20 Best Charger For 18650 (2022 Updated)

I have a very powerful flashlight that uses these batteries. The charger that came with it plugs directly into each battery. The micro USB connections are not very robust. While charging them recently one of the batteries shorted out.

I bought the batteries as replacements and wanted a better, more reliable charger. This charger works great, charges the batteries quicker and is much safer. I am very pleased. StreamLight needs to include this charger with their flashlight – much safer.

Used it once and it was great but then the next time I went to use it, it only charged one battery and never charged the other one. Had it plugged in overnight to give it plenty of time but the next day only one battery was charged.

It didn’t even charge the second one at all. I am disappointed since everyone else seems to have good reviews for it.

This is a very functional and versatile rechargeable battery charging unit that will charge one or two 18650 Li-ion batteries at a time. The unit as I ordered came with an AC charger/cable with a Mini USB input to the charger cradle.

The two 18650 batteries supplied had Mini USB ports allowing alternative charging options. I bought this unit specifically to power two Streamlight ProTac HL-X flashlights which have a 1,000 lumen output and run off either one 18650 Li-ion rechargeable battery or two CR123 lithium disposable batteries.

These are primary defense flashlights and the rechargeable option is an economical solution.

This is a great budget charger for 18650 and 21700 batteries. 21700 batteries fit without damaging the wrap but it’s very close. This isn’t the fastest charger by any means but it’s much safer for your batteries than charging an 18650 at 2 amps.

Some earlier models of Efest chargers could be battery killers. I lost a few 18650s from an earlier model that would consistently charge to over 4. 3 volts before it stopped charging. This model stops charging at just slightly under 4.

2 volts so your batteries are never over charged. Charging one or two batteries in the center two slots will charge at 1 amp. Charging 3 to 4 batteries will drop the charge current to 1/2 amp. They will certainly charge slower at 1/2 amp but they should last a lot longer than charging at higher currents.

If you need a dependable charger at a budget price this is it. It’s a no frills budget charger that works very well.

It’s only been in service for a couple of weeks but so far it’s working perfectly. It’s compact and It doesn’t heat up even when charging 4 batteries. The color-changing indicator lights make it easy to see which batteries are fully charged.

I buy only Efest 18650 batteries, so when my last charger stopped working reliably I decided to try the Efest battery charger. So far I’m very happy with it.

I need an 8 bay now, but this little charger is run almost constantly. Only heats up a little, more like a warmth. Charges my batteries efficiently and fully. It’s easy to see when your batteries are charged, the light simply turns blue.

The springs holding in the battery holder part are not too hard to pull back, can easily be done with one finger. I charge my batteries on a plate because like i said earlier, it does get a little warm.

Good, safe efficient charger. Would buy again.

Seems to be doing great so far. I love that has so many auto detect features to protect the device and batteries. It has a great 3 year warranty. The easy slide springs make it so easy to get the batteries in with no hassle or foreseeable connection problems in the future due to stiff springs / forced battery placement into bays.

Last, but not least, I am definitely pleased with the aesthetics and LED indicator lights – there’s so much to be said about beauty in simplicity. I would definitely recommend this charger!.

Quit working in less than 2 weeks. Wouldn’t charge and lights stayed blue. This is the 2nd one that quit soon after purchase. Will not buy again.

This charger is terrible. First, the instructions indicate that it comes with a cable, but no cable was included. Also, my Streamlight 18650 batteries physically fit just fine, but I have to twist and mess with them to get the charger to recognize them.

Finally, the charger indicates that the batteries are fully charged, when I know that they are not–if I simply plug them into my Streamlight 22082 Y-cable, they begin charging.

I don’t really have a review because I returned the product. Thought these batteries were supposed to fit and replace CR123 (x2) lithium batteries, but they don’t.

You plug the cradle in, load the batteries and the two lights alternating flashes for a second and then only one light flashes as “chargingâ€. Manual says it will charge one side first but after leaving overnight no change.

The other battery was left uncharged.

