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Xtar or Efest luc charger?
- Thread starter Kcoc
- Start date
I have an Xtar dual battery unit. Been using it for over a year with no issues. My brother has the luc and has been using it for 4 months with no issues. I'd say whatever charger you can get a good deal on, either the luc or Xtar.
Lefty
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If you decide on the LUC LightningVapes has the deal ATM. $27.99 for the V4 and $22.99 for the V2 with free shipping. LV20 code will get you 20% off that. Those are the regular prices, don't know how long the code's good for.
http://www.lightningvapes.com/products/efest-luc-v4-lcd-usb-charger
http://www.lightningvapes.com/products/efest-luc-v4-lcd-usb-charger
Aaronhami924
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I have had a LUC V4 charger simce the begining of the year. Great charger. The only one I found that is 4 amps. 2x2amp or 4x1amp. Also does 500ma
L
Lighty269
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I have both chargers, I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
UncleRJ
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I think I will be adding one of those to my Xmas list! I have been wanting a charger capable of charging at 2.0 amps!
VapedCrusader
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I got the Xtar wp2h and its been perfect since I bought it..
I still have my original xtar charger (forget which one) from almost 2 years ago that still works without a hitch that I keep at work
I still have my original xtar charger (forget which one) from almost 2 years ago that still works without a hitch that I keep at work
Lefty
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There are several excellent chargers out there. I've been pleased with the LUC4 myself. It's been flawless, stays cool at all times, keeps it's charging levels with multiple batteries and I do like that it shows the battery voltage. You should do fine with it.
Emilie
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Thank you so much for posting this discount! Or perhaps I should scold you for dangling this fruit in front of me.
I went for the LUC4.
I shouldn't have, but I've been eying the XTAR and just couldn't bring myself to spending the money.
I hope to get better battery life out of this charger than I am with my simple charger. I tend to forget that I have batteries charging and leave them in for many, many hours.
JonnyBoy
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Got my LUC4 last week. I've been using the Nitecore i4 for the past 14 months. I love this LUC charger. Charges significantly faster, especially since I use 26650s mostly. Being able to change the current is a nice bonus.
Emilie
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One thing I've been told about using higher amperage charging (1A, 2A) is that it can significantly reduce the life of your battery. I don't know that for sure, but it's what I was told by one vape shop (we all know that all information you get at vape shops is reliable).
Something I'm noticing about the LUC4 that I received is that my mod is reading one voltage and my charger is reading something completely different. Fully charged, several of my batteries are reading 3.8-3.9V in my mod, but the LUC is saying 4.2. This is with my old batteries that were charged on my old, non-smart charger. The newer batteries are fine.
To be honest, I trust my mod's reading more than I trust the LUC, especially since it's the older, more abused batteries that it's reading lower on.
Something I'm noticing about the LUC4 that I received is that my mod is reading one voltage and my charger is reading something completely different. Fully charged, several of my batteries are reading 3.8-3.9V in my mod, but the LUC is saying 4.2. This is with my old batteries that were charged on my old, non-smart charger. The newer batteries are fine.
To be honest, I trust my mod's reading more than I trust the LUC, especially since it's the older, more abused batteries that it's reading lower on.
Keep in mind that the charger is designed to read voltage and charge batteries........the mod is designed to do neither.
Have you tried taking a reading with a DMM to see which is reading more accurate? I just received my LUC V4 today so haven't had a chance to really play with it much. I have some Panasonic batteries that are about 9 months old but that is the oldest I have I can try with my DMM and see what they are saying compared to the LUC.
OK, I pulled out my DMM (Fluke 87 V) and started testing to see what the difference between the DMM and the LUC V4. I had my battery that I have been using all day and it was reading 3.791 volts on the DMM so I put it in the LUC V4 and it came up 3.7v for a split second then jumped to 3.8v. I had another battery reading 4.177 on the DMM and when I put it in it the charger it came up at 4.1v for a split second then jumped to 4.2 volts.
When it says the batteries are charged my Sony VTC5's are reading 4.192 vots. My Panasonic NCR18650B's are reading 4.177 volts. I have one other 18650 but the wife has it in her Vamo right now so I cannot test and see what it does.
When it says the batteries are charged my Sony VTC5's are reading 4.192 vots. My Panasonic NCR18650B's are reading 4.177 volts. I have one other 18650 but the wife has it in her Vamo right now so I cannot test and see what it does.
