SkyRC MC3000 Multi-Chemistry Charger

I only rated it 4 star due to the clicky and plasticky menu buttons and it also need a wider range for setting/limiting voltage cut-off for nimh.

Definitely takes a bit of a learning curve. But once you get it, it's a piece of cake. There's a "dummy" mode, but it doesn't maximize this charger. Took me about a full day of research before getting the settings right for my 18650, aa, and aaa batteries. Imo it makes charging fun!

Built quality seems very solid. The last charger that I'll ever need.

As a 71 year old retired geek, I love this toy. It provides more insight into battery charging than I ever got before. The funny things are the User Interfaces. I was going to post my opinion of the UI's but I found someone had already summed up my feelings. The guy repeatedly claims that the UI's are self-explanatory/intuitive/excellent software that may not even need documentation because they are so great. This is what happens when someone who has produced a great feat of electronic hardware design, then does the programming, and the technical writing.
The summarization of the UI I saw was "Not intuitive, just bizarre!" So, it requires a lot of learning by trial and error. After a couple of days and many battery tests, I like it. I also like the 3rd party "DataExplorer" program that interfaces to this charger - https://www.nongnu.org/dataexplorer/download.html

First off, Progressive is a responsive seller. MC3000 was shipped and received very fast.
Now the MC3000 is a great battery tester and charger. I still have more to learn about it's abilities. I have recovered several batteries that were thought to be dead.

After a few days of programming my MC3000 and charging some NiMH and Li-ion cells, I can report that this charger truly lives up to its reputation as the ultimate cylindrical cell charger. Using the Advanced Mode gives you control over almost every imaginable aspect of charging, and you can set quite a few safety features according to your needs and the cells you use.

It is also certainly true that it takes some time to read the instruction manual and the various online forum threads related to this charger, but doing the reading is necessary to be able to use the charger safely and effectively, and get the most out of it. I think some of the instructions in the manual could be a bit more clearly explained, but the one question I had after doing all the reading and experimenting with the settings was answered by the helpful members of the Budget Light Forum.

The hardware and firmware challenges experienced by earlier units have been adequately addressed by updates, it seems. Everything works well. The battery holder sliders seem solid and make easy contact with my flat-top, unprotected Li-ion cells. The default time cutoffs have been eliminated from the firmware, also.

I definitely made the right decision in buying my MC3000 from ProgressiveRC. They offered free shipping, and also offer warranty service in the event there are any problems during the warranty period. The charger arrived on the east coast within just a few days. I'm grateful that the product was boxed for shipping. In this day and age, it is unusual to find a company I feel I can trust to do a good job and provide superior products for a competitive price.