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gordon stephenson
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I believe that there is a good thread Re; Booster batteries, Small handheld but very powerful, Might be Normspanners that had the thread,
I just use an Optima YTS5.5 battery these days with an Anderson connector on it. I then have a set of jump leades with an Andserson on. Performs way better than any of the boost packs I've had. It can be left for weeks and will still start dead diesels.
I've seen good reviews of the Noco Genius Boost but what those kind of things rely on it is being a vehicle that starts well. If you've got a vehicle that flattens it's battery starting then those small units will struggle.
I've seen good reviews of the Noco Genius Boost but what those kind of things rely on it is being a vehicle that starts well. If you've got a vehicle that flattens it's battery starting then those small units will struggle.
I bought a Suaoki u10 when it was on offer. It started a corsa 1.4 petrol several times but it does need to be kept fully charged and it is also handy to have a paperclip in case you need to reset/override the “smart cable” settings in cases where the battery is completely dead.
I got 8 years out of my standard jump pack, I don’t know how long this one will last.
I got 8 years out of my standard jump pack, I don’t know how long this one will last.
8ob
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I think you get what you pay for, the Sealey on the left was ok but never quite had enough umph, the Draper was a complete waste of time and died within a year. The Ring 12/24 @ 3000amps is the nuts and will start any car or truck even if the batteries are not on there. I am with @armalites , you are better off with a decent battery and jump leads. I will never buy another booster pack unless its like the Ring but IMHO it is nice but far too expensive for what it does .
Bob
Bob
Bill Edwards
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They vary. I have a 1700a Snap On unit which was far from cheap, but it starts almost anything - I think I have only ever failed to get one engine running when that's been to hand and that turned out to be a duff starter so impossible. I frequently start a 3.7l diesel tractor without any battery connected using the jump pack.
I'd have a decent one over a battery with jump leads, no question. I don't know how they do it but a good booster pack gives more go than a battery and leads.
It's even my normal choice over a running vehicle with jump leads, it really does the trick. It keeps its charge if left unused.
I have used cheap units and they're often next to useless. Whatever little money they cost is far more than they're worth.
As to the really tiny lithium units I have heard many good things about them but haven't tried one myself yet. I don't know how they can do it and suspect that a big booster will give more and for much longer but I know they get vehicles out of trouble well enough.
I'd have a decent one over a battery with jump leads, no question. I don't know how they do it but a good booster pack gives more go than a battery and leads.
It's even my normal choice over a running vehicle with jump leads, it really does the trick. It keeps its charge if left unused.
I have used cheap units and they're often next to useless. Whatever little money they cost is far more than they're worth.
As to the really tiny lithium units I have heard many good things about them but haven't tried one myself yet. I don't know how they can do it and suspect that a big booster will give more and for much longer but I know they get vehicles out of trouble well enough.
Bill Edwards
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I would tend to agree that many of the amp ratings are worthless - like cheap lights being sold by how many thousand lumens they supposedly give.
However, when it comes to decent brands with a reputation to keep (like Snap On) they do actually give what they say it will. So I'm sure that my 1700a unit will truly give 1700a at 12 ish volts, but I bet you can find many other brands which will claim more than that but may not manage half of it. Some things seem to attract sellers to print what they like in the way of specifications.
However, when it comes to decent brands with a reputation to keep (like Snap On) they do actually give what they say it will. So I'm sure that my 1700a unit will truly give 1700a at 12 ish volts, but I bet you can find many other brands which will claim more than that but may not manage half of it. Some things seem to attract sellers to print what they like in the way of specifications.
Thanks for all the input chaps, I am leaning towards one of the Antigravity Batteries Microstart XP-10. Its the only one I can't seem to find a bad review off. Whilst I like the idea of not lugging around a heavy power pack I am still not convinced that something so small can be so useful. I am going to sit on it for a few days but if I go for it I will let you know how I get on.
Just to add to the data, I have a Suaoki k12 300amp peak lipo I bought when they came on amazon special offers for cheap, and I have a real lead acid jump pack to compare it to. The lead acid can crank for longer, and for higher current use the jump leads bundled with the lipo pack aren't up to the job and get hot and go limp.
When the battery was low on my jcb it managed to crank it enough to fire, but not twice. When the battery goes low on the jump pack, it just slows down, whereas the lipo just hits a brick wall and shuts down. Your motor has to go within a few rotations for it to be reliable or there's just not the duration of power from it to cope.
But, it jump starts smaller things fine, it fits under the seat on the sitnride lawn tractor and can start that with no battery connected & manages my small massey harris petrol tractor, can quite happily crank a motorcycle into life, its also got a usb port and can be used as a usb charger port. I've also got out of jail with it once using my somewhat flattened by cranking jump pack and it at the same time to give that extra kick to get something to fire up.
So 300amp claim and replacing a jump pack, its a load of tosh. But small handy thing you can fit in your jacket pocket, quite useful.
One other thing, I dont trust it completely to not catch fire being a lipo as they do go up well when they go. Hot vehicle during the day would make me nervous, lead acid jump pack nowhere near as much. Ditto when its charging, I wouldn't go to bed and leave it overnight unattended.
When the battery was low on my jcb it managed to crank it enough to fire, but not twice. When the battery goes low on the jump pack, it just slows down, whereas the lipo just hits a brick wall and shuts down. Your motor has to go within a few rotations for it to be reliable or there's just not the duration of power from it to cope.
But, it jump starts smaller things fine, it fits under the seat on the sitnride lawn tractor and can start that with no battery connected & manages my small massey harris petrol tractor, can quite happily crank a motorcycle into life, its also got a usb port and can be used as a usb charger port. I've also got out of jail with it once using my somewhat flattened by cranking jump pack and it at the same time to give that extra kick to get something to fire up.
So 300amp claim and replacing a jump pack, its a load of tosh. But small handy thing you can fit in your jacket pocket, quite useful.
One other thing, I dont trust it completely to not catch fire being a lipo as they do go up well when they go. Hot vehicle during the day would make me nervous, lead acid jump pack nowhere near as much. Ditto when its charging, I wouldn't go to bed and leave it overnight unattended.
