"What is the best Balance Charger?"

I'm asked this question almost daily.

Not many people will want to read all of this information. If you wish to remain clueless..skip down to the "Recommended Balance Chargers" section below.

The best balance charger is one that will have more features, adjustability, and reliability than the "dumb" stock chargers. Smart aftermarket balance chargers can provide far better maintenance for expensive batteries and are not expensive.

When choosing an aftermarket balance charger look for...

Features like a display that can provide details about the battery..such as..individual cell voltages, warning and error descriptions, settings options, and possibly a battery internal resistance meter. A very useful and important feature a balance charger should have to help keep Lithium batteries stay healthy is called 'Storage Charge' which allows the battery to be charged to a healthy level before periods it is expected to sit without being used.

A good balance charger should also have adjustable settings. It is important to adjust the charger for different types of batteries, their capacities (MAH rating), charge rates (Amps), and balance charge voltage cut-off limits. Charge rate adjustments being very important since rates too high can harm performance and cell longevity.

The reliability of any charger is something that should be expected to perform when needed. Stock chargers have a few tricks but cannot be fully trusted to treat batteries properly..and without a reliable method of feedback from the stock charger it is almost impossible to know if it is working properly. Furthermore, if the stock charger doesn't operate it can't tell you why. Generally , most chargers are manufactured in China. Some are manufactured better and with quality checks than cheaper chargers. This can become a problem when trusting a charger to treat batteries properly and more so when charging potentially volatile batteries in your home.

There are many great chargers to choose from when upgrading to a better than stock charging setup. The Parrot stock chargers are Balance Chargers..just not stellar performers. A step up are Bebop specified mulitchargers which can charge 3 packs at once. Unfortunately, the ready-made mulitchargers available for Bebops are basically 3 dumb stock chargers in one..with the same lack of information, adjustability, and they use high charge rates that decay cell performance over time.

I added links with tips on charging Bebop 1, Bebop 2, Bebop 2 Power, and Disco batteries below.

While there are many chargers to choose from it is important to choose a legitimate brand and not one that is a clone. Good brands are copied and usually the clones are not manufactured to quality standards. Finding a genuine model can be difficult if details are not provided by sellers.

Recommended Balance Chargers:

Genuine SkyRC Imax B6ACv2 - Caution..there are cheap Clones. Be diligent in choosing these chargers from sellers..matching box/unit design with the SkyRC website. Look for "Genuine"  being present in descriptions and a holographic sticker stuck on the bottom of the charger. Newer models should also note "LiHV" battery type compatibility on the box and printed on the face of the charger. This is a popular charger, it contains it's own power supply and has all of the needed functionality and many additional useful features. It is a "4-button" with a typical menu. The menu can be confusing at first or at times when you forget what selections you need..so learn how to use it and make and cheat-sheet of the needed selections for the batteries you intend to charge.

iSDT Brand Chargers - This brand is very good, very easy to use with a very intuitive menu, and they are not yet cloned. These chargers are far better than typical 4-button chargers and have greater versatility. They do require purchasing a separate power supply to support it..and adapting the power supply's connector to an XT-60 type plug to match the charger. However, they can also accept power from several different types of sources such as a wall-plug AC/DC power adapter, a 12 volt automotive type battery, or a larger LiPo battery. Selecting a power supply depends on how much amps are needed to support the charger to charge batteries. I recommend a laptop type wall-plug AC/DC power adapter with an output of 12 volts and at least 5 Amps (5000 mA).

I will add links to these chargers in the future. Until then, if you need help just ask here.

For Bebop 1...
http://thehighproglow.blogspot.com/2016/12/parrot-bebop-1-battery-charging.html

For Bebop 2 & Bebop 2 Power (& Disco)...
http://thehighproglow.blogspot.com/2017/01/parrot-bebop-2-battery-charging.html

The Disco battery uses the same type of 3S LiPo even though it is not labelled as being a LiPo. But, it uses a common XT-60 connector instead of a proprietary Parrot design. Most chargers inclue adapters that allow the Disco battery to connect right out of the box. So, follow the LiPo charging advice, number, and use charge profiles for 3S LiPo batteries in the Bebop 2 link above.