Portable Jump Start Packs of the Small USB Variety

I think the title explains it, but anyone have any experience with these? The smaller USB ones look like they pack the same punch as some of the larger units, but have the portability to throw in a bag or under the seat without it taking up space and clunking around in the trunk.

I've been looking because I travel quite a bit for work, and more often than not it is in a company vehicle (I drop my truck off at the office and pick up a work Chev 2500) that has some minimal equipment in there (first aid kit, fire extinguisher, NO jumper cables). I have a bag that has a small tool set in it, some rain gear, cool/cold weather gear, PPE, etc that I keep with me when I travel just to have a few extra things and thought that one of these might be cool to have as it would fit in my bag. Can't remember the last time I needed a jump, or gave someone one, but thought it's small and could come in handy. They also have USB ports and adapters to charge phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

So hive, any experience or recommendations with these? Or just stick to good ol' jumper cables?

In my experience they work in most cases if the battery isn't totally flat. If the battery is too low or the car needs to crank awhile to start they can be marginal.

It's handy to have around just in case.

I have a PowerAll pack in each car, and one on the motorcycle. I have used it more times that I can count, often for other people who can't believe that it will start a car. Came in real handy when the battery on the bike started failing. On long trips and family vacations, it is a great thing for keeping phones and iPads running to keep the kids happy or the navigation going.

I cannot recommend them enough.

I saw some for pretty cheap last year and plan to keep an eye out for Black Friday/Monday sales this year.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/jump-starters/buying-guide.htm

They DO work!

I have this one that I bought for $25 on Ebay:

I have since then bought four more, for my wife and my parents.

Cars I started with it (all on flat batteries):

W126 Merc with a big V8
E30 6 cyl
E36 6 cyl
Mazda CX-7

I also use it on my Quickjack lift. It will lift my e46 multiple times on one charge.

Get one!

Here $36 on Ebay

Aukey 1200mah

I am sure I paid $25, you might find it for less.

Thanks for all the quick input! A very different response than what I was thinking I was going to get. I guess I will get seriously looking for these and probably invest in one for each vehicle.

They work, but I read on technicians network yesterday about one that caught on fire on the bench thirty minutes after being used.

Built by Samsung, maybe?

the link I posted had info about testing and results, but you cant see the whole thing unless you subscribe to CR. But they brought up points that I had not thought about. They don't work well when the pack or the battery is very cold and they are not supposed to be stored in hot cars - the one was not recommended to be kept above 120 F.

I have heard instances of them catching on fire while charging in a hot car.

I know for sure that the Aukey and Anker branded ones are a bit higher quality. They don't use lithium ion cells in them, they use the LiFePO4 cells which are usually a good bit more stable at high current, and those two companies actually put some thought into their circuit design to keep the cells balanced when recharging. This is true for both their external battery packs as well as their jump packs.

I started a thread 30 minutes after this one, here's my comment so I can follow this one too. (I'm looking for something I can keep in the garage for 4 cars that may sit for an extended length of time.)

I keep one in my trunk. After 3+ months of sitting in there it dropped to 97% charge. It had no problem starting my SBC 350 with a stone dead battery (twice).

They are awesome. I am a forever convert from the old jump start batteries.

I use my camping to charge all our electronics, run lights, and air mattress compressors.

Meh, just keep some AA batteries on hand. No need for any overpriced power brick.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/I0utNemFsl8

...or a few capacitors.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/tKki89sq0XY

I want one, but may order this to go with it.

Slippery wrote: Here $36 on Ebay Aukey 1200mah I am sure I paid $25, you might find it for less.

I wonder if I could use that to power a starter on a motorcycle. Use a capacitor to keep it running and just use the cheap powerpack to turn over the starter motor. You would think that if it would start a V8 several times, it could turn over a 400cc twin many times. I am building a custom "brat" bike for my wife, she wants the start button, I want it to look nice (no big battery) and not have to pay big $$ for Lithium motorcycle batteries.

The bike has a kick start back-up if we went out for longer rides. We would just put it on the charger at home, like we do with the other bikes.

Jay wrote: ...or a few capacitors. https://www.youtube.com/embed/tKki89sq0XY

I haven't laughed that hard in days! Great video!

Rusnak_322 wrote:

Slippery wrote: Here $36 on Ebay Aukey 1200mah I am sure I paid $25, you might find it for less.

I wonder if I could use that to power a starter on a motorcycle. Use a capacitor to keep it running and just use the cheap powerpack to turn over the starter motor. You would think that if it would start a V8 several times, it could turn over a 400cc twin many times. I am building a custom "brat" bike for my wife, she wants the start button, I want it to look nice (no big battery) and not have to pay big $$ for Lithium motorcycle batteries. The bike has a kick start back-up if we went out for longer rides. We would just put it on the charger at home, like we do with the other bikes.

I think what you want is a 4 cell LiFePO4 RC battery pack, no capacitor needed.

I received one of those USB battery pack things as a gift. Charged it up, tossed it in the glove box and a few months later when I needed it it had significantly grown in thickness and no longer worked. No leakage but the plastic case was well broken by the additional inch of material that appeared some time in the interim.

TLDR: they work great on anything but a flat battery, but i don't trust them to store in a car.

I have one. Its a DBPower. I've found it to be really handy, and people are always shocked when it can start a car. The only time it didn't work was on my dad's Porsche 997 with a completely dead battery. One weekend at the track it must have been used 6 times on various cars and still had 50% battery according to the LED lights on it. Mine is a mere 8A, and if I bought another (or asked for one as a gift) I'd get a bigger one just because.

I generally don't leave it in the car because lithium batteries stored in something that gets really hot or really cold while I'm at work scare me.

I did initially think about using one as the car battery for my miata, but I didn't think it would be smart to try to charge a lithium battery as a normal car battery charges.

A coworker of mine has one. Never used it though. He put it in the rear compartment of his CRV or something and when the battery died, the hatch required electrical power to open. So he had to get a regular jump start.

So, put it somewhere you can get to it when there's no power.

I saw one on sale at Costco today and it said it would charge your phone 4X, a tablet 3X and a car once. To me that doesn't compute.

I bought the one recommended by Consumer Reports, Antigravity Battery's XP-10 model. It was pricy, but I've seen enough horror stories that the increased cost was worth it to me. It works incredibly well for me charging the phone and jump starting a car.

BUT I will say that if you buy these through a third party like Amazon you run the risk of getting a Chinese knockoff that looks very similar to the real thing, but is a far inferior and unsafe product. Best to buy direct.

We sell the (real) Antigravity XP-5. It's a good size. They're a good piece, easier to grab than a full size power pack for a jump. Bill even used one to get home on his bike when he lost the alternator - not recommended, but it worked.

These things are very densely packed energy. I would not recommend buying the cheapest possible option due to the potential for Bad Things if you get into a thermal runaway situation.