Technical Lithium Battery Jump Starter

Does anyone have experience with these Lithium Ion battery jump starters that replace the need for jumper cables?

 

Unless you're goingto use them a lot, I think they are a waste of money. Good set of jumper cables will last forever, but the jump starter won't!

 

got one at work, it works well. Don't know how long it will last, but 1 year so far

 

My dad has an older one that charges from 110 VAC rather than being charged from a switched 12 volt circuit in the car. When he needed it, it was plugged in at the house. Get one that stays in your car and charges from a 12 VDC source.

Don't throw your jumper cables away.

 

I tried to use my new one on a tractor with a dead battery. It did nothing so I took it back. I was told they will not work with a completely dead battery, needs to have some voltage in it. Did not know that or I might not have bought one. It will power my GPS when in a six volt car or charge a phone.

 

Will they work with Optima (AGM) style batteries?

 

I have a noco genius and it works well it has saved me several times

 

I have one in the Hot Rod I use quite a bit but not yet for jumping the battery. It has a couple of USB ports I use to charge my phone which I use a lot for GPS, music (Real Hot Rods don’t have radios), I run a speedometer app cause the old SW 160 is off a bit but that’s ok. Sometime I bring the lap top too.


Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Lithium batteries has the ability to supply a suprisingly large current despite being small hand having little capacity. That means when done correctly, such a jump starter should have the ability to do a good job. I don't know if all of them are done correctly…

Either way, a jump starter needs to be kept charged, and jumper cables needs another car to hook onto. There are no magic solutions that always work. Having a backup option is nice.

 

Same here. We got one of the 200A Noco models which features the emergency start mode (it deactivates the current sensing software and acts just like a jump box). I pulled the cables completely off a big block chevelle battery and connected it directly to the cables. It started like it was on a fully charged lead battery.

Downside is that it costs about $200 and doesn't do AGM batteries. Upside is they should hold a charge for months, if not years.

 

I have used them a couple of times to help out friends. They work well in a pinch.

 

Yes, jumper cables still work great. If there is someone around to jump you. I have one and it works really well. I was surprised at how much power they hold. Takes up less room than jumper cables also.

 

Watch this >

 

That's scary, but what exactly are we seeing? It's not very evident.

 

Those little Lithium Ion chargers are pretty cool, but any Lithium Ion device I find to be a little scary. Too many hover-boards burning down houses!!!

 

I saw a guy with one of those jumper packs wedged under his hood driving around town

Sent from my XT1710-02 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

.........Scary!

 

I had one that got hot then expanded enough to split the case. Called company they said send it back, but there was nothing wrong with it and it was safe. Got the new one and it did the same thing. I have heard of them starting on fire and after 2 bads, im not leaving one in my car.
Tony

 

Well I wondered about that. They are amazing, but anything the size of a smartphone that can jump off a V8 has to have a lot of potential energy stored.

What's the backstory on the fire in the servicebay?

 

Scrap the thread, not traditional !
Been using mine for 3 years, works great.

 

Doesn't look like the guys in the video were too concerned about breathing the fumes from that burning jumper box. There is some nasty toxic stuff vented when they burn. Don't breathe it if you can avoid it.

 

I think those jump boxes are just that, and they were using it to try and charge a dead (or defective) battery? Wonder what the instructions say. (I know, I know, crazy talk)

 

Real men don't need instructions, educated men read them after they screw up

 

Saturday morning at El Mirage and 25 degrees, it took three jump boxes to start the H&H Dodge Omni. What I found was there are difference and charge power. Our Costco one only lasts for 30 seconds, gotta be quick. What we ran into was it would crank, but was short the voltage to fire up the ignition system. Finally a racer brings over an obvious larger batter pack, the early ones were the size of a thick cell phone, his was the size of a paper back and it started it right now. So, like in batteries, look for jump time and cranking amps. And they are easier to carry around than the snake of jumper cables and one of the old yellow HR jump boxes.

 

Fellow club member had one that came close to setting his attached carport on fire while it was sitting on a shelf and plugged in 120V outlet to charge it up.
I have one also, was a Father's day gift from son a few years ago, but since Ed's near disaster, I make sure it's setting on a non flammable surface when I'm charging it.

 

Earlier batt. Configurations were Ni-Metal-Hydride. Lithium-Ion is the newest form.
They typ. have even higher current density.
So they will, when high current demand appears, get 'warm'. Internal cell loss (a % factor) causes the heat generation. Advice I've read says; keep them charged at 95+ %.
Suspect, that if the 'package' design shrinks, as in barely able to match the power-load, you'd be up against the limits.

 

That is what happens when you leave them. They catch fire. I have heard of them failing sitting on the shelf.

 

We used the air compressor included at our dirt track, it lasted for 5 yrs. Never charged over 1 HR. After I removed the compressor part I put in a larger battery... Works just as a jumper now. I still carry cables in the trunk of my 56.

 

I have the Genius GB40. Use it quite often as I have lame batteries in my tractors. I used it on my hotrod to boost. Worked good so I disconnected battery and started truck and ran it without battery for a day just because we know sometimes you can't boost a bad battery.
These units are idiot proofed however there is a override switch.

 

I bought one from the tool guy who comes to work and mainly use it for charging cameras and other small devices and take it along on trips,its started a few cars and and tractors during the two years I had it.