I was looking for a super compact portable charger. This definitely fits that description. Although the magnets stick together aggressively, I was disappointed that they do not maintain a more aggressive contact with the batteries.

I had to use other magnets between the charger terminals and the batteries to get the terminals to stay on in any meaningful way. If the magnets stuck to the batteries better, it would be awesome.

Great device to have in your truck or camping gear. The ability to charge all sorts of Li-ion and IMR batteries is great. The ability to use those batteries to charge a phone or other device, is just amazing.

It comes with an iPhone lightening adapter for the built in micro USB output plug. The built in light/lamp is ok, but I don’t ever expect to use it. Instead of the white light, I would have rather had a spot to store the iPhone adapter while charging batteries.

Might get lost otherwise. That’s my only suggestion, not a complaint. I feel like the iPhone adapter was sort of a freebie and maybe an afterthought. Great product though. Very easy to use too.

I keep this in my work bag so I always have the ability to charge my MT10C’s battery on the go/in the car. It’s great it also charges other types. Features a nice built-in LED light and charging indicator.

This charger does everything the instructions said it will. Smart in that with the proper batteries it will help them last longer. It does this by knowing how many times the batteries have been recharged and what the state of discharge it is in.

Lithium batteries have a memory and improper discharge/recharge can occur with an inferior charger. This one scenes the state the battery is in and will refresh it by complete discharge prior to recharge.

The ARE-C1 Fenix Smart Battery Charger can charge either one or two 18650 Lithium-ion cells. An LED glows red when its associated battery is being charged; it turns green when charging on that cell is complete (one LED for each battery).

I have been using the charger on Fenix ARB-L2 (2600 mAh) cells for over a month with no problems. It’s a simple device, inexpensive, and very easy to use.

Picked up the battery charger recommended by MEC staff when I bought the Feix UC35. However, the UC35 had a built in USB recharger. I hope MEC will accept a request to refund the battery charger after I opened the package.

Mostly, I was just looking to replace an old two-battery AC charger. Besides charging four at a time, this feels solid, especially the springs that hold the batteries in place. But 2A charging is a nice bonus.

This is the least expensive 18650 style charger I’ve seen that can do a whopping 2A for 2 batteries! That’s 4x faster than my old charger, and I like that it can be AC / DC / USB, very flexible. Great charger like the other XTAR’s I’ve used.

Nice to have the display. Good quality product

After validation onsite, I started topping off recently charged batteries. Both AA and AAA at the same time. Putting it to the test by putting in a 15 year old Rayovac AA. It tested it and is charging.

When one is finished, I just pull it out, the light for that slot goes out and I add the next battery in line. Nothing wrong with my old smart charger other than not knowing when a single battery is charged so I wait for the other to finish and the old one is much larger.

It could use a smaller well inside existing battery well for AAAs as they move around a lot when inserting and removing. Charged up my first 18650 batteries in a reasonable amount of time. Haven’t tested any of the batteries with amp meter yet, but they all work fine and it charges AA and AAA faster than my old smart charger that takes about 12 hours and heats them up as much as this i4 which isn’t alot.

I have owned and used one of these chargers for well over a year and it is very reliable. I use it to charge a few different types of batteries. It’s really handy having a single charger that accepts various types of batteries automatically.

I’ve had no problems with the charger’s operation and it always does a great job charging batteries. I just bought a second one since the price is low right now. I also have the newer model with an LCD display and that charger works great too, and the results are the same.

Nitecore makes excellent chargers. I also like the ability to use their chargers convieniently on 12VDC for portable operation.

I vape a lot and charge 18650s a lot. I prefer to charge my batts outside on the patio in the shade where I can keep an eye on them. The i4 is a great and reliable charger, not as fast charging as I would like, but it gets the job done.

It has three super bright LEDS as the charge status indicator and has four very smooth but firm spring loaded battery slots. Keeps batteries nice and cool to the touch while charging, never gets hot or even warm.

Perfect charger for VAPING!!!.

