Become a Patron!

Charger recommendations

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I have the 8 bay version of this one. You can get cheaper chargers but this will charge any battery size, selectable amps. I also trust this one more than any of the other brands I've owned.

Edit: In stock here for $29.99
 
Last edited:

X-Puppy

Member For 4 Years
I like this one. It's not the cheapest but I've had it a while now and am very happy with my choice. I spent a couple weeks googling before I made the purchase.

C4-12

From Orbitronic

Note: The version I have charges all 4 bay's @3 Amps when selected. Quite fast.
 
Last edited:

tank52086

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Been using Efest LUC V2, just set it at 0.5amps and call it a day. But now I need to hold more batteries and I don’t like the idea of charging amperage being based of battery placement.
 

X-Puppy

Member For 4 Years
I just leave mine on auto and it usually charges all 4 bays @ 2.0amps. It bases the charge on the internal resistance of the battery.

All 4 slots are full size and you can load it up with 26650's and still get the batteries out when its done. :)

It automatically lowers the charge rate at the end of the cycle to top off the battery. It finishes the top-off with a trickle charge.
 
Last edited:

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I like being able to choose my charging amps. I'm a believer in a .5 or 1A charge prolonging the life of the batteries. In this day and age of everyone wanting everything right away we see chargers being able to charge at higher amps and charge an 18650 in an hour, I guess that's fine for those who don't own a lot of extra batteries and don't mind replacing them more frequently.
 

tank52086

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
I like being able to choose my charging amps. I'm a believer in a .5 or 1A charge prolonging the life of the batteries. In this day and age of everyone wanting everything right away we see chargers being able to charge at higher amps and charge an 18650 in an hour, I guess that's fine for those who don't own a lot of extra batteries and don't mind replacing them more frequently.
Agreed. I think the gyrfalcon is what I’m looking for.
Did you get your GT4 yet? Mine showed up on Friday!
 

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Agreed. I think the gyrfalcon is what I’m looking for.
Did you get your GT4 yet? Mine showed up on Friday!
I highly recommend that one.

My GT4 is scheduled to be delivered on Monday.

That's cool you got yours, have you built it yet?
 
Last edited:

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Personally, I, prefer the Nitecore UMS4 and hooked up through this:
Anker PowerPort+ 1 with Quick Charge 3.0, 18 watts, 3 amps

The UMS4 supports 3 amps total charging rate so, with all 4 bays simultaneously in use you can (manually) set it to, for example, 2×800mA (slot 1 and 3) + 2×700mA (slot 2 and 4), which is still fairly easy to set up despite this charger has only 2 buttons. At 3 amps in total, I find that it runs barely lukewarm and so do the 4 batteries so accelerated battery aging is mitigated nicely. But because it also allows me to change the charging rate in small (100mA) steps, in the rare event that I forgot to charge enough batteries beforehand─which can still happen to me because charging a battery NOT too long beforehand is among factors that additionally help to mitigate accelerated battery aging too─knowing I can change it in this manner conveniently actually gives me peace of mind.

As for the bays and their sliding brackets, the length of the slots is a major bonus, as is the smoothness with which the brackets slide, and the metal that the brackets are made of is thick enough to not get bent over time. I know a lot of other chargers can do 21700 too, but... in this price range, I can think of no other 4 bay charger that makes such a breeze of putting 21700s in and taking them back out again. I mean, chargers that cause me to fuck up an expensive battery wrap (I use ODB wraps and Comp Lyfe battery wraps) are chargers you need to put behind the tire of your car before you drive backwards.
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
The Opus BT-C3100 (v2.2) is a great charger that has everything an average vaper would need, plus some. I have been using one for a couple years now and love it. It is better than the nitecore, xtar, and efest chargers I had before it. My efest is still my backup, but the xtar and nitecore chargers I had died pretty quick.

 

tank52086

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
The Opus BT-C3100 (v2.2) is a great charger that has everything an average vaper would need, plus some. I have been using one for a couple years now and love it. It is better than the nitecore, xtar, and efest chargers I had before it. My efest is still my backup, but the xtar and nitecore chargers I had died pretty quick.

This one and the Gyrfalcon are top contenders. Thanks for everyone’s input.
 

