Kong Power Multi Charger

[ALPHAWOLF]

http://www.kongpower.com/product_en/show.asp?pro_recno=KP-50W3a&rtnto=product_list.asp%3Fpage%3D1%26pkind_recno%3DMKP%26kind_recno%3DMK2%26sort%3D1&page=1&sort=1&kind_recno=MK2&pkind_recno=MKP

The Kong Power Multi Charger KP-50W3 has many things going for it and I am thankful I was considered to test the charger out, courtesy of Howitzer from The NAM (National Airsoft Magazine). The battery charger itself is small (4.5” long by 3” wide by 0.75” thick) and weighs almost nothing (about 1/4 pound) and this means a LOT as most of you can appreciate when packing for an airsoft weekend away. It is made of sturdy construction and the buttons cycle with ease of use.

This Multi charger only has two buttons on it which makes for ease of control. You turn it on, set the number of cells your charging by pushing the "lipo cell count/Status" button and cycling through the list til you find the battery type you are going to charge then plug the battery in and press "current Start/stop" and your battery is off and charging. There is also a Balancing port for when you are charging LIPO batteries which prevents the cells from getting more energy stored in them than the other cells

Here are the Pros:
Powered off AC and DC sources, as it has alligator clips for connecting to your car battery and includes an AC adapter for use indoors
Comes wired with both mini and large-type Tamiya connectors, so no worrying about carrying extra adapters unless you’ve made the switch to Dean’s on your packs/gun.
Charges any battery cell type you can throw at it (NiCd, NiMH, LiPo, LiFe, LiIo)
Charges and balances 1 to 3 series packs of LiPo/LiFe/LiLo
Charges 1 to 8 cell packs of NiCd/NiMH
Adjustable charging rate from 0.1A to 5A
Easy to operate with only two buttons

Kong power even sells a charging harness with 6 different connections on it for you people that use Deans connectors, called the Kraken 7h, here is the link for that
6 point charging harness http://www.kongpower.com/product_en/show.asp?pro_recno=Kraken-7H&rtnto=product_list.asp%3Fpage%3D1%26pkind_recno%3DN%26kind_recno%3DX-7%26sort%3D1&page=1&sort=1&kind_recno=X-7&pkind_recno=N

Cons:
The size of the ac power converter adds some nice weight to the package
The unbelievably loud tone that screams out at you if you did something wrong. Its deafening ( not a totally bad thing to stop you from blowing up your room, just a bit loud for my personal tastes)
The lack of a large display showing you the status of your charging cycle

Overall I think this is a great system that can be used by the average airsofter who really knows no more than he has to charge the battery for it to work (IE ...ME LOL). It is simple to use and the directions are pretty straightforward with a minimal amount of translation hiccups that normally occur.