Fenix ARE-C2+ vs NITECORE New i4 2016 Intellicharger

Anybody with hands-on experience -- what's the difference between these two new chargers?

http://www.fenixoutfitters.com/fenix-are-c2-four-channel-smart-battery-charger/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZGD87D/?tag=cpf0b6-20

I'd buy the Nitecore i4 because it is optimized for the LiFePO4 (LFP) safe chemistry.

Thanks, Jake.

Anyone else have hands on experience on either of these chargers?

I would take the ARE-C2.

The Nitecore charger can NOT charge 4 X 1a which makes it Useless in my book because I am charging at least 6/18650 every night after my hikes w/ Capo.

My Fenix can charge 4 X 1a. My Efest can charge 4 X 1A or 2 X 2A.

This Nitecore set up is a joke in my book!

• Output Current: 375mA x 4 / 500mA x 4 / 750mA x 2 / 1500mA x 1

Basically you can only charge 4 X 18650 @ 500mAh!! Guaranteed that will take at least 5 or 6 hours w/ a 18650 @ 3.6V where my ARE-C2 will take 2.5 hours maximum .Nitecore has digressed instead of progressed when it comes to charging 4 X 18650!

Also 1500mAh X 1!!! What good is that? Only 1 slot and a bit strong for 18650 and only a little faster for a 26650,,,,and just One[1]!

UNLESS you have LiFePO4 batteries, which I never had, I can not see the point of getting this charger.

Thanks for this thread!

I have the older version of the ARE-C2. I just bought the newer version which has a few more features,with the discount they gave and my coupon code[APP10], I got it for $32 which was a few dollars cheaper than the original when I bought 2 of them 3 years ago!:thumbsup:

EDIT: OH,,YEAHH,,,,,,I forgot that they had FREE shipping over $35[I thought it was $50] which this item[original price] qualified for!

Between the discount,coupon code and FREE shipping, $32 is an absolute bargain!

OK,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,UNDER FURTHER REVIEW I WOULD NOT GET EITHER OF THEM,UNLESS[SEE *** AT BOTTOM]!LOL!

I already told you about the Nitecore,,,,now this Fenix charger goes to the other extreme!

After reading a review[only one I could find] and talking to Fenix outfitters on the phone, it has been determined that the ARE-C2+ can ONLY CHARGE @ 1A, yet they recommend[say it is compatible with] that you can charge L.ion 10440[other Fenix site],14500 and 16340 and Ni-MH AAA when they should be charged at .5A W/ the AA Ni-MH charged at .7A!:shakehead:shakehead:shakehead

They call this new version a SMART CHARGER,,,,,,,,,I have no idea what they were/are thinking about when they made this WITHOUT a .5A choice for smaller batteries that they recommend!! WHAT ABOUT A SWITCH?!

I emailed main HQ. We will see how they justify what I would call a mistake and misinformation when the technology is suppose to be better, yet they could not put a simple switch on their so called smart charger!

The Original version has that spring at the bottom which activates the 1A charge, so when it is NOT activated by the smaller batteries, it automatically charges at .5A.

I would NOT recommend this charger*** UNLESS*** you just want to use it for charging 18500,18650,26650 and other bigger cells that can be charged at 1A.

With that said,,,I ordered it and will still be getting it! MOST of my cells are 18650 so that is what I will be using it for!:laughing:

SkyRC MC3000, Opus BT-3100/3400 v. 2.2, or v. 3.1, Liitokala Lii Engineer 500 and perhaps the Xtar Dragon Slayer 4,000,000.

Those are all you really need to know.

Chris

yaaa,,,,for $10 more I could have gone to L.ionwholesale[1.5 miles away] and got the Opus BT-C3100!

I can still do that.

Capolini said:

yaaa,,,,for $10 more I could have gone to L.ionwholesale[1.5 miles away] and got the Opus BT-C3100!

I can still do that.

Click to expand...

Dude, you're supposed to be a pro for the newbies here.

What happened, you fall down and hit your head?

That Fenix charger seems to be all manner of F---ed Up!

It reminds me of that first Keeppower charger that Henrik reviewed.

'Hey...we're one of the worlds biggest wholesalers of li-ion cells, but we can't even design a competent li-ion charger.'

Chris

Capolini said:

I would take the ARE-C2.

The Nitecore charger can NOT charge 4 X 1a which makes it Useless in my book because I am charging at least 6/18650 every night after my hikes w/ Capo.

My Fenix can charge 4 X 1a. My Efest can charge 4 X 1A or 2 X 2A.

This Nitecore set up is a joke in my book!

• Output Current: 375mA x 4 / 500mA x 4 / 750mA x 2 / 1500mA x 1

Basically you can only charge 4 X 18650 @ 500mAh!! Guaranteed that will take at least 5 or 6 hours w/ a 18650 @ 3.6V where my ARE-C2 will take 2.5 hours maximum .Nitecore has digressed instead of progressed when it comes to charging 4 X 18650!

