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Best 4 bay charger?

smacksy

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Hi all
I have a good 2-bay digital charger I started with for my mechs..
But now I've got two IPV3's and suddenly looking at a lot of 18650 batts to charge...was wondering what is a good recommendation for a 4-bay digital charger. Thx

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dave/jayce

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Nitecore d4. Never had the xtar but hear it's great. You will be good with either
 

OBDave

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I hear lots of good things about the Xtar, but I have an Efest LUC and a Nitecore i2 - bonus on the Nitecore is that it also charges regular rechargeable batteries, but I understand they're considered low-end by many people. If I were in the market I'd probably give the Xtar a go, but between my two chargers and the wife's 2 we have 12 bays at our disposal as it is...
 

Phone Guy

Member For 4 Years
I've got two of the NiteCore i4. Work great, and the bright 3 segment LED showing status of charge is easy to check at a glance... I was going to upgrade to the D4 with the digital LCD readout, but decided it was cool but also a little novelty too... I can just look over at the charger and see which battery is doing what without actually walking over to it and "looking" ;) Just my opinion :)
 

OBDave

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Did some more digging and the Xtars (most of them) are also dual-chemistry, like the Nitecores - that would seal the deal for me.
 

Prsurf2k

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I was also just shopping around for a fourbay charger and there's only a couple dollar difference between the Xtar VC4 and the D4 so I would just go for the Xtar.
 

Monotremata

Member For 4 Years
Did some more digging and the Xtars (most of them) are also dual-chemistry, like the Nitecores - that would seal the deal for me.
I thought only 2 did li-ion and NiMH? There was the Panzer and the new VC4? That's one of the reasons I went with the Nitecore D2, but I think its gonna be replaced by a VC4 soon..
 

Phone Guy

Member For 4 Years
Somebody is having a sale on nitecore stuff, sorry I can't remember where, I think I saw it vape.deals
 

smacksy

Platinum Contributor
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Because I needed a 4 bay charger now I went ahead and bought one from my local shop..
Its the LUC V4...complements my 26650 charger on the right..
Had to have one and didn't have the patience to wait on vapemail..and again thanks for the suggestions. Lol
fc3eb87cdf4b26b8eb90b5d4d6632b9f.jpg


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Last edited:

yasaboss

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Member For 4 Years
I ordered my nitecore D2 from r-lsales a eBay vendor mostly for ligit batteries is what he sales. The charger was like 5 bucks cheaper than anywhere I could find 16.95 for the 2 bay. The d4 is 28.95 for the digital screen, one with just lights is 19.95. Recommended by fresh03 utube reviewer. Dudes got a crapload of all batteries brands
 

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Cloudboss

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just gonna say i have a Efest LUC charger and it is AMAZING!!
 

BoomStick

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1. Xtar
2. Efest Luc
3. Nitecore

This seems to be the generally accepted brand ranking. I would only buy a 1 or 2. Between my buddy and I we have a few Xtar's and an Efest Luc v4. All quality pieces.
 

efektt

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I am very happy with my luc. Have been using it for about 6 months, no problems. I got it to replace my nitecore that started charging batteries to 4.3X after about 2 months.
 

smacksy

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I am very happy with my luc. Have been using it for about 6 months, no problems. I got it to replace my nitecore that started charging batteries to 4.3X after about 2 months.
I hope my new LUC lasts that long lol
So far it's been great!

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Kizzer49

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Because I needed a 4 bay charger now I went ahead and bought one from my local shop..
Its the LUC V4...complements my 26650 charger on the right..
Had to have one and didn't have the patience to wait on vapemail..and again thanks for the suggestions. Lol
fc3eb87cdf4b26b8eb90b5d4d6632b9f.jpg


from my Droid Maxx via Tapatalk
I got the same 4 bay charger, loving mine!
 

Rayne

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I am very happy with my luc. Have been using it for about 6 months, no problems. I got it to replace my nitecore that started charging batteries to 4.3X after about 2 months.
Nitecore chargers shouldn't do that. Are you sure it's genuine? Only reason I ask is because there are a lot of fakes on the market, and the only way to really be sure they're genuine is to open it up. I do that to every charger I buy, regardless of warranty problems. I'd rather know it's legit, than risk a problem...
 

efektt

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Nitecore chargers shouldn't do that. Are you sure it's genuine? Only reason I ask is because there are a lot of fakes on the market, and the only way to really be sure they're genuine is to open it up. I do that to every charger I buy, regardless of warranty problems. I'd rather know it's legit, than risk a problem...
Its long gone after i saw it was overcharging. Got it from mbv back in the day. Doubt it was fake... just defective.
 

