Why these USB lithium-ion battery chargers are a must-have in my tool bag

Rechargeable batteries are awesome.

Not only do they reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills (or, if handled properly, what goes to a recycling plant), but they’re also a lot more convenient. Instead of going to the store to get a battery pack, just put the dead battery in the charger and in a few hours it should be ready to go again.

Take good care of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, and they’ll literally last you for years (assuming you buy the good ones — discounting them is really the wrong way to save money. AA and AAA, I always buy Eneloop batteries).

But everything stops abruptly if the battery runs out. And that becomes a bigger problem if you don’t have a charger.

That’s why I like to carry (or two) chargers in my kit.

I don’t mean those big bulky chargers. Although I have those at home and in the office, they are cumbersome to transport. But I found some alternatives. These are USB powered battery chargers and are small enough to fit in a pocket.

I have extensively tested both options below and are confident they will be safe to use.

First up is TrustFire UC10.

TrustFire UC10 Specifications

• voltage range: 3.6V to 4.2V
• Output for battery; 4.2V/1A (Max. 1.2A)
• compatibility: 32650/26700/26650/26500/25500/22700/22650/22500/22/14500/14430/14350 and more
• guard: Reverse link protection, overload protection and short circuit protection
• Instruction: Correct
• USB output: 5V/1A

Cheap and fun, the UC10 is basic but capable and secure.

Plug the charger into the USB port, then attach the magnets to the appropriate terminal on the battery you want to charge (don’t worry if you charge it wrong, nothing will explode or catch fire) and walk away. go.

An interesting feature of TrustFire UC10 is that if you have a charged lithium-ion battery, you can use it as a power bank to charge other USB devices, output up to 1A. It’s not all that fast by today’s standards, but it’s better than nothing.

Next, I have a Flexible charger a bit more expensive but has some other features. They are available in a variety of brands — mine is from Olight, but there are alternatives.

Flex Charger Specifications

• compatibility: Will charge most cylindrical Li-ION and NiMH rechargeable batteries. NI-MH batteries NiMH (1.2V): AA, AAA
• Lithium-ion battery 3.7V: 10440/14500/16340 (RCR123A)/16650/17670/18650/26650 and more
• Input: DC 5V, 800mA 4W
• Maximum output: 4.2V, 750mA
• Instruction: Correct
• guard: Overload protection and short circuit protection

One of the great things about this charger is that it doesn’t matter which way you connect it to the battery — the polarity doesn’t matter and the charger will figure that out for you.

I have found that this charger is very good at charging batteries that have been depleted to the point that other chargers cannot recharge them, so it can revive batteries that may have been discarded.

Otherwise, this charger cannot act as a power bank.

Mine Flexible charger certainly paid for itself in the respawn battery.