# How many batteries and chargers do you have (photo them)



## Nichia! (Jul 7, 2017)

Since we're all have Too many flashlights, I wonder how many batteries,( li-ion, Eneloop, etc..) power banks, solar panels, etc.. Do you guys have (photo them)


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## MAD777 (Jul 7, 2017)

Five chargers for a total charging capacity of 22 Li-ion cells.

Batteries, whatever is in my 50 some flashlights plus about a dozen or so spares. All Li-ion except for two Enloops.


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## Nichia! (Jul 7, 2017)

MAD777 said:


> Five chargers for a total charging capacity of 22 Li-ion cells.
> 
> Batteries, whatever is in my 50 some flashlights plus about a dozen or so spares. All Li-ion except for two Enloops.



Photos man photos show them to us[emoji6]


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## bykfixer (Jul 7, 2017)

Too many to count. 

I have nearly 500 lights with batteries in them, a stockpile in case that aint enough and only 1 charger.


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## Nichia! (Jul 7, 2017)

Hey bykfixer 
Any chance of pics?


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## MAD777 (Jul 7, 2017)

Nichia! said:


> Photos man photos show them to us[emoji6]


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## bykfixer (Jul 7, 2017)

Nichia! said:


> Hey bykfixer
> Any chance of pics?



I keep them scattered throughout my home, vehicles and garage. Put it this way, I'm no more than 3 steps from a flashlight anywhere I am in my home, or garage and my vehicles are nicely stocked.

My avatar was taken early this year from a portion in my den collection.


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## Nichia! (Jul 7, 2017)

MAD777 said:


>



Awesome pic, so many chargers..


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## Nichia! (Jul 7, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> I keep them scattered throughout my home, vehicles and garage. Put it this way, I'm no more than 3 steps from a flashlight anywhere I am in my home, or garage and my vehicles are nicely stocked.
> 
> My avatar was taken early this year from a portion in my den collection.



That's beautiful bike [emoji605] you have their [emoji6]


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## bykfixer (Jul 8, 2017)

This is the only charger I use. 






I had an i4 but prefer the D4 as it doesn't care what slot you put what cell in, does my C sized batteries and LifePo4's. 
The readout is also a nice feature and even with 4 cells going it stays cool. 
I kept a cooling fan next to the i4. (Blowing towards a window just in case lol)


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## canonite (Jul 8, 2017)

I have 
LiitoKala Lii500 x 2
Opus BT C3100 v2.2 x 2
xTar XP1 x 2
xTar VP2
xTar VC2
xTar VC2 Plus Master 
Gyrfalcon All-88
SkyRC MC3000
Nitecore D4

Batts : 
8 x NCRB flat top unprot
8 x NCRB button top prot
2 x NL189 + 2 more on the way
2 x Soshine, Olight (each) 3600
3 x xTar 14500
2 x Nitecore, AW (each)14500
2 x AW,Olight,xtar, Nitecore (each) 16340
5 x 10180 (Mecarmy)
50+ eneloops (mix of first gens, new gen; AA and AAA)
20 eneloop Pro (AA and AAA)

<Space for Pic when i get the opportunity>


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## dmattaponi (Jul 8, 2017)

2 wall chargers, 2 solar chargers, and somewhere around 60 AA Eneloops.


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## Nichia! (Jul 8, 2017)

Pics, pics


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## hiuintahs (Jul 8, 2017)

Batteries
49 AA Eneloops
30 AAA Eneloops
18 18650 Li-Ion
6 16340 Li-Ion
5 14500 Li-Ion

I mainly use chargers that I have designed and built . I thought I'd share them with you. Not cost effective to build but all part of the hobby I suppose. Charger on the right can charge each bay at 1A, 500mA, or 250mA. Each bay is individually controlled and doesn't matter whether it is NiMh or Li-Ion. Charger is very efficient with no heat issues at all and can do each bay at 1A at the same time. I still use the LaCrosse BC-700 a lot.






Travel case has a couple of small chargers in it. I can use them in car or hotel room.


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## Woods Walker (Jul 8, 2017)

Moved to here. Expiring redirect left in LED Flashlights for 1 day.


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## Newlumen (Jul 9, 2017)

40 18650.. most are Sony vtc5, 5a, 6, and lg mj1.. couple windy fire 18350.


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## CuriousOne (Jul 9, 2017)

Haven't counted them all, but have a lot  two Miboxers, four Xtars, two Liitokalas, one lacrosse, one IpowerUs, one Turnigy and a bunch of noname/dumb/smart NiMH chargers... Most often I use C4 and BC700, since often need to recharge AA NiMH'a....