Rayne

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Both are possible. Just the first time I've heard of that.
 

BoomStick

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For the amount of use our chargers get, the extra few dollars for an Xtar is worth it to me. I see stories about problems with nitecore's frequently. Don't remember seeing reports of Xtar problems.
 

smacksy

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Member For 4 Years
For the amount of use our chargers get, the extra few dollars for an Xtar is worth it to me. I see stories about problems with nitecore's frequently. Don't remember seeing reports of Xtar problems.
Can you post a pic what your Xtar looks like? Haven't seen one before...thx

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BoomStick

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I'm using my phone right now so taking, uploading and linking pics is a pain. Please google it.
 

smacksy

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I'm using my phone right now so taking, uploading and linking pics is a pain. Please google it.
e91ccd0887b691ab5862127d51a2d371.jpg

I'm using my phone right now too..posting a pic is a snap via the Tapatalk app..but I'll Google it later....

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smacksy

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Member For 4 Years
Oh wow.... Personally I've never cared for the iPhone.. I find it over rated and way over priced...
But opinions vary..... Anyway this thread is about chargers...We don't want to derail it talking about phones.... Lol


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BoomStick

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I got it for free five years ago. It's been in an otterbox ever since and is still perfect. The wife and kids have gone through several, but dad's is still performing like it always has.... What were we talking about? ;)
 

Rayne

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I just find it funny that everything I've seen from Efest always looks like a rebranded item (or blatantly is rebranded), but people seem to hold their chargers with a high regard. Not to mention, I swear I've seen these Efest chargers before, but with a different name.

Just funny that I personally know so many people who swear by Efest chargers, and see people on here recommend them, yet they're not necessarily the best company for much anything else I've seen. It's weird. Even the Efest resistance/volt meters are virtually identical to some no-name reader I bought at my work, and also they read identically. I don't know who released theirs first, but when I yanked both of them apart, I just laughed at the fact we were selling the Efest readers for more money.

I'm going to have to find the charger I'm thinking of, now... This is really bugging me haha.
 

TotallyWicked

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WP_20150413_002.jpg WP_20150413_003.jpg

Im a fan of the Efest LUC V4. Its a very versatile charger it lets you charger 4 batteries at once and supports extremely small batteries such as the 10440 , 18350 etc... the whole way up to the large 26650 battery. It also has a nice easy to read LED screen that shows you the current batteries voltage levels (a fully charged battery should show 4.2 volts)
 

TheVapingDevil

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I like the fact that the voltage is measured and displayed to the hundredth.
The two outer bays will also charge at 1 amp if you only have 2 batteries in it. Great for a quick charge. For the price you beat it for efficiency and safety
 
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Robert B

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$20 its yours heh. I only use it for my AAs now. My vape batteries don't go anywhere near it..
Yeah, they are 19 bucks new on Amazon. I need another one to live in the truck, since I've had nothing but good luck with the two I already have. I had some shit fake sony vtc5's that would only charge to 4.0. Thought at first it was the charger, but it wasn't.
 

Obsidian...

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If you want a 4 Bay charger and only charge your batteries at .5 then grab the xstar. I have the VP1, VP2 and VP4... I started using a lot of 26650s so I grabbed the VP2 since the VP1 can't charge them. But since I also have a shit ton of 18650s I picked up the VP4. Here's the thing though. The VP1 and VP2 (both 2 Bay chargers) are able to charge the batteries at . 25 .50 and 1 amp. The VP4 is a different story... It can charge 2 batteries at .25, .50 and 1 amp on the outer bays but the inner 2 bays only charge at .25 and .50... The frustrating part (for me) is that the second you add a battery to either inner Bay it changes the charge rate of all 4 bays to .50 (I charge my 26650s at 1 amp which turns the VP4 into a 2 bay charger if I want to charge 26650s)
So I use the VP2 for my 26650s and the VP4 mainly for 18650s.

The efest LUC4 is kind of the same but the charge rates are .50, 1 and 2. The LUC4 can also only charge 2 batteries at it's highest charge rate but it's 2 amps (too high imho) but it can charge 4 at 1 amp. So if you want to be able to charge 4 batteries at 1 amp or need a fast 2 amp in a bind go with the LUC4 if not go XSTAR.... They are the highest quality chargers I've ever had.

