Review on 🔌 XTAR VC8 Smart Speedy Charger for 18650 Batteries with USB C | Supports Li-ion, IMR, Ni-MH, Ni-Cd AA, AAA, C, 21700, 26650, 14500 | Includes 18W Adapter by Jason Dinh

Failed to load media. This is a very sophisticated 8-bay charger with a very wide range of compatible batteries (see its specs - pretty impressive). For example, you can charge six 26650 batteries or 8 21700 batteries, and in general, all typical lithium batteries from 16340 to 26650 can be charged. The charger is powered by a QC 3.0 USB-C charger and a USB-C to -USB charger powered -One cable. (both supplied). It has two separate LCD screens, each showing four battery information. Spring-loaded slots allow for easy insertion of different battery sizes and provide a secure fit. See my photos. Two really nice features of this charger are its rating and memory functions, available on slots (channels) 1 to 4 (you can use all slots for charging, but the first four offer these two additional functions). Well what is it? The rating function checks the actual capacity of the battery, and if you don't use the battery for a long time, you can use the memory function to discharge and charge the batteries to their rated voltage to maximize their lifespan. See the instructions (photos) on how to do this. For lithium batteries that you plan to store and not use for some time, this nominal voltage is 3.7V. When the detected battery voltage is higher than 3.7V, the charger will discharge it first and then charge it, and if it is lower than 3 .7V is V, 0.7V, the charger will charge it up to 3.7V for long term storage. The charger's grading function determines the actual battery capacity by fully charging the battery, then discharging it, and then recharging it during one cycle. The charger then calculates the capacity of the battery by knowing the discharge current and the time it takes to discharge and charge. The charger can also detect and display the internal resistance of the battery, which is very convenient. Another nice feature of the charger is the zero voltage activation feature. If you have a discharged or almost discharged battery whose voltage cannot be determined, the charger has an activation voltage (if the batteries are not charged) to automatically start charging. The charger also has a protection function. It will display an error and stop charging if the battery fails to activate, or if you installed it incorrectly, or if you inserted a non-rechargeable battery. Please watch my video where you can see how the charging current changes from 3A to the end. Descent. Personally, I recommend charging your batteries slowly. So if you have filled all 8 slots, that means 1A for each. Of course you can go further, say four batteries, each charged at 2A. All in all this is a very versatile and multifunctional charger. If you have a lot of batteries, you can't go wrong with the VC8. Highly recommended.