Solid reviews (3.9 out of 5.0) over at HomeDepot.com
What is the amp hour spec on the battery?
400 crank amps/900 peak amps
Cold cranking amps isn’t the energy storage spec, it’s the release rate. They’re surprisingly shy about the amp-hour spec, which would basically tell you how big the battery is. The “specs” section just lists the items in the box. The specs for this unit at HD list it at 15 amp-hours, so their max amps would be available for only seconds if that were correct. The features here say it can power DC devices for up to 50 hours, so maybe the real figure is more like 200 amp-hours.
I’d be interested in the guarantee or specification on battery life. I’d hate to buy one of these and have it sit on charge for 3 years until I needed it and then find that the battery couldn’t deliver.
I just bought a battry jumper FridY a noticed current battry jumpers also have USB output.
I’ve bought so many charger/inflators (not this one) and have been disappointed every time with lack of power (none have been able to jump start a dead F-150 5.4 V8), cheap connectors, or just non-functioning features. I’d gladly pay more for a good quality, reliable, powerful unit but I can’t seem to find one, and I’m tired of going through the hassle of buying and returning when they don’t work.
Ok, I gotta ask since you mention repeatedly being disappointed “when they don’t work”–how often does your truck die??? Maybe it’s time for a new battery?
Yes, I see how that sounds now! One of the chargers failed to start the truck despite saying “works with V-8 engines” on the packaging, another charger had a broken PSI display for the inflator, and another charger had the clamps literally fall off in my hand as I was unboxing it. The general lack of quality in this type of product is what I’m frustrated with.
I highly recommend google for “best jump starters”. you will learn a ton, be sure to check the date of the review, some are over a year old and as you know, tech changes quickly. you will learn the major types- lead acid Vs lithium ion, and will see which brands seem to make ALL OF THE LISTS. you will get so smart that it will hard to choose.
Amp hour isn’t useful either. You want watt-hours. It delivers power at 12 v, so 900 amp, for 15 amp hr (@ 12 v, that’s the important part), would return a minute of delivery. But also, using lead acid batteries faster will reduce the usable capacity as incomplete chemical reactions take place on the anode and cathode, and also as the battery ages it will degrade, especially if it’s an absorbed glass mat battery.
That same 15 amp-hr, at 1.25 v instead of 12 , is for your cell phone or butt vibrator or whatever, is probably closer to 150 amp- hr at 1.25 v, considering you’ll get more out of the battery. Watt- hr is a unit of energy. Amp hr is current over time.
The battery is most likely 12v as that’s the commodity voltage, so the amp hr rating is probably at 12v. Other large capacity batteries are special order for other voltages like 1-2v
I bought two of these a couple of years ago and neither holds are charge now. Don’t waste your money.
This one Stanley J5C09 1000 Peak Amp Jump Starter with Built in Compressor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002X6VXL4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_TVMGxbZXN7EF7
Started my v8 lexus no problem, like started right up better than the car battery. I also use it to inflate my car tires, handy.
They all use small UPS style sealed lead acid batteries and the batteries can be bought cheap on Amazon and eBay when they die in 3 to 5 years.
I HAD a nice 900 amp one that would jump start quite a few cars before needing recharged but it depends on how easy the starter turns over and how dead the battery really is.
I have replaced the batteries before, not hard to do you just open up the box, see which type you have and buy exactly the same one or a replacement that has the same physical case size but higher amp hour rating.
My last one was dead and got stolen before I could replace the battery so I bought a cheap one from Harbor freight and it’s basic but works fine with the cars we have that always start and crank easily.
If your cars tend to turn over fast and start right up within a few cranks as long as everything else is OK this one should be fine. If you have a beast that cranks slowly and takes a lot of revolutions to decide to start this might not last long enough to get it to go.
If you have a lot of car or trucks like that you’d be better off with a full sized battery jump cart or a AC powered jump start box with a lot of cranking amps. I have one of those too and use it for the old cars I have that sit forever and take a long time to get gas to the carb to start in the first place. My normal cars the small jump box works fine with and I have even carried it when my battery started to go bad so I could jump it if it went dead while sitting parked at work till I could replace the battery.
I highly recommend SOLAR Jump-N-Carry JNC660. Starts every time. No disappointments.
Some jump paks have an internal charger that “floats” or allows the unit to remain plugged into the wall until it is needed without frying the battery. Others have to be disconnected from the power source once the battery is fully charged. The latter are always dead when you need them.