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## MidnightDistortions (Jul 9, 2017)

I don't have photos yet (i might be able to do it after i move) but..

I got 2 La Crosse BC1000 chargers
a MH-C9000
and MH-C808M

The MC3000 is on it's way!

Then i got several cheapo chargers laying around along with two Panasonic/Eneloop chargers. 

I got an assortment of 40-50 AA and AAA, 4 D, and 2 9V. All NiMH cells.


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## Nichia! (Jul 9, 2017)

Wow guys! It's seems that Eneloops already wins the the race!


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## CuriousOne (Jul 10, 2017)

Have more than 40 rechargeable NiMHs, none of them are eneloops


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## Nichia! (Jul 10, 2017)

CuriousOne said:


> Have more than 40 rechargeable NiMHs, none of them are eneloops



Yeah, I mean AA, AAA, etc


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## kreisl (Jul 10, 2017)

MidnightDistortions said:


> is on it's way!



no way!


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## Crazyeddiethefirst (Jul 10, 2017)

I only have pix of about 1/3 of the chargers & 1/4 of the batteries...
Oops, I finally triggered the demise of my Photobucket account with this post.....I will be back to update this post when I find my new photo hosting site....

For those caught off guard by Photobucket's new $400/year fee to post images (like I was), Imagur seems to be easier to use and I am blown away by the quality of display on their site(sorry to go off topic, we now return to the regularly scheduled thread)....


https://i.imgur.com/Gh9U1sy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/NZVb6AM.jpg


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## MidnightDistortions (Jul 10, 2017)

kreisl said:


> no way!



It's expected to arrive on Thursday!


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## ChrisGarrett (Jul 10, 2017)

I have 19.

An older GE Ni-Cad 8 bay charger, a Mallory Ni-Cad dumb charger/wall wart jobbie, a Rayovac 15 minute IC3 charger, 6 Xtars, 4 Liitokalas, a Maha C9000, a LaCrosse BC700, an Opus BT-3400, a Duracell 1000 and a couple of cheap-o dumb chargers for neighbors.

Chris


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## snakebite (Jul 10, 2017)

a 2lb Velveeta box holds 40 or so 18650.
there are 2 boxes in my desk drawer and 3 more in vacuum sealed bags in the fridge at 50% charge.
a sterilite shoe box full of other than 18650.
they are good laptop pulls.
when i mod lights these are what i send with them.
so my stock turns over rapidly.
thats not even counting whats in power tool packs like my modded versapak sticks and my vape mods.
and not even counting whats in lights here and at the shop.
and on top of that 50 or so obsolete but new laptop packs i have yet to tear down.
i think i have you all beat LOL!
everything i can modify to accept 18650 has been done.unimportant items that were not practical to mod ended up at the garage sale or flea market.
i have spread the disease to everyone around me.
even the neighbor kids have them in their lights.
its funny to see a 14 year old checking his buddies lights and rolling up cardboard on the spot to convert it.


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## apagogeas (Jul 17, 2017)

My collection is not for flashlights (I only have a Nitecore D11 v2), but I use rechargeables for anything else. 
At the right side of the red line, 2 chargers for NP-F and BP-U type batteries shown above the chargers. NP-F mostly used for LED lights. My active AA/AAA batteries consists mostly of Camelion AlwaysReady 800Mah (24 total, 4 still in the blister pack) used for low drain devices (mouses, remotes etc), 16x Panasonic Eneloop Pro (flash usage), 8x standard eneloops, 24x Tronic Eco 2300mAh (used in AA->NP-F adapters shown at the pic too) and 8x Tronic Eco still in the blister pack, 2x Samsung Q30 and 2x supposedly LG HG2 but they seem to be fake (probably LG HE or something like that). There also various other brands of AA and AAA in the boxes but these are of lower quality or older ones (still functional however but not for critical use). Chargers include Liitokala Lii-500, 2x Maha MC9000 with C&D size adapters (placed in one maha), Sanyo Eneloop MQR-06W, Sony BCG-34HRE, Soshine SCU1, a solar AA/AAA charger and a quite older dumb/timer one Powerman PWR U250 for 9V charging and deep discharging of batteries (down to 0V if needed). There are a few more batteries here and there and a couple more chargers (dumb and USB) not shown in the pic, bored to dig up the house to find them :wave:.


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## Nichia! (Jul 17, 2017)

Crazyeddiethefirst said:


> I only have pix of about 1/3 of the chargers & 1/4 of the batteries...
> Oops, I finally triggered the demise of my Photobucket account with this post.....I will be back to update this post when I find my new photo hosting site....
> 
> For those caught off guard by Photobucket's new $400/year fee to post images (like I was), Imagur seems to be easier to use and I am blown away by the quality of display on their site(sorry to go off topic, we now return to the regularly scheduled thread)....
> ...



