Portable battery jump charger/starter?

[haggardfan1]

I have a pair of heavy-duty jumper cables that were given to me by my mom and stepfather decades ago.
I'm considering buying a jump starter, both for the portability factor for my riding mower, boat, etc., and because I'm less and less inclined to hook my truck up to help start some vehicle with unknown electrical problems. My smart battery charger is nice, but requires AC wall power, so it's limited, but certainly has its obvious uses.

What kind do you have, why do you like it, and keep it mind I'd like to have a small ish and not hugely expensive unit that will crank a sb Chevy V8.
All suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Peegoo]

@haggardfan1

I have one called the Yesper Armor model (the $100 version). For the three years I've had it, it's worked amazingly well. It has sat more than six months at a stretch and it still holds 100% charge.

The only drawback to this one (and several others) is it will not boost a completely dead battery. It needs to sense an exisiting voltage before it will send current. An easy way around this is with a typical 9v battery and a pair of short clip leads.

Not all jumper packs come with their own USB wall charger. Some come with a 12v ciggy socket charger.

Unbiased review of a bunch right here:

 

[Bones]

My in-laws gave me this one about 5 years ago for Christmas, it still works great. I hadn't used it for a year until I needed it recently and it was still fully charged. i don't know what kind of voodoo that is, but it's great. Can be recharged quickly with the 12v "cigarette lighter" outlet in the vehicle.

Smartech Products Power Kit TECH-5000P Vehicle Jump Starter and Power Bank with Accessories + Air Compressor + Carrying Case TECH-5000P - The Home Depot

Power up your car with this power kit tech-5000P vehicle jump starter and power bank. The built-in 12,000 mAh lithium ion rechargeable battery, 150 psi air pump, laptop computer power station, super bright

www.homedepot.com

 

[haggardfan1]

@haggardfan1

I have one called the Yesper Armor model PD100W. For the three years I've had it, it's worked amazingly well. It has sat more than six months at a stretch and it still holds 100% charge.

The only drawback to this one (and several others) is it will not boost a completely dead battery. It needs to sense an exisiting voltage before it will send current. An easy way around this is with a typical 9v battery and a pair of short clip leads.

Not all jumper packs come with their own USB wall charger. Some come with a 12v ciggy socket charger.

Unbiased review of a bunch right here:

I think my Black & Decker charger has to sense a trace voltage as well. Good information, thank you.

 

[KC]

the other issue with these for those of us in the wild Northland is that they don't work when frozen. which also seems to be the most likely time for a dead battery. I've had one for some time & the only time I really needed it, I had to bring it into the kitchen for an hour before I could get it to work.

 

[buster poser]

We have one of these, same as my folks. I haven't had to use it in sub-freezing temps, but reviews seem to indicate it works. We keep it in the house during winter.

 

[Peegoo]

they don't work when frozen.

Good point. Mine stays in my heated garage, and each of my vehicles has a pair of jumper cables in it.

 

[Toto'sDad]

I have one that I bought at Costco. Not very expensive but seems to work just fine. It has some ports for charging cell phones too. The only thing I don't like about it is that you have only thirty seconds to activate the starter after you hook it to the battery. Otherwise, you have to wait a little while to try it again. It's no problem if you have someone to start the car, but it's kind of a rush to hook it up, then get around to the car and start it all within thirty seconds.

 

[dkmw]

I gifted a NOCO to my son at Christmas. Found it on sale at $89.95. Most of the newer ones have an override button to avoid the problem @Peegoo mentioned, when the jumpee is completely dead and the unit can’t detect it.

Also, the ones like @Bones mentioned that have a built in air compressor are a little more expensive but may be worth it. Low tire or low battery, you’re covered.

 

[RomanS]

I've got one ordered off Amazon, branded "Yaber", it's a lithium battery powerbank with charger cables (but also doubles as a phone charger, or an emergency flashlight). It's only about the size of a paperback book, and it holds its charge at least for a couple of months.

Haven't tried it with a V8, but I was able to start my 5 cylinder 2.4l Volvo at least 3 times on a single charge, at freezing temperatures (after my old battery died).

 

[Blrfl]

I bought my daughter the smallest of the Antigravity MicroStarts after she got stuck with a dead battery. She's used it to jump a dozen cars since and it's been very reliable.

 

[Vibroluxer]

I have one of these. It's made by the same outfit that makes DeWalt.

$110

 

[ce24]

I have a GOOLOO... Works great!

 

[buster poser]

I gifted a NOCO to my son at Christmas. Found it on sale at $89.95. Most of the newer ones have an override button to avoid the problem @Peegoo mentioned, when the jumpee is completely dead and the unit can’t detect it.

Also, the ones like @Bones mentioned that have a built in air compressor are a little more expensive but may be worth it. Low tire or low battery, you’re covered.

The multifunction ones are supercool, but mine (below) took forever to charge its own battery and would not turn over the truck when I still had it (5.4L Ford). Probably just needed more amps for the truck, worked fine on a little four-banger. Way bigger/heavier than the Noco plus an inflater-only DeWalt unit that runs on their 20v standard.

 

[Dennis Railey]

I am a professional mechanic and the shop i work has many jump boxs ,but I got a GooLoo turbo series off amazon and it was cheap and has worked great, i use it alot.

 

[rcole_sooner]

Have not used mine yet.

.... strange, I can't get an amazon product url to be inserted....


...anyways, this one was recommended to me.

 

[schmee]

@haggardfan1

I have one called the Yesper Armor model (the $100 version). For the three years I've had it, it's worked amazingly well. It has sat more than six months at a stretch and it still holds 100% charge.

The only drawback to this one (and several others) is it will not boost a completely dead battery. It needs to sense an exisiting voltage before it will send current. An easy way around this is with a typical 9v battery and a pair of short clip leads.

Not all jumper packs come with their own USB wall charger. Some come with a 12v ciggy socket charger.

Unbiased review of a bunch right here:

That's good news. I bought one years ago (not that brand) after doing a bunch of 'search and review reviewing'. Turns out it doesn't hold a charge that well over time. So I dont keep it in the car....

 

[Boreas]

Bought it last fall. Only used it once this winter. Worked fine on a totally dead 4 cyl., but I believe it is rated for a V8. You could always buy a bigger one - or a smaller truck.

 

[Blrfl]

I bought one years ago (not that brand) after doing a bunch of 'search and review reviewing'. Turns out it doesn't hold a charge that well over time. So I dont keep it in the car....

Depending on how old it is, that might be a side effect of the battery chemistry. Lithium-Ion is the best there is for that in small batteries these days. They'll hold a charge for a long time, but not forever. My daughter takes hers inside for an overnight charge after it's used and a few times a year.

 

[RoscoeElegante]

Timely! I just discovered how useful these doodads are when a parasitic drain oozed my 2005 Odyssey down to almost nothin'. A neighbor brought over the same model that @Vibroluxer posted above, and zip!, it was running again. I think that I unhooked my battery just before it became un-rechargeable. And since fixing the parasitic drain is expensive and we're broke, I just unhook the battery's negative lead when we're parking it for more than a few hours.

Anyway, I've got to get us one of these things, as using them is much quicker and easier than waiting on a friend or neighbor for a jump. And I like the thing's other features.