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Wife showed up and I took the last of my batteries that I can test with. Imren 18650 reading 3.801 volts on the DMM, I put it in the charger and it read 3.8 volts.
The Imren battery finished charging and the voltage is showing 4.186 volts on the DMM when the LUC V4 is showing 4.2.
All my charging was done set at 1.0 amp. I don't know if they will squeeze in more if you run them at 0.5 amps or not that is something I will try in the future.
The Imren battery finished charging and the voltage is showing 4.186 volts on the DMM when the LUC V4 is showing 4.2.
All my charging was done set at 1.0 amp. I don't know if they will squeeze in more if you run them at 0.5 amps or not that is something I will try in the future.
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madmonkey
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I trust your fluke @CgS_Drone more than my cheap multimeter but just for the fun of it I grabbed a couple sony's I had charged with my LUC v2 that I've had for about a year and they're reading 4.19 and 4.23 charged at 1 amp...I trust your meter way more but I still think it's a good charger and way faster than my old intellicharger ever was and it actually charges the batteries fully.
Emilie ... The information you got is correct. Charging quickly does ultimately cost you battery life.
Fluke isn't the end all be all as some people would have others believe, I have had to send them back for calibration/repairs, I am no fan boy of any one brand. I also have some lower priced meters that I use and trust them every bit as much as my Flukes. So far my LUC V4 is charging my batteries and as long as it does that then I am happy with it.
madmonkey
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@CgS_Drone.....when it comes to charngers that's how I feel about my LUC...it seems like every time I metered a battery off my nitecore I2 it would never be charged past 4.1....I trust what works, works right, and works as advertised....4.19 is close enough for me 
I just meant by my post that I would trust a fluke over my 25 dollar Radio Shack multimeter I got years ago...I could be wrong but it seems like Fluke just makes a better product
I just meant by my post that I would trust a fluke over my 25 dollar Radio Shack multimeter I got years ago...I could be wrong but it seems like Fluke just makes a better product
madmonkey
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@CgS_Drone right on...I was curious....I usually charge my 18350's and 16340's at .5 because of their limits I don't want to burn them out but I charge my18650's at 1 amp to save time usually. I was wondering if charging them slower was worth it since the data sheet says they can be charged higher than 1 amp.
There is so much to learn and know about batteries that they fascinate me. I spend many hours reading threw battery spec sheets and battery websites and the flashlight forums to separate rumor from fact. It scares me that we have to worry if our batteries are authentic or not because if properly used these newer high drain cells are so much safer than the old protected ICR's we used not too long ago...batteries really are cool little inventions we take for granted these days it feels like. I wish I could afford the test equipment used to put a battery safely threw its paces and do my own hands on studies like the guys that chart all the graphs for us.
There is so much to learn and know about batteries that they fascinate me. I spend many hours reading threw battery spec sheets and battery websites and the flashlight forums to separate rumor from fact. It scares me that we have to worry if our batteries are authentic or not because if properly used these newer high drain cells are so much safer than the old protected ICR's we used not too long ago...batteries really are cool little inventions we take for granted these days it feels like. I wish I could afford the test equipment used to put a battery safely threw its paces and do my own hands on studies like the guys that chart all the graphs for us.
Lefty
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Discrepancies between a meter reading to the thousandth of a volt and one displaying values to a tenth is just rounding off. 1 amp is perfectly safe with 18650's. Notice the 2 amp setting is only available with 26650 (edit:You can select 2amp from the middle two slots even with 18650, my mistake). Trying to trickle every last bit into it is not really beneficial to the battery.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries
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madmonkey
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Thank you for linking that...I've read it before but I like to go threw that whole site from time to time to keep it fresh in my mind and see if there is any updates...I admit I am hard on my batteries in that I keep them fully charged and sometimes forget to rotate them for a couple weeks but I try and keep all of them used evenly and for the most part even the batteries I bought a year ago are still going strong because I rotate threw about a dosen of them and my "reserve" batteries I've bought I haven't even had to crack yet I have never charged....
It says that the typical charge rate of a lithium ion battery is between .5 and 1 C for stage one...that would be 1.3 to 2.6 amps if I understand that right for something like a sony VTC 5 but I still wouldn't want to charge it that high anyways...I don't see the benefit...especially since it says it's better to not always charge your batteries to full capacity to increase their lifespan just like to not always fully discharge them