Wow just wow!


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## Nichia! (Jul 17, 2017)

apagogeas said:


> My collection is not for flashlights (I only have a Nitecore D11 v2), but I use rechargeables for anything else.
> At the right side of the red line, 2 chargers for NP-F and BP-U type batteries shown above the chargers. NP-F mostly used for LED lights. My active AA/AAA batteries consists mostly of Camelion AlwaysReady 800Mah (24 total, 4 still in the blister pack) used for low drain devices (mouses, remotes etc), 16x Panasonic Eneloop Pro (flash usage), 8x standard eneloops, 24x Tronic Eco 2300mAh (used in AA->NP-F adapters shown at the pic too) and 8x Tronic Eco still in the blister pack, 2x Samsung Q30 and 2x supposedly LG HG2 but they seem to be fake (probably LG HE or something like that). There also various other brands of AA and AAA in the boxes but these are of lower quality or older ones (still functional however but not for critical use). Chargers include Liitokala Lii-500, 2x Maha MC9000 with C&D size adapters (placed in one maha), Sanyo Eneloop MQR-06W, Sony BCG-34HRE, Soshine SCU1, a solar AA/AAA charger and a quite older dumb/timer one Powerman PWR U250 for 9V charging and deep discharging of batteries (down to 0V if needed). There are a few more batteries here and there and a couple more chargers (dumb and USB) not shown in the pic, bored to dig up the house to find them :wave:.



That's a lot of power


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## Bourbon City (Jul 17, 2017)

I don't have any pictures, but I have the following Batteries and Chargers:

AAA: 8
AA: 12
C: 12
14500: 8
18650: 16
1 EBL LCD Smart Quick Charger
1 NiteCore Digicharger D4
1 Thrunite MCC 4S


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## Bright Bird (Jul 17, 2017)

Can't quite compete, but I guess everyone has to start somewhere!


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## Overclocker (Jul 17, 2017)

left pack: 102pcs Samsung 26F 
right pack: 102pcs ATL (amperex) 






52pcs Sanyo GA

when i start building an electric car i'll buy a lot more






i won't go into my slot-based chargers anymore, not interesting enough


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## aginthelaw (Jul 17, 2017)

Oh boy. Give me a few days to give you an estimate. I think I have enough to power most of my 324 flashlights.

Ok here we go. And no, I wasn't about to take pictures:

10440 = 7
14500 = 11
16340 = 19
18350 = 16
17670 = 2
18650 unprotected button top = 16
Protected button top = 27
Unprotected flat top = 35
Protected flat top = 47
Rechargeable AA:
Duracell = 28
Eneloop = 42
Other = 6
Rechargeable AAA:
Duracell = 8
Eneloop = 20
Other = 7
Rechargeable 9v = 1
Lithium AA = 16
AAA = 16
Cr2 = 4
Cr123 = 12
Alkaline:
9v = 14
Cr123 = 66
AA = 138
AAA = 66
C = 29
D = 22
Cr2 = 5
N-type = 5 (for peak)

I also have 42 AA and 21 AAA alkalines that are used but I keep them for use in vampires


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## aginthelaw (Jul 21, 2017)

Dang it! I forgot the chargers! 6, 4-bay li-ion chargers, 4, 2-bay li-ion chargers, 8 single bay li-ion chargers, & 8, 4-bay nimh aa/aaa chargers


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## david57strat (Sep 29, 2017)

I only have 90 lights, but I have batteries to run every light, and a few spares. I say _only_ 90, because many people here have hundreds of lights, and a lot of them are full-on custom-built jobs that I could only ever dream of affording. My collection pales, in comparison to any of theirs.

In total, 90 lights, running on 132 batteries. As you can tell, by viewing the purple portion of the pie chart below, the 18650 is my battery of choice, for a vast majority of the lights - _especially _EDC lights. 






Interesting question about the chargers 





Humble beginnings.

When I first discovered what EDC stood for, and started carrying decent flashlights, my first _lithium ion _chargers were a pair of Nitecore i4 V2s (long since, gone), then my first XTAR charger - a VP2. It didn't take long before the chargers started spontaneously multiplying.





I added a pair of D4s, then a pair of VC4s.

This was back when I used to be able to have all of my chargers side by side, on the same exact counter space.

Those days are _long _gone. 


