XTAR VX4 v2 is a four bays universal charger that can handle most commonly used rechargeable batteries. It supports charging and grading of 1.5V Li-ion, 3.6V Li-ion, 3.2V LiFePO4, and 1.2V Ni-MH cells.
The “V2” in the name indicates it’s their second version of the same series. Read on to see what’s new in this new version.
By the way it’s is my fourth XTAR charger that I posed since the beginning of my flashlight hobby.
My XTAR VX4 v2 came inside a carton box that says: “All Batteries One Solution”. I think it’s not exaggerating since this charger indeed supports almost all battery formats, including 1.5 volts lithium ion batteries.
Package Contents:
Here are what’s inside the package:
- The charger
- Drawstring pouch
- Power adapter (PD 20W) with EU plug
- USB type C to C cable
- Instructions manual
- Xtar batteries brochure
The Charger
Xtar VX4 is slightly larger than Xtar VC4SL, also a bit heavier. I haven’t weight them using a scale but the weight difference is noticeable.
On the bottom of the charger, Xtar puts a list of the supported batteries.
It supports the following battery formats:
3.6/3.7V Li-ion & 3.2V LiFeP04:
10440/14430/14500/14650/16340/17335/17500/17670/18350/18490/18500/18650/18700/20700/21700/22650/25500/26650/32650
1.5V Li-ion:
AAA/AA
1.2V Ni-MH:
AAA/AA/A/SC/C/D
During my initial testing, I only test it using different battery formats I have in possession:
- ReCyko Ni-MH AAA 1.2 volts
- Xtar Ni-MH AA 1.2 volts
- Wurkkos 14500 3.6 volts
- 18650 3.6 volts
Despite the differences in sizes and formats, all batteries can be charged in the same time using this charger. The charger will intelligently detect the battery types and run the charging mode for that particular type of battery.
The battery types is displayed on the LCD panel for each bay/slot, as well as the charging current and their voltage.
Charging & Grading Function
This charger has two different modes/functions, charging and grading. Charging, like other chargers, will charge the batteries to fill up the juice. Grading means it can be used to grade or measure the real battery capacity. Please note that grading battery might take hours to complete.
For charging, by default it will run in standard Li-ion charging mode. Press and hold (long press) the “C/V” to switch to LiFePO4 charging mode.
During the charging process, we can also select the maximum charging current by quick press the “C/V” button.
To switch to grading mode, press and hold the “MODE” button until you see the “Grad.” on screen and the “CHG” label disappear. The grading function also available for LiFePO4 batteries as well.
During charging, we can also lit off the LCD by pressing the button.
Like any other XTAR chargers, VX4 v2 also has a low-voltage battery recovery. It will detect if our batteries are over-discharged and run their special mode to recover the “dead” batteries.
From XTAR VX4 product page, it says that the v2 has an advantages than its predecessor called a “memory function”. If by any chance there’s a power loss and restart, the charger retains the previously selected mode.
In my previous charger, Xtar VC4SL, I have to plug the power before putting the batteries into the bay or otherwise the charger won’t work properly. But in this VX4 I can plug the power anytime without unexpected operation behavior. I tried connecting the power before and after putting in the batteries, it worked all the time.
Summary
XTAR VX4 is a great battery charger for any battery types and formats, including the recently popular XTAR 1.5V Li-ion batteries.
Pros:
- Support all battery types, all in one battery compatibility.
- Intelligent battery type detection.
- Independent slots, allowing for simultaneous charging of different types and quantities of batteries.
- Battery capacity test feature (grading).
- “Dead” battery recovery to bring back the over-discharged battery to live.
- Intuitive LCD display to show real-time charging status.
Cons:
So far nothing that I can find.
If you’re unsure which XTAR charger to get, please refer to this VX4 vs VC4SL vs VP4L Plus comparison article. If you don’t have XTAR 1.5 Li-ion battery, you can get the VC4SL. But off course nothing can stop you getting the VX4 v2.