XTAR PB2S

I've got a serious addiction...I keep taking power tool batteries out of the electronics recycling and salvaging the 18650 cells from them. I don't know how to stop. I'm well past 100 cells now, and still have crates full of battery packs I haven't even cracked open. I don't know what's wrong with me -- I can't deny the siren call of those multi-colored cells. There's no joy like liberating a couple nice cells, dropping them on the tester, and seeing they've still got a few thousand milliamp hours in them. It's like turning trash into treasure. Of course, the collecting 18560 cells isn't the real problem. Figuring out what to do with the things is where it gets tricky. Sure I loaded up on some flashlights, but that only goes so far. Then I found this product from XTAR. On the surface it's a decent 2-cell USB-C charger, but the real trick is that if you slap some charged cells in there, you've got a battery bank to power your USB gadgets using either the classic A or newer C standard. For me, this has been a huge game changer. Whereas your standard USB battery bank needs to be recharged before you can use it again, this unit lets you just swap out the cells and keep rolling. I call this a "tactical reload" and it brings me almost as much joy as finding the cells in the first place. Bring along a few sets of charged cells, and you'll always have power available. I now have bought several of these units. I keep each one with two cells installed, and at least four additional cells in a plastic holder. One of them is at work, another is in the bag with all the kid's electronics, and I've got another in my car (be careful with storing lithium cells in hot cars). In terms of functionality, I really like that the display shows the voltage and current of the device being charged. This lets you see when something has kicked into a faster charging mode, or if its just puttering along at the normal USB charge rate. On some devices, such as my Pixel phone, you can actually see it step through several charging rates until it finally negotiates on the highest one. I usually put the cells in my larger home charger when I need to fill them back up, but the times I've used the integrated charger has worked fine. Seemed to be pretty quick when connected to a standard USB-C laptop charger. One nice feature is the ability to hit the button on the side and cycle through both batteries, so you can see if they are charging up at the same rate (particularly useful when dealing with salvaged cells). The only other thing I wanted to bring up about this product is the fact that it makes a noticeable whining noise when discharging under a heavy load. It doesn't particularly bother me, but it was unexpected the first time it happened.

This is a great little portable battery charger as it will charge or drain several of the most used sizes of Li-ion batteries in a very small package. There is protection built into the charger which makes using the unprotected "High Drain" batteries safer to charge/utilize. The readout makes it easy to monitor the health of your batteries or to calculate charge rate, just convert amps/volts to watts (A)*(V) = (W) for when charging from sources or using as a battery bank to charge other devices. A couple of 5000mAh 21700 batteries gives you a 10000 mAh battery bank in your pocket or bag, this is enough for a lot of phones from zero twice or, once & iPod, rechargable hearing aids, earbuds, etc. depending on health/charge of batteries being used. I have several High Drain 3500 mAh18650s from Orbtronic that are over 7 years old and still holding close to 80%. You can't beat that for $15.00 apiece at that time, given output & longevity. Got the Xtar PB2 unit around 2019 & have weathered a number of power outages by having them charged & ready (all of them are rotated into service to maintain health). Tips: if carrying charged batteries in unit, use a thin piece of plastic between negative contacts and charging posts to prevent any parasitic drain (just like manufacturers use in packaged products that come with batteries installed). If carrying without batteries, you can coil up the USB 3.0 cable and store inside unit. You also can use a rubber band (like a lobster claw band or other) or, some low profile velcro to keep the magnetic top on. This will prevent the batteries from falling out in a purse or pack (dangerous with unprotected high drain cells) or, if you fumble & drop the unit. Carry extras with you and you can just keep swapping batteries to continue charging or just running things on the go. Rechargable battery banks have to be recharged after use before using again, are bulkier, heavier, cost $$ &, often only illuminate & or charge other stuff. I have around 70000 mAh of good Li-ion batteries that I can utilize if needed to power devices or to charge them. I highly recommend this product, especially for those on the go and are often away from AC outlets or car charger. Cons: Not waterproof! (Maybe Xtar could make a "Sport" unit). Only charges or powers at 20W or less which is "fast charging" but......... Lastly, the USB 3.0 cable is separate. It would be nice if it was attached somehow. I have attached a 56W Countycomm USB-C lanyard to my unit so cable is always with it while batteries are loaded.

Works great with protected button top 18650 cells. The design hinders using shorter (flat top unprotected) batteries and I don't really understand the thought behind it. Flat contacts at the top, pins at the bottom with weak tension, a floating spacer in the middle for 21700s that makes the connection dodgy and makes it even worse if you're using only one cell, all of this seems like a solution looking for a problem when we have standard designs for this that work. I can gently shake it in my hand and it'll lose connection. I may be able to modify it with some magnets or soldering if I'm feeling adventurous. I do normally use protected cells for power bank operation, but I also have some flashlights that require unprotected cells and it'd be nice to charge them without worrying about the connection. I have a smaller unit for 18650s only that doesn't have these issues. Unfortunately I haven't found them for sale anywhere recently so this is the next best thing I could find.