Now, about four years later (see below):


Charger Still In ServiceCharger Semi-RetiredBrandModel# of ChargersChemistry2NitecoreD424NitecoreSC44NiCad/NiMh/Lithium Ion, LlFePO42XTARMC1 Plus2Lithium Ion01XTARMC6 Queen Ant1Lithium Ion4XTARSV24NiCad/NiMh/Lithium Ion4XTARVC2 Plus4NiCad/NiMh/Lithium Ion2XTARVC42NiCad/NiMh/Lithium Ion2XTARVP22Lithium Ion/LiFePO41XTARVP4 Plus Dragon1NiCad/NiMh/Lithium Ion1922


I'm way too lazy to actually re-type all of this, so I just copied it from an Excel spreadsheet.

In summary, 22 chargers, 19 of which are actively in use, and 3 (the MC6 and the pair of D4s). of which are semi-retired, but readily available for use. 

Once again - too lazy to list the batteries, manually, but here's a screen shot of my 18650 chart, from Excel, listing the exact batteries currently in use, plus *8* Samsung 30Q, for spares.






Here's the breakdown of the others. I don't really care for lights that don't run on 18650 batteries; but I have some, and have rarely bought more of these type, in recent years.

AA Eneloops (1900 mAh) - 18
AA Duraloops (2450 mAh) - 28
AA LADDA (Ikea) 2450 mAh) - 16 spares

Tenergy Centura D NiMhs - 4

14500 - 8 (plus 3 spares)
16340 - 3 (plus 5 spares)
17650 - 2
18650 - 69 (plus *8 *spares) - breakdown above (was previously 4. The excel spreadsheet has been updated, but not re-posted, here).
26650 - 2 (plus 3 spares)
Proprietary (in my Nitecore Tube) - 1





Here is an older picture of the chargers, in use. That La Crosse BC-700 is gone. I gave it to a friend.





I keep these two MC1 Plus units in my car. I've opted to keep this in my car, along with the two MC1 Plus units, giving me the ability to charge 6 18650 batteries at 1 Amp, each (although that'll probably rarely happen, given how religious I am about charging batteries on a regular basis - especially ones that were used earlier that day, for whatever reason.





Here is a better view of the chargers on the right.





Here is the Dragon.





Two more SV2s have been added, and are now housed on the left side of my desk.





Here are the four SC4s, sitting on top of an old desktop computer, to the left of my desk.





Here are the two old D4s, which were replaced by the SC4s.





Here is the MC6 (replaced with the second pair of SC4s), which doesn't see much love - and never really has, come to think of it. I didn't really care for this charger, for numerous reasons. This has been the only XTAR charger that just _didn't_ meet up with expectations I had.


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## david57strat (Sep 29, 2017)

hiuintahs said:


> Batteries
> 49 AA Eneloops
> 30 AAA Eneloops
> 18 18650 Li-Ion
> ...



I used my BC-700 for several years, before I started picking up multi-chemistry chargers. It was very reliable!


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## david57strat (Sep 29, 2017)

bykfixer said:


> Too many to count.
> 
> I have nearly 500 lights with batteries in them, a stockpile in case that aint enough and only 1 charger.



What???? Five hundred lights; one charger. 

Say it ain't so.

Is this still the case?

Actually...how many of these lights are running on rechargeable batteries?


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## ven (Sep 30, 2017)

David that is simply awesome!!! 

Mine are all over, not added any for a while as find its all under control(unlike my flashlights!)













Some work chargers



Also an XP4 charger for over spill.
This no more, dont like its slow and inconsistent charge levels(no matter what wall plug used)




Cells wise not got a clue! Quite a few, have 8x 16650's in work and around 6x 18650's, 4x AA loops and 2x 14500's. Home............20 loops of AA and AAA flavours, 26650's around 10. 18650's would be anywhere between 60 and 100 in use and 30 or so spares stored.


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## Nichia! (Sep 30, 2017)

Ven & david you guys have some crazy stuff [emoji6]


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## terjee (Sep 30, 2017)

Very roughly, something like:
- 100x 18650 (24 more on the way)
- 100 AA Eneloop
- 100 CR123A
- 50 AA Lithium primaries
- 50 AAA Eneloops
- 25 AAA Lithium Primaries

I'll probably about double, then slow down.

For chargers, I try to keep it to about a dozen or so, mostly by gifting away when I get new ones.

Current lineup is mc3000, 2xSC2, 2xSC4, 3xF1, 2xF2, All-88. Need to add an Xtar or something.


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## david57strat (Oct 1, 2017)

ven said:


> David that is simply awesome!!!
> 
> Mine are all over, not added any for a while as find its all under control(unlike my flashlights!)
> 
> ...








I've always liked the tachometer style metering on the VC4s.


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## david57strat (Oct 1, 2017)

Nichia! said:


> Ven & david you guys have some crazy stuff [emoji6]



Thanks, brother. Ven and I are, not just flashaholics, but chargerholics, as well!