~Don~

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I still have my original nitecore D2/D4 and they charge fine... I used them for years with flash lights and my 18650 devices.

Then I moved to 20700/21700 batteries and ended up with the Opus BT-C3100 and it’s been my daily for 3+ years.

I recently ordered the Gyrfalcon All-44 as my back up... surprisingly it’s the one facet of gear I did not have a back up of...for 21700 charging that is.

I used this link


and read over a bunch of chargers... some with way more bells and whistles I’d ever need.

The great thing you can select by charge rate or over all rating, hell even battery slot over all opening size.

You have a trusted reviewer on chargers and batteries here outside of Mooch and honestly they do a thorough job at it.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
The Opus BT-C3100 (v2.2) is a great charger that has everything an average vaper would need, plus some. I have been using one for a couple years now and love it. It is better than the nitecore, xtar, and efest chargers I had before it. My efest is still my backup, but the xtar and nitecore chargers I had died pretty quick.

It can't do 21700, which is unfortunate for what the OP wants.
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
It can't do 21700, which is unfortunate for what the OP wants.
Funny, I have 3 21700s in mine right now. And they fit with plenty of space to spare. And if you looked at the link you quoted, it says right on the page that it supports 21700s.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Wait a minute. I've been charging 21700s in mine for over 2 years :)
Just because you can decide to force them to fit in there, doesn't also mean it's been designed for that (it isn't...), or that it will be in any way practical to use it in such a way that the battery wrap doesn't rub against the contacts of the charger when you take the battery off of the charger. And the same thing goes for the Gyrfalcon All-44, which isn't as good as the Opus BT-C3100 2.2 anyway to begin with, so........ :crazy:
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Just because you can decide to force them to fit in there, doesn't also mean it's been designed for that (it isn't...), or that it will be in any way practical to use it in such a way that the battery wrap doesn't rub against the contacts of the charger when you take the battery off of the charger. And the same thing goes for the Gyrfalcon All-44, which isn't as good as the Opus BT-C3100 2.2 anyway to begin with, so........ :crazy:
The specs of that charger, in the link I posted above, specifically state 21700 on the compatibility list. The charger has plenty of space for them without danger of damaging a battery wrap. You never used this charger have you?
 

~Don~

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
It’s like saying the SkyRc MC3000 charger doesn’t support 21700, which is true... at its time of release... 20700 and 21700’s weren’t part of its “supported” list of sizes... toss in a revision of supported sizes and viola it magically accepts 20700’s and 21700’s

It’s still only a 72mm charger

Same with the Gyrfalcon ALL-44, which has been tested to be a better and more consistent charger than the Opus... which both of them also didn’t originally list 20700 or 21700’s when they first came out... but are also 72mm bays.

Now are there chargers with longer bays? Yup... 77mm and 79mm... Nitecore and Xtar both make them...

But in no way am I forcing 21700’s into the opus with its 72mm bays and no way will I be forcing them once the ALL-44 comes in.

918c4a125339a30b751d53b0dd5e8284.png
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Funny, I have 3 21700s in mine right now. And they fit with plenty of space to spare. And if you looked at the link you quoted, it says right on the page that it supports 21700s.
Just read the user manual (pic below). And, no, I haven't used it because I already know that 72mm isn't enough space to tilt the top of a 21700 up without the bottom of the battery rubbing against the contact of the sliding bracket, which is an annoyance. As is the fact this charger comes with an unreliable noisy cooling fan that has to be modded first if you want to get the most out of what the BT-C3100 2.2 brings to the table that others don't. You want the extra bells and whistles, then bite the bullet and just grab yourself the SkyRC MC3000 instead. I know I did. Else, the Nitecore UMS4 with that Anker that I linked to up thread is still THE most practical solution for 21700s in its price range without having to sacrifice on flexibility of the charging rate adjustment that the OP also is looking for.

Sure, charging at 4×1A is still a tad faster charging. But you'll get more accelerated battery aging if you do. And because every charger eventually does break, you can always decide to get two UMS4 chargers. Doing that will give you 4×1.5A. Going above 1.5A charging with a 21700 battery is pretty much pointless anyway, as there's just no need to torture a battery that much.

