car jumper packs

[MC Rider]

The Ducati I used to have, the battery was removed from below the bike. The jump start procedure was a bit more compel than the usual remove seat, see battery. Lucky I did not ever have to try and jump start it.

I have a GooLoo which has been good. Holds a charge for a long time.

My prior unit had the battery swell. Had to go to a hazmat roundup. I read somewhere sitting in a car trunk in > 100 degree heat is not good for them. I try to bring this one inside in summer.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

I had this one swell open, stored in the house. It was a little over 5 years old. I don't think they're all the same.

 

[MC Rider]

I had a phone swell like that too. A first I thought the screen was coming loose, but no.

 

[calmloki]

Was in Costco in Palm Desert Ca at 1PM today,11/26, and they are selling on closeout a jumper pack for $39.97. Don't know if all Costco's have that closeout, but doubt you can do better price-wise.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Project farm periodically tests these, and they're definitely not all the same performance wise -

 

[Texas Proud]

I bought 3 for all vehicles...

I have jumped two of the cars with them... one was twice on the same charge and it still had good juice in it..

Mine suggests charging every 3 months... I think I went 6 or more this last time and my 2 were really low and might not have been able to jump... the other is in DDs car at school and I told her to charge it up... do not know if she did...

I had one of those old lead acid ones... very heavy... NEEDED to be charged all the time or it was dead... glad I got rid of it..

 

[rk911]

I bought a NOCO jump starter a few months ago and ended up using it just one or two days after receiving it.

As I was walking out of a grocery store I saw a car wit its hood up. I pulled behind it and learned its engine wouldn't turn over. The owner asked if I could jump-start it so I retrieved my NOCO device and had the engine started in under a minute. I'm a believer!

NOCO Jump Starter

 

[frank]

I checked out some of the packs listed here and got a good deal on the gooloo 4500 amp at walmart black friday for 65. that is supposedly regularly over 240. I guess I will find out now if they are any good. thanks for all the responses.

 

[djsander]

Thanks to everybody that went on to state their brands. Picked up the gooloo 4000A that spencnor mentioned when responding to my request for models and comments. All three colors of the same 4000A model were different prices on Amazon, so being frugal got the cheapest of the three.

 

[USGrant1962]

This thread reminded me to go check the charge on my two starters for the first time in maybe a year. My 4-year-old Tacklife charger is holding 99% charge. But my 3-year-old DBPower unit is dead. Recharging that one now, but concerned it is a dud.

Anyway, I've used them a number of times and they work great.

 

[CaptTom]

Mine saved my skin big time once. Lost the alternator in a remote location on a long road trip. On a Friday afternoon. The jump pack allowed me to get the car to a shop which was able to swap it out right then. Otherwise, it would be wait for a tow, then take an Uber to a hotel for the weekend until they could fix it Monday.

I've also used it lots of times jumping small engines and such.

 

[Koolau]

I bought 3 for all vehicles...

I have jumped two of the cars with them... one was twice on the same charge and it still had good juice in it..

Mine suggests charging every 3 months... I think I went 6 or more this last time and my 2 were really low and might not have been able to jump... the other is in DDs car at school and I told her to charge it up... do not know if she did...

I had one of those old lead acid ones... very heavy... NEEDED to be charged all the time or it was dead... glad I got rid of it..

The lead-acid ones don't seem to last very long in my hands for some reason. I used to have one that was good for 7 or 8 years, but the DeWalt and CAT ones - maybe a couple of years. YMMV.

 

[CaptTom]

A couple of the above posts mentioned the Gooloo brand. Yeah, that's the one I bought. From Amazon. So far it's been great.

FYI, look for the Amp rating. Higher is better. I wanted one which could start the diesels on my boat, so that narrowed the search.

 

[easysurfer]

Before I charge up my jumper, I'm using it with an inverter in 12v mode to charge up a camera battery.

The jumper does pretty much everything those lead acid jumper boxes do with more portability.

 

[jim584672]

These are great to have. I just changed a battery without losing my settings by hooking one of these up to the connector wires.

 

[OldShooter]

Was looking at those, but cannot remember a single time in my decades when I needed a jump and was not at home, where I could get the jump via cables via each others car.

My situation exactly. These boxes solve a problem that I just don't have.

 

[Koolau]

Was looking at those, but cannot remember a single time in my decades when I needed a jump and was not at home, where I could get the jump via cables via each others car.

I mean I guess, perhaps if I were in the habit of parking at the airport for longer trips it might find a use? But unless my car is unused for a long time, it's super rare to need a jump at all, let alone away from home.

I'd get the Costco one if I did at all.

How fortunate. I certainly have been surprised by a failing battery other than at home. Also, we're down to one car (per location) now and have no extra car to jump at home. YMMV

 

[CaptTom]

These boxes solve a problem that I just don't have.

