Mr Baz Reviews Very much appreciated your range of chargers reviewed. Nitecore i4 died this month after 1year. I looked around, found you as most comprehensive and practical. First I ordered an xtar vc4 but it was doa last week from amazon. Next I found a dragon at 18650batterystore for about $60 delivered and it seems to be fine. Have not seen a lower price anywhere (it was not on sale) and the store has served me well for three years at least. My order from late Thursday night actually arrived midday Sunday. Did read in your comments section somewhere about an updated dragon & that might be nice, but when you need a charger, you get to pick from what is available. As you push on please don’t stray from this vital area, your experience comes across well. You have a new subscriber.
Hello. If you read this (I hope you do), do you know if they have updated this charger so it fits protected 20700 and 21700? If so, do you have anyone idea where to buy one?
Thanks for the review on this charger. Been into flashlights for a few years and this is really helpful having the voltage testing probes with the unit.
@@MrBazReviews , your review covered everything there was to be known about this charger.With this in mind,my first experience with this charger left me with four "new" 18650 batteries (old dead ones that I forgot to throw away).One thing I failed to comprehend, when tested with the probes my batteries showed different voltages (after being fully charged), starting from 3,78 up to 4,18, although the amperage wasn't high and low accordingly (some had low voltage and high amperage and vice versa)
@@poetuliradiant As long as the probes connect properly (ie enough pressure) there shouldn't be a problem. I've not seen a low voltage termination off this charger, and I've used it daily since the end of 2017, but it's not impossible if you have a faulty one. I'd try a few more cells to see what is happening.
@@poetuliradiant Talk to Xtar or the seller I can't do anything my end I just do the reviews if you buy something and it's not working always go back to the seller first
Thanks for the video, it has been 6 years now, is the charger still working? What is your opinion of it now? I almost bought this charger, but along with your cons, I didn't like that you could only view 2 slots at a time, very weird for such a big display. I ended up buying the Tenergy TN456, different class of charger but I like the display better, and it has a low enough current for AAA.
I gave it to a friend and it's still working. I don't mind the display being honest (yes shame it's only 2 at a time, but quite big and clear). I found the testing accurate there is a new updated version (identical bar longer slots for protected 21700 cells) VP4L. It's worth a look "at the right price", but it is quite simple for some users, maybe a bit too simple. Yes some of the Tenergy ones are decent enough.
Conclusion Charger XTAR Dragon VP4 Plus: Purchase recommendation conditionally. For Li-Ion batteries ok, there was no problem. Otherwise: Somewhat difficult to understand, handling annoying. No purchase recommendation when using for AA or AAA batteries. Here it came to overcharges, heating the battery and finally worked a charging slot no longer. Here I recommend Panasonic fast chargers.
I've never seen one case of over heating or over charging on Ni-MH cells and I've tested this extensively with hundreds of charge cycles. If you have a defective unit then get it replaced under warranty.
Thanks for the answer. Unfortunately, the dealer disappeared. Nobody feels responsible. I bought another device from a dealer. This has a three-year warranty and the dealer has existed for many years.
Too bad the VP4 Dragon didn’t retain the 0.25A charging from the standard VP4. I rarely used anything over 0.5A for my 18650 cells since I have lots of fully charged spares to use and was never in a hurry to charge. 0.5A seems like it could be a little aggressive for the smaller NIMH like AAA/AA. I know the Panasonic advanced charger that came with my Eneloops charges at 0.2A which seems to work great for these AA/AAA cells providing years of trouble free service from each cell. Wonder how the cell longevity would fair from over 2x the charging rate?
It is odd and it bothers me as a charger. I do use slower charging, and rates missing in between too (say 1.5A) Xtar said they wanted to keep it simple, I don't think giving individual channel/more control would make it difficult to use They are evidently working on a newer one, unfortunately the VC2S and VC4S were a notable step back in fact no charging control at all - big mistake. So I don't hold out a lot of hope for a new one of this I keep it around for battery testing mainly - for that is it quite good and accurate
@@MrBazReviews I saw another reviewer report that if you plug something into the charger usb port that the charging ramps drop down. Can you test and comment?
Yeah, for my small AAA with a capacity from 750mA the charge current of 500mA is a bit high. I think 300-400mA would be a good choice. Dunno why Xtar don´t have more charge currents like Opus and Nitecore.
Thanks brother, yeah as stated in my comment on your Opus review vid, I thought the tolerances on the difference between slots reporting on the same battery were unacceptable, but the probes are very accurate as stated, they correspond with my multimeter .01V difference so excellent. While I thought I'd be smarted than the other "powerwall" guys and buy the more expensive unit (this one) instead of the Opus I felt ripped off until I saw your Opus manual on your vid! It states 10-20% discrepancy so I guess this is acceptable for this unit also. I did a discharge test on slot 1 and it reported 1784mAh, I then tested the same battery on slot 4 and it came back @ 2117mAh so I was let's say "pissed" at the difference, this is a large change in slot reporting! Now as I write this I will do it again in slot 1 to see if it's just "recovery" of the battery after non use for a long period that has caused the change. I'll come back and reply to my comment here is it has. Thanks for the good report man, keep it up..... (Wish THEY had sent me a freebie! Maybe Opus will ;) )
OK have finished the testing of the same battery, it read 1892mAh in the same slot (S1) it previously tested 1784.... hmmm think it may be recovery, but slot 4 is definitely reading high!
Hi what happened is well for a good while I didn't see a problem with much variation on the slots on testing, very little. Last year I started to see the two outer slots for some reason reading off, by more than a bit (few hundred mAh). I contacted Xtar, got no meaningful response at all. When I got the SkyRC in for testing, I kept it for the battery testing which is accurate and you have full control. And I gave the Xtar away so I don't have it anymore and honestly I don't recommend it much even before that (too limited in functions can't select charging speed per slot etc) I've told Xtar the last request I'm not interested in looking at their products, they emailed a few months ago. Why? Simply because the company doesn't have good customer support at all, and they don't care if there are problems. So the first port of call is the retailer if there is a problem on this one, sorry you've had a problem on this. I think the best bet is to avoid Xtar I've no real confidence in the company, oh and they also stole a bunch of my videos I have to get removed (nice eh!) At the time I made this I thought it was pretty good for testing, with the other grumbles listed. Now I just wouldn't bother with it. It is true some testers are not super accurate (the Opus isn't bad though good enough), some are like the Sky RC one (but it's expensive). I'd probably suggest going for a Zanflare C4 which was pretty good overall at a fair price. Hope that helps a bit that's what's been going on anyway!
@@MrBazReviews Thank you for this post and I hope they read it one day. I was considering buying the Dragon or Opus but after reading this, I'll better be off Xstar products.
Do you still like this charger? Been over 2 years now since review. I like the testing feature, don't mind that there is no individual control over each bay, but don't know if there are any newer/better chargers to look into. Thanks!
It's around a bit cheaper now so might be worth a look. The SKY charger is the one I use now for testing as it has a lot more control, but it's more expensive. If this does what you want then it might be worth a look, the Opus is the best buy for an affordable tester that I've used
Mr Baz Reviews thanks a lot for the quick reply. I will watch your review on the Sky, but it seems a bit complex to me, I will probably buy the Dragon for $50. Also, can I ask you, you mentioned you have a lot of batteries, do you store them in any special way or are you not concerned that a cell might go bad and cause a fire? I don’t have much experience with Li-ion batteries. Thanks
Great review ive just gotten into high powered flashlights, what would be the easiest/best charger to use for high drain 18650s and normal 18650 batteries?
Hello Marc well depends what charging speeds you want this is fast ie 2.0 amps x 2 bays or 1.0 amp across all 4 (or half and amp if you set it to that). If you want a simple easy to use charger I'd look at the VC4 4 bay model very easy to use, but provides more information about cells (ie voltage and how much it's charged into the batteries) VC4 charges at 2 x 1.0 amp or 0.5 amp on all 4. Really down to what you want bays/speed/features. For ease of use that one is a solid buy and also excellent value.
There was a comment on Amazon: "I found that a lot of times, some of the channels randomly show that charge capacity and discharge capacity are exactly the same numbers which is IMPOSSIBLE. You will never get exactly the same capacity you put in the batteries out of the batteries. It's a real world situation. Everything has losses. I’ve switched batteries around, changed current rating use different brand/type of batteries and different power sources. Nothing seems to fix it. I also looked up some review videos on TH-cam and I saw the same thing happened to the units in the reviews. I've attached the screenshots of three test cycles and as you can see that it happened in every cycle. I've contacted XTAR directly to tell them about the problem, and see if they have a fix since this seems to be a firmware problem to me, not a hardware. I've sent them screenshots. We were going back and forth for almost a week and they tried to brush it off that it only happens sometimes, not all the time." Can you confirm if you have seen this?
I can only go on what I have and..I have not seen this problem, with a lot of cells going through the unit So I'm not sure if it's a production run, it's not impossible to get simply because no test is every 100% accurate - not seen it myself on this one. I have my complaints on this, lack of individual charging control is one. I've found it to be pretty good for accuracy on the cells I have tried, if you run a test 10 x you'll get slightly different figures. Main thing is they are close very close usually
@@MrBazReviews Thanks! Not sure what went wrong for him, sounds like a firmware issue which might not be reproducible on other units. The cross test with other chargers showed similar results so in general Xtar VP4+ seem to work reliably.
