I have a problem. I own too many Ni-MH rechargeable batteries that are getting up there in age with no real way to test their reliability. My current chargers only charge in pairs with no display monitoring, which leaves me in the dark on important health data points about each battery. Plus, charging in pairs isn’t good for the longevity of batteries due to various brand specs, capacities, battery health, et cetera. So, after doing some research and seeing some recommendations on a vaping subreddit (who knew that would be good for research?), I decided to purchase the XTAR VC8 Plus Rechargeable Battery Charger from Amazon to see if that couldn’t address some of my pain points.
Build Quality, Initial Impressions, and Features
The XTAR VC8 Plus Rechargeable Battery Charger has a sturdy look and feel to it with 8 bays for charging multiple battery types. It uses a DC 12V port to plug into your wall outlet rather than using the USB-C that was featured on other models. For me, that’s not really an issue, but something to keep in mind if you need that type of charging. The LCD display has a nicely lit blue background, making the data easily legible.
Ni-MH Battery Types
Charging Currents for Ni-MH Batteries
Ni-MH battery charging is limited to 0.25A (8 batteries) or 0.5A (8 batteries). There are higher charging currents for other battery types but it’s not something I need at the moment. I would suspect that using faster charge times would not be good for the longevity of Ni-MH batteries either.
The XTAR VC8 Plus is compatible with the following Ni-MH batteries: AAAA, AAA, AA, A, SC, and C.
Other Battery Types and Charging Currents
In case you’re wondering what other types of batteries can be charged in the XTAR VC8 Plus Rechargeable Battery Charger, here is a full list: 3.6V/3.7V 10440 14500 14650 16340 17500 17670 18350 18490 18500 18650 18700 20700 21700 22650 25500 26650 Li-ion and 1.2V Ni-MH/Ni-CD AAA AA A SC C Batteries.
There’s several charging currents available for these battery types. The selectable charging currents are 250 mA, 500 mA, 1000 mA, 2000 mA, and 3000 mA. The adjustable constant current at 4.2V = 3Ax2, 2Ax4, 1Ax8, 0.5Ax8, 0.25Ax8. 1.45V = 0.5Ax8.
Additionally, the packaging claims that protected and unprotected 20700 and 21700 batteries can be charged. Further, LiFeP04 batteries can be charged, but only in Storing Mode.
Charging Modes
There’s three different modes for charging batteries: Charging Mode, Grading Mode, and Storing Mode. Charging Mode is available to all 8 bays and Grading or Storing Mode is only available to bays 1-4. Not a huge fan of that setup due to the confusion it could cause for a new user. You wouldn’t realize the bay limitations unless you combed through the instruction manual. Regardless, Grading Mode, specifically, is extremely useful. I’ll get more into the available modes below.
Use
I had dozens of Ni-MH batteries to test with the XTAR VC8 Plus. Out of all the various Ni-MH batteries I tested, the voltage and battery types were identified relatively quickly and the ones that couldn’t be activated were greeted with an “Err” message on the LCD screen, meaning they are identified as broken and unable to take a charge. There were occasional instances that the battery had to be reseated in its spring-like bay to get them to properly activate, but it wasn’t a constant repetitive problem that I had to deal with.
Inserting a Ni-MH battery into the XTAR VC8 Plus begins with an initial charging speed of 120 mA. After a few minutes, the charger confirms that the battery is an Ni-MH and then that speed automatically goes up to 500 mA. Now, there are adjustments in constant current for other battery types but the manual states that 1.45V batteries max out at 0.5Ax8. Even if you could override that to quickly charge a Ni-MH battery, my assumption is it could drastically shorten their lifespan and I wouldn’t recommend it.
In any charging mode one can press the mode or display buttons to switch the display screen between current, capacity, or internal resistance. This alone makes the XTAR VC8 Plus far superior to dumb chargers that are lacking LCD screens. Simply knowing that a battery has a very high internal resistance could give you a good indication that a battery is on its way out.
Charging Mode
Charging Mode is fairly self-explanatory, using it to top off as well as analyze the current battery health. In this mode, you’re able to see the battery capacity, current, and internal resistance. All are useful metrics to have, especially because previous chargers I owned didn’t have any of these features.
Grading Mode
Grading Mode is where the XTAR VC8 Plus really shines. The charger fully charges the battery, fully discharges the battery, and then it will fully charge the battery one last time. During each of these phases, you’ll see the total discharged capacity as well as the charged capacity. Essentially, this means you’ll know a lot more about the total capacity and current health of the battery, which is huge when you have a plethora of batteries. It makes it so much easier to identify batteries that are either bad or on their way out. Again, it is unfortunate that only bays 1-4 are capable of this mode, though.
Storing Mode
Storing Mode is used to charge or discharge your Ni-MH or Li-ion batteries to a voltage best used for long-term storage. The manual states that it will charge the batteries with voltage lower than 3.6V or 1.2V and discharge batteries above 3.6V or 1.2V. Additionally, this is the mode you have to use in order to charge LiFePO4 batteries. I didn’t have a use for this mode at the time, so I opted not to test it. Again, like Grading Mode, it’s only available on bays 1-4, which is unfortunate.
Warranty
The warranty offered on the XTAR VC8 Plus Rechargeable Battery Charger states 15 days free replacement and 24 months for free repair along with lifetime technical support being offered. Nice if it’s implemented well.
Conclusion
The XTAR VC8 Plus Rechargeable Battery Charger is a great addition for those seeking Ni-MH charging. Having 8 bays that can do anything from AAA to C battery cells is extremely useful and convenient. It drastically shortens charging times. Couple that with the ability to see voltage, current, capacity, and resistance and you’ll have a good idea of the battery health of your collection. It’s unfortunate that Grading and Store Modes are only available for bays 1-4, but the value here still outweighs those limitations. If XTAR or some other brand ever creates a charger where all 8 bays can utilize the various Charging Modes, that will probably be the one to get. For now, I’m feeling comfortable with the XTAR VC8 Plus Battery Charger being one of the best Ni-MH battery chargers for 2025.