A quick charger for your 18650 Li-ion batteries commonly found in modern LED flashlights. Has an illuminated indicator that glows red when battery is charging and green when your battery is ready for use.

Included (non-polarized) AC power cord is detachable for storage and portability.

my husband works long hours in the dark and this makes it possible for him to have a replacement set of charged batteries on hand.

Being a Computer Tech I thought affordable chargers we a good reason to buy one. When researching Nitecore chargers affordable, quality built and high tech is now the reason to buy now. My family will be purchasing more products for Nitecore.

I am also recommending your products to family, friends and all who need reliable chargers. Thank you.

This power bank allows me to store energy in many cells for later usage so, it is very useful powerbank for outdoor activities. Energy capacity is only limited to how many cells you have( for example one, two, four, eight.

). charging current(AC -> Powerbank) seems to be approx 2A and (Powerbank -> Output) 2A max for both ports(summarized). I don’t know why, but sometimes is not possible to charge powerbank and charge device from powerbank at the same time.

I used 3A AC 5V charger as input to powerbank but there was no constant power output from power bank to device, only short pulses. I have to say that there was problems with overheat sometime but it depends on quality of cells used.

So I can say that there are many advantages over a conventional power bank with an integrated battery. – overheating in some cases – charging AC -> Power bank -> Device at same time is not possible sometimes + unlimited capacity you can store + possibility to easily replace old cells + 2 usb charging ports (2A current).

Total junk. I have a Nitecore D4 charger, which I love, and which has given me years of service. I figured the new F4 was a great idea – “two-way charging. ” Well, the idea is great, but Nitecore did an Epic Fail on the implementation.

I tried two of these units, and both of them were defective. The LCD screen has a very narrow viewing angle, by design; I’ve confirmed that via other reviews, as well. But what’s worse is that both units I tried had multiple missing LCD segments, nor did it display the data as advertised (did not provide me true voltage and mAh).

Avoid this; find something else, even if’s a separate charger and power bank. Photos shown are of the actual units I tried.

This charger is a nice step up from the previous Nitecore i2 charger that has served me for a decade. Some notable features include dt/dv charging for Alkaline batteries. This allows the standard AA, AAA batteries to be fully charged instead of stoping at immediately at the peak voltage.

The screen is nice and helps with giving a view on the health of the batteries such as making sure they are being drained equally and not being drained too much (Li-ion). D(4) has four charging slots and will divide 1500 mAh charge between how many are being used.

2 slots used = 750 mAh per cell and so on. It will automatically pick the correct charging method but I noticed bad Alkaline cells will make it choose the wrong one ( no safety issues, just a good indicator that your cell is going/gone bad).

Ordered 2 new 18650 batteries for my HC60 headlamp and a new intellicharger. The USPS package was torn open, but everything that was ordered was there. I have been satisfied with Nitecore products, as an aircraft mechanic I put the headlamps through the wringer, wearing it almost 10hrs a day.

I have to buy new batteries about every 1. 5 yrs. They hold up well and are much more affordable than the competition. Would highly recommend for professional use!.

Awesome charger! The display is nice and shows all necessary information. Charger is also fast and reliable. I have had a nitecore charger when they first came out and I accidentally smashed the screen when I had it in my backpack and smashed it in a car door but it kept on working.

I bought 3 other brand chargers to replace it but they never worked as well as this one so I bought another one from eBay and it works just as good as my first one 100% recommend for vape batteries or any other electrical projects where rechargeable batteries are needed.

Thought I got a dud based off the instructions saying the display screen would turn off if something isn’t working but turns out, it’s fully working and charging my new batteries even though the display screen goes black after it’s been plugged in for several seconds so I have no complaints.

I had emailed them right away to explain the issue I thought I was having and they were quick to respond and help me. Will order from here again definitely.

Love it except it’s not really durable, t’s susceptible to falling and this is my second one because I dropped the last one and the spring on one side got stuck on the inside and wouldn’t pop out. Using it as a phone charger it last about two charges for my phone.