Good review. I my opinion, this charger pales in comparison to the SKYRC 3000 charger. The only thing this one has that sets it apart is the remote probes. Big drawback is that it doesn't work with LiFePo4's. Nor is it programmable. Given the price point of course.
I'll try to get hold of the RC3000 for review at some point it does have a lot of options which some might find useful. I'd like to see more settings on this model appreciate the comment!
I just ordered one of these a couple days ago. It's scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited. I have only had 18650 vape batteries until recently, and didn't realize that 21700 batteries wouldn't really fit in my Efest Luc v6.
Some 21700's don't fit on all chargers. This one all the unprotected ones fit, most of the protected ones are a bit long (a few fit) If you vape then it's unprotected cells that you will use
@@MrBazReviews thanks I'm definitely using unprotected batteries. I had thought that the charger I already had would fit these batteries, so I'm a little frustrated about that. I managed to cram a few 21700's into the charger I have now, but it nicked up the wrappers pretty bad (not all the way through, but I could tell if I continued to do that it would happen quickly). I also ordered some new wraps and terminal insulators for both 21700 and 18650, so I should be set for a while.
I wonder if there is any competitor with the VP4 plus that can have the same plus the individual charge and discharge and the other features you highlight as good to have. Do you know any other that is more complete than this VP4 PLUS??
Yes the SkyRC model th-cam.com/video/0bAs2iBV9cw/w-d-xo.html It's the most advanced charger out, though it has some quirks of it's own. It is far more customisable than the Xtar charger - though for most it is probably overkill
For what these cost I'm surprised it doesn't show you the voltage of the cell as it is charging. Also do these reduce voltage as it reaches a full charge, or does it go 0.5A, 1.0A, or 2.0A right up until it terminates the charge?
All chargers reduce current (not voltage) at the later stages of charging. The lack of voltage display and individual control of channels is a notable drawback and surprising at the price point As a charger and tester it works well enough, however I am now using the Sky RC for testing purposes over this as it's a better overall product The VC2s and VC4s were well below what I expected from the company, so I've kinda lost interest in Xtar products
Does it have that same intelligent smart identifier like VC4 has or is VP4 a manual setting charger ? In VC4 I can just put battery in and be back later...
Thanks for the review. Do you know if you can select each slot and decide what to do independent of the others..? As an example with my venerable BT-C3100 I can have one battery discharging and then charging, another charging at a certain rate and another.............. You get my point :) Sometimes I have a need for a charger that has four slots but have differing needs for each of them. Thanks
Thanks .Good help ( only..sometimes it goes a little quick for me . I'm not Inglish native.. ( I am dutch , from Belgium) But it's very good to have people like you , showing how it works. ( I had been looking , and wondering , why it didn't show the voltage... fSeen the price , I could not believe , it would not indicate it. Thanks to you , I know now I have to use the probes , but I find it stupid. Also I hoped to see the indications for the four slots at the same moment. Anyway , thanks
Hi Had the VC4 from Xtar but looking at this one now and 95% certain I'll buy it now after your review so cheers! Any advice on brands of battery as I usually but the Xtar 18650 3.7 3500mah batteries for a high power torch. I can't get the Xtar at the moment so which other button top 18650 batteries would you recommend for quality? Thanks
Most brands are Panasonic re-wraps (ie good brands), Soshine are pretty good and not too expensive otherwise you're with Nitecore and similar makers which are basically the same cells. There are a lot more unprotected cells around for less, tested a fair few - most are flat top. Efest do button top high drain cells too
@@MrBazReviews I'll take a look. I know nitecore but they've all gotten so expensive I guess bc of supply problems. I was paying £8-60 for one Xtar 18650 3500mah now £25+ ...
I have a lithium 18650 battery readding 0 volts and 0 resistance with the probes When i put it into a slot it says its a nimh so i took it out thinking its unsafe to try and charge it if it thinks its a nimh battery
It's not unsafe but if over discharged it thinks it's 1.5V, leave it in for a while and the voltage should increase to normal levels, then it will see it as Li-ion
Hello I have a li ion battery for a flashlight -When i put it on disconnected charger, the charger doenst give light -charger is connected to the electricity, it gives green light, i put the battery on the charger, the charger's light turns red. -i leave the battery charging more than enough and the light doesnt turn green. -i measured the charger's out put , it reads 4.2 v - i measured the battery it read 0 v !!! What to do?
Battery sounds defective have you tried it on other chargers? This one does have auto activation, but if the cell is broken it won't charge or take a charge
So when you say individual charging control per channel, what exactly does that mean? Say I have 3 married batteries. Would that mean I would need to leave a slot empty if I was charging a 4th battery but needed to charge it at a different speed than the married set?
All 4 channels are on the same setting so if you want to charge smaller cells you have to drop the power level down. If you have individual channels you can pick a slow speed for one, and a faster one for another channel.
@@MrBazReviews so I can run 3 at 1 amp and one at .5 if I wanted(as long as I don't go over chargersax amp draw which is 4 right?)? I don't know much about the the chargers, or the terms but I am interested in knowing all that extra information, and having some of those extra features.
Both are fast chargers the Nitecore is cheaper but can only count the mAh, the Dragon can do a discharge test. Both have internal resistance testing. Really depends what you are doing if it's charging mostly the Nitecore is decent, for testing the Dragon is the way to go really
@@MrBazReviews what was your rating on this dragon out of 10? I have the xtar vc4 mostly for charging orbtronic 3500mah 18650 battery for flashlight . I was thinking of getting this unit because you can discharge/charge the battery that the vc4 does not have, but I do have a multi meter to test the voltage of the battery. Do you think I need this unit for the discharge/charge of the battery and how important to discharge/charge the battery? Or should I just stick to the vc4? Thanks in advance
@@loooga18 I don't always give an /10 rating on everything it's tricky with this one. It depends if you want to "test" batteries, if not then discharge is not needed for Li-ion or Ni-MH cells only Ni-CD. VC4 is fine for what it does you can still get an idea of the charge capacity if the cell is fully run down
Well since I own the XTAR VC4 and it has been a rock-solid battery charger, I thought it would be a good idea to upgrade to the XTAR DRAGON VP4 Plus, Right? Wrong! In under 1 year, the plastic started cracking and the thing literally fell to pieces! It is made out of a different type of plastic than the XTAR VC4. I tried to tape it together, glue it together, epoxy it back together. Right now it has epoxy with a zip tie holding it together. I am sure glad I did not get rid of the XTAR VC4. That thing is built Rock Solid and still is going strong 5 years later! The Dragon VP4 Plus, not so much! I still use it when I'm charging multiple batteries or, I need to cycle some batteries. But I have to baby it because, I never know, I might have to add more zip ties to hold it together or something?
I didn't have problems with this, and eventually gave it to someone (not had any reports of a problem). But it was some time ago, perhaps Xtar's QC has taken a dive I can't say. I do know I don't get samples from them and I've mostly lost interest in their products (basic things which are overlooked) if it's under a year and broken you can use the warranty to get a replacement/repair etc I would have contacted the seller
No VC4 series isn't like this the VC4s I would avoid, for more budget offerings try Zanflare C4 or Opus they are also testers. I use the SkyRC now for testing
Received my Xtar Dragon last week. The manual is reduced to one page with a parts diagram a spec table and only 9 short sentences about how to use it. I had some Energizer ultimate lithium cells that I put on the charger at 1.0 A. One cell reached 100% very quickly and the led turned to green. The other 3 cells remained on the charger for almost 48 hours only reaching 99% before I removed them.
Energizer ultimate lithium cells are NOT rechargeable you should never attempt to charge such batteries they are disposable. Hence the reason they say "do not recharge" on the side of the cells
Mine do not have that warning at all. Also I assumed because the owner's manual/pamphlet listed Lithium ion batteries, though I see it referenced 3.6V. I don't know what those are. Fortunately I didn't have a fire or explosion. Thanks for your excellent instruction video and your reply.
At that point you might want to look at hobby chargers meant for Lipos. If you stay on the low power side 100W AC/200W DC or less you can stay under $40 or even $30. Some have the ability to work with AC at a lower wattage so you'll see the power rating as 100W AC/200W DC or whatever it is. The ToolKitRC M8S (DC power supply only) comes a fair bit up above that price point, about $50-$60 but holy canoli is this thing packed with features. Beyond the typical balance charging of 2S-8S packs (yes it does more than 6S which means 7S 24V LiIon and 8S 24V LiFePO4 are supported) it does normal (internal) discharge at a decent rate (20W up to 5A), recycle discharging 18A 400W (feed another battery so you're not wasting the charge) and external discharge 18A 400W (hook up a power resistor to the output). The measurer menu has the cell balancing and IR measurement and the third menu is the power supply that acts just like your benchtop power supply 0-30V 18A, dependent on your external DC supply powering it but a 30V 20A power supply isn't terribly expensive. If you ever plan on doing packs up to 8S in the future this thing is an all in one steal at that price. ToolkitRC has some stuff in their M4 and M6 range that might work better for you but I have no personal experience with them. One that looks cool is an M4 variant that does 80W max but you can use USB C Power Delivery as your DC input! So even a basic 18W or 20W/30W PD capable brick would give you more than enough power. Perhaps take a look at ISDT's lowest lineup. You'll still have more power than you probably need but you have FULL control of parameters which is glorious (I'm assuming they are fully adjustable like the ToolKitRC stuff). All you'll need is some quality single (or doube/quadruple) Cell Holders, just remember what really matters is the contact is quality. Springs are not what I would recommend. Worst case scenario you can make your own leaf springs out of thin copper sheet. The current high quality leader for 18650's is the SMD style cell holder with the brass(?) alloy leaf spring.