If for some reason you want a 2 Bay 2 amp charger get the LUC S2, not the the LUC2 because it is a 1 amp charger.

Also I would stay away from Nitecore chargers. They charge batteries extremely slow for some reason. The i2 and i4 will be the cheapest 2 and 4 bay chargers you can find because they don't have digital displays (great cheap overnight chargers) the D2 and D4 have decent screens but are still slow.

I've got a couple of each of these chargers in use 5 days a week at my shop so I figured I would chime in... Didnt mean to write this damn much though. Hope that helps you or others
 

BoomStick

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Member For 5 Years
Another worthy of mention is the Xtar MP1S. It's a single bay, .5amp charger. Only $10. Comes with wall adapter, car adapter and spacers for smaller batteries. Great for travel or backup. I know it's a thread about 4 bay chargers, but having a nice little backup never hurts.
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NickyGiaccone

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The Xtar VC4 latest model with optional 2A wall plug charging speeds is on sale at Amazon.com for $21.99. Though some stores have them for $24.99 quite often however, they usually are the previous model and only support .05A and 1A charging Speeds. The VC4 or VC2 is you're not a Wismec Reuleaux 3x18650 battery owner, you actually could find cheaper JUST released editions of the 4-bay VC4 which has am AWESOME looking display and it informs you of everything you would like a charger to inform you of. Plus XTAR VC2/VC4 chargers are able to bring an accidentally 0%charged completely dead 18650 back to life. I use the 2A charging option and I just buy new batteries every few months as my own personal way of doing things. I don't care if my batteries aren't going to last for years or just a couple months.
 

AlbyKortoona

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Opus BT-C34100 V2. No charger can bring back a dead battery, you'll need to check with JC if you want that to happen...
 

AlbyKortoona

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The Opus has a "refresh" mode that can bring back an almost dead battery, but it takes a long time (many hours to days). With the price of batteries, probably not worth the time or effort. If you completely suck a battery dry, it's gone R.I.P. Yes, I know by experience... :oops:
 

