Today I’ll be writing a review for the XTAR VC8S Charger. This is a new release from XTAR. I’ve been privileged over the years to review a few times for XTAR, and when I was asked to write for this new release, I couldn’t wait.
Today’s review is for a product so new, I don’t have it in any packaging! Grateful to XTAR for allowing me to be one of the first to try out the VC8s Charger, an improvement on the already popular XTAR VC8 charger.
The VC8S charger features 8 charging bays, you can charge a variety of batteries, and the VC8S will not only recognise the battery being inserted, but also charge accordingly. Very clever!
That’s not all, you can also view the status of the battery. Check capacity, internal resistance, activate battery store mode, all from a single USB-C power source too. And, being an XTAR product, you’re protected from a range of faults and malfunctions too.
So, is this battery charger any good? Time to test it out!
Packaging and Contents.
Usually at this point of the review I would describe the packaging and contents. But, with XTAR sending me the VC8 before general release I can’t tell you about the packaging or contents. But, I can speculate (based on previous XTAR products) what you’ll receive.
I guess you’ll receive: 1x Battery Charger, 1x USB-C Cable, 1x User Guide, and possibly a storage bag. I was sent a USB-C cable and a UK wall power adapter, but I’m unsure if these will be the general release items, or simply for myself for the purpose of today’s review.
XTAR VC8S Charger.
The XTAR VC8S Charger measures 20.5cm x 15.0cm x 3.5cm and weighs 460G. On the front you get two LCD screens, the first screen on the left is for the charging bays 1-4 and the second correlates for bays 5-8. Each LCD screen measures 65.5mm x 15.0mm and lights up with a blue background when powered up. You also get two control buttons on each 4 bay area section, More on these later.
On the back there’s a single USB-C port. Simply insert a USB-C cable with power and the VC8S will spring into life.
On the underside area, you get 9 rubberised patches, these help with preventing slippage on smooth surfaces. You’ll also notice the largest of five heat dissipation fins on the unit. XTAR have designed the VC8S to reject as much unwanted heat as possible, which in turns helps the product charge batteries quickly, safely and most importantly, efficiently.
Testing the XTAR VC8S Charger.
I tried to use as many different types of rechargeable batteries as I could. I think I managed to get the idea of the capabilities of the VC8S with what I had available. You can use multiple different batteries with the VC8S. These include:
- 3.6V/3.7V Li-ion/IMR/INR/ICR 10440 14500 14650 16340 17500 17670 18350 18490 18500 18650 18700 20700 21700 22650 25500 26650
- 1.2V Ni-MH/Ni-CD AAAA / AAA / AA / A / SC / C
You can charge both protected and unprotected batteries too.
I tried all 8 bays simultaneously. I tested a variety of batteries, as soon as you slide in a battery the VC8S Charger alerts you to the battery type at the bottom, either Ni-MH or Li-Ion and the battery voltage on the top, with charge current on the middle line. Pressing the Mode button will cycle the VC8S through charge, capacity and IR mode, each mode tells you more about the operation of each battery. You can also change the charge current from either 3A, 2A, 1A, 0.5A, or 0.25A by pressing the Current button. This only works for the 4 bays directly upward of the button.
You also get a battery charging indicator pulsing icon. A full icon displays when a full charge cycle has been completed.
Got some damaged batteries? Well, the XTAR VC8S Charger has a repair function too. XTAR also have a battery store mode too, simply pressing and holding the Mode button for 3 seconds and the VC8S will either charge/discharge your battery for optimal storage solution.
Protection.
As with all XTAR products, the VC8S charger comes packed with multiple safety protection services. You get over-current protection, over-charge protection, over-voltage protection, short-circuit protection, and reverse polarity protection to name a few. I instantly tested out the reverse polarity protection system by placing a battery in the wrong way. All that happened was an ERR message appeared on that charging bay.
The outer case is made from flame-retardant materials too.
You also get an intelligent 3-stage charging method too. You get high efficient TC-CC-CV charging methods, perfect for maximising performance and extending battery life.
- Trickle Current (TC): To awaken low voltage batteries.
- Constant Current (CC): Used for normal charging.
- Constant Voltage (CV): Ensures a full charge, with less damage to the battery cell.
Technical Specifications.
- Brand: XTAR
- Model: VC8S Charger
- Manufacturer Code: N/A
- Manufacturer Reference: N/A
- EAN: N/A
- ASIN: N/A
- Input: QC3.0 & PD3.0 (5V⎓2A/9V⎓2A/12V⎓1.5A)
- Output: 4.2V⎓3A x2/2A x4/1A x8/0.5A x8/0.25A x8/1.45A ⎓ 0.5A x8
- Operating Temperature: 0-40°C
- Compliance: CE, FCC, RoHS
Conclusion.
I’m really impressed with the XTAR VC8S Charger. In fact, it’s now going to be my go to for all my battery charging in my house. I like the simplicity of the VC8S, pop in a battery and feel confident you’re both protected from errors and know you’re going to get the maximum charging facility.
Another fantastic XTAR product, can’t fault any XTAR product, any brand which has the same reputation of XTAR, even after 17 years of trading is one to cherish forever.
If you’d like to purchase this item, please check out the purchasing options below. The RRP for this product is £71.89.
XTAR Direct | Amazon Best Option | AliExpress | eBay |
Product sample provided by XTAR in exchange for a detailed, unbiased review.
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