is a great place and people like @Mr Baz Reviews provide an incredible service.
On the other hand, if you want good, factual information about how batteries work and how to care for them, visit batteryuniversity.com/. And of course, look up the spec sheets on your particular cells to see what the manufacturer recommends.
tl;dr: Ignore what the OP says about charging rates; it's somewhere between not quite right and just plain wrong. If you are otherwise happy with the charger, then you shouldn't regret your decision to purchase it.
Hello friends, I have a problem for a few months ... The CH2 does not work for me ... You can see "Err" in the CH2, I put a battery and nothing happens, any solution? Thanks
Does it work with other cells?
Does the nitecore d4 charge quicker than the xtar chargers and if not whats the faster charger to go for please i just charge 18650 batteries ?
D4 is 750mA charge rate, so it's slower - though it is a decent charger
This is alright if you use high drain cells and want fast charging, otherwise the VC4 and VC4L (same thing just one is USB C) charge at 1.0amp
I'm interested in buying this basically for the "Grade" mode, have you tried it? if yes. is it accurate? I would like to test if the 18650 batteries I have are truly 3,400 mah, and can you recommend any other good 18650 mah tester?
Accuracy is OK it's not as good as the Dragon but it's good enough to be worthwhile. The OPUS is the one to go for a budget tester/charger
@@MrBazReviews were can i view / buy opus??
have you ever used one of these testers ---> www.ebay.com/itm/Lithium-Ion-18650-Battery-Capacity-Tester/123886671523?_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180105095853%26meid%3Dfa8be046862e435ca7d3dc56c4f49ec6%26pid%3D100903%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D20%26sd%3D123886671523%26itm%3D123886671523%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D2509164&_trksid=p2509164.c100903.m5276 do you think it is worth buying? I don't really want to spend allot of money just to find out the real capacity of my 18650 battery. I don't no to much on testing batteries, this comes with 2 resistors, what are the resistors function?
glad i ordered the older XTAR VC4 after watching this nice 1
I prefer the older one, this one puts a high current into cells no way to control it other than lower input
I don't like the display either on this one. Shame
which one is the best xtar for every batteries? vc4s,x4.....?
The first VC4 is the best option IMO not this one
@@MrBazReviews thanks
Can you tell me the difference between this and the vc4L please?
I have not seen a VC4L, just his and the VC4
@@MrBazReviews thank you for your reply, I think it’s the new 2021 version.
XTAR VC4L Charger 2021 NEW 18650 Battery Charger 4bays Universal 18650 Charger with LCD Display USB vap battery charger for liion 3.7v battery 16340 18350 20700 21700 26650 1.2V NI-MH NI-CD AAA AA www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08R3DRFLB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_hX28Fb0QKNKPX?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Hi Mr. Baz, is there any charger that uses power cord instead of usb, that can charge 21700 battery and has display. I love my Efest Luc V4 with the only down side that it cannot charge 21700 battery, even the unprotected one. Thanks
Zanflare C4 is pretty good for a 4 bay charger
Thanks for the advise, i saw on your review it doesn't accomodate 21700, and apparently it is not available anywhere in my country (Indonesia). Any other suggestion?
Good review of a below mediocre charger. I have the VC4SL which have the possibility to change the charge current but with most NiMH cells I tried the charger stops charging at below 500mAh for totally empty 800mA and higher AAA cells. The Grade (capacity test) works also bad, the cells show mostly horrible low capacity and getting charged fully at this mode. Still asking myself why Xtar is recommended on many (Flashlight)-fora
I think it's down to Xtar, "was pretty good" - going back maybe 4-5 years ago. Their more recent releases have been IMO ill judged, and with some very obvious design flaws. This one and the 2 bay charger are just anything but smart when used with a quick charge power output.
They had some OK products back then, the VC4 was far from a bad charger in most ways a decent charger, some of their power banks are alright (looked at a few not bad accuracy hit and miss on some with the display working fairly well though). I stopped looking at their stuff, it just bored me and they just don't seem to "get it" or take feedback very seriously at all. Let me put it like this, I wouldn't bother buying their products
I think this is one of the first reviews for the newly-released Xtar VC4S charger. I have a question, since it's not listed on the specs. Would you know what is the discharging current when doing the capacity test? It probably may not indicate the discharge current on the display, but we might be able to have a rough estimate by checking how long it discharges a known-capacity battery. (maybe use a low-capacity cell like a 14500 or 18350), then try to do a capacity test ('grading mode'), time approximately how long it takes from full to discharged.
