Foo - solo jumper cables

What do you all think of this thing?

http://www.costco.com/Peak%C2%AE-450-Amp-Jump-Starter.product.11612553.html

Are you more likely to need to be able to jump your own car with a thing like that than you would be able to find somebody else to hook up to the other end of a traditional jumper cable set?

Is it just a matter of how charming you are?

I have a similar device in my wife's car, so that she can jump her own car as need be without waiting to try and find someone to give her a jump. I also have conventional jumper cables in all the cars, so that we can give a jump to other people in need.

Roadside assistance.

Jumper cables? You don't need no stinking jumper cables.
http://www.emailjokez.com/thumb/468671-SA%20Jumper%20Cables_65934_46867_1.jpg

I have noted, more than one time, that these "jump boxes" are commonly dead and worthless by the time you actually need them. They contain a little battery as well and sit and go dead over time unless you have paid attention to being sure it is charged on a regular basis.
If you (or whoever needs it) is commonly in a place where there would be no one to jump with traditional cables it leaves little choice.

I have noted, more than one time, that these "jump boxes" are commonly dead and worthless by the time you actually need them. They contain a little battery as well and sit and go dead over time unless they have some method to trickle charge.
If you (or whoever needs it) is commonly in a place where there would be no one to jump with traditional cables it leaves little choice. I would recommend a very frequent check of the jump box to be sure it is in good condition.

This. Same goes with my electric emergency air pump, so I stopped carrying it in the trunk. I have regular jumper cables and one, also made by peak, that just hooks into the cig lighter. I've never had a situation where someone isn't willing to help out with a jump... Now if you live out in the middle of nowhere, it might be a different story.

Jumper cables? You don't need no stinking jumper cables.
http://www.emailjokez.com/thumb/468671-SA%20Jumper%20Cables_65934_46867_1.jpg

Ha! I think I know that guy. I used to own a 240z that I had to start by bridging the two poles on the solenoid.

Ha! I think I know that guy. I used to own a 240z that I had to start by bridging the two poles on the solenoid.

I used to have to do that w/ the Dodge Dart. The finish on my swiss army knife blade was all pitted from the many many times I had to do that.

One very cold night I needed a jump and couldn't get one, this was 20+ yrs ago, but it hasn't happened again. I just have that memory in the back of my head.

I have a similar one that I use, minus the air pump. I use it primarily for long road trips. So I make sure I charge it up beforehand. They come in handy because you never know when you'll need it being so far from home. Otherwise, I just keep a pair of good ol' jumper cables in the trunk for daily driving.

Jumper cables? You don't need no stinking jumper cables.
http://www.emailjokez.com/thumb/468671-SA%20Jumper%20Cables_65934_46867_1.jpg

That's ****ing brilliant. I gotta remember that and just start carrying a spare battery around with me all the time. Making sure the wrenches line up is a good way of feeling alive.

With maintenance free batteries of today, a battery lasts 4 years or so. Just test them periodically (every year or so after a couple years) and you won't need a jump or this device as long as the car is driven regularly

The problem with a lot of those portable jump-starters is they use the same crappy centuries old lead-acid battery technology that's dead in your car. They have very low power-density for their weight and they have self-discharge rate that'll have them dead within 2-months. So you have to keep them topped-off with regular charging just like a car battery's that's not being used.

Also cold-cranking-amp ratings are primarily for cold-weather. Lead-acid chemistry efficiency goes downhill very quickly as the temperature drops. So at -10F, a battery that's good for 700 CCA @ 70F may only be putting out 150 CCA. So that's why many battery manufacturers boast high CCA, so that if you're caught in a blizzard, you can still start your car and get out.

