INTRODUCTION
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Hello everyone, and welcome to Pizza Dave’s Vape Reviews. Today I am going to step out of the norm and cover something I have never reviewed before. That item is the VC4S battery charger by Xtar. This is one of their latest chargers, one of which isn’t even shown on their site yet. As a VC4 user before this review, it gave me a solid baseline on the comparison side of things, so I will be able to touch on what makes this one different, as well as talk about my overall mindset regarding this charger. Let’s get right to it, and as always, I will have my final thoughts down at the bottom.
DISCLAIMER: This device was sent to me by Xtar for review.
WHAT YOU GET
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PHOTO1
PHOTO2
PHOTO3
PHOTO4
PHOTO5
OPERATION AND USE
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Sooo…where do we begin? This is one of the latest chargers of Xstar, which has become a relatively popular charger amongst vapers. I have been using a VC4 for about 18 months and have had a relatively positive experience. Like the VC4 before it, the VC4S utilizes an external 2-amp DC power supply. One of the changes from the VC4 is that they went to a micro-usb plug, instead of a round DC port. I like this change, as it is easy to replace or find when on the go, where the round port before needed to stick with the device. The charger has a few different options for how fast it will charge. When connected to a 2-amp charger, placing batteries on the outer two slots will charge at 2 amps, but will also charge 3 or 4 batteries at .5 amps per battery. If connected to a 3-amp quick charge power supply, one could insert a battery into 1 slot and charge at 3 amps. I wouldn’t really recommend that, as it is a heavy strain on the battery and they warm up to a point that I am not super comfortable with, even if it may be safe.
For most users, all you need to know is to plug it in to a 2-amp power supply and pop the batteries in. For people who want to know a little more about the batteries, there are options for that. Pressing the left button on the charger will cycle through misc. battery information.
Pressing the right button will cycle through different charging modes.
Charging mode is just like it sounds. It will charge batteries up to their peak voltage, depending on the type of the material the battery is built from, as it senses the type as well and is compatible with Ni-MH, Ni, CD, and Lithium-Ion IMR, INR, and CR batteries.
Grading mode essentially charges the battery, then discharges the battery, and shows DONE at the end. I honestly don’t know what anyone would use this for in any practical use.
The storage mode essentially charges batteries up to a level which is considered the “safe” level for storage. For Lithium-Ion batteries, it will charge to 3.7v. If the battery is inserted with voltage lower than 3.7v, it will charge up to 3.7v. If a battery is inserted at a voltage greater than 3.7v, it will discharge down to 3.7v.
DISPLAY
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The display on the VC4S, like I mentioned above, shows quite a bit of information. It has a bunch of functions and shows more information than many even would care about. One change from the VC4 is the fact that all 4 batteries are displayed at the same time. The original showed just two battery bars, so one would have to toggle between what they wanted to see. Not anymore, as you can see the voltage, mah charged, and the amperage at which the batteries are being charged. I like this display a lot more than the old, just because I can see it all at a glance and not have to toggle through information. To conserve power, the screen dims down after 1 minute, and tapping one of the buttons will brighten it back up again. If you want it dimmed down quicker, you can hold down one of the buttons to dim manually.
______________________________________________________________________________
Hello everyone, and welcome to Pizza Dave’s Vape Reviews. Today I am going to step out of the norm and cover something I have never reviewed before. That item is the VC4S battery charger by Xtar. This is one of their latest chargers, one of which isn’t even shown on their site yet. As a VC4 user before this review, it gave me a solid baseline on the comparison side of things, so I will be able to touch on what makes this one different, as well as talk about my overall mindset regarding this charger. Let’s get right to it, and as always, I will have my final thoughts down at the bottom.
DISCLAIMER: This device was sent to me by Xtar for review.
WHAT YOU GET
______________________________________________________________________________
- 1 Xstar VC4S charger
- 1 USB cable
- 1 Charger carrying pouch
- Paperwork
PHOTO1
PHOTO2
PHOTO3
PHOTO4
PHOTO5
OPERATION AND USE
______________________________________________________________________________
Sooo…where do we begin? This is one of the latest chargers of Xstar, which has become a relatively popular charger amongst vapers. I have been using a VC4 for about 18 months and have had a relatively positive experience. Like the VC4 before it, the VC4S utilizes an external 2-amp DC power supply. One of the changes from the VC4 is that they went to a micro-usb plug, instead of a round DC port. I like this change, as it is easy to replace or find when on the go, where the round port before needed to stick with the device. The charger has a few different options for how fast it will charge. When connected to a 2-amp charger, placing batteries on the outer two slots will charge at 2 amps, but will also charge 3 or 4 batteries at .5 amps per battery. If connected to a 3-amp quick charge power supply, one could insert a battery into 1 slot and charge at 3 amps. I wouldn’t really recommend that, as it is a heavy strain on the battery and they warm up to a point that I am not super comfortable with, even if it may be safe.
For most users, all you need to know is to plug it in to a 2-amp power supply and pop the batteries in. For people who want to know a little more about the batteries, there are options for that. Pressing the left button on the charger will cycle through misc. battery information.
- Cap – Capacity
- Curr – Current
- IR – Internal Resistance
Pressing the right button will cycle through different charging modes.
- Charging Mode
- Grading Mode
- Storing Mode
Charging mode is just like it sounds. It will charge batteries up to their peak voltage, depending on the type of the material the battery is built from, as it senses the type as well and is compatible with Ni-MH, Ni, CD, and Lithium-Ion IMR, INR, and CR batteries.
Grading mode essentially charges the battery, then discharges the battery, and shows DONE at the end. I honestly don’t know what anyone would use this for in any practical use.
The storage mode essentially charges batteries up to a level which is considered the “safe” level for storage. For Lithium-Ion batteries, it will charge to 3.7v. If the battery is inserted with voltage lower than 3.7v, it will charge up to 3.7v. If a battery is inserted at a voltage greater than 3.7v, it will discharge down to 3.7v.
DISPLAY
______________________________________________________________________________
The display on the VC4S, like I mentioned above, shows quite a bit of information. It has a bunch of functions and shows more information than many even would care about. One change from the VC4 is the fact that all 4 batteries are displayed at the same time. The original showed just two battery bars, so one would have to toggle between what they wanted to see. Not anymore, as you can see the voltage, mah charged, and the amperage at which the batteries are being charged. I like this display a lot more than the old, just because I can see it all at a glance and not have to toggle through information. To conserve power, the screen dims down after 1 minute, and tapping one of the buttons will brighten it back up again. If you want it dimmed down quicker, you can hold down one of the buttons to dim manually.