NickyGiaccone

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Opus BT-C34100 V2. No charger can bring back a dead battery, you'll need to check with JC if you want that to happen...
how come everybody has to prove the other person wrong here? ECF community is more polite. you were polite but 9/10 times im corrected and even called dumb in a sly way that might go over a person without a 129 IQ after a test 3 years ago. I'm not always doing a great job preserving braincells either. I'm not dumb, I stand by the fact 25-30amp batteries are safer and make more clouds on crazy octuplet .15ohm 110W+ coil and my set of 3 LG HB4s are perfect for my Wismec Reuleaux RX200"S" updated to 150W and easier menu and TC options. Though I'm a non TC vaper for life. HB2s, HB4s, and HB6s are different. HB2s are weaker than 30amp cont. discharge, and said to be even closer to 23 amps at full charge. HB4s don't "drop off" and remain as powerful as a fully charged set about the entire time I keep them in use before a charge up, the HB6s are slightly more prone to drop offs of that blast power which turns a non-IPV style medium speed ramp up to an instant blast at the button press instantly. HB4s blast off like the old discontinued Sigelei Fuchai on the updated firmware RX200 "S" model. Some reason so I recommend the "S" version and if the gray/silver original color is 15 dollars cheapers, it's 3.99 for one of the shell parts which are removable and can be replaced with Red, black, white, blue, etc. and the back shell piece is replaceable as well and you can have 2 toned custom mod style. The DNA 200 version Silicone Sleeves fit and there are numerious brands on Amazon to research for under 9 dollars, usually $7.89 for directconnection (makers of silicone mode sleeves that fit snug enough to still remove them easily but are thick, protect from liquid entering the mod via buttons or battery hatch, plus, they have 20 colors give or take 4. Top of it's covered with enough room for TFV4 and TFV8 Cloud Beast 24.5mm oversized diameter tanks. and the screen is in full view...best sleeve brand. Anyway. I think 3 LG HB4s for the TFV8 are safest and more appriate, while the LG HD2C 2100mAH 25amps TRULY as tested by many industry trusted and credible testers who allow anybody access to the detailed process and graphs. Not only Mooch but 3 others I follow. So I'm glad I can use HD2C 2100mAH x 3 in the RX200S unless I'm using the TFV8. Yes I have the cash for it. I've been saving for the next generation of tanks, and I had a feeling the RX200"S" model was coming out. Less of a cheap plastic fell, solid as hell, battery hatch stays in place more than most mods and I think using 23amp or 20amp batteries aren't safe and limit my subohm tank coil and wattage options. I won't buy more coils after using up the 3 included with the Cloud Beast tank Kit for a while but 32 dollars at a certain site, 3 coils, spare pyrex, and washers or rubber thingys, whatever they're named, I can't say no. The vapor on the Sextuplet coil is "cooler" so I won't burn my lungs but the youtube videos show clouds I've never seen made from one tank hit before and the person on video used the Sigelei 213 at 90W. It's no safe to use 25Rs or HG2 20a 3000mAH LG brown batteries on .15ohm coils at over 108W is I choose. TFV4 and Triton 2 .3ohm Kanthal, or my Steam Engine .25ohm stainless VW mode coils at 90W is safe with the 25amps. I just wanna be able to vape up to 140W on the Sextuplet Turbo TFV8 coil and LG HB4s are made for high wattage and resistance vaping on a regulation box mod. HB6s are for the mech mod things with .02 ohm custom made coils and crap like that. HB2s should be discontinued and production halted because it's not really helpful with amperage of other LG higher mAH cells and 1500mAH like the 30a coils have. That's a waste of LGs money once the sites begin selling HB4s and not ONLY HB6s. They are different and HB4s took the crown according to the charts of indie pro testers. Overall, they are best with low mAH but it's also said to be closer to 1770mAH in reality. So....Don't tell me about ohms law. I have the potential to vape at 250W and so do my .15ohm coils when the TFV8 Cloud Beast arrives. Do your math then. I'm sharing info and I can't speak on what I don't know, have used enough to form a solid opinion, or use in another way somehow. HD2s are very week, VTC4s I have coming and I can have my computer whiz electronic master test them so I can say with confidence there are some left in one sites warehouse and then I'll direct you to $6.50 untouched, boxed, VTC4s (which are the most powerful Sony 18650s, people are dumb as they say buying VTC5s when there are 10 LG cells just released the past season and one just today claiming 2100mAH and better performance than HD2Cs call HD4s. I have a feeling they are the ones to out last HD2Cs and not have that drop off after 20% of the life is used ala VTC4s. Again LG HB4s are 1500mAH and last all night in my RX200S but 25amps are all I need and would love 3 2100mAH 25a nominal voltage LG newly created cells. If you use Uwell premade coil replacements on the Uwell Crown for example, you must pop in HB4s or if have a choice PINK HB6 batteries instead of the ugly colored ones. The pinks are proven to be better and don't get too warm which is an issue with high resistance vaping at high wattages. Again HB6s are only for custom mech mod insanity type of a vaping hobby not a RX200S TFV4 user like myself. Just make sure the indie testers say the battery is safe all around and is a minimum of 25amps please. The tanks and coils that we have to choose from are very intense. So get HD2C (with the C, not the purple HD2s, they're horrble I know first hand). Also get a set of HB4s so your're no limited to any coil or ANY subohm tank and wattage combining all three of the powerful newer tanks being sold lately. (hopefully you bought the Sigelei Fuchai and don' t use TC because that's my next mod to add to my collection.
 