Also 1500mAh X 1!!! What good is that? Only 1 slot and a bit strong for 18650 and only a little faster for a 26650,,,,and just One[1]!

UNLESS you have LiFePO4 batteries, which I never had, I can not see the point of getting this charger.

Click to expand...

they are all a joke to me after trying them all...
you should buy the opus 3100, and be done with it
best charger hands down, besides the mc 3000....

WHAT IS ALL THE HUB HUB ABOUT?!!! RELAX GENTLEMEN,,,,,,,DON'T BE SO HARSH ON ME!:laughing:

I CANCELLED MY FENIX ORDER AND I AM GETTING THE:

[h=2]OPUS BT-C3100 CHARGER/BATTERY TESTER[/h]

For $39.99 from my GREAT hometown dealer Liionwholesale.com!

ChrisGarrett said:

Dude, you're supposed to be a pro for the newbies here.

What happened, you fall down and hit your head?

That Fenix charger seems to be all manner of F---ed Up!

It reminds me of that first Keeppower charger that Henrik reviewed.

'Hey...we're one of the worlds biggest wholesalers of li-ion cells, but we can't even design a competent li-ion charger.'

Chris

Click to expand...

Is there a review of the Fenix charger out? Or is it supposed to be f---ed up because it looks like teh original Keeppower charger?

Labrador72 said:

Is there a review of the Fenix charger out? Or is it supposed to be f---ed up because it looks like teh original Keeppower charger?

Click to expand...

The ONLY review I found is the one I posted in my OP of my thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/flashlight/comments/5neg1q/fenix_arec2_charger_mini_review/


my thread:

http://www.candlepowerforums.com/vb/showthread.php?430320-WHAT-WERE-THEY-THINKING-!

Labrador72 said:

Is there a review of the Fenix charger out? Or is it supposed to be f---ed up because it looks like teh original Keeppower charger?

Click to expand...

All I can gather from the Fenix Outfitters link posted above, is that it charges at 1A for EVERYTHING!

And it looks nothing like the first Keeppower.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Keeppower L1 UK.html

Bud, I'm open to anything. $40, or just over, buys you some good chargers is all I was conveying in my post and this one doesn't seem to do much.

I have chargers from Xtar, Nitecore, Maha, LaCrosse, Liitokala and Opus (among others,) so I'm somewhat neutral on my choices.

Chris

ChrisGarrett said:

All I can gather from the Fenix Outfitters link posted above, is that it charges at 1A for EVERYTHING!

And it looks nothing like the first Keeppower.

http://lygte-info.dk/review/Review Charger Keeppower L1 UK.html

Bud, I'm open to anything. $40, or just over, buys you some good chargers is all I was conveying in my post and this one doesn't seem to do much.

I have chargers from Xtar, Nitecore, Maha, LaCrosse, Liitokala and Opus (among others,) so I'm somewhat neutral on my choices.

Chris

Click to expand...

Thanks for the explanation Chris!

HERE IS MAIN HQ'S RESPONSE TO MY CONCERNS:

Dear Robert

There is different charging current for different battery , however ,and 1A is the maximum for the charging current and the charging current is 1A that also don't affect the battery life time .

The charger will select its charging mode depend on the voltage and the battery length .

Best Regards
Sophia Xing/MS
Fenixlight Limited
(P) 0086-400-8866093

************************************************** ************************************************** ******************************************

Sounds like she is telling me the charger somehow adjusts current depending on the battery.

I'm just going to assume that their ad copy staff was all out to lunch during the Chinese New Year and all got really drunk.

Charging rates based on the cell's length, like my Xtar MC1+ can be a bit iffy, but I still want to know what the rates are and we don't see any of that.

'Can charge up to 1A', isn't going to cut it for me and my little cells.

Vroom, vroom.

Chris

^^^^

I AGREE!I just sent her a few more professional and to the point emails!:naughty:

I am still prosecuting her to find out what this SO CALLED lower charging rate is!!lol!

IF YOU LOOK AT THE SPECS BELOW IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS CHARGING "ALL" BATTERIES AT 1 AMP. NO where does it mention that it ADJUSTS THE RATE accordingly for smaller batteries and what that rate is?

Capolini said:

^^^^

I AGREE!I just sent her a few more professional and to the point emails!:naughty:

I am still prosecuting her to find out what this SO CALLED lower charging rate is!!lol!

IF YOU LOOK AT THE SPECS BELOW IT LOOKS LIKE IT IS CHARGING "ALL" BATTERIES AT 1 AMP. NO where does it mention that it ADJUSTS THE RATE accordingly for smaller batteries and what that rate is?

Click to expand...

I have exchanged about 1 Dozen emails with her by now!!

Her English is fine,,,no language barrier. I think she just lacks the knowledge and understanding that we all learn and share together on here.

With that said, they need to be MORE detailed, thorough and specific about their product and its specifications.

I have to go now,,,,,,,,,,I am Cross Examining her as she is back on the witness stand! :naughty:

I paid $22 for my second Liitokala Lii 500 and in my view its far superior to the fenix and the nitecore.