What Is A Jump Starter?

The batteries on most cars are one of the least trustworthy components on any vehicle. That’s because they can easily be drained if an alternator is not working properly, a vehicle power source such as the lights have been left on or it’s cold outside. That’s why so many people choose to carry a portable jump starter. These devices give batteries with no or low charges the extra boost they need to crank over a car.

You have probably seen someone jump-start one car from another before. Jump starters work much the same way. Their own charged battery is the main component inside of them. These units use that charged battery as a power source to jump-start a car with a dead battery when there is no other vehicle around. Often times they feature built-in jumper cables and some even have other types of charging ports built into them too.

We will talk about buying guide in the end part of this blog.

 

 

5 Key Benefits of Using A Portable Jump Starter

Here are some of the reasons why you should have a portable car jump starter:

1. Jump starters are simple to operate
2. They are highly portable
3. No other vehicle or power source is required to use them
4. Jump starters are versatile
5. They don’t have to be recharged very often

 

Here are some jump starter models that you can never go wrong by purchasing them:

 

 

 

1. IM29——Energy Beast!! Emergency Battery Backup

IM29 portable jump starter with air compressor options is our editor’s top pick and one of the hottest devices on the market.
It’s made it to the top of our list because it’s small and affordable yet very powerful, comes with high-quality intelligent jumper cables, has an air compressor option and comes packed with awesome extra features and a lifetime warranty!
Equipped with a premium-quality lithium-ion battery, this jump starter provides 2500 amp of peak current, more than enough to jump-start up to 8L small-to-medium 12v cars, trucks, motorcycles, and watercraft in one single charge up to 30 times.
The extra features include intelligent jumper cables, which make boosting your vehicle’s battery easier and safer than ever, a portable air compressor, a powerful LED flashlight, an LCD display, and two USB ports to charge your electronics on the go.

 

The IM29 is the perfect addition to your car and can be used as a battery pack whether you’re on the road or out in the woods camping.

 

2. IM25——Small in size, big on power!!

Here is highly compact and portable car jump starter that comes highly recommended by those that have purchased it. It features some 1000 amps of car cranking power to help you out if your vehicle battery ever dies on you. At 5.7x1.1x3.3 inches, it’s small enough to fit in your glove box or in an obscure area of your car trunk.

This portable jump starter unit also doubles as an emergency safety device. That’s because it has such features as a built-in compass and can be used as an LED flashlight. It also has a built-in strobe light so you and your vehicle can be seen if it becomes disabled.

 

One of the better features of this jump-starting unit is its LED power readout. That will let you know how soon it needs recharging after it has been sitting idle for a long time.

 

3. IM31——Portable AC Power Station

Here is a nice portable jump starter that can even handle giving a startup charge to larger size vehicles. It is made to jump-start engines that are up to 10 liters in capacity. This jump starter can produce a very generous 2500 amps of car or truck starting power. That is very impressive for a highly rated car starter that only weighs 4.3pounds.

Portable Generator: With 100W 110V AC converter, it can provide power for laptops, camera batteries, fans and other small appliances. Perfect companion for your off-road or camping adventures.

 

110V AC inverter function,is applicable to all kinds of small household appliances,realized integration of your life and car.

 

4. IM27——Get it before you have battery Issues

①Imazing Portable Car Jump Starter: 2000A Peak 18000mAH (Up to 10L Gas or 8L Diesel Engine) 12V Auto Battery Booster Portable Power Pack with LCD Display, Smart Jumper Cables and LED Flashlight.

②A Powerful Power Station: This is not just a portable jump starter but a jump starter power pack! With 18000mah of battery capacity, it can provide sufficient power to charge your smartphones, tablets.

③Smart intelligent Clamp: The LCD Intelligent Clamp features 8 advanced safety technologies, provides ultimate protection for your safety.

④Quick Charging USB Ports & Type C Port & DC Output: USB Qutput 1 (5V/3A,9V2A,12V1.5A), Output 2 (5V/2.1A), Type C In(Out)(5V/3A), DC Output (12V/10A). The quick charge 3.0 USB port compatible with almost all QC 3.0 USB charging specifications of products and equipment provide 3 times faster charging speed.

 

5. IM23——Versatile & All-in-one

A Must Have for Every Car!

 

It's an emergency life saver for camping, picnic, outdoor adventure or simply a trustable backup on the highway when your battery run out of juicy. (Note: New jump starter must be charged before use.)

 

• Safety Protection: Design with input and output protection against overloads, reverse polarity and short circuits, low or high input voltage, low battery temperature.
• 3-Mode LED Light: Flashlight, Strobe and SOS, a must have emergency and night-use tool.
• Charging ways: Can be charged with the provided USB cable or wall charger.
• Dual USB Ports: Quick Charge 3.0 (2.5 times faster than normal) and 5V/2.1A Smart Charge (Compatible with almost all USB devices)
• Intelligent Jumper Clamp: The Intelligent Clamp features advanced safety technologies, provides ultimate protection for your safety.
• BOOST Button: No need to worry about the completely-dead car battery, BOOST button can force the jump start function on.

