Efest Luc V4 Charger

Silver

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I have the Nitecore but for some time I have been eyeing out the Efest LUC charger.

There are two reasons -
- first is that it has the little voltage indicator, which I think is cool and could be useful as @johan pointed out a while ago (to see the general state of a battery being able to hold 4.2V when full charged)
- second, it seems that Efest is going to be the battery I will be using more of, so to have an EFest charger from the same manufacturer makes sense

So after googling this charger, I found a really interesting review
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Efest LUC V4 UK.html
This guy appeas to be of the no-nonsense type - does all the electrical tests and curves etc.

Disturbingly, his conclusion reads as follows:
"The charger uses the correct algorithm has a good termination current and I like the design, but the high charge voltage is not acceptable.
The usb output does also work fine, but I do not know how much use it is in this type of charger. If it had been powered when the charger was powered, it would probably be more useful.
If Efest fixes the high charge voltage it will be a good LiIon charger, but before that happens it is not very good.
"

He basically says that the charger charges to 4.28 Volts, which he says is too high. @johan, would you mind taking a look at this and giving us your view if this guy is right or just being pedantic.

He then goes on to update this review with the updated version of the charger - the 2014 version. (red link at the top of the original review)
http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Efest LUC V4 2014 UK.html

Here, EFest has corrected the problem and fixed the high charge voltage. He acknowledges that. So this is the one to get.

I see this charger is for sale at VapeMob (26/4/2014).

When I saw this review I was saying to myself - oh no, not another situation where the one version is no good and you have to make sure its the "corrected" version. And it's not easy to tell because the photos look identical. I wonder which version this one from VapeMob is?

Just thought I would share this in case you were thinking of getting this charger.
 
Thanks Hi Ho!

Will wait for @johan to comment... I was toying with the idea of getting a fancy charger!
 
I researched a lot before getting mine and i opted for the 2channel one . The usb is always on and can be used as backup when a battery is inserted to power the usb as well . And not a single bad review . As well due to size was better fitted for my liking.
I think the different versions can be spotted by a button on top on the rigth just below the screen . The one that has it is the second version .
 
Thanks @andro

I suppose the 2 channel charger is a different story altogether...

Glad you like your one.
 
Was just thinking, that USB feature is quite cool.
My Nitecore does not have a USB out function

So, if you have a USB passthrough battery device - like the MVP, you can power it with your fully charged 18650 batteries in the event of a power failure... LOL
 
@Silver & @Rob Fisher I can not comment on the Version 4 / 4-Bay charger at all. The only measurements I did was on the 2-Bay Efest LUC (1'st generation) & 2-bay Nitecore (2013 version). Charging voltage of 4.28V as he measured is quite high, as most battery manufacturers specify for maximum constant charging voltage of 4.25V. The 2 units that I tested were both within acceptable limits; 4.23V in both instances. This guy in the link knows what he is doing and I can not criticize or fault any of his comments at all. Only comment I can add, is that any Li-Ion battery constantly charged to 4.28V will only have a insignificantly shorter life cycle.
 
Thanks @johan! It's so awesome to have an electronics expert on tap here! :rock:

There are some better electronic experts than me as members on this forum, its time they get fined for not joining in these type of discussions! :D
 
There are some better electronic experts than me as members on this forum, its time they get fined for not joining in these type of discussions! :D

Names names here and I'll assemble the full bench of the Supreme Vaping Court and bring it to session! :rock:
Judge.jpg
 
@johan I agree fully that a charge voltage of 4.28V will only reduce the life cycle of the batt by a tiny amount. 0.03 is splitting hairs in my opinion and if that's all he can really fault it on I'd say it's a good buy
 
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