Charger woes

[freemind]

Since I started vaping, I have used Inteli chargers exclusively.
Started off with an I2. Died in a year.
Then I got an I4. Now is almost dead, a year later.

The I2 had a dead bay, and now the I4 has two bays dead.

Last night I ordered a D4. This will be my LAST inteli brand charger, if this one shits the bed in a year or less.

You guy having the same issues?

I know these aren't super expensive, but I'd think with regular use (not abuse) these should last 2-5 years.

 

[freemind]

32 views and no one has a comment one way or the other?

Surely I am not the only one with luck this shitty with Nitecore chargers?

 

[OBDave]

I was about to ask if you meant the Intellicharger line from Nitecore - thanks for the clarification.

I used a pair of i2s for about a year and one was still in good shape when I retired it - still pull it out occasionally to charge my ni-cads for TV clickers and the like. My wife's had hers on her desk at work for the last year and a half, not sure how often she uses it but I've used it in a pinch when I've been in our office with dead batteries and it works.

Switched to a pair of Efest LUC4s about 18 months ago, they've been working fine so far as I can tell. Haven't heard of any Nitecore problems specifically, though I've heard they're not thought of as highly as the Efest - despite their batteries being crap, I believe Xtar makes the chargers they re-label, or Xtars themselves.

 

[Angrygod50]

I've been using an I2 heavy for over a year. So far no problems. But for $11.00 it doesn't owe me anything at this point.
I do know there are a lot of counterfeits out there.

 

[vuJim]

I've had my Intellicharger i2 for a little over a year. It hadn't seen a lot of use, until about last... October? Until then I only had a pair of Tenergy protected 18650s for one of my flashlights--and that so far hasn't seen a lot of use, either.

I probably throw one or the other of my 25Rs into the thing about every week or so. (Sometimes I use the built-in charging in the mod.) It's holding up fine, so far.

TBH: I would expect it to last a good deal longer than 2-5 years, without abuse. If mine fails in less time than that, my next charger will probably be an Xtar.

 

[NGAHaze]

Yes, I definitely believe they should last longer than a year at the very least. I used a I4 for two years without issues until I gave it to a friend who, as far as I know, is still using it.

I wonder if you might have gotten a counterfeit like Angry mentioned above. I remember when I bought mine there were warnings about fakes being out there.

 

[freemind]

I have heard of fakes too. Problem is, how do you know? Both were bought in the US. Both look identical to Nitecores stuff. NOTHING jumped out at me that these were fakes.

I use my charger every day. I cycle 4-7 batteries through it a day. I'm gentle to it. Has it's place on the counter, and is never tossed around or have anything dumped on it.

If the D4 dies, Xstar will be the next one. I hate to spend that much money on a charger, but in the last two years, my combined purchases on chargers, could have bought me the Xstar....

 

[The Cromwell]

I have been using a 2 bay Trustfire charger for over 6 months with no issues whatsoever.
People say they are junk but works fine for me.

 

[freemind]

I have been using a 2 bay Trustfire charger for over 6 months with no issues whatsoever.
People say they are junk but works fine for me.

I'm not gonna knock your charger.

When it comes to batteries and chargers, I am fickle. It's a very important part of vaping that I feel cheaping out on, is never worth it.

I only use what is generally accepted by the vaping community and those that take a lot of time to review and study. For example, if Mooch talks about batteries, I listen. He spends a lot of time doing in depth studies of stuff. There is no just "selling" something. If it's shit, he honestly says so. If it's good, he honestly said so.

There are 3 brands worthy of my vape dollars. Trust fire just isn't one of them. If it works for you, then great.

At this point, Nitecore is one that won't be bought again. The "I" series just doesn't hold up for me.

 

[vuJim]

I have heard of fakes too. Problem is, how do you know?

Good question. Don't know the answer. I buy from established, reputable vendors (bought my i2 from BatteryJunction) and assume they're selling the real deal.

TrustFire... *shudder* I follow the maxim I first saw on CandlePowerForums: "Never trust a battery with 'fire' in the name" and extended that to include chargers.

These Li-ion cells are, quite honestly, very, very dangerous. I tend not to skimp on batteries or chargers when it comes to these things--either in the brand or in the vendor.