I've not used the C4-12 I believe it has somewhat faster charging, though you have 2amp on this which might be enough. This is more a tester, but it is fairly fast for a charger and the wide slots might suit some users better.
Sadly no it won't work with a car battery. I'm having car battery problems usual signs are won't take a full charge, reduced capacity. There is a test they can do with the electrolyte test that, you can also do a load test with voltmeter ie crank it over and see how low it drops...usually fairly easy to spot a problem. My speedo goes nuts with a dodgy car battery
Thank you for the review. This unit seems easy to operate, I've owned it now for 8 hours, however the lousy manual leaves you with questions right away. I am assuming the following. Channel 1&4 and 2&3 are paired. So I can make channels 1&4 1amp and Channels 2&3 .5 amp if I so choose. Also I notice that if I place a Ni-Mh in a slot the Ni-MH will blink for a while. I have no idea why and what makes it stop. Li-on does flash at all. I wish the manual was much better. At this price point a nice manual should come with the unit or at a minimum be available on line. This would have almost a zero cost to the manufacturer. No excuse.
The channels are independent, but the charge level applies to all so if it's set to 0.5amp (as an example) it does that across all 4 bays. This is why I suggested individual control not a huge problem, but if you want to charge small cells you need to drop the rate across all the bays. Ni-MH flashes during the "soft start" then stops when the normal charging rate is being applied. The manual could be better as mentioned, if they implement the suggestions I believe it could be the ultimate all in one charger/tester, right now it's useful particularly for testing cells.
I've had this device for a week. I'm new to the whole story and I don't understand why most of the batteries (some are very old) have a big difference in the charged and discharged capacity (does that mean they are bad)? And what is my real battery capacity?
@@Nikolad1983 The charged capacity will always be higher. For new cells it will barely be higher but on older cells a lot of energy is lost to heat and other factors (high internal resistance) so you'll see a 3000mah cell take in 4000mah charge but it's not really taking all that in, its just heating up like an oven.
Great and Detailed review. Dragon is a great unit but as I checked the capacity testing function on dragon vs Foxnovo F4S, the results of discharge testing is different. for example, the test result for fairly new Nitecore 18650 3400mah on Dragon 2954mah but on focnovo 3410. i did this test with many other battery brand and dragon shows lower mah.
I have used the Foxnovo I found the discharge results not as accurate as the Dragon (not accurate at all for Ni-MH, but alright for Li-ion). I've put a lot of batteries through the dragon on discharge test so I'm pretty certain it's accurate. I'd run the test again to see what result you get
I've tested it extensively and used it daily I've never seen it show a massively low number for discharge testing. If it is I'd send it back and get a replacement it's not a budget charger it should be accurate for this type of test. I don't think I've ever tested a product so extensively (ie used daily since I made this video and weeks before I put the review up) Of course I mentioned quite a few areas I wasn't happy with, accuracy was not one of them
Only 3.6 or 3.7V Li-ion cells will charge in this. Disposable AA 1.5V lithium no obviously, most of the rechargeable ones only allow cable charging (type c or micro)
thanks for your videos ...always detailed and to the point. I'm wondering if there is a battery Quick Guide for download/print-out with info such as charge speed for different battery types/sizes and any other useful charge info?
There is no guide as it's simple just 3 charging speeds across the 4 bays Video is here comparing chargers or rather picking ones at various price points... th-cam.com/video/Kmoo-_izexE/w-d-xo.html
I've had one of these as my daily charger for at least a year. It gets a fair amount of abuse, a few sets of batteries through it a day at least, more if I'm testing. Everything still works like new, had no problems with springs or display etc. As a bonus, the case doubles as a great multi-meter case if you aren't using it for the charger. And the USB charger is handy if you have an Olight magnetic charger, I just leave mine plugged in.
It has it's flaws (IMO it's a bit too simple as mentioned for the price), but it can do decent testing and is easy enough to use. Price seems to have come down in recent times, the MC3000 has it beat though for it's vast options and large range of charging speeds. Both could use an update for longer protected 20/21700 cells and a few more tweaks
@@MrBazReviews Baz, just an update for your information. I had a quick power cut at my house today, it was off for less than a second but I noticed a spark from the charger (which had 4 18650s charging) and could smell burning. I unplugged it and when I powered it back on with the batteries removed it was reading "error" on all bays. I haven't had time to pull it apart yet but something got fried.
Great! Thanks to your review I bought one (even at a bargain). It was important to have seen the reactivation function and all other features in detail. Very thorough. I have just used this movie as a manual to get going. Update. Having used it I am pretty satisfied, but with some of the same remarks that you already made. I am only using AAA and AA sizes currently. - It is odd not that not all bays have the same options for the current. Effectively I am unable to charge a batch of 3 or 4 batteries at a higher rate, only 2. This is no issue for AAA batteries, but is is for AA as I would like to be able to charge higher capacity AA batteries of 2700 mAh at a current of 2 A.. - It is also a pity the current options are not fine grained. As far as I understood, it is better to have a current somewhat lower than '1C'. So for 950 mAh I would like to choose 750 mA, for 2100 mAh that would be 1500 mA. Options that seem logical, but are not there. - Mixing battery types is not practical. One has to stick to the lowest current when choosing, and there is no automatic individual regulation (plug & play).
Appreciate the comment I try to make the videos showing what I'd want to see in detail, they take a bit of time to make that's the downside- but hopefully they are useful. Also few points I don't like as well but overall it's a decent charger
Thank you for the review. I miss a pure discharge-mode, Xtar chargers looks like all additional functions are implemented only faltering. And after my big disappointment with the VC4SL I still prefer my Opus BT-C3100 for analysing and charging NiMH
Yes I agree it should have it. I think they went for simplicity, however it needs a bit more for users. Xtar at this time were not bad, today the company seems to make mostly poor products. I gave up on them a while back
@@MrBazReviews I think the Dragon is their topmodel, so keep it simple is maybe the wrong way ;) . The non-individual charging control is also a NoGo, my old 30€ charger can do that
@@reifenabhobeler4331 I told them that they needed control over individual channels, yet they didn't take any notice. It's not a bad charger/tester as such, but at this level it needs more functionality/settings that the use can adjust. That doesn't mean it has to be complicated of convoluted in operation
@@MrBazReviews it seems like they are really catering to the set it and forget it crowd which is silly when you keep that mindset on your flagship product that's only $30 away from the King of all cylindrical chargers/testers the SkyRC MC3000
Hi Baz, great review, I wouldn’t think it would be a good practice to place the charger on a fabric car/vehicle seat when using this charger as it may restrict the air flow through the charger, which may get hot.
Hi Barry well I' wouldn't advise placing it on something with thick pile which could block up the vents, on a flat surface it' not likely to have problems. The size/ventilation seem to be working well to counter heat, not seeing any heat issues with this at all. Either charger or batteries
This is not 4-wire resistance measurement ? It can be that USB is 4-wire but anyway it is connected to probe at the end. Measurement include contact resistance or even worse USB connector resistance ( if one cable is not as 2 separate cables )
Who knows all I can say is I've cross checked it on many cells and the results are close to expectations, I also compared results to the SkyRC charger and that also was on point, that doesn't have the probes, but is probably compensating for the slot IR
That is the one charger I have not looked at so can't really comment bar what I have read. It has a lot of options possibly overkill for some users, maybe not depends on what you want. The Dragon is fairly simple to operate, but it's accurate for testing which might work for many users. As I say at the end there are some options I would add to improve it, and I don't think it would make it overly complicated just offer more control for users. Is it worth getting depends if you are testing batteries frequently. If so then it can be justified, but I would like to see a MkII version with the suggestions added
I have XTAR VP4 Plus Dragon and XTAR MC2. If I power the VP4 and measure voltage with multimeter I get 4.75V which is way higher for a Li-Ion(no battery inserted in the charger). I did the same test for MC2 and I get 4.20V which seems to be good. With VP4 I tried to charge 4 Li-Ion 18650 at 1.0A and the cells were getting very hot. My question is could be the VP4 faulty ? I know that 3.6/3.7V Li-ion charge ends at 4.20V and Li-Ion 3.8V ends at 4.35V.
