 Choosing a battery charger can be as simple or as complicated as you'd like it to be. Before you buy a charger, the question you may want to ask yourself is how good of a racer do you want to be
If you're happy to just go out and race with your buddies and have fun, then pretty much any charger capable of charging a 2s LiPo battery will be adequate. If, on the other hand, you have ambitions of being one of the more competitive racers and are willing to do whatever it takes to get the very best out of your car and equipment, you may want to invest in a premium charger (and possibly discharger) Of course, you can always start with whatever charger you currently have or can find that is within you budget then upgrade at a later date if you feel it will help Here are my top charger suggestions: Top Suggestions: Premium: Muchmore Specter, iCharer 406 Duo, iCharger DX8 Middle: Hitec RDX2 800, iCharger X6, iCharger S6 Entry Level: Hitec RDX2 200 Why These Chargers: Muchmore Specter - this is the charger I currently use and I'm very happy with it. When combined with the optional discharger, I am able to charge and discharge my batteries at a high rate and so far, it has been very reliable. The biggest thing to keep in mind with the Specter (other than the high price) is that it is a single channel charger so you'll only be able to charge one battery at a time iCharger 406 Duo, iCharger DX8. iChargers are the go-to charger for most serious RC racers. They are not without their issues (convoluted menus, occasional reliability issues) but they work extremely well for charging accurately and powerfully Hitec RDX2 800. I like Hitec chargers and prior to racing, used them for years with zero issues or problems. The RDX2 800 gives the option to bridge two charging channels into one so that you can charge at a higher rate - not quite as high as the premium chargers mentioned above but pretty close. You can also add an optional discharger for when you get in to cycling batteries for maximum performance iCharger X6 and S6. These are nice little chargers. They can also charge at a fairly high rate and you can add an optional discharger if you decide you'd like to also cycle your batteries with these Hitec RDX2 200. A good, solid, easy to use charger at a fair price. It will charge, discharge and storage charge your batteries without any fuss or complication. A good starting point for sure Other Considerations Depending on the charger that you choose, you'll likely need a power supply and some type of charge lead (the wire that goes from your charger to your battery) so keep that in mind when you are shopping Where to buy: I primarily sell MuchMore and Hitec chargers and can also get some iChargers. Your local hobby store may be able to get these and other brands as well. Please try to support those that support our hobby whenever possible If you're not able to buy from me or one of our local hobby stores, you can use this referral link to buy online from Amain Hobbies (I'll earn a small referral fee if you use that link) so you'll still be supporting McLeanRC Used Equipment: One way to save some money on a charger is to consider buying a good used one. For the most part, chargers don't wear out so if you can find one that has been taken care of, it will probably be okay to buy used. Try posting a "wanted" ad on one of our local Facebook buy and sell pages: Back to Getting Started Series > Comments are closed.
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