 

 

Jump Starter Buying Guide

This jump starter purchasing guide can be useful when deciding between the many jump starter products available in the marketplace.

What to Consider When Buying a Jump Starter?

Before you start to shop for a new jump starter, you must first ask yourself these questions:

1. How big is the engine size of the vehicle I want to use with my new jump starter?

   Not all jump starter models can be used on every single vehicle. That’s why you have to know the engine size of the vehicle you want to have access to emergency jump-starting power and the number of car cranking amps that engine requires.

2. Where do I want to store my new jump starter when it’s not in use?

   Answering this question will determine the size and type of car battery starting booster that you buy. You do not want to buy a hug size jump starter to carry around with you in your ATV. So knowing where you will keep your jump starter stored helps you make a more practical buying choice.

3. How much do I want to spend on a new car starter booster?

   Car jump starters come in all different price ranges. They cost anywhere from $20 to several hundred dollars. Choose what you spend on one based on your jump-starting needs, frequency of use, and your budget.

4. What is my intended use for my new jump starter?

   You must ask yourself if you will be doing such things as keeping your jump starter in your garage or carrying it with you as a remote jump-starting source. Maybe it will go on your boat. Once again, this will help you decide what type and what size jump starter unit that you need.

5. Do I want my jump starter to have extra features?

   Jump starters are built these days with many additional uses in mind. These include portable USB charging, road safety equipment, and portable lighting. You must match these additional features with your jump starters’ intended use. As an example, if you are using your jump starter in conjunction with ATV camping trips. You may want a car starter booster that has all these types of additional features.

 

A List of The Most Important Jump Starter Features and Specifications

Here are the main jump starter features to consider when shopping for a new one:

• Peak Amps/Starting Amps

  Peak amps are the maximum amount of amperage that any jump starter can produce while its powered on. It’s not a true measure of starting power, but it will give you a good indication of how much power boost any jump-starting unit offers. The higher the peak amperage, usually the bigger engine size that jump starter can successfully crank over.

  Starting amps (car cranking amps) are actually a more important amperage measurement to focus on than peak amps. It represents the consistent number of amps that any jump starter puts out. That makes it a good indicator of what size engine any portable jump starter can boost into to cranking over. The bigger the engine size the more starting amps that are needed to crank that vehicle over to start it. In other words, a 300 starting amp jump starter may be able to jump-start a motorcycle but it can’t handle starting a large-size SUV. So be sure not to look just at the peak amperage of any jump-starting unit you are thinking about purchasing. You must be aware of car cranking amperage (starting amps) too.

• Weight

  It goes without saying that weight is a big factor when selecting any new jump starter for purchase. You certainly do not want to carry a 17-pound jump starter around on your motorcycle. So, choose a jump starter weight to complement the task you will be using it for. For example, if you are taking your jump starter to use as a portable USB charging device when hiking (many have these USB device charging ports), you want a lightweight jump starter. If you own a big pickup truck with lots of storage, weight certainly will not matter in that case. A portable car starter’s weight can usually be found on the packaging or in the product description on the manufacturer’s website.

• Size

  Another factor in any jump starter’s portability is its size. You must consider what type of vehicle you are going to be carrying the unit in. Also, you also have to consider the size of the storage area you want the unit to fit in. The unit you purchase must be able to fit in the space that you want to store it in. Size dimensions of any jump starter model can usually be found on the manufacturer’s website under the product specifications. Many times, these will be listed in the product description or on its packaging too.

• Included Booster Cables

  Most remote car starter boosters have built-in jumper cables but not all of them. Some also have built-in jumper cables that are superior in quality too. You also want to know the length of the included booster cables and the gauge of the wire inside them. The thicker the jumper cable wire the better they transfer current to a dead battery. So pay close attention when looking at the type of jumper cables that come with any jump starter.

  If the model jump starter that you want to purchase does not come with jumper cables or has poor quality ones, you may want to check out our jumper cable reviews in order to help you pick out a good pair.

• Safety Features

  Here are some important safety features that are nice to have on any jump starter:

  1. Heavy-Duty/Spark Resistant Jumper Cables

     There have been cases of batteries exploding in the past when a spark is produced when hooking up jumper cables to them. It’s one of the risks that come with jump-starting any vehicle. This risk is greatly reduced if the jumper cables that are included in a jump starter unit are spark resistant. It also helps to minimize sparking if the jumper cables being used are heavy-duty ones. You also want.

  2. Reverse Polarity Alarm/Short Circuit Protection

     It’s very possible for someone to hook up a positive jumper cable clamp to a negative battery terminal and vice versa. As a matter of fact, this happens quite often. When this is done it not only has the potential to ruin a battery or jump starter, it can also cause a battery to explode. Reverse polarity alarms and short circuit protection helps to significantly minimize these risks.