I've never seen it get hot, worn cells can generate a bit more heat but not the point they are really hot. Doesn't sound right to me perhaps get in touch with the retailer you got it from
Hi MR BAZ i am a follower of your page Your review videos are great Thank you for doing such detailed reviews and at the end of your clip I wrote the positive and negative points Thank you for your efforts😍😘😍👍💕❤ I wanted to ask you between XTAR and NIGHTCORE models. Which do you like in all ways ???🤔🤔‼😮Please answer because i want to buy thank you😍😘🙏😊
I did a video on suggested chargers that covers how I feel, nothing much has change both can make decent chargers, there are models I avoid VC4s and VC2s are not great IMO
@@MrBazReviews Thank you for your answer so where's your video ??😍😘🤔🤔 I currently have access to nightCore D4 and Xtar VC4 and can buy which one do you recommend?🤔🙄🥰Of course I also have Xtar VC8 but I am unlikely to buy it. Please suggest me based on your experience.🙏🙏🙏🤔😥😍
AWESOME review! I just bought one! Now, I gotta figure how things work. Question: with the probe, can I tell fake batteries from real ones? Thank you, Victor
Hi Baz this is a really nice charger one that i would definitely consider getting its a lot of money but has a few features that i have never seen before so the price is probably justified thanks for the great review as always 👍
Hi Keith the difference here is the probes v other testers. On the upside the readings are more accurate using probes I don't mind them being there as you can remove them when not needed. Also you can test cells whilst charging or doing a capacity test etc which is useful. Quality is certainly here, I am mindful of trying to think of areas to improve (same for all items I review) hence the list at the end, some are quite small tweaks thinking ahead for 20700/21700 which are becoming more common (protected cells). I expect almost all the chargers out there will have new models re-designed to fit these cells, very few will take them at present. For someone who needs to test cells frequently there are far more positive points than negative ones.
The problem with the charger is no individual control over bays even in pairs you cannot set charging current as 0.5amp for 2 bays and 1amp for other 2 it is very annoying.
It's something I would expect on a charger of this type (and most chargers). I told Xtar plenty of times about this, doesn't seem to sink in much (VC8 also has no individual control) I use the MC3000 for testing now, though this might be of use if you use D cells a lot (not many can charge 4 at the same time)
Can't charge and discharge in different bays at the same time? Deal breaker... Also - don't quite understand the value of 0 volt activation. Any battery that is at 0 volts is guaranteed to be rubbish.
The 0 volt activation isn't just at 0 volts a lot of chargers won't see a cell at all if it's under 1.0 volt (they vary exactly on that) so the voltage could be lower and the cell might be alright or usable. It's been less an issue with Li-ion cells rare, some Ni-MH the odd time. The lack of charge/discharge at the same time could be a problem as it takes some time to get the reading, it is accurate though
@@MrBazReviews Thanks for clarifying that. Btw can you make videos about the skyrc or their new imax b6 evo pls. 😁 I just want to charge any kinds of batteries as possible with a good real capacity tester and internal resistance. Thanks
The one I just bought tried to burn my house down. I put four semi new Eneloop Pro AA batteries in and it failed to sense one of them as NIMH after the “10 minute soft charge” and instead charged it as lithium-ion. Luckily I found it by the time it had already charged to 1.5 V and was screaming hot. The charger also claimed it had put over 3400mah in my 2500mah Eneloop. Wheres the temperature protection? Wheres the overcharge protection? A $90 charger can’t even tell the difference between NIMH and Li-Ion? Chargers 1/4 the price can do this properly . I read if this problem somewhere else on a forum or youtube comment but can’t find it now. Obviously not an isolated instance. Being returned Amazon. Trash.
If it's dud it's dud I'm not working with Xtar going forward, but I didn't have a problem with this charge. So obviously some QC issues there. Honestly I've lost confidence in the company for a while now, but as I say this one I did use a lot and didn't see those problems. Maybe they have factor issues either way it's disappointing I agree
I did this video some time ago, this one is still working. However, last couple of years Xtar's QC seems to have declined rapidly. I gave up looking at their products some time ago.
I can't believe that I bought this crap. No voltage indication (I can put up with that), only monitoring 2 bays at a time (I can put up with that), cannot test a battery whilst charging another at the same time (annoying, but I don't test often), only 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 amp charging. My biggest peeve is that if you leave it powered and available for use, the frigging screen is on all the time and the 4 LED are lit bright green. I know I can manually turn the screen off, but the LED's remain bright. For Christ's sake have a timeout and switch off this these things when not in use. Even a power switch on the side would help at a push. If I have to keep unplugging it, it's no longer a convenient tool, as I use it every day. I've used the Opus BT-C3100 v2.2 for years, it's just that my current (charging rate) selection switch is a bit iffy now. I should have bought another one. 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0. 1.5, and 2.0 amp charging, and auto display off.
There are things that annoy me too as I mentioned in the video. I don't mind the LED's showing if it's charging or finished bit on the bright side but I turn off the display usually at night. I agree on the can't test/charge at the same time that is a downer, many of these issues are not problems on the Opus (though there are a few things on that I'd change). I think the problem is Xtar over simplified things too much such as not having individual channel charging control which is a bit mad really. I don't think it's awful but it's not as good as it should be for a premium charger. Let's see if Xtar sort out these complaints in the new model (they have one coming out this year update to this)
Not many do support them these do though I have one myself works fine. Still if you want Li-ion too that might be a problem I just keep one of these around for the 9V cells www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001809008711.html
Amazon UK - amzn.to/3DioQ6q USA - amzn.to/3NyKFng
Xtar VC4 - amzn.to/3uCXzYp
Help support the channel - www.patreon.com/mrbazreviews
Mr Baz Reviews Very much appreciated your range of chargers reviewed.
Nitecore i4 died this month after 1year. I looked around, found you as most comprehensive and practical. First I ordered an xtar vc4 but it was doa last week from amazon. Next I found a dragon at 18650batterystore for about $60 delivered and it seems to be fine. Have not seen a lower price anywhere (it was not on sale) and the store has served me well for three years at least. My order from late Thursday night actually arrived midday Sunday. Did read in your comments section somewhere about an updated dragon & that might be nice, but when you need a charger, you get to pick from what is available. As you push on please don’t stray from this vital area, your experience comes across well. You have a new subscriber.
no 21700?
@@BOOSTEDLASER Unprotected fit
TY got 4 (5000) This your current fav 4 bay charger?
Hello. If you read this (I hope you do), do you know if they have updated this charger so it fits protected 20700 and 21700?
If so, do you have anyone idea where to buy one?
Watching your reviews is like going to Battery Charger University. Very interesting stuff. I've picked up a lot watching your reviews.
I try to inform, I'm not Mr Spock, still I try though! Thanks for the comment appreciate it
This review worth thousand of likes.
Great review. XTAR should pay you to do user demonstration videos for XTAR. The manuals for their product do not cut it.
Thanks I think their manuals are a bit basic, some makers go too far the other way (tons of text). Best place is somewhere in the middle
Thanks for the review on this charger. Been into flashlights for a few years and this is really helpful having the voltage testing probes with the unit.
Mine just arrived today,your review counted quite a bit when I decided to buy it.I AM SOOOO HAPPY,this charger is fantastic.
Let me know what you think of it feedback is always useful!
@@MrBazReviews , your review covered everything there was to be known about this charger.With this in mind,my first experience with this charger left me with four "new" 18650 batteries (old dead ones that I forgot to throw away).One thing I failed to comprehend, when tested with the probes my batteries showed different voltages (after being fully charged), starting from 3,78 up to 4,18, although the amperage wasn't high and low accordingly (some had low voltage and high amperage and vice versa)
@@poetuliradiant As long as the probes connect properly (ie enough pressure) there shouldn't be a problem. I've not seen a low voltage termination off this charger, and I've used it daily since the end of 2017, but it's not impossible if you have a faulty one. I'd try a few more cells to see what is happening.
@@MrBazReviews ,how can I send you a video?
@@poetuliradiant Talk to Xtar or the seller I can't do anything my end I just do the reviews if you buy something and it's not working always go back to the seller first
I really appreciate your review Mr Baz. Very detailed, and to the point speaking.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It did take a while to make, but I felt people wanted to see it in detail so think the effort was worth it!
Thanks for the video, it has been 6 years now, is the charger still working? What is your opinion of it now? I almost bought this charger, but along with your cons, I didn't like that you could only view 2 slots at a time, very weird for such a big display. I ended up buying the Tenergy TN456, different class of charger but I like the display better, and it has a low enough current for AAA.
I gave it to a friend and it's still working. I don't mind the display being honest (yes shame it's only 2 at a time, but quite big and clear). I found the testing accurate there is a new updated version (identical bar longer slots for protected 21700 cells) VP4L. It's worth a look "at the right price", but it is quite simple for some users, maybe a bit too simple. Yes some of the Tenergy ones are decent enough.
@@MrBazReviews Thanks for the reply! I am impressed the Xtar is still working, have a great day.
Yes indeed thanks very much, I have ordered one. I do like good quality kit in this age of cheapo knock offs. Good professional standard review.
It's not bad!
Conclusion Charger XTAR Dragon VP4 Plus: Purchase recommendation conditionally.
For Li-Ion batteries ok, there was no problem.
Otherwise: Somewhat difficult to understand, handling annoying.
No purchase recommendation when using for AA or AAA batteries. Here it came to overcharges, heating the battery and finally worked a charging slot no longer. Here I recommend Panasonic fast chargers.
I've never seen one case of over heating or over charging on Ni-MH cells and I've tested this extensively with hundreds of charge cycles. If you have a defective unit then get it replaced under warranty.
Thanks for the answer.
Unfortunately, the dealer disappeared. Nobody feels responsible.
I bought another device from a dealer. This has a three-year warranty and the dealer has existed for many years.
Too bad the VP4 Dragon didn’t retain the 0.25A charging from the standard VP4. I rarely used anything over 0.5A for my 18650 cells since I have lots of fully charged spares to use and was never in a hurry to charge.
