Jump pack decision

[signcrafter]

Wondering what my best option is. I have a JNC660 that the battery doesn't hold a charge in anymore. Probably my fault for not keeping it charged, didn't need it for a long time and kind of forgot about it. I also have a little JNC lithium starter that worked good until I let someone borrow it and they tried cranking on a vehicle that wouldn't start way to long. It still works but not like it should. Sometimes it says 106% battery life and sometimes it drains really fast. So something got messed up. I can send each of them in for repair with the coupon JNC sent when I bought them but not sure it's worth it. If I remember right the 660 is like 80 bucks(125ish for a new one) and the lithium one I don't remember of hand how much the repair is.

so my options are to send one or both of these in for repair. Or buy a replacement battery myself and replace in the 660. Or just get a whole new unit, either JNC660 or a new lithium style of jnc or noco brand. Ideally I'd like one of each style since the small lithium ones are nice for quick jumps but the bigger 660 types are better for moving dead vehicles and longer cranking and that kind of stuff.

Just wondering what others would do?

 

[HamAndEggs]

I honestly don't think any of these Lithium units are worth it. They spend their life fully charged in a hot car, the battery just won't last more than a few years

I've had some cheaper ones, and some NOCO ones and they all fail here in the Houston heat

Meanwhile, because I'm always on-top of my battery maintenance, I've never needed to jump myself

IMO the lead acid ones would be better value, since you can almost always replace the battery yourself

Project Farm did some good reviews, but he failed to comment on longevity.

These two videos are super useful too, a few years old but 100% worth the watch

https://www.mjlorton.com/portable-car-battery-jump-starter-review-tests-all-the-results/

 

[richfinn]

I prefer a conventional jump pack, so far (ours have an AGM battery inside)

The advantage for me as a mechanic is that I can use it whilst diagnosing a non-start with extended cranking periods rather than just a short burst to start an engine

I like that the jump pack is able to absorb current like a conventional battery from the dead vehicles alternator so it's a more realistic scenario diagnosing alternators etc

 

[richfinn]

In this pic I have the jump pack connected to an engine/body (not directly to battery)ground so I can measure current flow on battery earth (this is how midtronics testers evaluate if a battery will recover)

Actually, this is after the charging test and I'm looking at drain with the jump pack switched off, but same set up.

 

[bwringer]

Take apart the JNC and see what's in there.

Like any other lead-acid battery, the SLA batteries don't last forever. Four years, maybe. Replace the batteries and you should be good for a while.

Some good sources I've used for SLA batteries:
https://www.batterymart.com/
https://www.batterystuff.com/
https://www.chromebattery.com/

There doesn't seem to be a very consistent nomenclature for SLA batteries, so you have to pay special attention to the dimensions and orientation. The capacity designations can vary a little for the same battery size, too.

As far as the lithium jump packs, I have a few and they work great with far less bulk and weight. From all the tests I've seen, the base models can be great or garbage, and it's a little random. It's usually worth getting the next level up.

Antigravity products are normally pretty good, and they offer good service and warranty if needed. Noco is a mixed bag; very pretty and they certainly look and feel high quality, but they don't work as well as they should.

On the bargain jump-starter end, I've heard good things about the units that pop up off and on at Costco, and you can't beat their return policies.

 

[bepjrfan]

The antigravity units are solid units. I use mine to charge my phone from time to time to discharge the battery to hopefully extend the life of the unit battery. Mine still does about 5-6 jumps before needing recharge. I used it quite a bit in the car business here 3-4 years ago and it still works great even today. They double as a backup battery bank for your handheld electronics as well, so I generally always keep one in my edc bag.

 

[torqueman2002]

Best Car Jump Starter? NOCO GB70 vs Antigravity, Schumacher, Gooloo, Tacklife. Let's find out!
By Project Farm
<a href="<iframe width=" 560"="" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixWPx79g3yk" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ixWPx79g3yk" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"></iframe>

 

[JJ99SS]

I bought the NOCO Boost Plus for my wife. She still has traditional cables too but for obvious reasons I don't want her to have to ask for help.