That's what I thought, until one time I got a lawn tractor going with a jump pack a friend had. So much easier than dragging out the jumper cables! I'm truly amazed at the number of times that thing has come in handy since. And that's not even counting the time I mentioned in an earlier post, when it saved me a lot of money and a very long weekend far from home by getting me to a shop which could help me swap out my alternator on a Friday afternoon.

 

[jazz4cash]

No experience, but some knowledge.

That lighter/port is typically fused at ~ 10 ~20 Amps, which won't directly 'jump start' a car. But if the car's battery is OK, and just got discharged (lights left on, etc), then it can be recharged enough through that port to sometimes start the car. You want to give it some time (10 minutes, more?) and make sure everything is off on the 'dead' car, and keep the charging car running, as that will run the alternator and bring the voltage up to ~ 14.1 V which is what the 'dead' car will need to charge.

But if the dead car's battery is shot, and al. can't deliver enough current to start the engine, this won't work.

Thanks. It all seems readonable but I was thinking of jump starting from a device, not another vehicle. Not sure if it exists. I could certainly rig up a homemade cable to connect the two 12V accessory ports but as you say the amp limit probably makes it unpractical.

 

[FlaGator]

How fortunate. I certainly have been surprised by a failing battery other than at home. Also, we're down to one car (per location) now and have no extra car to jump at home. YMMV

Indeed. The last several times I've called road service for a jump I was away from home. The last one prompted a purchase of a jumper pack and the battery was promptly replaced when I got home. I finally figured out that when I have a flat battery, it's because the battery has failed or is failing. If it happens at home, I charge it to get a place to buy a new battery. On the road, I can use the jumper pack to get to a shop.

I'm down to one car because I live alone. I suppose the BTD alternative to a $100 jumper pack would be to marry a woman with her own car, or buy a second vehicle for myself. Recent experience tells me the second car will be cheaper

 

[aja8888]

Indeed. The last several times I've called road service for a jump I was away from home. The last one prompted a purchase of a jumper pack and the battery was promptly replaced when I got home. I finally figured out that when I have a flat battery, it's because the battery has failed or is failing. If it happens at home, I charge it to get a place to buy a new battery. On the road, I can use the jumper pack to get to a shop.

I'm down to one car because I live alone. I suppose the BTD alternative to a $100 jumper pack would be to marry a woman with her own car, or buy a second vehicle for myself. Recent experience tells me the second car will be cheaper

Marry = $$$$$$$$+++++............
Second car = $$$

Easy choice! (replacement is easier too)

 

[Jerry1]

That's what I thought, until one time I got a lawn tractor going with a jump pack a friend had. So much easier than dragging out the jumper cables! I'm truly amazed at the number of times that thing has come in handy since. And that's not even counting the time I mentioned in an earlier post, when it saved me a lot of money and a very long weekend far from home by getting me to a shop which could help me swap out my alternator on a Friday afternoon.

These boxes solve a problem that I just don't have.

I’m a bit of a flashlight collector. People ask me why. They never use a flashlight. That’s true, until you need one. I can’t recall the last time a car battery let me down but I think I’ll look into one of these. I have a generator and a lawn tractor that both have batteries and this may come in useful for something like that. Plus, as Jim584672 mentioned above, it might allow me to change out a battery without losing any settings. That could save me the cost right there by not having to pay someone to replace my battery. Plus, plus, I think they have a flashlight incorporated into some of them.

 

[Out of Steam]

The battery jumping is much easier than cables between 2 cars , in my view. No need to worry about the order, just connect them to the battery terminals and turn on the jumper, then disconnect. If one can open the hood, one can use these easily.

Within the past couple of weeks, The Car Care Nut on YouTube (whose advice I trust) said that, because of the high cost and likelihood of a mistake in using them, he thought that it was time to retire the jumper cables in favor of a jump pack.

I will probably do just that on at least one car, as I can imagine my wife using them, which she would never do with cables.

 

[wolf]

Within the past couple of weeks, The Car Care Nut on YouTube (whose advice I trust) said that, because of the high cost and likelihood of a mistake in using them, he thought that it was time to retire the jumper cables in favor of a jump pack.

I will probably do just that on at least one car, as I can imagine my wife using them, which she would never do with cables.

Agree. Jumper cables still work fine. But one has to be very careful when jumping new cars with computers.
If you use jumper cables, you risk burning out either the "dead" car or new car's Computer. Super expensive.
Repair.

That is why, these portable jump packs are so popular. I think they even have a safety feature built in.
If you reverse the positive and negative, it will automatically not work.

I prefer, "capacitor" portable battery pack. If you are alone, you can still jump start your "dead" battery,
using the "dead" battery. Look it up. Interesting concept. I tried it out, it does work.

 

[CaptTom]

Some of those jump packs have USB jacks you can charge your phone from, flashlights and other bells and whistles.

I just bought a cell phone charger battery pack which claims 49,800mAh (almost 50Ah.) I'm skeptical that it really has that much capacity, but they've sure come a long way from the old 1.5-2Ah batteries. It has multiple USB outputs, a flashlight and a wireless phone charger built in.