0.5A seems like it could be a little aggressive for the smaller NIMH like AAA/AA. I know the Panasonic advanced charger that came with my Eneloops charges at 0.2A which seems to work great for these AA/AAA cells providing years of trouble free service from each cell. Wonder how the cell longevity would fair from over 2x the charging rate?
It is odd and it bothers me as a charger. I do use slower charging, and rates missing in between too (say 1.5A)
Xtar said they wanted to keep it simple, I don't think giving individual channel/more control would make it difficult to use
They are evidently working on a newer one, unfortunately the VC2S and VC4S were a notable step back in fact no charging control at all - big mistake. So I don't hold out a lot of hope for a new one of this
I keep it around for battery testing mainly - for that is it quite good and accurate
@@MrBazReviews I saw another reviewer report that if you plug something into the charger usb port that the charging ramps drop down. Can you test and comment?
Yeah, for my small AAA with a capacity from 750mA the charge current of 500mA is a bit high. I think 300-400mA would be a good choice. Dunno why Xtar don´t have more charge currents like Opus and Nitecore.
Thanks brother, yeah as stated in my comment on your Opus review vid, I thought the tolerances on the difference between slots reporting on the same battery were unacceptable, but the probes are very accurate as stated, they correspond with my multimeter .01V difference so excellent. While I thought I'd be smarted than the other "powerwall" guys and buy the more expensive unit (this one) instead of the Opus I felt ripped off until I saw your Opus manual on your vid! It states 10-20% discrepancy so I guess this is acceptable for this unit also. I did a discharge test on slot 1 and it reported 1784mAh, I then tested the same battery on slot 4 and it came back @ 2117mAh so I was let's say "pissed" at the difference, this is a large change in slot reporting! Now as I write this I will do it again in slot 1 to see if it's just "recovery" of the battery after non use for a long period that has caused the change. I'll come back and reply to my comment here is it has. Thanks for the good report man, keep it up..... (Wish THEY had sent me a freebie! Maybe Opus will ;) )
OK have finished the testing of the same battery, it read 1892mAh in the same slot (S1) it previously tested 1784.... hmmm think it may be recovery, but slot 4 is definitely reading high!
Hi what happened is well for a good while I didn't see a problem with much variation on the slots on testing, very little. Last year I started to see the two outer slots for some reason reading off, by more than a bit (few hundred mAh). I contacted Xtar, got no meaningful response at all. When I got the SkyRC in for testing, I kept it for the battery testing which is accurate and you have full control. And I gave the Xtar away so I don't have it anymore and honestly I don't recommend it much even before that (too limited in functions can't select charging speed per slot etc)
I've told Xtar the last request I'm not interested in looking at their products, they emailed a few months ago. Why? Simply because the company doesn't have good customer support at all, and they don't care if there are problems. So the first port of call is the retailer if there is a problem on this one, sorry you've had a problem on this.
I think the best bet is to avoid Xtar I've no real confidence in the company, oh and they also stole a bunch of my videos I have to get removed (nice eh!)
At the time I made this I thought it was pretty good for testing, with the other grumbles listed. Now I just wouldn't bother with it. It is true some testers are not super accurate (the Opus isn't bad though good enough), some are like the Sky RC one (but it's expensive). I'd probably suggest going for a Zanflare C4 which was pretty good overall at a fair price. Hope that helps a bit that's what's been going on anyway!
@@MrBazReviews Thank you for this post and I hope they read it one day. I was considering buying the Dragon or Opus but after reading this, I'll better be off Xstar products.
Do you still like this charger? Been over 2 years now since review. I like the testing feature, don't mind that there is no individual control over each bay, but don't know if there are any newer/better chargers to look into. Thanks!
It's around a bit cheaper now so might be worth a look. The SKY charger is the one I use now for testing as it has a lot more control, but it's more expensive. If this does what you want then it might be worth a look, the Opus is the best buy for an affordable tester that I've used
Mr Baz Reviews thanks a lot for the quick reply. I will watch your review on the Sky, but it seems a bit complex to me, I will probably buy the Dragon for $50.
Also, can I ask you, you mentioned you have a lot of batteries, do you store them in any special way or are you not concerned that a cell might go bad and cause a fire? I don’t have much experience with Li-ion batteries. Thanks
What would you recommend for for AA & AAA Ni-MH. 0.5A or default 1A setting. I have just purchased this unit? Thanks.
AAA 0.5A max. AA you can charge at 1.0A quite safely (for good capacity cells ie 2000mAh or more), or at 0.5A
Great review ive just gotten into high powered flashlights, what would be the easiest/best charger to use for high drain 18650s and normal 18650 batteries?
Hello Marc well depends what charging speeds you want this is fast ie 2.0 amps x 2 bays or 1.0 amp across all 4 (or half and amp if you set it to that). If you want a simple easy to use charger I'd look at the VC4 4 bay model very easy to use, but provides more information about cells (ie voltage and how much it's charged into the batteries)
VC4 charges at 2 x 1.0 amp or 0.5 amp on all 4. Really down to what you want bays/speed/features. For ease of use that one is a solid buy and also excellent value.
Mr Baz Reviews cool thx man ill try that one out =)
There was a comment on Amazon:
"I found that a lot of times, some of the channels randomly show that charge capacity and discharge capacity are exactly the same numbers which is IMPOSSIBLE. You will never get exactly the same capacity you put in the batteries out of the batteries. It's a real world situation. Everything has losses. I’ve switched batteries around, changed current rating use different brand/type of batteries and different power sources. Nothing seems to fix it. I also looked up some review videos on TH-cam and I saw the same thing happened to the units in the reviews. I've attached the screenshots of three test cycles and as you can see that it happened in every cycle.
I've contacted XTAR directly to tell them about the problem, and see if they have a fix since this seems to be a firmware problem to me, not a hardware. I've sent them screenshots. We were going back and forth for almost a week and they tried to brush it off that it only happens sometimes, not all the time."
Can you confirm if you have seen this?
I can only go on what I have and..I have not seen this problem, with a lot of cells going through the unit
So I'm not sure if it's a production run, it's not impossible to get simply because no test is every 100% accurate - not seen it myself on this one. I have my complaints on this, lack of individual charging control is one. I've found it to be pretty good for accuracy on the cells I have tried, if you run a test 10 x you'll get slightly different figures. Main thing is they are close very close usually
@@MrBazReviews Thanks! Not sure what went wrong for him, sounds like a firmware issue which might not be reproducible on other units. The cross test with other chargers showed similar results so in general Xtar VP4+ seem to work reliably.
Good review. I my opinion, this charger pales in comparison to the SKYRC 3000 charger. The only thing this one has that sets it apart is the remote probes. Big drawback is that it doesn't work with LiFePo4's. Nor is it programmable. Given the price point of course.
I'll try to get hold of the RC3000 for review at some point it does have a lot of options which some might find useful. I'd like to see more settings on this model appreciate the comment!
Great review, lots of solid information and knowledge here. Thanks
Thanks for the comment
During the ‘test’ mode, does the charger discharge the battery to a safe voltage level? (Ie would it over discharge a battery?) Thanks
I've never seen it over discharge a cell
Just bought one of these chargers based on your review and I reckon its the ducks nuts :)
I quite like it despite a few thigs I would have changed
@@MrBazReviews Agree its not perfect but bloody close. Wasn't cheap at $140AUD compared to my VP4 that was only $35AUD.
Just binned this charger, the plastic internal posts that the spring use have snapped off, pretty bad design I reckon.
I just ordered one of these a couple days ago. It's scheduled to arrive tomorrow, and I'm pretty excited. I have only had 18650 vape batteries until recently, and didn't realize that 21700 batteries wouldn't really fit in my Efest Luc v6.
Some 21700's don't fit on all chargers. This one all the unprotected ones fit, most of the protected ones are a bit long (a few fit)
If you vape then it's unprotected cells that you will use
@@MrBazReviews thanks I'm definitely using unprotected batteries. I had thought that the charger I already had would fit these batteries, so I'm a little frustrated about that.
I managed to cram a few 21700's into the charger I have now, but it nicked up the wrappers pretty bad (not all the way through, but I could tell if I continued to do that it would happen quickly). I also ordered some new wraps and terminal insulators for both 21700 and 18650, so I should be set for a while.
I wonder if there is any competitor with the VP4 plus that can have the same plus the individual charge and discharge and the other features you highlight as good to have. Do you know any other that is more complete than this VP4 PLUS??
Yes the SkyRC model
th-cam.com/video/0bAs2iBV9cw/w-d-xo.html
It's the most advanced charger out, though it has some quirks of it's own. It is far more customisable than the Xtar charger - though for most it is probably overkill
For what these cost I'm surprised it doesn't show you the voltage of the cell as it is charging. Also do these reduce voltage as it reaches a full charge, or does it go 0.5A, 1.0A, or 2.0A right up until it terminates the charge?
All chargers reduce current (not voltage) at the later stages of charging. The lack of voltage display and individual control of channels is a notable drawback and surprising at the price point
As a charger and tester it works well enough, however I am now using the Sky RC for testing purposes over this as it's a better overall product
The VC2s and VC4s were well below what I expected from the company, so I've kinda lost interest in Xtar products
Does it have that same intelligent smart identifier like VC4 has or is VP4 a manual setting charger ? In VC4 I can just put battery in and be back later...