BoomStick

Gold Contributor
Member For 5 Years
how come everybody has to prove the other person wrong here? ECF community is more polite. you were polite but 9/10 times im corrected and even called dumb in a sly way that might go over a person without a 129 IQ after a test 3 years ago. I'm not always doing a great job preserving braincells either. I'm not dumb, I stand by the fact 25-30amp batteries are safer and make more clouds on crazy octuplet .15ohm 110W+ coil and my set of 3 LG HB4s are perfect for my Wismec Reuleaux RX200"S" updated to 150W and easier menu and TC options. Though I'm a non TC vaper for life. HB2s, HB4s, and HB6s are different. HB2s are weaker than 30amp cont. discharge, and said to be even closer to 23 amps at full charge. HB4s don't "drop off" and remain as powerful as a fully charged set about the entire time I keep them in use before a charge up, the HB6s are slightly more prone to drop offs of that blast power which turns a non-IPV style medium speed ramp up to an instant blast at the button press instantly. HB4s blast off like the old discontinued Sigelei Fuchai on the updated firmware RX200 "S" model. Some reason so I recommend the "S" version and if the gray/silver original color is 15 dollars cheapers, it's 3.99 for one of the shell parts which are removable and can be replaced with Red, black, white, blue, etc. and the back shell piece is replaceable as well and you can have 2 toned custom mod style. The DNA 200 version Silicone Sleeves fit and there are numerious brands on Amazon to research for under 9 dollars, usually $7.89 for directconnection (makers of silicone mode sleeves that fit snug enough to still remove them easily but are thick, protect from liquid entering the mod via buttons or battery hatch, plus, they have 20 colors give or take 4. Top of it's covered with enough room for TFV4 and TFV8 Cloud Beast 24.5mm oversized diameter tanks. and the screen is in full view...best sleeve brand. Anyway. I think 3 LG HB4s for the TFV8 are safest and more appriate, while the LG HD2C 2100mAH 25amps TRULY as tested by many industry trusted and credible testers who allow anybody access to the detailed process and graphs. Not only Mooch but 3 others I follow. So I'm glad I can use HD2C 2100mAH x 3 in the RX200S unless I'm using the TFV8. Yes I have the cash for it. I've been saving for the next generation of tanks, and I had a feeling the RX200"S" model was coming out. Less of a cheap plastic fell, solid as hell, battery hatch stays in place more than most mods and I think using 23amp or 20amp batteries aren't safe and limit my subohm tank coil and wattage options. I won't buy more coils after using up the 3 included with the Cloud Beast tank Kit for a while but 32 dollars at a certain site, 3 coils, spare pyrex, and washers or rubber thingys, whatever they're named, I can't say no. The vapor on the Sextuplet coil is "cooler" so I won't burn my lungs but the youtube videos show clouds I've never seen made from one tank hit before and the person on video used the Sigelei 213 at 90W. It's no safe to use 25Rs or HG2 20a 3000mAH LG brown batteries on .15ohm coils at over 108W is I choose. TFV4 and Triton 2 .3ohm Kanthal, or my Steam Engine .25ohm stainless VW mode coils at 90W is safe with the 25amps. I just wanna be able to vape up to 140W on the Sextuplet Turbo TFV8 coil and LG HB4s are made for high wattage and resistance vaping on a regulation box mod. HB6s are for the mech mod things with .02 ohm custom made coils and crap like that. HB2s should be discontinued and production halted because it's not really helpful with amperage of other LG higher mAH cells and 1500mAH like the 30a coils have. That's a waste of LGs money once the sites begin selling HB4s and not ONLY HB6s. They are different and HB4s took the crown according to the charts of indie pro testers. Overall, they are best with low mAH but it's also said to be closer to 1770mAH in reality. So....Don't tell me about ohms law. I have the potential to vape at 250W and so do my .15ohm coils when the TFV8 Cloud Beast arrives. Do your math then. I'm sharing info and I can't speak on what I don't know, have used enough to form a solid opinion, or use in another way somehow. HD2s are very week, VTC4s I have coming and I can have my computer whiz electronic master test them so I can say with confidence there are some left in one sites warehouse and then I'll direct you to $6.50 untouched, boxed, VTC4s (which are the most powerful Sony 18650s, people are dumb as they say buying VTC5s when there are 10 LG cells just released the past season and one just today claiming 2100mAH and better performance than HD2Cs call HD4s. I have a feeling they are the ones to out last HD2Cs and not have that drop off after 20% of the life is used ala VTC4s. Again LG HB4s are 1500mAH and last all night in my RX200S but 25amps are all I need and would love 3 2100mAH 25a nominal voltage LG newly created cells. If you use Uwell premade coil replacements on the Uwell Crown for example, you must pop in HB4s or if have a choice PINK HB6 batteries instead of the ugly colored ones. The pinks are proven to be better and don't get too warm which is an issue with high resistance vaping at high wattages. Again HB6s are only for custom mech mod insanity type of a vaping hobby not a RX200S TFV4 user like myself. Just make sure the indie testers say the battery is safe all around and is a minimum of 25amps please. The tanks and coils that we have to choose from are very intense. So get HD2C (with the C, not the purple HD2s, they're horrble I know first hand). Also get a set of HB4s so your're no limited to any coil or ANY subohm tank and wattage combining all three of the powerful newer tanks being sold lately. (hopefully you bought the Sigelei Fuchai and don' t use TC because that's my next mod to add to my collection.
You are so full of shit. What's worse is you don't even know it. Go back to ecf if you can't take it when someone calls you on it.
 

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