Portable battery jump starters

[Gingerbread Man]

Any recommends for a portable battery jumper? I've a Landrover 2.5TD, the rest are smaller engines. Guess the trick is to buy the one with the biggest battery on it?

[Herman Toothrot]

I had one, problem with them is they sit on your garage shelf when you don't need them for a year or 5 and when you do they are dead as its hard to remember to charge them every 3 months.

[Gingerbread Man]

That's a fair point. Hmmm

[Condi]

Jump leads are much better. Its not often you cant find 'something' which starts, or hail a passing car. A mains powered charger is good as well, takes a bit longer but you can usually get mains electric even if does need a few long extension leads.

[Gingerbread Man]

The house is a good distance from the car. I could buy a long extension lead, but I can't just boost and start the car with this setup can I?

[R1 Indy]

Gingerbread Man said:

The house is a good distance from the car. I could buy a long extension lead, but I can't just boost and start the car with this setup can I?

Yes, the one I've got has an instant start mode.

[williredale]

I got mine from Halfords a few years ago. The battery on one of my cars is crap and I really do need to replace it so having the jump starter is invaluable. I try and charge mine once a month or whenever I remember but we have one at work which spends it's time on charge permanently and it doesn't seem to have done it much harm. I'm not sure I'd recommend this though.

[Gingerbread Man]

R1 Indy said:

Gingerbread Man said:

The house is a good distance from the car. I could buy a long extension lead, but I can't just boost and start the car with this setup can I?

Yes, the one I've got has an instant start mode.

The battery charger or portable jump starter?

If I could get a battery charger with an instant start mode, I'd be laughing and it'd be 2 birds with one stone.

[CraigyMc]

Herman Toothrot said:

I had one, problem with them is they sit on your garage shelf when you don't need them for a year or 5 and when you do they are dead as its hard to remember to charge them every 3 months.

Precisely this.

[Gingerbread Man]

Well I've 3 cars. A Landrover Defender, a company Merc Vito Van and a Caterham 7. I doubt the 7 can jump start any of them because of the silly small mobility scooter battery that it has under the bonnet. The Vito has remote battery connections under the bonnet which are easier to get to than the battery, yet these don't work for some reason. So this leaves the Defender which I don't use all that often these days. I'm also trying to sell this,s o once this is gone I'm left with a van which is hard to jump start and a Caterham which I'll have nothing to jump start it with!

Although a battery master key seems to have sorted the 7 out.

Ideally a battery charger with an instant start button, but I don't think there is such a thing.

[Condi]

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/search/filter/ba...

Some of these do both start and charge.

[RemaL]

Herman Toothrot said:

I had one, problem with them is they sit on your garage shelf when you don't need them for a year or 5 and when you do they are dead as its hard to remember to charge them every 3 months.

I bought a very good one from Costco.

I don's find it hard to top it up every 2-3 months and as it is also a tyre pump I use it every few weeks. So then I also check the meter on there if it needs topping up

Had it about 2 years. Been faultless

[Ozzie Osmond]

Gingerbread Man said:

Any recommends for a portable battery jumper? I've a Landrover 2.5TD, the rest are smaller engines. Guess the trick is to buy the one with the biggest battery on it?

Usually IMO the best answer is to buy a new battery and then make sure you run the vehicle at least once a week. Beyond that it's battery trickle charger or conditioner for peace of mind. As others have said, the problem with a jump-start pack is it needs to be fully charged all the time - which brings you back where you stsrted!

Jump leads are an option but you need a humungous and expensive set to achieve anything worthwhile, plus something with grunt to jump from. Weedy jump leads with flimsy clamps from your local retailer are useless.

[completetangent]

If the cars' batteries aren't actually shot, and the cars are just used infrequently, maybe a battery isolator switch is a better choice:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=battery+isolator...

The simplest type bolts onto the battery's positive terminal with no other modifications required.

[Gingerbread Man]

completetangent said:

If the cars' batteries aren't actually shot, and the cars are just used infrequently, maybe a battery isolator switch is a better choice:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=battery+isolator...

The simplest type bolts onto the battery's positive terminal with no other modifications required.

I've recently done this to the 7 and it's working fine. I'm thinking about it for the Landy, but I'm thinking of selling it also.

[Gruber]

I've got one of these. Had it for a couple of years. It works well provided you remember to keep it charged!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-234578-Watt-Sta...

[S0 What]

Gruber said:

I've got one of these. Had it for a couple of years. It works well provided you remember to keep it charged!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-234578-Watt-Sta...

I've had loads of those cheap jump packs, 1 in 7 last and work well, the other 6 will refuse to charge or hold a charge and be so week they couldn't jump a 6V beetle and try and fully inflate a commercial or 4X4 tyre and the pumps will seize.

[POORCARDEALER]

I swear by the snap on ones, good starting amps....you are supposed to leave them plugged in all the time, if you only use them now and again they are no good as the batteries goose themselves,....they are around 200 quid

[Gruber]

S0 What said:

Gruber said:

I've got one of these. Had it for a couple of years. It works well provided you remember to keep it charged!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Silverline-234578-Watt-Sta...

I've had loads of those cheap jump packs, 1 in 7 last and work well, the other 6 will refuse to charge or hold a charge and be so week they couldn't jump a 6V beetle and try and fully inflate a commercial or 4X4 tyre and the pumps will seize.

I must have got lucky then. I've started all sorts off mine.

[Nigel Worc's]

I've got a "pro user js208"

As well as being a jump starter, it has a compressor with digital gauge, an 8 led light, and 12v and usb 5v sockets.

It has been useful, and sits in the boot charging from one of the boot 12v sockets.