Battery charger for 18650 - recommendations please

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Battery charger for 18650 - recommendations please

geekIT

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#295501 2-Apr-2022 14:22

Looking for an effective but simple and cheap 18650 charger.

There are plenty on Trade Me and other websites but it'd be very helpful if someone could tell me which one has worked for them.

Cheers :-)

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sparky1685

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#2895722 2-Apr-2022 14:48

Battery chargers are one thing I wouldn't cheap out on - plenty of fire potential!
I've been happy with the Nitecore one I have, but can't remember the model number right now.
Would something simple like https://www.rubbermonkey.co.nz/Nitecore-UI1-USB-Charger

do the trick?

pih

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#2895811 2-Apr-2022 17:32

Another vote for Nitecore, and Liitokala is another cheap-ish but reliable brand. Just beware of knock-offs of name brand products, there are a few around and the quality is probably questionable. Best to buy from the brand's store if you're purchasing from AliExpress, etc.

Edit: typo

geekIT

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#2895821 2-Apr-2022 17:39

sparky1685: Hey, thanks for that. Yep, that one looks okay and the price is certainly right :-)

The Nightcore brand seems to get good raps.

EDIT: Oops, didn't see your post, pih. Thanks for the tip.

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sparkz25

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#2895845 2-Apr-2022 18:10

I have been using the Nitecore D4 for some time now, its my preferred choice! and i also reccomend

neb

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#2895879 2-Apr-2022 19:26

Nitecore are pretty decent, avoid anything with "Fire" in the name (not because of the obvious joke possibilities but because there are an infinite number of knockoffs following the pattern XXXFire), and if you want the ultimate swiss-army-chainsaw charger get a Skyrc MC3000, covered in this thread.

dt

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#2895938 2-Apr-2022 21:59

another vote for nitecore

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geekIT

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#2898191 7-Apr-2022 17:10

sparky1685: Battery chargers are one thing I wouldn't cheap out on - plenty of fire potential!
I've been happy with the Nitecore one I have, but can't remember the model number right now.
Would something simple like https://www.rubbermonkey.co.nz/Nitecore-UI1-USB-Charger

do the trick?

sparky, thanks again, that model is ideal for me (I bought two for $14)

Easy to use and plenty of useful features.

Cheers :-)

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nitro

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#2898227 7-Apr-2022 18:21

as noted above, safety is a consideration.

you left out a few requirements... how many slots? 4.2V Li-Ion only or do you need it to do NiMH as well? need support for LiFePO4? 4.35V Li-Ion?

liitokala possibly give you the best bang-for-the-buck. nitecore is good and xtar pretty decent. there's a heck of a lot of nitecore clones, which i'd probably steer clear of.