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Nitecore Intellicharger i4 Smoking/burning out after 1 1/2 years of use

celticluvr

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.
 

Pastorfuzz

Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
VU Patreon
Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.
I have a couple of i4's also. A little over 2 years old and still kicking.
However, when charging 4 batteries at the same time, the chargers got hot. so I only use 2 bays at a time now.
I have some XTAR VP4 Plus chargers that run much cooler but they were $30 more than the i4's at the time.
I guess you get what you pay for.
 

Theboss

VU Donator
Gold Contributor
Member For 4 Years
ECF Refugee
My first charger was the Nitecore i4, always got warmer than I thought it should have. I picked up a Nitecore 8 bay and it stopped working after 8 months - no smoking or burning smell though. I currently use the Gyrfalcon all-88. I regularly charge 8 batteries in it and it never feels hot
 

MrMeowgi

The Vapin' Drummer
VU Donator
Diamond Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Every nite core charger I've ever had has died earlier than I thought it should. One bay drops out, then the other. Using a Golisi s6 now with no issues
 

gsmit1

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
If you want a multi bay charger with a high probability of lasting for years under constant heavy use, be ready to spend 100 bucks for one from a company most people never heard of :rolleyes: (something I haven't done btw)
 

+Caffeine

Member For 2 Years
Never really been impressed with Nitecore stuff. I've had a charger and a few of their flashlights and all of them failed in less than a year. I'm not sure why they are so well regarded in the vape community.

Xtar makes great chargers, still have a few going strong after many years. I also picked up a Zanflare C4 which has been fine for a year and a half as well.
 

5150sick

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The only problem I've had with a charger is the spring in one of the bays went bad.
 

SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
I have had this Nitecore USB Rechargeable flashlight on my key chain for over a year and I can't tell you how many times it came in handy and saved my ass finding something. So bright you can blind someone trying to assault you. DO NOT POINT IN EYES~!

theshorelinemarket_2571_1744537320
 

Droogbc

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
There are a ton of counterfeit Nitecores out there, and some are extremely difficult if not impossible to detect afaik. Even Nitecore themselves had issues spotting them after careful examination iirc.
 

gsmit1

Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I love my Opus :)

Though I do have a D4 I got with a bunch of other stuff from a guy on Craigslist and it works fine.
Yes, Nitecore is the most counterfeited charger out here.
 
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SteveS45

Diamond Contributor
ECF Refugee
Member For 5 Years
Also as with any high end or cheap electronics device a simple surge can damage them. Always pays to add a few dollars for a surge protector.

upload_2019-5-4_17-29-33.jpeg
 

+Caffeine

Member For 2 Years
I have had this Nitecore USB Rechargeable flashlight on my key chain for over a year and I can't tell you how many times it came in handy and saved my ass finding something. So bright you can blind someone trying to assault you. DO NOT POINT IN EYES~!

theshorelinemarket_2571_1744537320
Out of all the Nitecore stuff I've tried I probably like their small flashlights the best.

41E37Bk4GmL._AC_SY400_.jpg


Under $10, rechargeable, tiny, and pretty useful. Reliability is hit or miss, I've had one last 3 weeks, one last 3 years. When it works it's a handy little light for your keys, zipper-pull etc.

IMG_6265-550x400.jpg


This is one of their newer lights, sort of a keychain/pocket light hybrid. Rechargeable, LCD display and perhaps the brightest thing you could reasonably attach to your keys. Although personally I feel it's too big for keys so it rides in my pocket typically.
 

Droogbc

Silver Contributor
Member For 4 Years
Makes sense they'd make a decent torch. I mean, I'd imagine that flashlights were pretty much the whole reason they started making chargers to begin with.
 

+Caffeine

Member For 2 Years
Makes sense they'd make a decent torch. I mean, I'd imagine that flashlights were pretty much the whole reason they started making chargers to begin with.
I think they started out with lights and just branched out from there. I'm not a fan of all of their stuff but they do have some good offerings from time to time. Very innovative company nonetheless with a pretty diverse catalog of products.
 

r055co

VU Donator
Platinum Contributor
Member For 4 Years
I love my Opus :)

Though I do have a D4 I got with a bunch of other stuff from a guy on Craigslist and it works fine.
Yes, Nitecore is the most counterfeited charger out here.
Yeah after I got my first Opus it ruined me for any other I gave away my NiteCore and eFest chargers. I especially love the fans that cool things down.

Sent from my Pixel 3 XL using Tapatalk
 
Hey All,
Long time, no see. See my problem is this, my charger started smoking with a HORRIBLE smell after a little over one and a half years of continuous use. Don't worry I unplugged it and immediately ordered a new charger. Which arrived a few days later.

My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Sidenote: I am also going to buy a backup charger so if this new one craps out I can still charge safely... because I had to resort to a BIG NO NO... Charging my batteries through my mod. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT DO AS I HAVE DONE. Always use a battery charger.

Iv literally just had this exact issue I’m using a nite core i4 and was charging 2 20700 batteries and smelt burning iv contacted nitecore and they gave me an email address for the manufacturer so it might be worth giving them a call I’m pretty sure it’s still covered by the manufacturer’s warranty they might be able to refund you or send a replacement I don’t think this is a common issue as iv searched online and only a few forums about this problem feel like we’re just the unlucky cats that got the odd faulty product. I’ll update when I hear back from nitecore
 

tejas240

Member For 2 Years
Had my nitecore I2 since oct 2017, still going strong. But also love my gryfalcon -40 and miboxer. All going great for awhile.
 

zaroba

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
My question is this, has anyone else had one of these chargers burn out in that short amount of time? Really I am somewhat impressed that it has lasted that long considering the questionable technology out today. I am simply curious if anyone else has had these problems.

Yes, numerous chargers, and in less time. Been keeping a record of my experiences here.
http://vapingunderground.com/threads/luc-v4-vs-nitecore-d4.196361/
Others have also posted their experiences.

I haven't updated since late 2018 due to some job changes last year causing me to loose track of what charger I was using and I forgot about the topic. Will resume from where I left off in a few weeks.
 
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