It knows Ni-MH and Li-ion as explained in the video the default charging rate is higher though it's all in the video
very good and detailed video where you show everything thank you
I try!
Awesome review & awesome charger. 👍
It's an OK charger
Thanks for the review.
Do you know if you can select each slot and decide what to do independent of the others..?
As an example with my venerable BT-C3100 I can have one battery discharging and then charging, another charging at a certain rate and another.............. You get my point :)
Sometimes I have a need for a charger that has four slots but have differing needs for each of them.
Thanks
There is no way to control slots individually
Thanks .Good help ( only..sometimes it goes a little quick for me . I'm not Inglish native.. ( I am dutch , from Belgium) But it's very good to have people like you , showing how it works. ( I had been looking , and wondering , why it didn't show the voltage... fSeen the price , I could not believe , it would not indicate it. Thanks to you , I know now I have to use the probes , but I find it stupid. Also I hoped to see the indications for the four slots at the same moment. Anyway , thanks
No problem glad it was of use for you!
Can you charge a battery by using the two usb red black probes?
Or they are just for test/probe. Thks.
No just for testing with the probes
Hi
Had the VC4 from Xtar but looking at this one now and 95% certain I'll buy it now after your review so cheers!
Any advice on brands of battery as I usually but the Xtar 18650 3.7 3500mah batteries for a high power torch. I can't get the Xtar at the moment so which other button top 18650 batteries would you recommend for quality? Thanks
Most brands are Panasonic re-wraps (ie good brands), Soshine are pretty good and not too expensive otherwise you're with Nitecore and similar makers which are basically the same cells. There are a lot more unprotected cells around for less, tested a fair few - most are flat top. Efest do button top high drain cells too
@@MrBazReviews I'll take a look. I know nitecore but they've all gotten so expensive I guess bc of supply problems. I was paying £8-60 for one Xtar 18650 3500mah now £25+ ...
I have a lithium 18650 battery readding 0 volts and 0 resistance with the probes
When i put it into a slot it says its a nimh so i took it out thinking its unsafe to try and charge it if it thinks its a nimh battery
It's not unsafe but if over discharged it thinks it's 1.5V, leave it in for a while and the voltage should increase to normal levels, then it will see it as Li-ion
Hello
I have a li ion battery for a flashlight
-When i put it on disconnected charger, the charger doenst give light
-charger is connected to the electricity, it gives green light, i put the battery on the charger, the charger's light turns red.
-i leave the battery charging more than enough and the light doesnt turn green.
-i measured the charger's out put , it reads 4.2 v
- i measured the battery it read 0 v !!!
What to do?
Battery sounds defective have you tried it on other chargers? This one does have auto activation, but if the cell is broken it won't charge or take a charge
So when you say individual charging control per channel, what exactly does that mean? Say I have 3 married batteries. Would that mean I would need to leave a slot empty if I was charging a 4th battery but needed to charge it at a different speed than the married set?
All 4 channels are on the same setting so if you want to charge smaller cells you have to drop the power level down. If you have individual channels you can pick a slow speed for one, and a faster one for another channel.
@@MrBazReviews so I can run 3 at 1 amp and one at .5 if I wanted(as long as I don't go over chargersax amp draw which is 4 right?)? I don't know much about the the chargers, or the terms but I am interested in knowing all that extra information, and having some of those extra features.
@@Nuck-Fo0bZz No you can't you can only run all 4 channels at a single speed 0.5/1.0 or if using the two outer bays 2 x 2.0A .
@@MrBazReviews wow.. Thought that was pretty standard.. Thanks. I appreciate the info.
@@MrBazReviewswould you recommended xtar dragon or nitecore ums4? I watched your recommended video, but I believe the usm4 is pretty new.
Having xtar vc4 and nitecore sc4. Did this particular model are better than nitecore sc4. I'm flashlight enthusiast which charge a lot
Both are fast chargers the Nitecore is cheaper but can only count the mAh, the Dragon can do a discharge test. Both have internal resistance testing. Really depends what you are doing if it's charging mostly the Nitecore is decent, for testing the Dragon is the way to go really
Mr Baz Reviews thanks for your reply. Will try this vp4 plus
@@MrBazReviews what was your rating on this dragon out of 10? I have the xtar vc4 mostly for charging orbtronic 3500mah 18650 battery for flashlight . I was thinking of getting this unit because you can discharge/charge the battery that the vc4 does not have, but I do have a multi meter to test the voltage of the battery. Do you think I need this unit for the discharge/charge of the battery and how important to discharge/charge the battery? Or should I just stick to the vc4?
Thanks in advance
@@loooga18 I don't always give an /10 rating on everything it's tricky with this one. It depends if you want to "test" batteries, if not then discharge is not needed for Li-ion or Ni-MH cells only Ni-CD. VC4 is fine for what it does you can still get an idea of the charge capacity if the cell is fully run down
Once a li-ion battery is charged does this show the total MAH capacity of the battery?
It shows you what you charged into the battery, so I would use the discharge capacity test if the cell isn't run down fully
Well since I own the XTAR VC4 and it has been a rock-solid battery charger, I thought it would be a good idea to upgrade to the XTAR DRAGON VP4 Plus, Right?
Wrong! In under 1 year, the plastic started cracking and the thing literally fell to pieces!
It is made out of a different type of plastic than the XTAR VC4.
I tried to tape it together, glue it together, epoxy it back together. Right now it has epoxy with a zip tie holding it together. I am sure glad I did not get rid of the XTAR VC4. That thing is built Rock Solid and still is going strong 5 years later! The Dragon VP4 Plus, not so much! I still use it when I'm charging multiple batteries or, I need to cycle some batteries. But I have to baby it because, I never know, I might have to add more zip ties to hold it together or something?
I didn't have problems with this, and eventually gave it to someone (not had any reports of a problem). But it was some time ago, perhaps Xtar's QC has taken a dive I can't say. I do know I don't get samples from them and I've mostly lost interest in their products (basic things which are overlooked) if it's under a year and broken you can use the warranty to get a replacement/repair etc I would have contacted the seller
Is the VC4/VC4s an update of this model? If not, is there an updated model or a better charger or this is still the best (kinda) in 2020?
No VC4 series isn't like this the VC4s I would avoid, for more budget offerings try Zanflare C4 or Opus they are also testers. I use the SkyRC now for testing
@@MrBazReviews Thank you very much for the advise.
@@dantespardason7508 No problemo!
Received my Xtar Dragon last week. The manual is reduced to one page with a parts diagram a spec table and only 9 short sentences about how to use it. I had some Energizer ultimate lithium cells that I put on the charger at 1.0 A. One cell reached 100% very quickly and the led turned to green. The other 3 cells remained on the charger for almost 48 hours only reaching 99% before I removed them.
Energizer ultimate lithium cells are NOT rechargeable you should never attempt to charge such batteries they are disposable. Hence the reason they say "do not recharge" on the side of the cells
Mine do not have that warning at all. Also I assumed because the owner's manual/pamphlet listed Lithium ion batteries, though I see it referenced 3.6V. I don't know what those are. Fortunately I didn't have a fire or explosion. Thanks for your excellent instruction video and your reply.
I need a decent
slow charger with manual current control for C and D, AA, A batteries, what are your recommendations?
You have very few options, D cells is the problem they don't fit most of the chargers out there.
At that point you might want to look at hobby chargers meant for Lipos. If you stay on the low power side 100W AC/200W DC or less you can stay under $40 or even $30. Some have the ability to work with AC at a lower wattage so you'll see the power rating as 100W AC/200W DC or whatever it is.
The ToolKitRC M8S (DC power supply only) comes a fair bit up above that price point, about $50-$60 but holy canoli is this thing packed with features. Beyond the typical balance charging of 2S-8S packs (yes it does more than 6S which means 7S 24V LiIon and 8S 24V LiFePO4 are supported) it does normal (internal) discharge at a decent rate (20W up to 5A), recycle discharging 18A 400W (feed another battery so you're not wasting the charge) and external discharge 18A 400W (hook up a power resistor to the output). The measurer menu has the cell balancing and IR measurement and the third menu is the power supply that acts just like your benchtop power supply 0-30V 18A, dependent on your external DC supply powering it but a 30V 20A power supply isn't terribly expensive. If you ever plan on doing packs up to 8S in the future this thing is an all in one steal at that price.
ToolkitRC has some stuff in their M4 and M6 range that might work better for you but I have no personal experience with them. One that looks cool is an M4 variant that does 80W max but you can use USB C Power Delivery as your DC input! So even a basic 18W or 20W/30W PD capable brick would give you more than enough power.
Perhaps take a look at ISDT's lowest lineup. You'll still have more power than you probably need but you have FULL control of parameters which is glorious (I'm assuming they are fully adjustable like the ToolKitRC stuff). All you'll need is some quality single (or doube/quadruple) Cell Holders, just remember what really matters is the contact is quality. Springs are not what I would recommend. Worst case scenario you can make your own leaf springs out of thin copper sheet. The current high quality leader for 18650's is the SMD style cell holder with the brass(?) alloy leaf spring.
how does this charger compare to the MiBoxer C4-12?. ( general flashlight charging use ) Cheers from London.