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## Nichia! (Oct 1, 2017)

david57strat said:


> Thanks, brother. Ven and I are, not just flashaholics, but chargerholics, as well!



So true


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## ven (Oct 1, 2017)

:laughing: ...............hay i have not bought a charger for ages, damn dragon and mc3000 keep shouting me though.

Couple of 20700 3000mah cells added recently, after using these a bit and swapping out for vtv6 3000mah(rotating in my vape mod). There are absolutely no noticable benefits to these actual 20700 cells over my 18650 vtc6's!!! Other than adding bulk which is not what i want with a mod(luckily its not too much bulk)




Here is a super old pic of my still works(but stored away as way too slow) i4! Other is an AAA/AA charger i still have but dont use, the opus and xp4 take care of my loops these days.


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## terjee (Oct 1, 2017)

ven said:


> :laughing: ...............hay i have not bought a charger for ages, damn dragon and mc3000 keep shouting me though.



When it comes to the MC3000; Do it!! 

Especially as a vaper, I'm always a bit cautious with my cells. The MC3000 is great for keeping an eye on them, capacity, charge curves, internal resistance, and so on and so forth.

Sure, the Dragon and SC4 has functionality for internal resistance, but both seem flawed.

Then there's the ability to charge inventory to 3.92V (or whatever you prefer), to make sure you always have some well treated cells available for putting into rotation, and so on.

Being fast isn't exactly a problem either.

I was one of the unlucky ones that got an early model, where a plastic bit would break, and despite having to replace parts (NKON sent replacement for free), it's still my favorite charger by far.

While I haven't gotten a dragon (yet?), I'd really recommend the MC3000 above it.


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## ven (Oct 1, 2017)

Cheers terjee, its looking the fav one when i do take the plunge I dont think i would use more than the 2a setting, nice to be able to have more than 2 bays at 2a though!


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## david57strat (Oct 1, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> I have 19.
> 
> An older GE Ni-Cad 8 bay charger, a Mallory Ni-Cad dumb charger/wall wart jobbie, a Rayovac 15 minute IC3 charger, 6 Xtars, 4 Liitokalas, a Maha C9000, a LaCrosse BC700, an Opus BT-3400, a Duracell 1000 and a couple of cheap-o dumb chargers for neighbors.
> 
> Chris



I've been wanting one of those C9000 chargers, for a while, now. Will probably pick one up, before the year is out.

Which XTAR chargers do you have? Any favorites, of the bunch?


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## Overclocker (Oct 2, 2017)

the OG NCR18650 2900mah

the top 2 rows still doing 2900+ mah

the rest are 2800+. a few 2700+


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## terjee (Oct 2, 2017)

Overclocker said:


> the OG NCR18650 2900mah



This got me a bit curious. Is there a specific reason for so many of this cell?



ven said:


> Cheers terjee, its looking the fav one when i do take the plunge I dont think i would use more than the 2a setting, nice to be able to have more than 2 bays at 2a though!



Yeah, I'm almost always at 2A or less myself. Nice to be able to tank up faster if I have to, but 2A seems about right for most of my cells. Some of them are spec'ed for 6A fast charge, so I wouldn't worry too much about 3A in a pinch.


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## HarryN (Oct 2, 2017)

I have worked hard to minimize the number of battery types and chargers we have in the house.

For most applications, a simple Triton II can cover it, including even the hedge trimmer and portable drill batteries.

Due to some other areas I am working on, I now also have a 75 amp / 12 volt and 48 volt Iota. They are ok, not exceptional, but they fall into the power range of a conventional home plug so it works.

You might be surprised at what you can do with an RV size solar panel and the right programmable solar charge controller. It is also good practice for when you might actually really need to use flashlights.

I almost had everything down to AAs and 123s, then I decided to start using headlamps more and found out just how hard it is to find AA and 123 based head lamps. Now I am stuck with AAA s again as well.


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## ssanasisredna (Oct 2, 2017)

HarryN said:


> I have worked hard to minimize the number of battery types and chargers we have in the house.
> 
> For most applications, a simple Triton II can cover it, including even the hedge trimmer and portable drill batteries.
> 
> ...



Armytek and others have AA and 123 headlamps. Perhaps not as light as you would like.


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## marinemaster (Oct 2, 2017)

Pila charger for 18650 and some 10 year old 18650 batt I bought here in cpf [emoji3]2200 mah
Of course lots of Eneloop generic AA for my ZL AA lights [emoji3] that are 10 years old also. Just got some new ones Panasonic charger AA. Maybe like 30 Eneloop AA and the crappy Amazon black label 8 of them.
Still looking for the elusive USB AA charger that Panasonic made...