BT-C3100 V2.2.jpg
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
It’s like saying the SkyRc MC3000 charger doesn’t support 21700, which is true... at its time of release... 20700 and 21700’s weren’t part of its “supported” list of sizes... toss in a revision of supported sizes and viola it magically accepts 20700’s and 21700’s

It’s still only a 72mm charger

Same with the Gyrfalcon ALL-44, which has been tested to be a better and more consistent charger than the Opus... which both of them also didn’t originally list 20700 or 21700’s when they first came out... but are also 72mm bays.

Now are there chargers with longer bays? Yup... 77mm and 79mm... Nitecore and Xtar both make them...

But in no way am I forcing 21700’s into the opus with its 72mm bays and no way will I be forcing them once the ALL-44 comes in.

918c4a125339a30b751d53b0dd5e8284.png
2mm of headroom just isn't enough to comfortably pry the battery back out. I hardly ever use my SkyRC MC3000 that I bought from NKON in The Netherlands.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
You can see it with your eyes closed the fact that the slot length on the UMS4 is like heaven compared to all other options.

SkyRC MC3000.jpgUMS4.jpg
 

~Don~

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
2mm of headroom just isn't enough to comfortably pry the battery back out. I hardly ever use my SkyRC MC3000 that I bought from NKON in The Netherlands.

Had mine for 3 years and zero issues with adding them and or removing 21700’s, none of my wraps are affected.

Come to think about it... never have I needed to change a Samsung 30T wrap in the few years using them.

Fully depressing the spring, it honestly looks more like 5mm of room with my Opus... which begs to ask if that 72mm is 100% accurate.

It’s late, I’ll grab my calipers tomorrow if I remember and see what the actual spacing is... either case I’ve had zero issues with 21700’s

I do wish all chargers were 77mm+ though...be pretty rad if they were.

Just think... if I can physically see what seems like 5mm space on my 72mm Opus...and dude measured them at 72mm...that the actual 77mm on the nitecore probably be close to 79/80

More room is great in that regard though...
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Just read the user manual (pic below). And, no, I haven't used it because I already know that 72mm isn't enough space to tilt the top of a 21700 up without the bottom of the battery rubbing against the contact of the sliding bracket, which is an annoyance. As is the fact this charger comes with an unreliable noisy cooling fan that has to be modded first if you want to get the most out of what the BT-C3100 2.2 brings to the table that others don't. You want the extra bells and whistles, then bite the bullet and just grab yourself the SkyRC MC3000 instead. I know I did. Else, the Nitecore UMS4 with that Anker that I linked to up thread is still THE most practical solution for 21700s in its price range without having to sacrifice on flexibility of the charging rate adjustment that the OP also is looking for.

Sure, charging at 4×1A is still a tad faster charging. But you'll get more accelerated battery aging if you do. And because every charger eventually does break, you can always decide to get two UMS4 chargers. Doing that will give you 4×1.5A. Going above 1.5A charging with a 21700 battery is pretty much pointless anyway, as there's just no need to torture a battery that much.

View attachment 175858
I've never ripped a wrap on mine, my wife either. And mine definitely has more space than an extra 2mm.

Unless I am standing on top of the charger loading or unloading a battery from it, I can't even hear the fan at all. I have heard some people mention that issue in some old reviews, but it seems that issue was addressed since those reviews were made.
 

Carambrda

Platinum Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Here's a pic I found on the internet (the previous two pics I posted were both mine). Again, immediately you can see why using 21700s with these types of "wonderful" chargers isn't really a practical solution, and in fact if you zoom in on the bottom of that 21700 battery you can see what happens to the battery wrap exactly because of it. You can keep denying it all you want, but in the end... the pics don't lie.

ALL-88_1_1200x.jpg
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Here's a pic I found on the internet (the previous two pics I posted were both mine). Again, immediately you can see why using 21700s with these types of "wonderful" chargers isn't really a practical solution, and in fact if you zoom in on the bottom of that 21700 battery you can see what happens to the battery wrap exactly because of it. You can keep denying it all you want, but in the end... the pics don't lie.

ALL-88_1_1200x.jpg
That has WAY less space than the Opus. I just checked and it has 5mm of extra travel with a 40T in it. Thanks for pointing that out about the gyrfalcon, I will probably end up snagging another opus for a backup instead.