I've not used the C4-12 I believe it has somewhat faster charging, though you have 2amp on this which might be enough. This is more a tester, but it is fairly fast for a charger and the wide slots might suit some users better.
@@MrBazReviews Ordered. Thanks a lot, to you. Great review.
Can you test resistance of 12V car battery with it?
Sadly no it won't work with a car battery. I'm having car battery problems usual signs are won't take a full charge, reduced capacity. There is a test they can do with the electrolyte test that, you can also do a load test with voltmeter ie crank it over and see how low it drops...usually fairly easy to spot a problem. My speedo goes nuts with a dodgy car battery
Hi thanks for the review and I'm a noob on these , is this vc4 got balance charging?
No it just charges all slots at the speed set, that's one obvious drawback so you can't pick the current per bay
@@MrBazReviews
Ok noted understood thanks 🙏 which Xtar charger had the balance charging and with gd spec you recommend ?
@@dreamstrue9332 If you want a budget tester ie discharge test the Zanflare C4 is pretty good
@@MrBazReviews
Ok noted that thanks 🙏
@@dreamstrue9332 The VP4 Plus has balance charging for 3S packs
Thank you for the review. This unit seems easy to operate, I've owned it now for 8 hours, however the lousy manual leaves you with questions right away. I am assuming the following. Channel 1&4 and 2&3 are paired. So I can make channels 1&4 1amp and Channels 2&3 .5 amp if I so choose. Also I notice that if I place a Ni-Mh in a slot the Ni-MH will blink for a while. I have no idea why and what makes it stop. Li-on does flash at all. I wish the manual was much better. At this price point a nice manual should come with the unit or at a minimum be available on line. This would have almost a zero cost to the manufacturer. No excuse.
The channels are independent, but the charge level applies to all so if it's set to 0.5amp (as an example) it does that across all 4 bays. This is why I suggested individual control not a huge problem, but if you want to charge small cells you need to drop the rate across all the bays. Ni-MH flashes during the "soft start" then stops when the normal charging rate is being applied. The manual could be better as mentioned, if they implement the suggestions I believe it could be the ultimate all in one charger/tester, right now it's useful particularly for testing cells.
I agree your suggestions are spot on.
good review but its all over my head can you just leave it on the factory automatic settings like the nitecore i2 cheers
You can it defaults to 1.0A charging though bit high for AAA cells fine for AA or lithium
So Unprotected 21700 will fit? But not protected 21700s?
They vary in size the protected cells, so far only one protected 21700 I have tried fits most don't
@@MrBazReviews OK Thank you very much
@@MrBazReviews I found a Fenix ARE -A4 that seems to handle near everything as well as 21700 I am going to order.
I've had this device for a week. I'm new to the whole story and I don't understand why most of the batteries (some are very old) have a big difference in the charged and discharged capacity (does that mean they are bad)? And what is my real battery capacity?
Go on discharge capacity it shows both discharge is always more accurate
@@MrBazReviews Thanks for the quick reply and for explaining some things to me!
@@Nikolad1983 The charged capacity will always be higher. For new cells it will barely be higher but on older cells a lot of energy is lost to heat and other factors (high internal resistance) so you'll see a 3000mah cell take in 4000mah charge but it's not really taking all that in, its just heating up like an oven.
Great and Detailed review. Dragon is a great unit but as I checked the capacity testing function on dragon vs Foxnovo F4S, the results of discharge testing is different. for example, the test result for fairly new Nitecore 18650 3400mah on Dragon 2954mah but on focnovo 3410. i did this test with many other battery brand and dragon shows lower mah.
I have used the Foxnovo I found the discharge results not as accurate as the Dragon (not accurate at all for Ni-MH, but alright for Li-ion). I've put a lot of batteries through the dragon on discharge test so I'm pretty certain it's accurate. I'd run the test again to see what result you get
I did only (li-ion) test, but as I saw in another review, dragon shows lower mah and it is a big difference. if you want I can provide the link
I've tested it extensively and used it daily I've never seen it show a massively low number for discharge testing. If it is I'd send it back and get a replacement it's not a budget charger it should be accurate for this type of test. I don't think I've ever tested a product so extensively (ie used daily since I made this video and weeks before I put the review up) Of course I mentioned quite a few areas I wasn't happy with, accuracy was not one of them
Great review mate.!! Do you think I'll be able to charge Surefire SFLFP123-A 3.2V batteries with it and AA 1.5V LITHIUM ? Cheers ..
Only 3.6 or 3.7V Li-ion cells will charge in this. Disposable AA 1.5V lithium no obviously, most of the rechargeable ones only allow cable charging (type c or micro)
@@MrBazReviews Sure, thanks for your reply ..
thanks for your videos ...always detailed and to the point. I'm wondering if there is a battery Quick Guide for download/print-out with info such as charge speed for different battery types/sizes and any other useful charge info?
There is no guide as it's simple just 3 charging speeds across the 4 bays
Video is here comparing chargers or rather picking ones at various price points...
th-cam.com/video/Kmoo-_izexE/w-d-xo.html
I've had one of these as my daily charger for at least a year. It gets a fair amount of abuse, a few sets of batteries through it a day at least, more if I'm testing. Everything still works like new, had no problems with springs or display etc. As a bonus, the case doubles as a great multi-meter case if you aren't using it for the charger. And the USB charger is handy if you have an Olight magnetic charger, I just leave mine plugged in.
It has it's flaws (IMO it's a bit too simple as mentioned for the price), but it can do decent testing and is easy enough to use. Price seems to have come down in recent times, the MC3000 has it beat though for it's vast options and large range of charging speeds. Both could use an update for longer protected 20/21700 cells and a few more tweaks
@@MrBazReviews Baz, just an update for your information. I had a quick power cut at my house today, it was off for less than a second but I noticed a spark from the charger (which had 4 18650s charging) and could smell burning. I unplugged it and when I powered it back on with the batteries removed it was reading "error" on all bays. I haven't had time to pull it apart yet but something got fried.
@@KiwiPokerPlayer Maybe the charger tripped the power? I've seen devices do that. Bit of a shame you had a problem with it
Maybe try a xtar dragon vp4 plus vs nitecore sc4 ..plus any other chargers in that premium range as a shootout review ...thank you kind sir!
Thank for dropping in
can it charge lifepo4 batteries ?
No it can't try the top picks video for options:
th-cam.com/video/BcNOvi9SV40/w-d-xo.html
It has discharge mode?
Yes it does, the SC4 doesn't
@@MrBazReviews thank you!
Do you know any nitecore with discharge mode? I prepare the nitecore as brand
How does this hold up in 2021?
It's OK with the obvious limitations I mention in the video
@@MrBazReviews sounds like it's the right thing for me at this price range then.
Liitokala li 600 or xtar dragon ?
Not used the Lii-600 but it looks quite good maybe give it a try
Great explanation!
Glad you think so!
Great! Thanks to your review I bought one (even at a bargain). It was important to have seen the reactivation function and all other features in detail. Very thorough. I have just used this movie as a manual to get going.
Update.
Having used it I am pretty satisfied, but with some of the same remarks that you already made. I am only using AAA and AA sizes currently.
- It is odd not that not all bays have the same options for the current. Effectively I am unable to charge a batch of 3 or 4 batteries at a higher rate, only 2. This is no issue for AAA batteries, but is is for AA as I would like to be able to charge higher capacity AA batteries of 2700 mAh at a current of 2 A..
- It is also a pity the current options are not fine grained. As far as I understood, it is better to have a current somewhat lower than '1C'. So for 950 mAh I would like to choose 750 mA, for 2100 mAh that would be 1500 mA. Options that seem logical, but are not there.
- Mixing battery types is not practical. One has to stick to the lowest current when choosing, and there is no automatic individual regulation (plug & play).
Appreciate the comment I try to make the videos showing what I'd want to see in detail, they take a bit of time to make that's the downside- but hopefully they are useful. Also few points I don't like as well but overall it's a decent charger
Thank you for the review. I miss a pure discharge-mode, Xtar chargers looks like all additional functions are implemented only faltering. And after my big disappointment with the VC4SL I still prefer my Opus BT-C3100 for analysing and charging NiMH
Yes I agree it should have it. I think they went for simplicity, however it needs a bit more for users. Xtar at this time were not bad, today the company seems to make mostly poor products. I gave up on them a while back
@@MrBazReviews I think the Dragon is their topmodel, so keep it simple is maybe the wrong way ;) . The non-individual charging control is also a NoGo, my old 30€ charger can do that
@@reifenabhobeler4331 I told them that they needed control over individual channels, yet they didn't take any notice. It's not a bad charger/tester as such, but at this level it needs more functionality/settings that the use can adjust. That doesn't mean it has to be complicated of convoluted in operation
@@MrBazReviews it seems like they are really catering to the set it and forget it crowd which is silly when you keep that mindset on your flagship product that's only $30 away from the King of all cylindrical chargers/testers the SkyRC MC3000
This amazing review. Thanks
No problem 👍 Thanks
Hi Baz, great review, I wouldn’t think it would be a good practice to place the charger on a fabric car/vehicle seat when using this charger as it may restrict the air flow through the charger, which may get hot.
Hi Barry well I' wouldn't advise placing it on something with thick pile which could block up the vents, on a flat surface it' not likely to have problems. The size/ventilation seem to be working well to counter heat, not seeing any heat issues with this at all. Either charger or batteries
Okay, gonna out myself as an idiot here. How do I determine remaining available capacity from the data this yields?