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## ChrisGarrett (Oct 3, 2017)

david57strat said:


> I've been wanting one of those C9000 chargers, for a while, now. Will probably pick one up, before the year is out.
> 
> Which XTAR chargers do you have? Any favorites, of the bunch?



I like the Maha C9000 and use it all of the time. I wish I would have bought a second one in lieu of my LaCrosse BC-700 that I purchased at the same time, for roughly the same amount of money.

I have these Xtar chargers in order of purchase, the Xtar WP2 II, MP1S, VP2, XP1, MC1+ and VC4.

For li-ion charging needs and not doing large batches, the VP2 is still a SOTA charger for charging all the chemistries, but it's not an analyzing charger and it doesn't do NiMH.

For charging up smaller 10440, 16340, 14500 and 18350 cells, I like the XP1. It takes a while on NiMH and doesn't do anything over AA/14500 in physical size, but I love the 250/500mA rates and this is always hooked up to my PC, topping things off for my lipstick.

For bolting out the front door and needing a USB charger, the MC1+ is very light and does a good job charging, but its 500mA low rate isn't ideal for my smaller cells, although I've charged up 16340 cells for years using a 500mA rate. Still...500mA isn't ideal.

The MP1S always charged at bit low, often times below 4.15v, which isn't bad per se, but I got a credit through Andrew & Amanda and ended up with my 2014 Nitecore i4 v.2 charger in a swap. It works and is light, but ehhh...pass on that one. The MC1+ ANT would be a better option for not a lot of cash.

The VC4--what can I say about this charger? It works pretty well and is slow, sometimes missing NiMH termination...well...more than "sometimes", but it works well for the most part on li-ion and it works with power banks and USB solar panels. I leave the VC4 at my GF's place, FWIW.

The WP2 II. My first li-ion charger and while I don't use it much any longer, it never let me down and for the first two-three years in my li-ion life, it was all I used. Slightly undercharges at 4.18v-4.19v, 'which is a good thing' as Martha would say.

Chris


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## david57strat (Oct 3, 2017)

ChrisGarrett said:


> I like the Maha C9000 and use it all of the time. I wish I would have bought a second one in lieu of my LaCrosse BC-700 that I purchased at the same time, for roughly the same amount of money.
> 
> I have these Xtar chargers in order of purchase, the Xtar WP2 II, MP1S, VP2, XP1, MC1+ and VC4.
> 
> ...



I appreciate the detailed rundown. Thank you, brother.

My BC-700 saw several years of use, as my primary AA NiMh charger. 

The C9000 always had its appeal, with its beautiful display, higher charging capacities, customize-able settings, and analyzing abilities; but, for whatever reason, I never got around to grabbing one - or any other analyzing charger, until the Dragon. 

I had my pair of i4 V2s for a while, but they didn't tend to terminate well on my AA NiMhs, and ran fairly hot, to the touch, in spite of being fairly slow chargers. 

Then Nitecore released their new flagship unit - the _D4, _and I was immediately intrigued with getting my hands on one of these, in spite of the same slow charge rates. It was clear, to me, that they had made numerous improvements, otherwise; so I _had _to grab one, then another lol. 

What I _really _liked (at the time), was the very nice, elaborate metering system, and the ability to charge LiFepO4s, which the V2s didn't have. Back then, I was still using some lights that ran only on CR123 primaries, and I wanted to phase out my use of primaries, by replacing those with RCR123 LiFePO4s (wherever possible), because I was utterly fed up of replacing CR123 batteries seemingly every week or two, for those lights. That got very expensive, very quickly, and unnecessarily, for me. This didn't work out too well, with some of my lights (the lower modes were all messed up, but worked perfectly, after replacing them with primaries again); so I traded out those lights for other items (knives, for instance).

The _VP2 _was the very first investment in XTAR products, for me, and mine are still going strong. I loved the bright back lit Blue display (although, I must admit, they're not quite as bright as they were, when I first bought them, years ago), the fact that it was defeat-able with a button press, the slightly higher charge rate (than my D4s had), but also the ability to choose 250 mA rate, if so desired. They could also charge LiFePO4 batteries, as well as some of the new, longer batteries. I felt this was a charger I could grow into, and they've really performed well, and consistently, which has prompted me to look into XTAR's other charging products, as they're released, and as my charging needs have started to expand (seemingly exponentially), during these past several years.

I got spoiled for having digital read-outs, so I never again bought a charger that didn't have them, with the exception of those two MC1+ units.