That's all old news with the new LiFePO4 batteries on the market. These latest lithium batteries have a much safer composition than the laptop batteries that have been exploding. You can put a LiFePO4 battery on top of a fire and it won't explode. And when the casing melts enough to ooze the guts out, the fluids that leak out will actually put out the fire. And these batteries have the highest power-density of anything out there. I replaced a 11-lb lead-acid battery in my motorcycle with a 1-lb Shorai LiFePO4 battery that has an even higher CCA rating of around 150 cca. I even tossed one of these batteries in my and my wife's car's glovebox. AND they don't self-discharge like lead-acid batteries. You can keep one on the shelf and after an entire year, it will still have 99% of it's charge left.

Here's what they can do:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECzEaTzqFsY


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcvmvrmTMMk

I have one a carry in my truck, got it setup so it is always charged, also carry jumper cables, tow rope, a more than basic set of tools, air pump, an electric impact wrench and often a hydraulic floor jack. Wife carries standard jumper cables in her car.

Seriously, roadside assistance. $120 a year, pays for it's self after one use. With all the women in my house it has been used at least once a year. Not to mention not having to go on a rescue mission and missing work.

Seriously, roadside assistance. $120 a year, pays for it's self after one use. With all the women in my house it has been used at least once a year. Not to mention not having to go on a rescue mission and missing work.

That's why I married an old farm girl, WoIndy is always helping other people when their cars will not start.

I have one a carry in my truck, got it setup so it is always charged, also carry jumper cables, tow rope, a more than basic set of tools, air pump, an electric impact wrench and often a hydraulic floor jack. Wife carries standard jumper cables in her car.

I used to carry a hydraulic floor jack. Those were the days... never an impact wrench though.

Seriously, roadside assistance. $120 a year, pays for it's self after one use. With all the women in my house it has been used at least once a year. Not to mention not having to go on a rescue mission and missing work.

I used AAA+ (which works in Canada and also reimburses for non AAA towers when those are all that are available) to get towed from St Stephen ME to St George NB to Moncton NB to Truro NS and saved enough to pay for AAA+ for the rest of my life and probably my kids' lives. That was 20+ yrs ago but every time I've called AAA since they take at least hours to respond so maybe roadside assistance is the way to go.

I need to look into one of those LiFePO4 batteries. The 2 shops in the stripmall where my office is don't have'em.

I used to carry a hydraulic floor jack. Those were the days... never an impact wrench though.

I had a power inverter that would run it and the electric impact, once I got my air one, I figured might as well through the electric one in the truck. It's came in handy a few times.

Jumper cables? You don't need no stinking jumper cables.
http://www.emailjokez.com/thumb/468671-SA%20Jumper%20Cables_65934_46867_1.jpg

Good way to get a battery to explode by setting off the hydrogen gas with sparks. No doubt these connections are loose and sparking.

In fact when I jump my car or any other vehicle, I always make the last connection not near the battery, but to a good ground on the engine, or better yet, on the chassis.

The last connection is the one most likely to spark (as it completes the full circuit) and you don't want that spark near either gasoline or hydrogen gas (often given off by wet cell batteries).

With maintenance free batteries of today, a battery lasts 4 years or so. Just test them periodically (every year or so after a couple years) and you won't need a jump or this device as long as the car is driven regularly

Ya don't even have to do that much testing... just be aware of how your vehicle is cranking... the first time you hear the slow start... think new battery. Of course have it tested first, just in case it is just dirty connections or some other problem.

What happens to most folks that need an emergency jump is either they ignored the signs (slow cranking, poor starting) or left their headlights on.

Ya don't even have to do that much testing... just be aware of how your vehicle is cranking... the first time you hear the slow start... think new battery. Of course have it tested first, just in case it is just dirty connections or some other problem.

What happens to most folks that need an emergency jump is either they ignored the signs (slow cranking, poor starting) or left their headlights on.

Or a sudden cold snap, alternator going out, actually I can think of lots of reasons for needing a jump start yet having not ignored any signs.

Ya don't even have to do that much testing... just be aware of how your vehicle is cranking... the first time you hear the slow start... think new battery. Of course have it tested first, just in case it is just dirty connections or some other problem.