 

[NGAHaze]

I have heard of fakes too. Problem is, how do you know? Both were bought in the US. Both look identical to Nitecores stuff. NOTHING jumped out at me that these were fakes.

I use my charger every day. I cycle 4-7 batteries through it a day. I'm gentle to it. Has it's place on the counter, and is never tossed around or have anything dumped on it.

If the D4 dies, Xstar will be the next one. I hate to spend that much money on a charger, but in the last two years, my combined purchases on chargers, could have bought me the Xstar....

Yes indeed ... very hard if not impossible to tell the difference without taking the unit apart and even if you did that, you would void the warranty if it did prove to be authentic.

 

[freemind]

Good question. Don't know the answer. I buy from established, reputable vendors (bought my i2 from BatteryJunction) and assume they're selling the real deal.

TrustFire... *shudder* I follow the maxim I first saw on CandlePowerForums: "Never trust a battery with 'fire' in the name" and extended that to include chargers.

These Li-ion cells are, quite honestly, very, very dangerous. I tend not to skimp on batteries or chargers when it comes to these things--either in the brand or in the vendor.

My feeling exactly.

I do not skimp on chargers or batteries. When it comes to cells, I have bought most of them through genuine cells on ebay. Chargers have been bought there too, but only after careful review of the sellers feedback. Any mention of fake, and I move on.

 

[Angrygod50]

Liion Jon mentioned it in a post a while ago and Nitecore http://charger.nitecore.com/identification-guide-nitecore-charger-users has a guide.

 

[NGAHaze]

I have been using a 2 bay Trustfire charger for over 6 months with no issues whatsoever.
People say they are junk but works fine for me.

If you going to use that charger and you have a multi meter, one thing I would suggest you do is to check the voltage of your batteries post charge. I do this periodically with any charger in fact, just to be certain and in the case of the Trustfire specifically, I've read where some of them tend to overcharge batteries which can lead to a shortened lifespan or worse.

And I'm sure you already know this but don't let it charge unattended.

 

[Izen]

I have heard of fakes too. Problem is, how do you know? Both were bought in the US. Both look identical to Nitecores stuff. NOTHING jumped out at me that these were fakes...

http://charger.nitecore.com/identification-guide-nitecore-charger-users

Been using a UM20 daily for months. Nitecore's a good brand. I've known of them because of their LED flashlights. They may not be the best, but this isn't my field of expertise. The product I use was very inexpensive but well-reviewed. Fwiw, it's kept unplugged when it's not charging. I have no idea if this will make a difference for its longevity, but it might.

 

[ChrisL]

Been using my D2 for over a year with no issues. Recently purchased an I2 on Ebay. Nitecore has reliable products for a reasonable price. No complaints.

 

[Zamazam]

I used my i2 for a couple years and then got an Xtar 4 bay. My wife uses the i2 for her stuff and it still works. dunno what to tell you, there are some crap chargers out there, my brother bought a LUC4 and it crapped out after 2 weeks, luckily he bought it locally and the shop swapped it out no questions asked.

 

[The Cromwell]

Good question. Don't know the answer. I buy from established, reputable vendors (bought my i2 from BatteryJunction) and assume they're selling the real deal.

TrustFire... *shudder* I follow the maxim I first saw on CandlePowerForums: "Never trust a battery with 'fire' in the name" and extended that to include chargers.

These Li-ion cells are, quite honestly, very, very dangerous. I tend not to skimp on batteries or chargers when it comes to these things--either in the brand or in the vendor.

Batteries and chargers are 2 different things. I agree on the not trusting batteries with Fire in their name. Trust fire battery chargers have been around quite a while.
Ehh works for me.

 

[freemind]

. Fwiw, it's kept unplugged when it's not charging. I have no idea if this will make a difference for its longevity, but it might.

I do the same.

 

[Markw4mms]

I have a D-4 and a V-4 both have worked great.

 

[zaroba]

I've never used to "i" line of Nitecores. They seemed like lower end models to me.

I've had my D4 since early November 2013 when I got my first 18650 mod and it still works perfectly.
Have charged 4 or more batteries a day with it, every day, since starting dripping in Dec 2013.

Did get a Luc v4 to keep at home when I was driving a semi and kept the D4 in the truck.
But now that that job is gone and I'm back home, I'm back to using the D4 most of the time.