Example, if a known 1000mAh 18350 takes around 3 hours to do the 'discharge' mode test on the VC4S, then the discharge current is likely somewhere around 0.3A (1000 divided by 3 hours).. Would appreciate to find out this info. Thank you.
It's not mentioned because there is no discharge on this charger, other than the storage mode for Li-ion cells. You can't test the capacity with discharge the Dragon can. You can only get an idea of capacity on fully discharged cells (ie counts how much it puts into a cell)
@@MrBazReviews Based on some ad I saw on the Internet (actually from a Chinese website), it seems to indicate that one of the 3 modes of the VC4S -- I suppose that would be the "grading" mode -- will do a charge - discharge - charge cycle. I wouldn't suppose that this means it does a capacity test?
I'm not certain I understand what the ad/specs actually mean though, but from what I understand, clicking the Mode key once while in Charging mode, will change to the Grading mode.
Would you be able to make a short video demo-ing what clicking each Mode does? Appreciate if you could do this. Thanks in advance.
Might do will have to let it run and test it to see if it does. Would have been useful if Xtar actually told me I did ask multiple times for information - didn't get any
@@dta1 I ran a full test on the "Grading" mode and it's as you say a charge, then discharge then counts the capacity and charges it up again. Sorry for that I didn't have time to fully test it when I made the video and Xtar didn't tell me about it ;-)
Either way I'm still not too happy with the high charge rates and lack of manual control over charging rate
Update recommendation for 2021 ?
Nothing much has changed there are few new chargers out
please help me.
whats the different of xtar vc2 and xtar vc2 plus?
i want to buy it.
or what better / must i buy in the same price with vc2 plus?
nitecore? or?
nitecore type?
sorry for bad english.
i just want to get the best charger low budget version :(
but i still confuse what brand, and what type/series of that brand for the best to buy.
Different display on VC2, slower charging, VC2 Plus has faster charging (up to 1.0 amp per slot) timer instead of VC2 display the VC22 plus is probably better overall, also has power bank function
What is the best 2 or 4 slot universal battery charger where I can select charge current, and that shows how much mAh they hold
Zanflare C4 is pretty good give current control and has testing of cells not a bad price either
@@MrBazReviews awesomeness, features list looks lovely.. Would have never found that with all the junk chargers that seem to float around online, recently getting back into vape game and needed updated charger from my Efest Luc S2
@@PSNxMigls It's decent if you want that control and the price is fairly good too, I've no major issues with it
This or the VC4L?
VC4L no question same as VC4 with type C
@@MrBazReviews do you know how the VC4L compares to the X4?
@@willeymunda I just told you same but type c that's it
@@MrBazReviews i was seeing how the x4 compares to the vc4l?
@@willeymunda Do you understand English? I just told you
It is the SAME
Except it has Type C
I find it fairly easy to grasp
hmm how do I activate 0.5A for Li-Ion batteries. my VC2S seems to defaulted to 1A or 2A even if I put my 14500 in..
That's the problem no control over charging speed, hence the video I make pointing it out. Best you can do is use a lower input current no quick charge or put more than 1 cell in to drop the charging speed.
@@MrBazReviews Using standard charger doesn't seem to work. I tried plugging it to a cheap 5V1A adaptor and it still tries to charge my 700mAh 14500 with 2A. Obviously it will fry the adaptor sooner or later. VC2S seems to be less sensitive with the power input compared to the old VC4, as the latter will go 0.8A whenever I plug this adaptor.
Just use the USB 2.0.. It will default to 1.0 amps. It only does the high charge rate with USB 3.0 Quick Charge input...
1.0 amps is still high for smaller 16340 or AAA cells. IMO this is a failure because of the lack of control over charging speed regardless of if you use quick charge or not
If I find problems I don't pull punches many do, not here because it's a poorly designed charger sorry to say
@@MrBazReviews That is for a single cell..As USB 2.0 can not supply more then 500ma.. USB 3.0 can supply 900ma..Type 3.1\ TYpe C will give you 2 amps 100watts max.