First I had to slightly bend the connections in order to charge the batterys. About a week after use I noticed one EFEST battery looks like it almost exploded- serious bulging and bubbling. I tossed it because its a safety hazard.

DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED!.

I needed a charger for my Fatshark Scout batteries because I don’t have anything USB-C. This little charger fit the bill perfectly. It charges at 0. 5, 1 and 2. 0 amps and with the Li-Ion 18650s it works well at 1.

0 amps with one battery. I’d recommend it again. I will say that it is very cheaply made but not a surprise given the price tag. Very lightweight plastic and the metal slider feels like with extensive use that it will come loose.

Great charger. The charging contacts adjust in height to accommodate a wide variety of batteries. Great price for a quality charger.

The charger works well and gives decent charge times for my 18650 batteries. I have been charging using an iPhone Wall Plug as a psu.

This charger will charge Lithium ion, NiMh and also charge the LiFePO4 batteries. This charger and the Nitecore D2 are two chargers that will properly charge ti LiFePO4 batteries. Other chargers that charge the regular Lithium ion batteries will over charge and damage them.

This charger will charge the regular 18650 batteries faster than most other chargers. An important thing about charging the NiMh batteries is that each battery needs to be charged in an individually controlled slot.

Most of the consumer chargers for the major US battery makers will only charge batteries in pairs which tends to destroy batteries by over charging the one of the batteries. If the batteries are not discharged the same amount those paired chargers will continue the charge after the less discharged battery is full and over charge and ruin it.

I ruined many batteries before I discovered this fact. A really good charger for NiMh batteries is the Opus BT-C2000 which will charge as well as test and recover some older batteries. It is best to know the capacities for your batteries as you should only use similar capacity batteries in devices which use more than a single battery.

The device will only work till the battery with the least capacity is drained completely. Many people do not like therechargable batteries because they use poor chargers and don’t keep the batteries updated.

They will pay too much for disposable Alkaline batteries when properly maintained Nimh batteries would save them a lot of money in the long run.

Before I bought the charger I have watched several videos/reviews about it, but after having it I must say it is even better than I expected. And also I learned how to use it very quickly (using two buttons and understanding the charging rates at different scenarios etc.

), was easier than I tought previously from watching the videos. I have charged both Li-ion batteries (4x 18650 LG 3000mah) and Ni-MH (11x AAA 900-950mah) and it charged both fast, evenly and withouth heating them or anything.

The batteries I charged were all good, I didn’t try to charge any bad quality batteries. It detects the battery type and charged capacity very quickly and accurately (about 2 seconds after you insert the battery).

The built quality is flawless and the built material is nice. Each battery slot has two springs on each side, which is great for durability and use. Having the detachable cord also enables for better transport or for replacing the cable if needed in the future.

And also the price is good. Would buy again another if I’d need two chargers.

This charger works great, but because of the spring mechanism you have to be careful inserting and removing batteries. If you just jam them in and out you will tear the insulation off the ends and that is not good.

I got careless and shoved a cell in the slot with the charger plugged in, another thing to avoid doing, and the battery arced a blue flash and started to smoke. It did all those bad things that Li-ions can do because the insulation on the positive end had been torn away from my carelessness.

If you handle batteries carefully and don’t plug in the charger until the batteries are properly seated, you won’t have any problems. I’ve had mine for 2 years and it’s still going strong.

I’ve had a Nitecore UM20 2 battery charger for well over 8 years and it’s still working great. I just needed a little more charging capacity and a regular power cord. The i4 fits that bill. It does not have LED bar graph indicators, but it does have four green and red LED lights that give you the charge indicated.

Same Nitecore quality. First-rate build quality and a warranty that I have never had to use. One of life’s little mindless pleasures, put your cells on the charger, on a cool flat surface, come back a while later, fully charged-up cells ready to go.

I couldn’t be happier with this charger! The Nitecore i2 looks and feels solid, just like the quality product that it is. It charges all of my 18650 batteries quickly and efficiently, and is without a doubt my favorite charger I’ve used thus far.