I've never really seen charging smaller (14500, 16340) batteries at the 500 mA rate, as a negative (and those are the smallest lithium ion batteries I've ever charged); but then, (comparatively speaking), I have very few lights that run on these smaller batteries, and they're used fairly rarely; so it's hard to gauge whether or not there would have been much of a sacrifice in total overall charges (battery longevity) available on those batteries. 

In most instances, I'm still using the original lithium ion batteries that I purchased several years ago, for those few lights; although I see that they terminate closer to 4.15 volts, as opposed to the 4.2 initial termination rates.

The D4s kind of became my go-to chargers for AA NiMh charging, but the VC2Plus units got used a lot, (for over spill) for those, as well. I never really found myself using the power bank feature of any of my chargers (other than to test them, once or twice, but always liked that the capability was there, if I ever came to need it. 

I usually carry two Anker 13000 mAh batteries (one on-person, housed in a small zippered pouch, carried in a cargo pocket; and another in a larger nylon pouch that I carry, with multiple cables, adapters, etc.); so they tend to cover my smart phone and tablet needs.





Here is the smaller of the two pouches. The other is an Audio Technica padded, zippered microphone case, which has proven to be ideal for carrying the other, slightly bulkier battery (with a built-in flashlight that is just...well...sad), and the various adapters, cables, tiny dual USB smart port A/C charger, etc.





Had a few Maxpedition Volta cases, that I used, for carrying my CR123s, AAs, and others (when I still EDC lights that used those); but I always seemed to lose those. It was very aggravating.

The inserts were kind of handy, although not fully water proof. Protected 14500s were a tight fit, and wouldn't really allow the covers to fully close (Those cases just just weren't really designed for them).











Now, if I need, or want to carry backup batteries, I use Pelican 1010 cases, which I absolutely love.

Note, this picture is several years old. I never carry CR123 batteries around, any more. Also, the longer protected 18650 batteries are a snugger fit, so I can carry as many as ten, as opposed to twelve batteries, in them, and at a very slight angle, but still a very nice, safe fit, for those batteries. 

They're air tight, waterproof, crush proof, and have a one way auto purge valve on them, and they carry a lifetime warranty - making these the perfect battery cases, for my use, when traveling, or otherwise.

My two MC1+ units are perfect for car carry (as tiny as they are), and are almost exclusively reserved for on-the-road charging (which is kind of a rare occurrence, but always a welcome capability to have). I power those with a little Anker dual USB smart port 12-volt charger hub, which works pretty well. Have two of them, and one is dedicated for phone and tablet charging, while the other, strictly for those MC1+ chargers. 

The overlap in charging abilities of my various chargers has given me a lot of flexibility, in charging choices, and I'm big on having choices. Starting out with serious EDC lights, about five years back really allowed me to completely nerd out, but not feel like a fool, since they're such useful tools, in every day life, for me. 

Having discovered venues like this, and others, with other true enthusiasts, has made me feel right home in my hobby/fascination/addiction.


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## david57strat (Oct 4, 2017)

hiuintahs said:


> Batteries
> 49 AA Eneloops
> 30 AAA Eneloops
> 18 18650 Li-Ion
> ...



I think it's very cool that you're able to build your own chargers. Could you tell me a little more about that 4-slot charger on the Left, with the White Eneloop in the left slot, and that GA (?) on the right?


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## ven (Oct 4, 2017)

+1 David, very cool indeed!


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## hiuintahs (Oct 7, 2017)

david57strat said:


> I think it's very cool that you're able to build your own chargers. Could you tell me a little more about that 4-slot charger on the Left, with the White Eneloop in the left slot, and that GA (?) on the right?


Thanks, Ya that charger will do both lithium ion or NiMh and I put those various batteries in there for the picture. I got the chassis from Amazon for $15. It was a Thorfire charger. I then gutted it of course. It's the same chassis as a Fenix ARE-C2 or Thrunite MCC-4 charger.

This charger is like 4 individual chargers. Each bay has its own electronics and microcontroller that has been duplicated 4 times. Each bay can do 1 amp. So I could have 4 batteries being charged at 1 amp each at the same time. The circuit would handle higher current but I just settled for 1A max. Doing a lithium ion charger with CC/CV is pretty straight forward. Doing NiMh with dV/dT is a little more involved. I consulted CPF user HKJ with a couple of questions on that and he referred me to this tech report that he did and that answered what I needed to know about NiMh charging.
http://lygte-info.dk/info/batteryChargingNiMH UK.html

I like having buttons for each bay so that I can start, stop and select charge rate. I also programmed in a calibration mode that puts the charger in CV mode (4.20v). That way I can tweak as accurate to 4.20v that I desire. I won't hijack the thread but if anyone has the electronic capability and is ever interested in assembling their own charger, I love to talk about this stuff...........send me a PM.