EDIT- I should also mention that I double wrap all my batteries, and it still has the 5mm extra travel. I know that doesn't add much, but worth mentioning.
 
Last edited:

gsmit1

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
You can keep denying it all you want, but in the end... the pics don't lie.
Ok, but experience doesn't lie either my friend :)

I'm just being honest. I never even thought of 21700s being a problem in my Opus until you brought it up. I have nothing to gain by saying that.

I will say that the MC3000 is tight for 21700s. Even with that charger though, it only took me a few tries to get the "technique" down. Straight down and in and they go in fine, though pretty tight.
 

~Don~

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I can agree the ALL-88 is the less attractive of the two version, being it’s a 71mm vs the 72mm

If max distance is the point... dump the USM4 and get the UM4, for one it was rated better at charging... and it’s 79mm vs 77mm

As for charging rates... on a 4 bay... 1A and or less is optimal according to Mooch and his “max life” for 21700’s and he lists other sizes and manufacturers, but this was about 21700’s and only the 30T had a Max life charge lower than 1A

But who wants to charge at 200mA on a 21700 and wait 4+ hours, when you can charge at 750mA or 1000mA and be done 3-5 times faster and have no worse of wear.

I am 100% with Carambrda on the spacing... more is better.

I like Nitecore chargers... my older ones still trucking...

I was going to grab the UM4 when the ALL-44 wasn’t available... it was rated better than the UMS4 in charging and has larger bays...

But I chose the ALL-44 as my back up... rated better at charging, better than the Opus, Nitecores, same as the SkyRC... and had the charge rates I wanted.

The 2 bay variants of the Nitecore chargers, be it the UMS2 or UM2, tested better than their 4 bay counterparts... but then again... why charge 2 when you can charge 4.
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Nice pic. I actually physically measured one, and not a pic of one. But I appreciate your tenacity.

...As is the annoying cooling fan.
It's funny. My wife didn't even know that there was a fan on the charger until I asked if she could hear it this morning. She couldn't, and said that she has never heard a sound out of it. It sets in our bedroom, and has for years now. You can harp on and on about these issues you heard second hand, but it just proves you have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to this unit. If we were talking about your Nitecore I would take your word as an authority, since you have plenty of hands on experience. But say what you will, your stubbornness is admirable.
 

~Don~

Platinum Contributor
Member For 5 Years
It isn't. The difference between it rubbing against the battery wrap vs not rubbing is.

But that is where us owners are telling you that it doesn’t 3 years, no damage period on wraps, no issues.

The fan in mine works as intended... not loud, spins freely and isn’t broken like earlier versions were reported of happening.

I’m not one to defend something that would... it would be stupid to recommend.

More room is better
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
I don't know why anyone is tearing their wraps when removing the batteries.
I pull back on the battery to compress the spring and lift it out by the positive end. I've never torn a wrap on my chargers. And yes, I use 21700 and 26650's also
 

Syythe

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I don't know why anyone is tearing their wraps when removing the batteries.
I pull back on the battery to compress the spring and lift it out by the positive end. I've never torn a wrap on my chargers. And yes, I use 21700 and 26650's also
A few years ago when I first got my first set of 20700s, I accidentally ripped the entire side of my wrap. I took it out of my Luc 6 charger all wrong (wasn't paying attention, totally my own fault) and the sled tore the wrap as it sprung back to it's resting position. Live and learn...
 

eSMOKA

Silver Contributor
Member For 5 Years
I think OP made a good decision for an affordable 21700 charger with the features OP required.

I bought the BT-C3100 2.2 charger because I got it on sale. But I would never pay full price for it.

I can confirm that...

1) The fan is not noisy at all. In fact, I have to feel the fan grill to figure out if it's even on. I have it on my desk just 2-3 feet from my ears! I just got mine this past October so maybe they are using a quieter fan than they used to? I dunno.

2) It takes a 70mm batt just fine without rubbing the battery against a contact or anything else when installing or removing the batt. But I admit that a few more mm of space would be better. It was not actually designed for 21700, it just so happens to fit them (just like the Efest LUC 2 charger). You do have to be careful, but then rubbing/nicking the battery is always a possibility on any charger with sliding contacts if you don't use care or are too lazy to push the contact back enough!

