Nitecore Intellicharger i4 Smoking/burning out after 1 1/2 years of use

[celticluvr]

Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.

 

[Pastorfuzz]

Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.

I have a couple of i4's also. A little over 2 years old and still kicking.
However, when charging 4 batteries at the same time, the chargers got hot. so I only use 2 bays at a time now.
I have some XTAR VP4 Plus chargers that run much cooler but they were $30 more than the i4's at the time.
I guess you get what you pay for.

 

[Theboss]

My first charger was the Nitecore i4, always got warmer than I thought it should have. I picked up a Nitecore 8 bay and it stopped working after 8 months - no smoking or burning smell though. I currently use the Gyrfalcon all-88. I regularly charge 8 batteries in it and it never feels hot

 

[MrMeowgi]

Every nite core charger I've ever had has died earlier than I thought it should. One bay drops out, then the other. Using a Golisi s6 now with no issues

 

[SteveS45]

I have a Nitecore I4 that I have not unplugged for 4 years or so. Gets continuous usage.

 

[gsmit1]

If you want a multi bay charger with a high probability of lasting for years under constant heavy use, be ready to spend 100 bucks for one from a company most people never heard of (something I haven't done btw)

 

[+Caffeine]

Never really been impressed with Nitecore stuff. I've had a charger and a few of their flashlights and all of them failed in less than a year. I'm not sure why they are so well regarded in the vape community.

Xtar makes great chargers, still have a few going strong after many years. I also picked up a Zanflare C4 which has been fine for a year and a half as well.

 

[5150sick]

The only problem I've had with a charger is the spring in one of the bays went bad.

 

[SteveS45]

I have had this Nitecore USB Rechargeable flashlight on my key chain for over a year and I can't tell you how many times it came in handy and saved my ass finding something. So bright you can blind someone trying to assault you. DO NOT POINT IN EYES~!

 

[Droogbc]

There are a ton of counterfeit Nitecores out there, and some are extremely difficult if not impossible to detect afaik. Even Nitecore themselves had issues spotting them after careful examination iirc.

 

[gsmit1]

I love my Opus

Though I do have a D4 I got with a bunch of other stuff from a guy on Craigslist and it works fine.
Yes, Nitecore is the most counterfeited charger out here.

 

[SteveS45]

Also as with any high end or cheap electronics device a simple surge can damage them. Always pays to add a few dollars for a surge protector.

 

[gsmit1]

Also as with any high end or cheap electronics device a simple surge can damage them. Always pays to add a few dollars for a surge protector.

View attachment 137560

Indeed it does.

 

[+Caffeine]

I have had this Nitecore USB Rechargeable flashlight on my key chain for over a year and I can't tell you how many times it came in handy and saved my ass finding something. So bright you can blind someone trying to assault you. DO NOT POINT IN EYES~!

Out of all the Nitecore stuff I've tried I probably like their small flashlights the best.

Under $10, rechargeable, tiny, and pretty useful. Reliability is hit or miss, I've had one last 3 weeks, one last 3 years. When it works it's a handy little light for your keys, zipper-pull etc.

This is one of their newer lights, sort of a keychain/pocket light hybrid. Rechargeable, LCD display and perhaps the brightest thing you could reasonably attach to your keys. Although personally I feel it's too big for keys so it rides in my pocket typically.

 

[Droogbc]

Makes sense they'd make a decent torch. I mean, I'd imagine that flashlights were pretty much the whole reason they started making chargers to begin with.

 

[+Caffeine]

Makes sense they'd make a decent torch. I mean, I'd imagine that flashlights were pretty much the whole reason they started making chargers to begin with.

I think they started out with lights and just branched out from there. I'm not a fan of all of their stuff but they do have some good offerings from time to time. Very innovative company nonetheless with a pretty diverse catalog of products.

 

[r055co]

I love my Opus

Though I do have a D4 I got with a bunch of other stuff from a guy on Craigslist and it works fine.
Yes, Nitecore is the most counterfeited charger out here.

Yeah after I got my first Opus it ruined me for any other I gave away my NiteCore and eFest chargers. I especially love the fans that cool things down.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk

 

[bubblysquid]

Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.

Iv literally just had this exact issue I’m using a nite core i4 and was charging 2 20700 batteries and smelt burning iv contacted nitecore and they gave me an email address for the manufacturer so it might be worth giving them a call I’m pretty sure it’s still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty they might be able to refund you or send a replacement I don’t think this is a common issue as iv searched online and only a few forums about this problem feel like we’re just the unlucky cats that got the odd faulty product. I’ll update when I hear back from nitecore

 

[tejas240]

Had my nitecore I2 since oct 2017, still going strong. But also love my gryfalcon -40 and miboxer. All going great for awhile.

 

[zaroba]

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Yes, numerous chargers, and in less time. Been keeping a record of my experiences here.
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/luc-v4-vs-nitecore-d4.196361/
Others have also posted their experiences.

I haven't updated since late 2018 due to some job changes last year causing me to loose track of what charger I was using and I forgot about the topic. Will resume from where I left off in a few weeks.