Jump starter power packs

[newberry]

Has anyone used or owned one of those portable jump starter things and are they any good? Have had a look on the web but there seems to be a big difference in price and probably quality. Having been caught out a couple of times recently I'm getting a new battery ASAP but was wondering if its worth getting one of these also so you don't need to rely on another car to jump start off.

Needs to be man enough to potentially jump start a 3 litre diesel and a 4.2 litre petrol, if engine size plays a part?

Don't know if this is in the correct section. Thanks in advance.

[Dr Interceptor]

You get what you pay for, that's for sure.

I've got one at home that is a power pack and air compressor - I bought it from our local motor factors and was about £75 - there were cheaper ones, but this one seemed better quality than the others.

It has been used to fire up the 4.0 V8 in the Jag after it sat idle for a few weeks, and also the 7.2 Mopar V8 in the Jensen. If it starts those, it should start pretty much any car.

[chongwong]

I use them at my work all the time, and i'm yet to have any serious issues. Many of them seem to have problems with very large diesels, most will have an engine size rating printed on them. The ones we use at work say maximum 2.0 petrol or 1.8 diesel, but generally we ignore that.

[kambites]

It's just a lead acid accumulator in a box, really so has the same problems and benefits as a car battery. Probably cheaper just to buy a small car battery; a charger/conditioner; and a set of jump leads.

For what it's worth, my old Clarke one lasted about five years of what is probably slightly heavier than average domestic use before it wouldn't hold charge any more. I never found anything it wouldn't start, but I rarely tried on anything big.

Edited by kambites on Monday 10th December 12:28

[LouD86]

I have a snap on one, which I luckily got when my last place of work ceased trading.

It starts the 4.2td Landcruiser with no problems, and thats a twin battery jobby, just run a jump to one of them

[barker22]

newberry said:

Has anyone used or owned one of those portable jump starter things and are they any good? Have had a look on the web but there seems to be a big difference in price and probably quality. Having been caught out a couple of times recently I'm getting a new battery ASAP but was wondering if its worth getting one of these also so you don't need to rely on another car to jump start off.

Needs to be man enough to potentially jump start a 3 litre diesel and a 4.2 litre petrol, if engine size plays a part?

Don't know if this is in the correct section. Thanks in advance.

If it's just a faulty battery that's giving you problems then the new one should solve your issues. I mean how many times a year do you expect to encounter a flat battery?, not many I would imagine, unless your journeys are really short or your cars are stood for a long time.
If it is the latter then perhaps a trickle charger may be a better option to keep the batteries charged up when not in frequent use.

[motco]

As with so many cheap items that are rechargeable, the battery quality lets them down.

[rsv gone!]

I have a Halfords one that is a re-badged Ring;

http://reviews.halfords.com/4028/966952/reviews.ht...

It has been fine for a 4ltr Rover-engined TVR. It is a few years old now but still seems to hold its charge.

[S0 What]

Get the most expensive you can, the cheaper (sub £50) jobs allways struggle with any diesel, personly i gave up, bought a decent battery and bolted some junp leads on it (funny enough they came from a jump pack i ripped appart when it packed up) and stuck it in a wooden box with a handle.