Plus, all 8 of the vape shops in my local area carry AND recommend Nitecore chargers to their customers. The price at imrbatteries is half of what my local shops charge, though, so buying from imrbatteries is a no-brainer! FYI for anyone who may undecided on where to buy, imrbatteries ONLY sells authentic products! Nitecore has already verified that my charger is authentic and will be covered by warranty if something were to go wrong with it in the future.

Wanted to use this for a couple weeks before reviewing. This thing is awesome. Charges several different levels and brands of batteries at once, and turns off when the charge cycle is comlete. Intellegently reads the battery level before charging to determine charge time.

Springs on batterys are stiff but that keeps them from moving and ensures a good connection. Car charger for when I travel. Could not ask for a better charger for the price. I wish it had a digital readout, but for this price thats asking too much.

Easy to use charging system for your reusable batteries. I use this with 18650 batteries for vape pens and it works like a charm. Quick charging and easy to read the charge of each battery as it chargers.

I don’t use the extras for the larger batteries that it came with since I just use AA for recharging. The car adapter was a nice addition since often my vape pen comes with me wherever I go and if I forget to charge batteries or they run out during a fun road trip now I am prepared for whatever life throws at me.

Great and affordable, would recommend.

This is a great charger. I have several different types of batteries from AAA, AA to 18650 lithium batteries and this charges them all. The biggest plus for me about this charger is that you can charge odd numbers of batteries or even a single battery.

Most chargers won’t do this. I have some items that only take 3 batteries and it was a pain trying to charge them before. Just be sure to read the instructions carefully before charging a single battery.

This is affordable, and a really tricked out charger. It lets you measure your actual battery capacity, and put them in storage mode. Sure, it only does that on bay 1-4, but the other 4 bays do the charging job.

This is definitely performance tech which will pay for itself by keeping your cells in peak condition.

Only one reasons this is One of the best Battery chargers. Take a NO Name battery and use it having no idea how long it will last or how many times you can recharge it. Put it in this charger and tell it to Grade the battery, it will first charge it up full, then totally discharge it and back again to record how many amps come out of the battery and in the process calculates how much internal resistance is created.

Most batteries out there claim 3,000 mah 150% higher than they can actually store and can only cycle (fully recharge) 20-30 times stating they can recharge 2,000 times. Name brand batteries can recharge 2,000 times and have nearly 3,000 mah, and this charger will tell you the lies or if its a waste of time to charge it up.

I bought this model to very fast charge the Fenix 21700 batteries which are very long (76mm) With the VC8 I quickly charge the battery of my Fenix PD 36 TAC, it has a 21700 battery (ARB-L21-5000U) with integrated charging chip, the charging speed is approximately 1.

3A while with this Xtar VC8 I can go to 2A or 3A To get to the speed of 3A you need a latest generation USB power supply but I’m using a 5-port Anker and with it I can only charge at 2A but that’s fine anyway.

The price of this VC8 charger is good, the USB-C cable is provided (length: 80 cm) I like it because I can select various charging currents including 250 mA which is useful for small batteries like AAA or 16340.

This was one of my first purchases from the Fenix store several years ago. Now days I much prefer to buy the 18650 with a charge port built in. But I digress, back to the charger review. After a few years of good service the charger suddenly stopped working.

Plug it in and no lights, no charge, nothing. Dead. So I ordered a replacement. Then I decided to open the unit up to hsve a look to see if I could find the issue. Not knowing how it was assembled I started my disassembly from the wrong place and killed the unit.

Knowing what I know now I would start disassembling from another place. What I founf as cause of the failure was a poorly soldered wire connection for one of the main internal power wires. Something I could have repaired.

had I not killed the unit. Ah the price of experience. Main point here is a loss of stars on my review due to a poorly assembled piece.

These chargers (FEXIX ARE x1)are one of the BEST lithium chargers out At this time! What makes them so wonderful: is they charge FULL to 4. 2V and then HOLD the battery at this voltage. IE: your batteries will reach MAX potential EVERY time.