I'm sure it will take a beating in Dallas heat. But I have it stowed best I can in the back cubby of her SUV.

That said I got it for $60 out the door at Northern Tool. I had the $20 off $100 purchase and the kiddo couldn't figure out the coupon code so gave me his employee discount.

I just picked up a NOCO Genius 10 Charger and it seems to work like a champ so far. Hopefully I get some extra life from the batteries with a little attention and maintenance.

I agree with the Costco assessment. They usually carry pretty good stuff, even if it's not a brand I'm familiar with. And their return policy is the shiz. They'll take just about anything back.

 

[theoldwizard1]

I honestly don't think any of these Lithium units are worth it. They spend their life fully charged in a hot car, the battery just won't last more than a few years

I've had some cheaper ones, and some NOCO ones and they all fail here in the Houston heat.

Pretty strong statements ! I can not say that I have heard of the "hot storage" issue killing any of these. Name brand is NOT a guarantee of a good unit.

There are so many different ones on the market theses days it is hard to say what is good. If you plan to use it as a 12VDC power source for like a winch, it is hard to beat the old JNC !

Project Farm - Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? V1

Project Farm - Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? V2

One interesting new feature is that some of these small jump starter have is that they recharge via a USB-C port (some are bi-directional) ! They all include a USB-A to USB-C cable and a charger. They will take a long time to recharge, but you can recharge them from the USB port in your car. (If you expect it to be fully charged in the AM, make sure that port stays hot over night.)

 

[MAYOR28]

+1 for the NOCO ones. Had one for the last 3 or 4 years. Works great every time.

 

[richfinn]

Pretty strong statements ! I can not say that I have heard of the "hot storage" issue killing any of these. Name brand is NOT a guarantee of a good unit.

There are so many different ones on the market theses days it is hard to say what is good. If you plan to use it as a 12VDC power source for like a winch, it is hard to beat the old JNC !

Project Farm - Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? V1

Project Farm - Which Car Jump Starter Is Best? V2

One interesting new feature is that some of these small jump starter have is that they recharge via a USB-C port (some are bi-directional) ! They all include a USB-A to USB-C cable and a charger. They will take a long time to recharge, but you can recharge them from the USB port in your car. (If you expect it to be fully charged in the AM, make sure that port stays hot over night.)

This is why I prefer a conventional battery pack, they have much more capacity for cranking over flooded engines or moving a car with a dead alternator

I dare say the NOCOs are great for just jump starting with flat batteries

What concerns me is

1. The cables are very short and sometimes on modern vehicles finding a good engine ground is awkward enough (we aren't allowed to connect directly to battery ground terminals nowadays to protect the battery monitor)

2. If you have a battery with an internal open circuit what happens when you disconnect a NOCO/how long will it actually provide enough current to support a running engine??

In my van I have multiple Anderson sockets connected to the vehicle battery for plugging in jump cables, the jump pack also plugs into the sockets so it charges from the van alternator, so is always charged!!!

 

[loganb]

I was skeptical of them, my brother who spends much of my money for me said I needed a NOCO GB40 while they were on sale on Amazon....so I bought one....very happy with it. It will start my 2014 Chevy with the 5.3L cold, on a 20 degree day without the battery hooked up....I tried...it proved me wrong and started it easily. I now keep one in each of the cars and we have one of their larger GB150's for usage on the farm and it does pretty darn well at starting even dead as a doornail irrigation engines.

In these uncertain times where social distancing has been translated by some as "ignore thy fellow man or woman completely".....last thing I want or want my spouse to have to rely on if the battery is dead is the kindness of someone else to stop and serve as that 2nd car if all I've got is jumper cables.

 

[atikovi]

I have both styles too. A SOLAR ES5000 Booster Pac probably 6 years old and I got a replacement battery on Ebay for about $35 a year ago. Still works good as new and use it often to start or move cars without any battery in them. Have their lithium Jump N Carry which is great when I'm going to a car by subway or bus and don't want to lug 20 pounds of lead for half a mile.

 

[Lost Pup]

I have the gooloo from above.......tractors....car and truck it spins them all well. Seems to hold a charge for a long time. I would buy another if needed.