Just run the test cycle it charges, discharges (and counts the capacity), then charges it up again. That's the most accurate way to check
@@MrBazReviews Are you saying I have to leave it for an hour or so to fully charge, discharge, and charge again? It won't start discharging again?
This is not 4-wire resistance measurement ? It can be that USB is 4-wire but anyway it is connected to probe at the end. Measurement include contact resistance or even worse USB connector resistance ( if one cable is not as 2 separate cables )
Who knows all I can say is I've cross checked it on many cells and the results are close to expectations, I also compared results to the SkyRC charger and that also was on point, that doesn't have the probes, but is probably compensating for the slot IR
How to zero the memory?
I'm not sure there is a way I'd ask Xtar, but they never reply to emails or haven't for months!
Hi. Did you ever test the SkyRC MC3000. If. how would you rate them, or wich one would you recommend?
That is the one charger I have not looked at so can't really comment bar what I have read. It has a lot of options possibly overkill for some users, maybe not depends on what you want. The Dragon is fairly simple to operate, but it's accurate for testing which might work for many users. As I say at the end there are some options I would add to improve it, and I don't think it would make it overly complicated just offer more control for users. Is it worth getting depends if you are testing batteries frequently. If so then it can be justified, but I would like to see a MkII version with the suggestions added
I have XTAR VP4 Plus Dragon and XTAR MC2. If I power the VP4 and measure voltage with multimeter I get 4.75V which is way higher for a Li-Ion(no battery inserted in the charger). I did the same test for MC2 and I get 4.20V which seems to be good. With VP4 I tried to charge 4 Li-Ion 18650 at 1.0A and the cells were getting very hot. My question is could be the VP4 faulty ? I know that 3.6/3.7V Li-ion charge ends at 4.20V and Li-Ion 3.8V ends at 4.35V.
I've never seen it get hot, worn cells can generate a bit more heat but not the point they are really hot. Doesn't sound right to me perhaps get in touch with the retailer you got it from
Hi MR BAZ i am a follower of your page Your review videos are great Thank you for doing such detailed reviews and at the end of your clip I wrote the positive and negative points Thank you for your efforts😍😘😍👍💕❤ I wanted to ask you between XTAR and NIGHTCORE models. Which do you like in all ways ???🤔🤔‼😮Please answer because i want to buy thank you😍😘🙏😊
I did a video on suggested chargers that covers how I feel, nothing much has change both can make decent chargers, there are models I avoid VC4s and VC2s are not great IMO
@@MrBazReviews Thank you for your answer so where's your video ??😍😘🤔🤔 I currently have access to nightCore D4 and Xtar VC4 and can buy which one do you recommend?🤔🙄🥰Of course I also have Xtar VC8 but I am unlikely to buy it. Please suggest me based on your experience.🙏🙏🙏🤔😥😍
AWESOME review! I just bought one! Now, I gotta figure how things work. Question: with the probe, can I tell fake batteries from real ones?
Thank you,
Victor
Not really probes test internal resistance, test the capacity takes a while but it's accurate
You're the Best!!!
Hi Baz this is a really nice charger one that i would definitely consider getting its a lot of money but has a few features that i have never seen before so the price is probably justified thanks for the great review as always 👍
Hi Keith the difference here is the probes v other testers. On the upside the readings are more accurate using probes I don't mind them being there as you can remove them when not needed. Also you can test cells whilst charging or doing a capacity test etc which is useful. Quality is certainly here, I am mindful of trying to think of areas to improve (same for all items I review) hence the list at the end, some are quite small tweaks thinking ahead for 20700/21700 which are becoming more common (protected cells). I expect almost all the chargers out there will have new models re-designed to fit these cells, very few will take them at present.
For someone who needs to test cells frequently there are far more positive points than negative ones.
I have a similar charger to the Opus just under a different brand and if you leave a dead battery in it, it will revive after some time
Perhaps they added a slow current on that, the original Opus didn't have that and would report no battery
The problem with the charger is no individual control over bays even in pairs you cannot set charging current as 0.5amp for 2 bays and 1amp for other 2 it is very annoying.
It's something I would expect on a charger of this type (and most chargers). I told Xtar plenty of times about this, doesn't seem to sink in much (VC8 also has no individual control)
I use the MC3000 for testing now, though this might be of use if you use D cells a lot (not many can charge 4 at the same time)
Can't get it to charge at 2amp
Only outer bays charge at 2A, use current button to cycle the charging current
@MrBazReviews hi yes tried that also can't get passed one amp only like a month or so old also maybe I should contact fogstar or something
@@mathew-vape If you have any more than 2 outer bays with cells, you can't get 2A
@MrBazReviews Yes even with 1 battery in the outta bay can't get 2 amps tried 18650 20700 also 21700 not that I mind but thanks
@@mathew-vape Something is wrong with the charger, that's not how it should work
Great vid
I try it's not bad perhaps could be better
Can't charge and discharge in different bays at the same time? Deal breaker...
Also - don't quite understand the value of 0 volt activation. Any battery that is at 0 volts is guaranteed to be rubbish.
The 0 volt activation isn't just at 0 volts a lot of chargers won't see a cell at all if it's under 1.0 volt (they vary exactly on that) so the voltage could be lower and the cell might be alright or usable. It's been less an issue with Li-ion cells rare, some Ni-MH the odd time. The lack of charge/discharge at the same time could be a problem as it takes some time to get the reading, it is accurate though
Such a great feature packed portable charger but its a shame its not a future proof as it can't charge protected cells 😩
They could and should have updated it, mind you the Sky RC also can't take protected cells for 21700
@@MrBazReviews Thanks for clarifying that. Btw can you make videos about the skyrc or their new imax b6 evo pls. 😁 I just want to charge any kinds of batteries as possible with a good real capacity tester and internal resistance. Thanks
@@MrBazReviews And Btw your new subs here 😊 I enjoying your reviews and thoughts and I'm looking forward to that.
The one I just bought tried to burn my house down. I put four semi new Eneloop Pro AA batteries in and it failed to sense one of them as NIMH after the “10 minute soft charge” and instead charged it as lithium-ion. Luckily I found it by the time it had already charged to 1.5 V and was screaming hot. The charger also claimed it had put over 3400mah in my 2500mah Eneloop. Wheres the temperature protection? Wheres the overcharge protection? A $90 charger can’t even tell the difference between NIMH and Li-Ion? Chargers 1/4 the price can do this properly . I read if this problem somewhere else on a forum or youtube comment but can’t find it now. Obviously not an isolated instance. Being returned Amazon. Trash.
If it's dud it's dud I'm not working with Xtar going forward, but I didn't have a problem with this charge. So obviously some QC issues there. Honestly I've lost confidence in the company for a while now, but as I say this one I did use a lot and didn't see those problems. Maybe they have factor issues either way it's disappointing I agree
OMG Opel / Vauxhall CORSA C !!! :)
Yes I still have it, TH-cam doesn't pay that well unfortunately ;-D
Wow nice one makes me regret getting the D4 even though its decent
Different prices and functions the D4 is still good, this one has testing and fast charging
I don't think the charger had a rating it looks nice
It does look nice!
Wow
Wow indeed
goodddddddd jobbbbb 😆😆😆😆😆
Thanks
Try this RC3563
You can but it's another item to have around, they just need to extend the IR range on this
The YR-1030/35/35+ seems to be more popular and typically comes in a bit cheaper
Is it weird that I’m going to buy this because it says “Dragon” lmao
Maybe Dragon sounds good!
@@MrBazReviews hahaha
This product seems to have a very poor reliability after reading some commentaires in Amazon…
I did this video some time ago, this one is still working. However, last couple of years Xtar's QC seems to have declined rapidly. I gave up looking at their products some time ago.
I can't believe that I bought this crap. No voltage indication (I can put up with that), only monitoring 2 bays at a time (I can put up with that), cannot test a battery whilst charging another at the same time (annoying, but I don't test often), only 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 amp charging.
My biggest peeve is that if you leave it powered and available for use, the frigging screen is on all the time and the 4 LED are lit bright green. I know I can manually turn the screen off, but the LED's remain bright. For Christ's sake have a timeout and switch off this these things when not in use. Even a power switch on the side would help at a push. If I have to keep unplugging it, it's no longer a convenient tool, as I use it every day.
I've used the Opus BT-C3100 v2.2 for years, it's just that my current (charging rate) selection switch is a bit iffy now. I should have bought another one. 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0. 1.5, and 2.0 amp charging, and auto display off.
There are things that annoy me too as I mentioned in the video. I don't mind the LED's showing if it's charging or finished bit on the bright side but I turn off the display usually at night. I agree on the can't test/charge at the same time that is a downer, many of these issues are not problems on the Opus (though there are a few things on that I'd change). I think the problem is Xtar over simplified things too much such as not having individual channel charging control which is a bit mad really.
I don't think it's awful but it's not as good as it should be for a premium charger. Let's see if Xtar sort out these complaints in the new model (they have one coming out this year update to this)
chargers without pp3 ability!!!!!!!!
Not many do support them these do though I have one myself works fine. Still if you want Li-ion too that might be a problem I just keep one of these around for the 9V cells
www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001809008711.html
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Yes