Nitecore Intellicharger i1 Review

Disclosure: The Nitecore Intellicharger i1 in this review was provided by nitecore.com.

I attended a party last weekend. And, it was no surprise that there were more than a few vapers in attendance. What did surprise me though was the gear a majority of them were using. Updating this website every day with deals on the newest vape gear has made me wrongly assume that most vapers use the newest gear. A majority of them were using ego styled batteries with tanks like the nautilus mini. A few of them had more “advanced” mods like an iStick or x-cube. And, it looked like those people were using sub-ohm tanks. But, my RX-200 / Griffin combo got more than enough attention. At one point one person said “damn you look like a dragon” with a few other people laughing adding “I know right”. This got me thinking. Like some of you out there in the VAPE DEALS community… I have my fair share of “obsolete” vape gear. Taking a glance at one of my stands… I see an eGo twist with a nautilus mini filled with juice that’s probably a year and a half old. =) But, the party got me thinking. Is this really “obsolete” vape gear? Well, considering that I probably can’t even find my eGo charger if my life depended on it… this setup is obsolete to me. But, this setup is still valid for a lot of people out there. As the party showed. And, this Nitecore Intellicharger i1 Review if a must read if your one of them.

Nitecore Intellicharger i1 Features

• Charges one Li-ion battery and automatically identify its type, plus one external device through USB.
• On board eGo charging port for e-cigarettes.
• Accelerated charging with maximum output current up to 1000mA.
• Optimized charging design for IMR batteries.
• Intelligently adjusts charging priority for devices.
• Automatically detects battery status and select from constant current/constant voltage charging modes.
• Automatically detects battery types and select the appropriate voltage and charging modes.
• Activated depleted batteries (only for batteries with protective circuit).
• Automatically stops charging upon charging completion.
• Features reverse polarity protection and short circuit prevention.
• Made from durable ABS (fire retardant / flame resistant).
• Designed for optimal heat dissipation.
• Certified for RoHS, CE, FCC, CEC and KC
• Insured worldwide by Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China, Ltd.

Specs

• Input
  • AC 100-240V
  • 50/60Hz
  • 250mA (MAX)
  • 8W (MAX)
• Output
  • 4.2V +/- 1% 1000mA
  • 5V 1000mA (USB)
  • 4.2V +/- 1% (eGo)

Presentation

There’s not much to get excited about. The Nitecore Intellicharger i1 comes in a cardboard box that lists battery compatibility, features & specs. It did feature a sticker you can scratch off for a validation code. I’m assuming this is to combat fakes. In fact… they even have a few pages dedicated to helping you identify fakes. They can be found HERE & HERE. But, I didn’t have to worry about this since the Nitecore Intellicharger i1 was supplied directly from Nitecore to review. Sitting inside was a plastic insert which held the Nitecore Intellicharger i1, user manual & warranty information.

Build Quality

Not much to complain about in regards to build quality of the Nitecore Intellicharger i1. The ABS construction is nice and solid. I actually tried to twist it with both hands to see if it flexes at all. And, it didn’t. It did make a slight “creek” noise. Which is expected with how much force I was twisting it with. But, there was no flex at all. The battery sled is nice and smooth. Actually, it feels a lot better than my 3 year old Intellicharger i4. You can insert batteries from 28mm to 71mm long. Which means you can basically charge any protected/unprotected LiIon battery. And, it features two status LEDs. There is a red LED when the charger is on and charging. And, there is a green LED that’s used at all other times.

Function

Here’s where the Nitecore Intellicharger i1 stands above the rest of the pack. At least for the beginner vaper. The i1 can charge 26650, 18650, 17670, 18490, 17500, 17335, 14500, 10440 & 16340 IMR/LiIon batteries. It also has the ability to charge an eGo battery! And, it also has the ability to charge a USB device!! Which basically means that this one charger has every beginner device covered. Even better is that I just checked Google and the Nitecore Intellicharger i1 can be had anywhere from $10-15.

Performance

The Nitecore Intellicharger i1 has a charge current of 0.5A or 1A. There is no way to choose the charge current. I was told that it is automatically chosen depending on the battery sled. At 62mm or smaller… the charge current is 0.5A. At 62mm or bigger… the charge current is 1A. My test battery charged up fine. As did my eGo battery. As did my iStick (via USB). I did notice that the Nitecore Intellicharger i1 got fairly warm. Which did warm up the test 18650 battery. But, it was nothing I would be too concerned about. Especially since I never leave charging batteries unattended. And, I try and remove charged batteries as soon as they are done charging. BTW… you should be doing that as well. #justsaying

Conclusion

The Nitecore Intellicharger i1 is a solid option for the beginner vaper. The ability to charge a IMR/LiIon battery or an eGo battery or a USB device is quite useful. And the low price point helps. My only complaint/concern is that a lot of devices use two (sometimes three) 18650 batteries. And, since the Nitecore Intellicharger i1 only has one battery sled… you might be waiting a long time to vape if you have to charge each 18650 separately. Now, I would be all over it if they made a 4 or 6 channel version of the Nitecore Intellicharger i1. But then again… that’s because I always want the latest and greatest gear. =)