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## david57strat (Oct 7, 2017)

hiuintahs said:


> Thanks, Ya that charger will do both lithium ion or NiMh and I put those various batteries in there for the picture. I got the chassis from Amazon for $15. It was a Thorfire charger. I then gutted it of course. It's the same chassis as a Fenix ARE-C2 or Thrunite MCC-4 charger.
> 
> This charger is like 4 individual chargers. Each bay has its own electronics and microcontroller that has been duplicated 4 times. Each bay can do 1 amp. So I could have 4 batteries being charged at 1 amp each at the same time. The circuit would handle higher current but I just settled for 1A max. Doing a lithium ion charger with CC/CV is pretty straight forward. Doing NiMh with dV/dT is a little more involved. I consulted CPF user HKJ with a couple of questions on that and he referred me to this tech report that he did and that answered what I needed to know about NiMh charging.
> http://lygte-info.dk/info/batteryChargingNiMH UK.html
> ...



Very nice. Thanks for sharing


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## david57strat (Oct 12, 2017)

The complete charger family, including the semi-retired Nitecore D4s and the XTAR MC6


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## Nichia! (Oct 13, 2017)

Absolutely Crazy David [emoji106]


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## Dragracer (Oct 13, 2017)

IVT AV-4
Ansmann energy 8
Jamara X-Peak Premium
Some old NiCd chargers

20 Eneloops AA 2nd generation
8 Eneloops AAA 2nd generation
About 50 18650s, mostly NCR18650B
Some old NiCd AAs, which are still working and I don't want to throw away


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## Nichia! (Oct 13, 2017)

That National Battery is Older than hell [emoji91] very nice.


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## Dragracer (Oct 13, 2017)

Nichia! said:


> That National Battery is Older than hell [emoji91] very nice.



500mAh still doing 450


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## Nichia! (Oct 13, 2017)

Dragracer said:


> 500mAh still doing 450



For real!??


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## Dragracer (Oct 14, 2017)

Nichia! said:


> For real!??



At medium loads, yes. I was surprised too, when I saw this, because I think they must be at least 30 years old.


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## Nichia! (Oct 14, 2017)

Outstanding! 
Those varta batteries are old too.


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## marinemaster (Oct 29, 2017)

Dragracer the color scheme on these labels looks great [emoji106]


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## Dragracer (Oct 29, 2017)

marinemaster said:


> Dragracer the color scheme on these labels looks great [emoji106]



:thanks:


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## paulantoine (Nov 6, 2017)

from top left to bottom right (in chronological order) :
- a very old charger I bought with my first rechargeable batteries. Not "intelligent", but I keep it to "restart" batteries that have been overdischarged and are not recognised any more
- (no photo) second charger was a Lacrosse but unfortunately it died years ago. It was heating too much.
- the small Voltcraft replaced the Lacrosse. Chosed this one because it can charge NiZn. Now it stays at work, mostly for bike lights.
- second Voltcraft to charge C batteries and 9V. I use it sometimes, if I need to charge many batteries at the same time.
- mc3000 is my main charger
- imax B6 to check/refresh battery packs of my vacuum cleaner


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## ChibiM (Nov 7, 2017)

paulantoine said:


> from top left to bottom right (in chronological order) :
> - a very old charger I bought with my first rechargeable batteries. Not "intelligent", but I keep it to "restart" batteries that have been overdischarged and are not recognised any more
> - (no photo) second charger was a Lacrosse but unfortunately it died years ago. It was heating too much.
> - the small Voltcraft replaced the Lacrosse. Chosed this one because it can charge NiZn. Now it stays at work, mostly for bike lights.
> ...



I can't see the picture.


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## tjh (Nov 7, 2017)

I bought a C9000 first for all my AA/AAAs
Then I got a Sanyo NC-MQR06W (Fast, Intelligent Eneloop Charger) - Mostly because it's fast/smart and come with 4 AA Eneloops

Then I got my MC3000 and I don't see the point of any other charger because you can basically program this to emulate any other charger out there. Why buy anything else now?


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## paulantoine (Nov 7, 2017)

tjh said:


> Then I got my MC3000 and I don't see the point of any other charger because you can basically program this to emulate any other charger out there. Why buy anything else now?



You may want a charger that is smaller for travel, or one that can charge more batteries. At the end of the day there is always a compromise


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## brokenmonitor (Nov 7, 2017)

AA: 40
AAA: 24
C: 8
Lacrosse BC-700 charger


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## Dragracer (Feb 1, 2018)

Not to forget my old racing batteries... just found them back. Dont know what to do with them, maybe keep for the memories.
They seem to be in good condition


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