• LCD Readout/Voltmeter

  Just like with the important gauges you saw highlighted on our best torque wrenches buying guide, meters and digital readouts compliment any jump starter nicely too. Some would even consider them to be mandatory features on any jump starter. LCD readouts and voltmeters help to do such things as tell you how much charge your jump starter has left. These meters will also show you how much juice is still present in the battery you need to connect to in order to jump-start a vehicle. They can also be useful in keeping track of how long a battery is holding a charge. This can be used to determine if it’s time to replace your car battery.

• Bonus Features

  Some jump starters come with a variety of different bonus features. Here are some of the most popular of those:

  1. Portable USB Power

     Many jump starters can be conveniently used to charge USB power devices. This includes cellphones, smart tablets, and music players.

  2. Built-in air compressor

     Do you use your car at the beach which necessitates lowering the air pressure in your tires? Then you may want to consider a car starting booster that also has a built-in air compressor.

  3. Emergency Strobe Light

     If your vehicle is broken down on the side of the highway it can result in a very unsafe condition. Having a jump starter with an embedded strobe light can alert other vehicles to your car’s presence from far away.

  4. LED Flashlight

     There may come a time when you need a portable light source around your vehicle. This can be necessary for such things as changing a flat tire at might. A jump starter with a built-in LED light can be a big help here.

  5. Repeating SOS Signal

     Some jump starters have a light on them that can blink in an SOS pattern. This can be a lifesaving feature if your ATV or snowmobile breaks down in the middle of nowhere and leaves you stranded.

• Warranty

  It is never a bad idea to purchase a product that comes with a good warranty. It’s no different with jump starters. Find one that has the most comprehensive warrant possible for the longest period of time. A warranty can also be used as a factor when deciding between two very similar jump starter products.

 

What are the Differences Between Jump Starter Types?

Jump starting a car involves getting power to a vehicle that has a dead battery from an outside power source. There are three main ways to do that and they are:

3 Types of Jump Starters

1. Using jumper cables

   This is an old reliable means of jumpstarting a vehicle. It involves pulling another vehicle alongside the one that has the dead battery. The other vehicle with a charged battery then passes some of its stored energy over to the dead battery. In most cases, this works nicely. Unfortunately, there is not always another car around to help with the jumping process.

2. Battery chargers/Trickle chargers

   Many people like to put their cars on trickle chargers in order to keep their car battery charged up enough to start it. This is especially true during cold weather months. These chargers simply plug-into a wall outlet and then that AC current is changed to DC current to charge up a battery. The problem being, this is a very slow method of charging as the name suggests. It takes a long while to give a dead battery enough charge to start up a vehicle.

3. Jump Starters

   Using these is now becoming one of the most popular ways to jump-start a vehicle. They do not require another vehicle or electric power to provide a power boost to start a car. Jump starters simply charge like any other battery-powered device and then they used that stored charge to provide car boosting starting power. The biggest drawback with jump starters is some of them can be very pricey.

 

6 Reasons Why Jump Starters Are Better Than Jumper Cables

1. Convenience

   By far the number one reason that people choose jump starters over jumper cables is the convenience that they offer. There is no simpler way to have the ability to jump-start a vehicle with you at all times.

2. Stand-Alone Product

   Jump starters are what is considered to be a stand-alone way to jump-start a vehicle. That’s because they do not need the help of another vehicle in order for them to work. When you use booster cables, you have to have another vehicle nearby to assist with jump-starting a vehicle.

3. Safety

   One of the most dangerous conditions that are present when jump-starting a car is what’s called reverse polarity. This is when the positive clamp from the jump source is hooked up to the negative terminal on the dead battery and vice versa. It’s a condition that can cause a battery to fail or worse yet explode. When using a jump-starting unit, they often have an alarm or light built into them that alert a user that the jumper cables have been hooked up wrong. This helps prevent reverse polarity problems from happening. Jumper cables have nothing like this.

4. Price

   Yes, it’s true that jump starters cost more most of the time than even the highest quality booster cables do. So, you may be wondering why the price is considered an advantage for jump starters. It’s that their prices have come down so much in recent years. When you look at the cost of jump starters combined with their convenience, it makes them a practical purchase.

5. Storage

   Jumper cables tend to be a little bulky when rolled up and hard to bundle neatly. That makes them difficult to store and can damage them or scratch other items that come into contact with them. Jump starters tend to be all-in-one units. They are made to store all their components inside them. This makes them easy to pack up and in a manner that does not damage other items placed near them.

6. Gauges/Meters

   Sometimes other problems can cause a car not to start besides a dead battery. That makes trying to jump-start a car pointless. With jumper cables, you have no way of telling if a car battery is charged up or not. Jumps starters often have digital gauges or meters built-in so you can tell the amount of charge a battery has.