Handheld Jumpstarters

[Ben]

Has anyone seen or used one of these small jumpstarters? This one mentions "diesel trucks". While I can see it providing some juice to a regular car battery, I'm skeptical that it could turn over a diesel with low batteries or even a car with a completely dead battery. If I'm wrong though, it would sure be handier to have along than one of those big ass jumping stations.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00K0VMXDQ/ref=s9_simh_gw_p107_d0_i12?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=desktop-3&pf_rd_r=1YYHWKMF3FXF4VTP1VS8&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=1970566782&pf_rd_i=desktop

[Jamisjockey]

I would be skeptical of one that small.  The larger one I had wouldn't turn over my boat when I was trying to start it on a dead battery, had to buy a larger one to meet the cranking amps.

[Blakenzy]

 

It starts your diesel engine by allowing you to recharge your depleted smart phone so you can in turn call road side assistance so they can bring in a real battery...

As a diesel car driver I can tell you that if you don't need two hands to pick it up, it won't start that engine...

[KD5NRH]

Once, maybe, if it's got heavy enough cables to deliver the power.

It's not just a question of capacity, but of being able to punch the current out there to do the job.  8AA NiCd batteries will crank a small car engine very briefly.

[dogmush]

Just no.

From the ad description:

Box contains one compact external power battery with 400 Amp peak, LED light, a pair of mini-jumper clamps, 7 USB adapters, one USB cable, one recharger cable, and a zippered carrying case

Even small cars call for batts with 500-600 amps.

So a car or light truck that has power but not enough to crank? Sure.  A large truck, or something completely dead?  Not gonna happen.  That's without even getting into whatever wire gauge they use for "mini jumper clamps"

[Blakenzy]

 That's without even getting into whatever wire gauge they use for "mini jumper clamps"

 

[MillCreek]

I would say that I have seen my motorcycle-riding colleagues carry and successfully use these handheld jumpstarters on the motorcycles.  They fit neatly into a tankbag or saddlebag.  I have wondered about carrying one of these on my bike.

[Chuck Dye]

10 amp-hours?  Perhaps if that is the deficit of your just slightly too low main battery, but to cope with a truly dead battery?  I think a second battery installed with a smart isolator gadget would be a better investment.

[KD5NRH]

I would say that I have seen my motorcycle-riding colleagues carry and successfully use these handheld jumpstarters on the motorcycles.  They fit neatly into a tankbag or saddlebag.  I have wondered about carrying one of these on my bike.

For a motorcycle, it's probably plenty.  Then again, so is a kickstarter.

10 amp-hours?  Perhaps if that is the deficit of your just slightly too low main battery, but to cope with a truly dead battery?  I think a second battery installed with a smart isolator gadget would be a better investment.

Something I've considered many times.  What ever happened to the Sears(?) batteries with a small reserve built in and a switch to activate it?

[MillCreek]

For a motorcycle, it's probably plenty.  Then again, so is a kickstarter.

There are almost no contemporary motorcycles being built with kickstarters any more.  And since most bikes these days have fuel injection, you need current to run the injectors and pump.  You generally cannot even roll start those bikes.

I am reminded of when I started riding in the 70's, and my first few enduro bikes had kickstarters, and I always liked that.  It is too bad that kickstarters have pretty much vanished.

[AJ Dual]

I can't speak to any particular model in terms of it's performance, but the total amount of amp-hours in a decently sized LiPoly battery is huge. A LiPoly the size of a few smartphones stacked up can easily start most cars and trucks if given the circuitry to allow it to dump it's charge fast enough.

The energy density is way higher than your average lead-acid. The benefit of the lead-acid is that it's cheap to make, has a low self-discharge rate, and is tolerant of a wide temperature range, or simply cheap enough to make it so big it can overcome those things.

There's a reason that mistreated LiPoly batteries explode. 

[Hawkmoon]

I had one of those yellow jump starter units from Wal-Mart -- the conventional type, but a small-ish one.  It failed within the first year I had it. Wal-Mart wouldn't replace it. It was sold as being suitable for "cars and light trucks." I drive a Jeep Cherokee with a six-cylinder engine. Wal-Mart decided that was too "heavy-duty" an application and that I should have bought the unit costing twice as much (and weighing about twice as much).

Consider that a starting draw for an automobile in cold weather is around 400 to 600 amps. You need some serious cables to carry that kind of current. Those dinky little pocket chargers can't possibly produce the current needed, or they'd burn out the wires in about 3 nanoseconds.

[KD5NRH]

Consider that a starting draw for an automobile in cold weather is around 400 to 600 amps. You need some serious cables to carry that kind of current. Those dinky little pocket chargers can't possibly produce the current needed, or they'd burn out the wires in about 3 nanoseconds.

Let's not forget the ones that plug into the lighter, because you know you can run 200+ amps backward through a 16ga wire and a 10-15A fuse when you need to, right?

OTOH, three Marines using my trunk lid like a tackle dummy got the Saturn started in gear with no problem.  Kinda wish they'd waited for me to get in and hit the clutch first for a normal push start, but their way worked too.

[Marnoot]

Fairly certain the use case for the ones that plug into the lighter is plugging it in and letting it slowly charge up the main battery until it will start the car, rather than starting the car right from the battery in the cigarette lighter.

[KD5NRH]

Fairly certain the use case for the ones that plug into the lighter is plugging it in and letting it slowly charge up the main battery until it will start the car, rather than starting the car right from the battery in the cigarette lighter.

That's the only way they might work, but the ads all show them plugging in and cranking the car right up.

[Ben]

There are almost no contemporary motorcycles being built with kickstarters any more.  And since most bikes these days have fuel injection, you need current to run the injectors and pump.  You generally cannot even roll start those bikes.

I am reminded of when I started riding in the 70's, and my first few enduro bikes had kickstarters, and I always liked that.  It is too bad that kickstarters have pretty much vanished.

Are they not even on dirt bikes and quads anymore? The magneto pull start on my 4 wheeler has saved my bacon on several occasions.

To the OP, from what I saw, that one requires it to be attached for a while before you try and start the car, so apparently it does dump some juice in first, versus drawing directly off of it. The Lipo stuff AJ mentioned is why I was curious. I have had the larger lead acid jumpstarters, and they have jumped cars, but I tried a fairly good sized one on a work diesel once, and no go. Had to call a tow truck guy, who showed up with a MUCH larger one.

[KD5NRH]

I have had the larger lead acid jumpstarters, and they have jumped cars, but I tried a fairly good sized one on a work diesel once, and no go. Had to call a tow truck guy, who showed up with a MUCH larger one.

Best one I saw looked more like a cross between a gasoline powered stick welder and a large aircraft aux power cart.  I don't remember the max output, but they used it to jump off heavy mining equipment.