Portable 12v Battery Jump Starters

Used mine on 8 different vehicles and it works fine. BTW these go on sale all the time so don't rush out and buy one. Think I got mine for $49.

 

Not much, if any. It would help a lot more if they reduced the vampire loads, and unnecessary stuff sucking on the battery.

Batteries, notably including lead-acid types, don't like high temperatures.

 

most lead acid batteries under the hood last a long time, and hybrid engine is on less, so less heat. it's not the ampere hours, it's the ability to go dead, and not lose much life, compared to the old style. and yes, aftermarket should be much cheaper.

 

Yeah but, I rank jump packs by their weight and bulk. Used the same approach with our home theatre amp: that sucker's about 50 lbs, at least.

 

They last a lot longer in Boston than in Phoenix, for example. "Less heat" doesn't necessarily mean lower temperature. We'll see in a few years.

 

You should not discount how good some of these are. Mine started large truck gas engines with no issue. They are only designed to start a car and not crank on it for 10 minutes. Can easily fit in a glove box. Warm climates these are perfect. In the great white north that is another issue. Remember my 240D got so cold it separated the paraffin in the diesel and stopped up the fuel lines.

 

that may well be, i have no statistics.

 

I'm suprised that these these small jump start/boosters cope (excluding the Prius). My understanding of old, is that if you connect a flat battery to a charged battery (i.e. the booster) then the flat battery will start to drain the charged one. This leaves very little power to turn the car's engine over with the small battery in these booster.

 

All I know is that it works for that moment in the space time continuum when you need it. With the Prius you are just energizing the main electrical system and battery pack. Starting is done by the lithium batteries.

The vehicles it started had some amps/volts left in the core. Never tried a zombie dead corpse in a cemetery.

 

I don't have a link or image handy to show you, but recall the battery industry (or somebody) has published maps of the US divided into a few colored bands, each band corresponding to certain range of average battery life. Those maps show shortest life in the South and especially Southwest.

 

i don't doubt you. all my experience is in the northeast. there's probably something to be said for where you park your car as well, and i don't know if the engine bay will be any hotter than the interior.

fortunately for the o/p, (or unfortunately) she's in minnersoter.

 

Big bucks but on sale at Amazon this weekend. I bought 6 of the Ankor ones when they were on sale for $59/49. This one is a beast below. 91$ out of your wallet.

 

I have a big (and heavy) one made by Clore from the days when I really needed one.

Probably overkill, but I plan to keep it under the seat this winter so that I can play roadside hero. I wouldn't be comfortable giving someone a jump start from my Prius, but would feel like a chump refusing.

Anyway, this thread reminded me to charge it up. Photos below shows how it fits under the passenger side seat nicely when all the way back, and when it's slid most of the way foward.

 

Unyson Gen2 400A 8000mAh Ultra-portable jump starter

On sale for less than I paid...

 

I've used mine several times to help out a neighbour (Jeep Cherokee) - he must have been impressed for I later saw him with his own (eventually he replaced the main battery in his Jeep), but I've also used mine on my 2009 Prius when the 12V Aux battery up and died! A great investment (I got mine from battertmart.com)

 

Pay per the weight is a great idea. And golf? I pay mere pennies (that's PENNIES) per stroke. What a deal!

 

I might be a bit cautious with the cheapest of these ... they are, after all, lithium batteries with a bunch of energy stored, and you don't always know who engineered or built them. I even saw an amazon review where a customer had ordered one of a reputable brand, and received one that was clearly a clone (using the reputable brand's name and graphics, but the wrong case finish and other noticeable goofs); it seemed the amazon seller had even been fooled.

After reading that, I bought one of the early-design Micro-Starts, which are now on sale at the manufacturer's web site, reducing the risk of getting a sketchy clone. Not the cheapest out there, but I'm comfortable having it in the car.

That model also isn't the most powerful, but I bought it for a Prius so I don't care much. I did use it yesterday to start a big decrepit van stranded in a parking lot, so it's that powerful anyway.

-Chap

 

All of the compact ones have had quality control issues in the last two years. The Ankor ones I bought over two years ago work fine and have started many vehicles. be sure to buy from a place that has free returns with free shipping both ways. I use Prime but any good company will stand behind their product.

 

Yep those Anker ones are good. They have a great name. The Lithium Ion jump starters are beginning to be popular and have been coming down in price. Easy to store in a glove compartment or under a seat. I saw earlier on that AThiker had their booster pac under a seat, nice. Surprised it fits.
I have the DBpower 300A mini jump starter and it saved me once so far. I was in the same situation as most as not really knowing how to jump start the Prius. Once you know its like Doh... Good write up here on the whole Jump starting Prius.
Least I know if my lad borrows the car he wont blow it up as they seem to have better safety features than your regular old school booster pack.