But if you're using or think you might use 21700 batts that are even slightly longer than 70mm, I'd say buy a charger that was specifically designed for 21700 accommodation.

Not everyone has the funds to buy a SkyRC charger or is willing to go into credit card debt just to get one, nor is such a charger really needed for most vapers. But if you have the money or just want one, have at it. I would wait until next Xmas/New Year to get one because you can find them on sale for as little as $60 sometimes. I think 18650batterystore had them on deal of day on new year for $60 or $70. That's a deal!
 

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Does anybody in this thread have a Golisi S4? As stated above I use the Gyrfalcon all-88 but just accepted a new S4 in a trade package thinking I'd put it in my office at work as another 21700 charger option when in a pinch. I saw a video from Mooch about these being recalled in the UK and am now wondering if I should just toss this?
 

f1r3b1rd

https://cookingwithlegs.com/
Staff member
Senior Moderator
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
VU Challenge Team
Member For 5 Years
VU Patreon
Does anybody in this thread have a Golisi S4? As stated above I use the Gyrfalcon all-88 but just accepted a new S4 in a trade package thinking I'd put it in my office at work as another 21700 charger option when in a pinch. I saw a video from Mooch about these being recalled in the UK and am now wondering if I should just toss this?
I have it. I like mine a lot. I’ve had it for 2 years now and use it for 21700s and 18650s. I’ve had zero issues with it. I can’t say the same about my nitrcores.

haven’t heard anything about a recall; but, I stopped following a lot of things in the vape world because you can’t take a piss in certain areas or even mention certain topics without drama. Everyone thinks they are an expert in everything, even when they don’t know shit.
 

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
I have it. I like mine a lot. I’ve had it for 2 years now and use it for 21700s and 18650s. I’ve had zero issues with it. I can’t say the same about my nitrcores.

haven’t heard anything about a recall; but, I stopped following a lot of things in the vape world because you can’t take a piss in certain areas or even mention certain topics without drama. Everyone thinks they are an expert in everything, even when they don’t know shit.
Thanks for the reply and the info, makes me feel better about using it.

There is a video on battery Mooch's channel but he only mentioned that the U.K mandated a recall on it.
 

Wb80

-DIY-demon-
VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
My nitecore d4 has been gr8. Not one issue in 2 years.
 

Bigrick

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Does anybody in this thread have a Golisi S4? As stated above I use the Gyrfalcon all-88 but just accepted a new S4 in a trade package thinking I'd put it in my office at work as another 21700 charger option when in a pinch. I saw a video from Mooch about these being recalled in the UK and am now wondering if I should just toss this?
I have one, I won it here with a pair of 18650's about 2 years ago. It is new and has been held back for a back up should my old Luc4 should crap out. Maybe I should take for a maintenance run. I tested it when new and put it up. Not used since.
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
Does anybody in this thread have a Golisi S4? As stated above I use the Gyrfalcon all-88 but just accepted a new S4 in a trade package thinking I'd put it in my office at work as another 21700 charger option when in a pinch. I saw a video from Mooch about these being recalled in the UK and am now wondering if I should just toss this?
I have an S4. No problems with mine but i use a wall adapter to power it.
I don't use the 120V wall plug cord because evidently some folks got a shock out of battery slides.
 

tank52086

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Gyrfalcon people...
Is there a way for this unit to just auto start when inserting a battery without having to push the bay button?
 

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Gyrfalcon people...
Is there a way for this unit to just auto start when inserting a battery without having to push the bay button?
Yes, my All-88 automatically starts charging when I put a battery in. Can't remember off the top of my head of I had to set that up when I got it or not. I unplug my charger often and after plugging it back in it still automatically charges when I insert a battery. Have you looked at the manual?
 

tank52086

Bronze Contributor
Member For 3 Years
Yes, my All-88 automatically starts charging when I put a battery in. Can't remember off the top of my head of I had to set that up when I got it or not. I unplug my charger often and after plugging it back in it still automatically charges when I insert a battery. Have you looked at the manual?
I did break down and check the manual, it’s ridiculously basic and doesn’t mention this setting.
 

Bigrick

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
The Golisi S4 is a very nice looking charger, but that does not make it a quality charger of course. I have not used mine. I am going to break it out today and check it out.
 

VU Sponsors

Top