Can anyone recommend a good mid priced Li-ion battery charger?

[SteveLy]

Since I recommended the Nitecore i4, FYI:

My Nitecore i4 just blew up in my hand with a bang and flash of light upon being plugged in. This is after just under 6 months of use. There are some loose bits of whatever blew up rattling around inside the unit, which is now completely non-functional.

I'll try to get it replaced under warranty but if that proves too hard, I'll get something more capable, an Opus or maybe Xtar.

ps. There are fake Nitecore products out there but I did check this one immediately after receiving it new, using Nitecore's "validation" page: http://charger.nitecore.com/validation and it came up as authentic with the validation code first being entered by me. (Fake ones still have validation codes, but they show up as having been checked multiple times already.)

[djQUAN]

Mine also failed but it still worked running on DC input. Been using it on DC ever since and still works fine, so far.

http://laserpointerforums.com/f52/nitecore-i4-i2-charger-teardown-update-p2-83155-3.html

[SteveLy]

Thanks for that tip, djQUAN. I'll try that once I've pulled it apart and removed the loose bits rattling around inside.

[SteveLy]

Thanks again, yep it works with a 12V DC 3.75A adapter (needs 1A), with plug tip positive (polarity not indicated on the exterior of the unit itself).

The component that obviously blew appears to have been a fuse. On the board it's labelled "250V 1A". It's a through-hole soldered fuse though (no fuse holder) and I have no replacement handy. It really blew good, to smithereens: a fine dust of metallic and glass particles.