Which charger Opus BT - C3100 V2.2 or Liitokala Lii - 500

novarider

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
116
I'm looking for a faster charger for my 18650 batteries. Which of the two would you get and why? The only real difference I can see is that the Opus can do 2A if I'm in a hurry. Also the Opus updates the display every 30 seconds while the Liitokala updates every second.

I'm open to suggestions for other chargers if something else is better as long as it's around $50 or less

The cheapest price I have found for these is on gearbest. Are they a trusted source?

Edit: Is it safe to charge my unprotected 18650 batteries in one of these overnight?
 
Last edited:

MAD777

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 31, 2015
Messages
4,443
Location
White Mountains, NH, USA
I have 3 LiitoKala 500's and love them! Very user friendly and quiet. All were purchased from Gearbest (3 week wait average).

Never charge batteries unattended.
 

ven

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
22,533
Location
Manchester UK
Even now with the xtar dragon, if i was to get another charger another opus would win out. Lower rates along with higher charge rates..............not as fancy but i dont care.
I swapped out the fan the other week(forgot about it tbh) so it must be quieter as not thought any more on it! Also made a hole for the 4.35v setting, so i can charge my sanyo 16650's down stairs now(vp2 up stairs).

I use the 2a mainly for 26650 cells(still a gentle charge for them). When i swap out my vtc5's from my smok alien, i stick them on 1.5a on bays 1+2...........done pretty quick from 3.6v to 4.2v.

Out of the 2, you cant go wrong with either.
 

markr6

Flashaholic
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,258
I like the display of the Opus...seeing all 4 cells at once is a must for me. Yes the 500 gives more info at once, but only per cell. Cycling thru all 4 batteries, no thanks. Usually, I'll set it to voltage and monitor the 4 cells at one quick glance to see where they're at.
 

bwalker

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 6, 2016
Messages
104
Location
Texas
I had the Opus but got rid of it because part of the display was not working. Other than that it was a great charger although the fan was always turning off and on (driving my wife crazy.) I'm now waiting on the Liitokala from GearBest. It has been three long weeks and it is still in transit. :sigh: At least it is finally on U.S. soil. BTW, as I understand it, fast charging is not good for the cells so you should probably only do it when you urgently need them charged.
 

TinderBox (UK)

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
3,488
Location
England, United Kingdom
The Opus C3100 also has an hidden switch inside that allows you to charge lifepo4 cells, some people have cut a hole in the bottom of there charger to allow them to change it, but the switch looks a bit weak, And may break easy, Why Opus did not fit an external switch is unfathomable.

John.
 

ven

Flashaholic
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
22,533
Location
Manchester UK
The Opus C3100 also has an hidden switch inside that allows you to charge lifepo4 cells, some people have cut a hole in the bottom of there charger to allow them to change it, but the switch looks a bit weak, And may break easy, Why Opus did not fit an external switch is unfathomable.

John.



Works fine, tested out several times now.

For anyone with a noisy fan that gets on their nerves, gearbest sell them (last time i looked anyway) for not much over $1.60
 

Torchmee

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 1, 2016
Messages
51
Location
Little Egypt
Got rid of all my chargers except for The Opus and now I have the SkyRc MC300. The Opus is my old standby and has never let me down. You can't go wrong with it. I will admit to having charged 18650's over night with it on a stone counter top in the bathroom :sssh:
 

dennck

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Dec 20, 2012
Messages
24
The individual display for each slot on the Opus BT-C3100 is a big plus for me. It is less likely to misread the measurements among different slots.

Also I think the "quick test" readout on the Opus is more reliable than the Liitokala Lii-500.

The fan is actually slightly noisier than I would like.
 

markr6

Flashaholic
Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
9,258
I must have gotten lucky on the fan; I can hear it but it's no louder than a laptop. I once had a 15min charger with a fan that sounded like a hair dryer.
 

novarider

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
116
Congrats where did you order it from?

Also the Opus C3100 is sold under a few names, I have an Floureon C3100 there is also an Opus C3400 which is identical to the C3100 but i think it comes with a car charging cable.

John.

I ordered it from gearbest from their US-LA warehouse
 

TinderBox (UK)

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jan 14, 2006
Messages
3,488
Location
England, United Kingdom
I ordered it from gearbest from their US-LA warehouse


Well you should get it a lot quicker.

One tip, I always do a quick test (it only takes seconds) when i first insert the battery`s the C3100 does a resistance test, and if you are charging 4 identical cells they should all be approximately the same resistance when i find one cell that is giving a high resistance it`s normally just a bad connection, so i re-insert the cell or roll the cell in the slot or clean the terminals.

I think the C3100 charges cells with higher resistance at a lower rate, so a bad connection is good to find and fix the problem before you do a long cycle charge.

You can buy an adaptor so you can charge D and C size battery`s you can only charge 2 at a time and the adaptors are cheap to buy, Do a quick resistance test when using these as there is a lot of extra connections that might cause problems.

John.
 

Climb14er

Enlightened
Joined
May 13, 2003
Messages
210
Location
Denver, CO
I'm growing to really like the Opus 3400 charger... a lot... especially for my 18650's. Haven't taken out the Pila charger since I got the Opus last month.
 

novarider

Newly Enlightened
Joined
Aug 28, 2015
Messages
116
Can anyone confirm if the Opus will charge 26650 batteries? Some sites list it can and others don't.
 
Top