Traxxas EZ-Peak Plus Charger Review
The Traxxas EZ-Peak Charger Review
We recently had a chance to put the Traxxas EZ-Peak Plus Lipo Charger to the test. We also had a chance to test the Traxxas 2 & 3 Cell Lipo Charger. If you are looking for a LiPo Charger, or just a Traxxas Fan who feels more comfortable when everything you use is from the same company, and are looking for some info, the following reviews should help clear up any questions you may have. Keep reading to find out our thoughts…
From: Traxxas
Direct Link: Traxxas 2-Cell / 3 Cell Lipo Balance Charger
Direct Link: Traxxas EZ-Peak Plus Lipo Charger
Specs- –
EZ-Peak Charger
AC Input: – 100-240 volts
DC Input: 11-18 Volts
Charge Rate: 0.1 to 6.0A (80W Max)
Discharge Rate: 0.1 – 2.0A (10w Max)
Works with Battery Types: NiCd/NiMH 1-15 cells and Lipo/Life/LiIon 1-6 Cells
Weight 490g
Size: 135x112x60mm
Street Price- $99.99
2/3 Cell Lipo Balance Charger
AC Input: 100-240v
DC Input: NA
Charge Rate: 800mah Slow
Discharge Rate: NA
Works with Battery Types: LiPo Only 2S and 3S.
Weight 490g
Size: 86 x 56 x 34mm
Street Price- $28.00
Primary Competition– There are a LOT of chargers on the market. Check our Review section or our Charger Shootout for a list of other LiPo chargers.
Since it will be short and quick, I’m going to cover the 2/3 Cell Lipo Balance Charger first. This charger is basically like owning what a lot of people call a ‘wall wart’ charger. It’s similar to what would come in a stock RC vehicle to charger your NiMH or NiCd batteries, except this one does LiPos. The fact that it balances them, and can do 2s or 3s is good. The downside is that it’s going to be slow. Traxxas says it’s decent for a 1400mah – 2200mah pack. It charges directly through the balance port on your battery, you don’t even have to plug in the Traxxas plug. We tested ours on a few packs, 2s and 3s, and it works just fine. It’s extremely simple, and easy to use. Just plug and go. The LED’s will confirm how many cells you are charging, and let you know when it’s done. If you are new to RC, don’t have a lot of batteries to charge, and don’t have cash to put towards a better charger, for under $30 it isn’t a bad place to start. The charges times will make you want to upgrade soon.
That being said, if you can afford to get closer to the $100 mark, you will be MUCH happier with a charger like the EZ-Peak Plus.
In The Box: You get the charger, power cord, balance board and harness, a plug for a Traxxas connector, and a plug for receiver packs. We also got our hands on the Dual 2S and 3S accessories for dual charging goodness.
Actual Use: The EZ-Peak Plus can pretty much do it all. It can handle LiPo, LiFe, LiIon, NiMH and NiCd. It can even do two 2s or two 3s LiPo’s at the same time with an optional dual charging accessory.
The backlit LCD screen is easy to read, and makes setting it up for charging very simple. As we always suggest, you should read the manual. It’s not that long, and will make navigating the menus much easier.
There are options for charging, discharging, storage (does not fully charge). While charging, the the LCD screen will show the battery type, charge rates, pack voltage, and you can even press the status buttons to monitor individual cells.
The charger has the ability to save up to five profiles. So if you find yourself with charging the same battery types over and over (like a 5000mah 2s Lipo) you can load the profile with just a few quick button presses. We found ourselves not using this very often as it was really simple to just program what you wanted to charge on the fly.
After charging all sorts of packs, the Traxxas EZ-Peak Plus worked without any issues. It’s simple, relatively fast, and with a price point of $99, it is not a bad choice for your charging needs. It’s not a ultra high end charger for doing super fast 6S charging, but for MOST people this charger will be just fine. We even tried charging with the Dual Charging board, and had no problems. So if your running two 2S or two 3S packs in your vehicles, this charger has you covered. There is something about charging multiple packs as one. It obviously works as we did it multiple times during testing, but I’m a big fan of one battery at a time.
Overall:
For $99, it’s a HUGE step up over the 2s/3s Lipo Balancer. It’s easy to use, and will be able to handle all your needs for the common RC’er. I would have no problem recommending it to a new person to RC. It has a built in power supply, enough muscle to do what you need to do, and it’s pretty versatile.
As with all of our stuff, if you see us at a bash, stop by and check out the vehicles we have with us. We may let you take a test drive, and at the very least get you some stickers!
SUMMARY
Time To Bash – 8.0/10 -Plug it in, plug in your battery, set up the charging info in the menu and go.
Workability – 9.0/10 – The menu allows you to make all sorts of adjustments, and works with a ton of different battery types.
Car Show Rating – 8.5/10 – Backlit LCD screen is useful for some of those darker places when your charging packs.
Bash-A-Bility – 10/10 – We didn’t take a hammer to it, but it’s durable, and survived being tossed into the pit box many times.
Power- 8.5/10 – 6A isn’t too bad for $99. It’s a good upgrade from what comes with most RTR vehicles.
Value- 8.5/10 – You get a lot of features, and a decent charger for the $99
Big Squid Rating – 8.75/10 – Tentacles.. A big leap up from a RTR wall charger and it will handle most your battery charging needs!
