Whats the current good Li-Ion (18650 cell) desktop analyzer & charger ?

[Wirehead]

2nd... Any Imax B6 Clone plus OpenSource Firmware Cheali-Charger

That does look like a good option.. Cheap and hackable 

[all_repair]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-VariCore-V40-LCD-3-7V-18650-Battery-Charger-for-AA-AAA-26650-18500-16340-14500/32709426260.html

HKJ  have you tested this one?  This is one I can afford so I ordered it.

Looks like all the same, with different kind of brands.  I have it for a week or 2 now, I am going to get 1 more.

[Wirehead]

2nd... Any Imax B6 Clone plus OpenSource Firmware Cheali-Charger

That does look like a good option.. Cheap and hackable 

I actually bought one, and flashed that "cheali-charger" firmware with an usbasp.

After calibration, it's an amazing piece of kit for the price. I hook up the balance wire even with single cell 18650's - and then it's used as a sense wire. It's bang on with measurements on charge & discharge.

Awesome 

[CraigHB]

Comparing a desktop round cell charger to a hobby charger is like night and day.  Desktop chargers are typically limited well below 50W output where even the least expensive hobby chargers start at 50W.  The hobby charger I use (Turnigy Reaktor) is rated for 250W output. 

Hobby chargers have a number of features you don't find in desktop chargers designed strictly for round cells.  For example they can do a wider range of chemistries including Li-Ion, NiMH, and lead-acid.  They can do Li-Ion packs (multiple cells in series) with balance charging.  They have diagnostics like battery IR checks and track charge input.  Some of the standard features you find in hobby chargers are making their way into desktop chargers now, but they're still lacking.

A down side with a hobby charger is you need an add-on cradle for use with round cells.  Also hobby chargers typically require an external 12-24V DC power supply, however hobby chargers with built-in power supplies are available.  Hobby chargers require a lot of manual input such as cell chemistry, cell counts, and rates. 

In terms of convenience a desktop charger is probably going to be best.  In terms of features you can't beat a hobby charger.

[HKJ]

Hobby chargers are fine for battery packs, but for a couple of loose cells they are not very practical.
The SkyRC MC3000 basically match a hobby charger in settings and functions when working with single cells (Except it has 4 channels compared to a typical hobby charger with 1 channel), but the user interface is significantly different.

[BravoV]

Its here, love it, especially ability to tweak tons of charge & discharge parameters, briefly tested, the cells voltage reading from factory is spot on with my Fluke 287. 

As its my 1st Li-Ion desktop charger, was quite surprised of it's size, its big, put the popular Maha MH-C9000 side by side as comparison.