Chargers

FDS

Elite member
It’s a lot more money. If you want more charging capacity you could have 3 of the B6’s for the price of that.
Unless you are going to have a ton of large 6s batteries charging on parallel boards you don’t need more power than the B6 can do.
I had one for ages, it was very reliable and kept my smaller battery stock on top shape.
Sure a bigger charger is nice but not necessary for most recreational flyers.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
The Imax B6 is a great charger for most people. It come down to what size battery are you going to charge. If you are charging a 3S 2,200 mAh, go with the B6. If you are charging a 5,000 mAh 6S, go with a bigger one.

I've had good luck with the Imax knockoff's from eBay. I bought several of the cheaper 12V version and use my own 30A power supply. Now I can charge 8 - 3s 2200 batteries at one time. Less waiting, more flying.
 
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Kendalf

Well-known member
I have the exact Imax B6AC listed by OP. Works great for my purpose, but my largest battery is a 3s 2200mAh.

Quick question for other users that I couldn't find in the manual or searches: do I need to always power off the charger before switching batteries when a recharge or discharge cycle is complete? Right now I have it plugged in to a power strip that I turn off at the end of the power cycle before I switch batteries; just wondering if I'm needlessly powering the charger on and off.
 

basslord1124

Master member
I have heard lots of positive reviews about the B6 so I'd say it'd be fine.

To repeat what others have said, a lot depends on what sizes of batteries you currently have. If you a bunch of 1-3S batteries and maybe some 4S in various Mah then the B6 would be fine for that. If you have 5S-6S or maybe see yourself going that route in the near future, get something bigger with more wattage. The B6 could probably handle a 5S-6S but it'll charge it pretty slowly. The higher wattage chargers are better for handling bigger batteries.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
It breaks down to what you plan to do with it. Are you going to need to field charge off of a battery or solar? If so, you want DC capabilities. Many people ONLY want to charge at the field and don't want to charge at home, so they cut out the AC to try to save money. I'm of the mindset that you get something that does both.

Others will tell you to just buy the absolute cheapest chargers, because you're trying to save money. On this, I disagree. My dad bought a cheap Tenergy charger from HobbyKing, and he's started having problems with it. It DOES charge, but the buttons to switch between battery programs have stopped working, so he has to constantly cycle through on the one button that DOES work to get from a 2S to a 3S or 4S, and between storage or flight charge. It's kind of a pain. Also, while it's flat, it's kinda big for what it is; he ends up carrying it in a grocery sack when he goes to the field to fly, along with his transmitter.

There are two things you want to be quality, and I'm sure some people will disagree that it's needed:

1) Transmitter
2) Charger

These two things, I will tell you to find what fits YOUR needs, and spend what gets you the most bang for your buck. With regards to chargers, if you're having to change it out every 6 months for the same model because the buttons stop working, I don't think you're saving money. Cheapest isn't always the best way to go.
 

Merv

Site Moderator
Staff member
Right now I have it plugged in to a power strip that I turn off at the end of the power cycle before I switch batteries; just wondering if I'm needlessly powering the charger on and off.
No need to power off the charger when switching battery's. Just swap out the battery, if necessary, change any settings, and charge.
 

sprzout

Knower of useless information
Mentor
I have the exact Imax B6AC listed by OP. Works great for my purpose, but my largest battery is a 3s 2200mAh.

Quick question for other users that I couldn't find in the manual or searches: do I need to always power off the charger before switching batteries when a recharge or discharge cycle is complete? Right now I have it plugged in to a power strip that I turn off at the end of the power cycle before I switch batteries; just wondering if I'm needlessly powering the charger on and off.

You don't need to power off the charger when changing batteries, BUT (and I throw out this anecdotal bit of caution) if you are charging a fair number of batteries in preparation for a nice field day, you may want to give your charger a break at some point. My Hitec charger actually got hot enough internally one day that it stopped charging a battery and came up with a temp warning and a message that, per the instruction manual, said, "Let the charger cool down."

When I get messages like that, I worry about the batteries getting too hot and me having a potential fire. I've known too many guys in my club and my dad's that have had fires in their homes, and it makes me nervous, so I will throw out that warning to power down/unplug the charger after charging a couple of batteries, and let it cool down. It may not say it in the instructions, but after what I've seen and experienced, better to be cautious than extra crispy.