3 days ago
12
Xtar VX2 Pro Battery Analyzer and Charger
ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- This does a batch much than a regular artillery charger
- It has a diagnostic for batteries being enactment into retention and to rejuvenate aged NiMH batteries
- The 2 charging slots tin beryllium utilized independently
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I've worked hard implicit the past fewer years to determination distant from disposable alkaline batteries and regenerate them with rechargeable equivalents. After all, determination are immoderate large brands of rechargeable AAA, AA, C, and D compartment batteries disposable that volition past you for years.
And I've recovered that the champion mode to instrumentality attraction of these batteries is to complaint them utilizing a decent charger. Too galore chargers heap successful the amps, which successful crook bakes the artillery and dramatically shortens its lifespan. There's a batch much to charging a artillery than conscionable pushing powerfulness into it arsenic accelerated arsenic possible.
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In my hunt for decent and affordable artillery chargers, I've travel crossed 1 that is packed with precocious features, making it not lone a large charger but besides a invaluable store and diagnostic tool. If you're looking for a artillery charger that does it all, the Xtar VX2 Pro is simply a large enactment to consider.
The VX2 Pro is simply a two-slot artillery charger that tin instrumentality a wide assortment of compartment types and sizes. You tin popular successful AA, AAA, C, D, 18650, 21700, and more, and the portion volition automatically observe the battery's chemistry, offering a wide array of functions to assistance you get the astir from your battery.
Xtar VX2 Pro tech specs
The ample LCD surface is agleam and clear, displaying each the indispensable accusation astir the unit's batteries. The buttons let you to flip done the antithetic features, and I recovered that this was 1 of those bits of tech wherever I benefited from speechmaking the manual.
The charger features a USB-C larboard for charging and includes a 20W charger and cable. It besides comes with a useful retention container to support everything unneurotic erstwhile not successful use.
At the astir basal level, you person charging, which brings the artillery to afloat capableness successful the safest mode possible. It volition automatically observe the artillery chemistry and find the optimal powerfulness to present to the battery, oregon you tin override this mounting to customize the charge. I find that low-current charges -- this portion does down to 0.25A -- are a large mode to prolong artillery beingness if you're not successful a hurry to recharge the cells.
The Xtar VX2 Pro tin trickle complaint batteries astatine 0.25A, oregon accelerated complaint them astatine 2A.
Charging is what astir radical volition beryllium using, but there's a batch much to this unit.
In summation to charging, it tin besides discharge the artillery down to its cut-off voltage, allowing you to measurement the cell's capableness and implicit a afloat recharge cycle.
There's besides a grading mode that allows you to trial the battery's capableness nether real-world charging conditions. I find this highly utile for identifying worn batteries, matching artillery capacities erstwhile utilizing aggregate batteries successful a instrumentality and ensuring they are balanced, and besides for verifying manufacturers' artillery capableness claims (you'd beryllium amazed however galore marque over-inflated claims).
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There's besides a retention mode diagnostic that charges cells to the optimal voltage for storage, reducing self-discharge, slowing aging, and extending artillery life. This is large if you person worldly that goes into retention for extended periods (things similar seasonal decorations that usage batteries).
There's besides a refresh relation for NiMH batteries to assistance destruct the complaint "memory" they tin make implicit time, thereby regaining the quality to beryllium charged fully. I've recovered galore a artillery from the recycling heap utilizing this diagnostic (for example, I saved respective twelve batteries that were wrong star plot lights).
The show is large and wide and tells you everything you request to know!
The 2 slots enactment independently, allowing you to person 2 antithetic batteries undergoing 2 abstracted procedures, which is simply a bully feature.
With galore rechargeable batteries disposable contiguous that tin beryllium charged straight utilizing USB-C, you whitethorn wonderment astir the inferior of a standalone charger. If each you person are USB-C rechargeable batteries, you astir apt don't request a standalone charger.
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However, if you person different types of batteries oregon are a fixer who needs to repair them, a charger similar this comes successful handy. I've besides utilized excavation to hole a USB-C rechargeable artillery that refused to complaint utilizing USB-C due to the fact that it had gone excessively acold astatine immoderate point.
For me, there's a batch of worth successful a charger similar the VX2 Pro.
ZDNET's buying advice
The Xtar VX2 Pro Battery Analyzer and Charger is 1 of the astir feature-packed artillery chargers I've used. Not lone does it excel astatine charging batteries, but it's besides a large diagnostic and repair tool. I indispensable person refreshed and rejuvenated a mates of twelve batteries implicit the past fewer weeks, and a fistful of those wouldn't complaint successful my different charger.
Priced astatine $33, this portion is precise competitively priced, considering the features it offers. It's decidedly recovered a abstraction connected my workbench (and radical who cognize maine cognize conscionable however constricted that is!).
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