This charging style is wonderful for users who want FULL capacity/capability. IMPORTANT PART!! -> you MUST monitor the charger and battery. ( i recommend a USB METER with current measurement ) Remember, when you charge a battery to its FULL available capacity, it counts into the total life cycle of the cell.

( IF you only used this charger , your batteries will only last for there rated cycles. <300-500 cycles?>) For the ones who use 18650/26650 cells < e-cigs, flashlights, rc cars, etc. > this charger will offer you the largest run time ever experienced.

Most lithium chargers charge to a voltage setpoint (4. 2V) and then STOP. so if the battery sits for a time, and then you need it, they typically start to taper down on voltage as they are self discharging.

be safe, and NEVER leave a battery on this or any charger for an extended time, unless you are prepared to handle a fire/explosion. holding a cell at 4. 2 volts on a charger ,for a long time ( weeks, months? ) could spell terrible outcomes.

Comes with the charger and a micro-usb cable. There is no wall plug built in or sent with it. I suppose they have one that comes with those things, but I didn’t really care as I have several laying around the house.

It is small enough to hide in a corner and seems to charge fine.

The instructions are written by a person whose primary language is not English. They are not clear. All that’s needed is to insert your battery in a slot and it starts charging. This is the default “General Mode”.

This mode is explained in the last section of the instructions, when it should have been the first information described. The beginning of the instructions detail the “Professional Mode”, but doesn’t tell you how to get into this mode until the last “Special Attentions” section at the end of the document.

Pretty confusing.

I would like to start by mentioning the fast and easy shipping process from IMRbatteries. com was very convenient. This charger accommodates many different size batteries and has plenty of options for charger.

My favorite factor in this device is the space between the batteries and how easy it is to lift the batteries from the charger without the inconvenience of tearing batteries, especially my 21700 batteries.

Highly recommend this product for people who use multiple batteries throughout their day.

I’ve had three of these now. I left one at a shop near where I used to live, then my friend dropped the second one when it was 7°F outside and shattered one side of it. Both times I HAD to get another one.

I love this charger! Charging eight batteries at up to 1 Amp is fantastic, you can easily get all of your 20XXX size batteries in and out with ease (up to 8x 32650 if that’s your thing), and the charger holds up for a long time.

I was searching for a well thought out white & red LED flashlight to use while camping, as well as around the house, and found the Fenix TK25 Red Version. It was the only unit I found that made switching between red & white illumination easy and quick; just rotate the bezel head from red to white and visa-versa.

Sometimes analog is better than digital technology! I also appreciate the dual button set-up controlling on/off and illumination intensity of the dual LEDs: The large rubber button at the tail end of the light is just for on/off functionality.

The second smaller rubber topped button controls the three different LED intensity settings. This makes it super easy to use without the obnoxious single button/multi-purpose buttons found on most LED flashlight systems.

The flashlight illumination remains in the last used illumination intensity setting; another very useful feature. And its super quick and intuitive to press the small rubber topped button to get to one of 3 different brightness levels.

The TK25 Red Version has met all my expectations! And if Fenix introduces a identically featured but smaller version of this light I will add at least a couple units to our home and RV/camp set-ups! So refreshing to find a product that is well designed with strong evidence the design person/team really thought the features through.

Job well done on this light Fenix!.

With doing electrical work, a headlamp is vital when you need to work on stuff when the power is turned off. Very happy with the light I chose. Very very bright on the highest 2 settings you won’t need anything brighter for up close work.

Great light that lasts all day on medium setting. Batteries do take a long time to charge but buy a spare to swap them out if needed. The light feels very quality being all metal. A bit front heavy on my hardhat at first but I don’t even notice it after a couple of days.

This is a handy kit to allow for storage/charging of a spare battery. I also like that it gives you the option to use your spare battery to charge other devices. The cord storage on the back is nice.

My only real nitpick is that I wish you could press a button the case to light up the battery charge indicator when it is not in use rather than have to pop the battery out and back into it.