No problems charging my 18650 Li Ion cells. Works as expected. The display is bright, and nice. Workmanship good, and size is great too. I like that it works off of any USB power supply, yet will take advantage of higher powered USB supplies. I've personally tested it with both, and works as advertised. Being a USB power supply too is an awesome feature, and makes this device do double duty. My only complaint is like most chargers, understanding what display is telling me, isn't very clear, and neither is the user guide.

This unit was the perfect battery pack for me, since I have dozens of 18650 cells laying around. The USB-C PD port worked extremely well - quick charging my Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G at its best charging rate. When the battery bank ran out of juice, I just opened the cover and popped some fresh 18650 cells in it and kept going. It made for a lighter, but long lasting charging solution for when I was working in the field and using my phone heavily. The problem came with its durability. The USB-C PD port failed in less than a month. I was lucky enough to file for a return before my Amazon return period expired, otherwise I would be extremely upset. Now I'm more disappointed that such a great idea was executed so poorly. I would pay twice as much for a version of this device that had more durable solder joints and a more robust case. I'm just glad I hadn't bought any 21700 cells specifically for this charger when it kicked the bucket on me. I absolutely would not recommend this charger if you ever carry your battery bank in your pocket or purse while a cable is plugged up to it and charging your phone. It isn't durable enough to handle that abuse. If you're not going to use it "actively" and just have it sitting on a desk or something, it's the best idea for a charger if you have spare 18650 lithium cells laying around.

This is my third XTAR-PB series charger/power bank. I threw away the first one because it only had USB micro and A connectors. On the second one the USB C port was for input only. As a power bank it would shut off when trying to power low current devices. The PBS2 dropped the USB micro port, added power bank functionality to the USB C port, added low current mode and upgraded the display. I don't use 21700 cells, but they added support for those as well. Spring loaded plungers for the negative contacts seems like a great idea (hope they last?) On the unit I received, activating low current mode is accomplished by double pressing the on/off button. The display does not slowly flash when in low current mode. Instead, the letters LC are displayed.

The device is well thought out. Mine works nicely within limitations and I’ve been testing it with different devices. Poor batteries can provide a bad experience … and it’s gauge doesn’t quite tell you what’s going on. A poor battery would show 50% charge yet go dark every couple of minutes. This device helped me identify that, and weed out the bad ones. With a good pair of batteries, this works well for smaller devices. It does get a *hot* when it’s running at full tilt. It cannot sustain its full power for more than a few minutes before it overheats and shuts down. So for instance, with an apple ipad and a good cable, it will ramp up to 12V charge at 1 amp, get quite hot, turn off, and then not charge the iPad. for all of that trouble, it will charge it about 2%. It does better with a cheap cable which limits the charge capability, or keep it off the USB-C so it stays at 5 volts and slower. I’m glad the cover fits snuggly as this will spend a lot of time in a backpack if it lives through a few more days of me testing it out. It might very well get returned. It seems fine for smaller devices that stay within the 5V 2A range.

I have a collection of 21700 batteries that I use in various, home made, power sources. I enjoy the PB2S because of the voltage and current readouts and because it is a fast charger that also recharges fast. I also like that it is fast and easy to remove and replace the batteries, if you want to. I prefer to keep a some pre-charged 21700s on hand for emergencies. This device is perfect for me. Note that the 'upgraded' version comes with a better mechanical adapter for the 18650 batteries. I don't use those so I cannot comment on the adapter. A side note: I first bought a PB2S several years ago and it is still working well. My granddaughter liked it so much that I gave it to her and purchased the new model for my use. I trust the operational quality of this model.

I have the old version, still alive after like 3 years of being dropped semi often, fits 18650s and 21700’s Solid capacity, being able to see a rough amperage is SO NICE for knowing if something is gonna charge slow or fast Also testing cells, to an extent anyway

Works great

Seems to only charge one battery

Just be aware that there is no repair function like other chargers.

Very frustrating, I purchased this product once before and requested an exchange due to the same issues. To my dismay, the replacement item displayed the exact same problems as my previous one. It's clear that this charger has fundamental flaws that have not been addressed. It constantly disconnects when charging my phone. It's incredibly annoying to have to keep checking and repositioning the device just to maintain a charge. The battery percentage reading is wildly inaccurate. I inserted a battery, and the device displayed a 20% charge. When I reinstalled the same battery, it miraculously jumped to 40%. Sometimes it can't even detect my second battery. I strongly advise against purchasing this charger. It's unreliable, frustrating to use, and clearly plagued by persistent issues. Save yourself the hassle and look for a more dependable charging solution.