Just stay away from Quick Charge ports. Or use the PC to control the output. Problem solved.
You can use a non qc USB adapter to drop the amps....
That was mentioned in the video many times, it is still poor design to not regulate the current properly with a QC adapter
@@MrBazReviews so I received mine, proceeded to connect it to my Samsung wall charger ( 5v 2a). The screen would flash on for a few seconds and then off again. Would not work even with a different cable. So I then connected it to my dji drone charger with 2 USB ports. If worked fine very weird.
@@yestheoriginaldadio Strange seemed to work with most of the ones I used fine
Do vc4 charger can revive a deadcell battery?
Yes it has activation I'd go for the normal VC4 myself though
@@MrBazReviews which is better for 18650 batteries?? The nitecore d4 or the x star vc 4? For you
How do u recommend charging 21700 batteries can u do a vid on it with this charger would be grait
It's simple really just charge at anything up to 2A I would use, not often over that (they can take it but I prefer to use 1 or 2A)
@@MrBazReviews on mine it’s charging them at 0.5 that the 20700
@@MrBazReviews also what slot bay am I to use to charge the 21700 is it 1an3 or 2an4 or 2an3
Que equipamento é este ao lado do carregador ?
Drok USB tester it shows current and voltage
@@MrBazReviews Tem alguma marca que confia ?
Can it do LiFePO4?
No not on this one try nitecore UM4 or the D4 is still an OK charger
This sounds like a no go
Pretty much sums it up yes a no go for me at least
Mr Baz Reviews yep anything that charges that high of current with no control over it is a definite no for me
@@asilaydying1984 It's a no no for anyone. I can't even give the charger to someone because I would worry they'll toast their cells. Sometimes it gets it right, sometimes not that's not good enough. Easy solution is a sensible default charging speed 0.5/1.0amp then let people pick if they want higher or lower etc.
I've told Xtar not to release it, the delay was trying to get them to understand this isn't a good charger
I'm not sure the message has sunk it but we'll see if it's on sale. If I get items in for review I can't pull punches this just isn't up to scratch. I wouldn't even use it as a free review sample, let alone buy it.
Mr Baz Reviews I use my vc4 and old i4 for most charging needs and I use my nitecore sc2 for larger cells 26650 etc ..
thanks for your comment! I will purchase it by now but I decided to search for some professional review first and I instantly changed my mind
what a nice charger
If it worked well it would be
Speeds can be higher or lower, not faster or slower. Things can be faster or slower. Kay?
No way to change the speeds that's the problem it works off internal resistance on the cell
tried a new XTAR found it over heated brand new AA battery's not impressed with this charger
As mentioned the charge rate for Ni-MH is often too high, hence it's not recommended
ya all Xtar chargers are home user chargers... really hate the "watch home user" style voltage, and charge current display, can't adjust charging speed, charging speed is dependent by how many cells you put in it... far form professional or semiprofessional grade... just a toy...
It's disappointing, I would buy this and honestly I think they should have done a much better job on it.
@@MrBazReviews I also want to buy one of these chargers, and spent few hours this week searching for good one (youtube reviews) and not too expensive... from the one that I can find I think the Xtar VC8 plus is better than this (nice display and some current adjusting) so is more close to semiprofessional grade, but I was able to find only the VC8, not the plus ones.. I will see...
For Home User I think VC4s is really well designed... as home user does not know terms like amperage,...so they put the vaping battery there and charge it...
VC8 is a combination with an almost perfect charger and a basic one... so here is really compromise staffs... but I can't buy it, and cut it with a saw in half...
Someone review the efest luc4 elite
I could email them to ask for a review sample
i should have bought the vc4 :/
I prefer it overall, this has some new features but strange omissions too!
@@MrBazReviews well im only charging li-lion 18650 and 21700 cells with the charger, and their datasheet says 0.xxx up to 3A is recommendet... so it shouldnt have an inpact to the lifespan of the batterys right? Since i always charge atleast 2 batterys ill never go above 2A.