What happens to most folks that need an emergency jump is either they ignored the signs (slow cranking, poor starting) or left their headlights on.
Yeah, other than when I had alternator issues, my only problem with batteries was due to lights.

Jumper cables? You don't need no stinking jumper cables.
http://www.emailjokez.com/thumb/468671-SA%20Jumper%20Cables_65934_46867_1.jpg

Is that Ruben's hand?

Is that Ruben's hand?

Is that the reason all his cars go whacka whacka puff puff?

I was going to guess thy were Brazilians, given their excellent kludging skills. But the battery is labeled in English.

Or a sudden cold snap, alternator going out, actually I can think of lots of reasons for needing a jump start yet having not ignored any signs.

Alternator gives signs... usually in the form of a red light on the dash. These things do not happen suddenly. But folks do tend to ignore the signs.

Alternator gives signs... usually in the form of a red light on the dash. These things do not happen suddenly. But folks do tend to ignore the signs.

My last one was sudden, truck just stopped running. No idiot light went off, no warning.

Mine just went poof too. But then I knew the car had been living on borrowed time for about a year and a half as the sensor or wiring controlling the fan blowing air over the radiator died and the fan stopped working so I had to run the heater nonstop (sucked in summer rains when the windows had to be up and actually the summer all the time, and then for the final 6 months or so I'd been getting oil in my coolant. The alternator was the last straw that got the car sent to the scrap yard. I just started losing electricity on the drive home from work one day (as luck would have it the plan was to drive 3 hours to visit the family for Christmas the next day) first the radio and interior light and then the headlights started to dim and I limped home. Charged the battery once but I barely made it in a mile loop and that was it.

My last one was sudden, truck just stopped running. No idiot light went off, no warning.

Hmmm never had that happen... I have always seen signs of some sort. Be it dim headlights or funny smells or sounds or hard starting.

The real issue is identifying the problem and taking care of it before you are stranded.

I have one as I tend to hit the light switch when getting out of my car (auto headlights). did it twice in a month on bought the back up battery an put it in the trunk. Worked the first time, second time I discovered there isn't a manual way to open the trunk, just the electric opener in the car or on the fob and the battery was too far gone for either to work. I usually charge it up ever month.

That's all old news with the new LiFePO4 batteries on the market. These latest lithium batteries have a much safer composition than the laptop batteries that have been exploding. You can put a LiFePO4 battery on top of a fire and it won't explode. And when the casing melts enough to ooze the guts out, the fluids that leak out will actually put out the fire. And these batteries have the highest power-density of anything out there. I replaced a 11-lb lead-acid battery in my motorcycle with a 1-lb Shorai LiFePO4 battery that has an even higher CCA rating of around 150 cca. I even tossed one of these batteries in my and my wife's car's glovebox. AND they don't self-discharge like lead-acid batteries. You can keep one on the shelf and after an entire year, it will still have 99% of it's charge left.

Where do you find these? Google leads me to a bunch of sites to connect me up to manufacturers in China willing to sell me 1000!

With maintenance free batteries of today, a battery lasts 4 years or so. Just test them periodically (every year or so after a couple years) and you won't need a jump or this device as long as the car is driven regularly

Battery life is very dependent on where you live, hot climates kill batteries very fast. Battery life is also dependent on how much you drive and maybe even what size your car is. Here in the south where it is hot or hotter for much of the year, a good battery in a big car will last about 3 years. You might get more, but I've also had them fail in less than 36 months too. In my own cars I got the the point of putting in new batteries after 3 years so I didn't have to worry about it. In rare occasions I would have a short warning that there was a problem but most of the time the battery works fine, until the time that it doesn't work, with no in-between. I have also bought new batteries that failed in less than a year. I think a portable starting device would be worthwhile if a person goes to places where there aren't many people around. In a big city, close to home, you can probably find someone to start your car or take you home so being totally self-sufficient might not be as important as it would be in a very rural area.

My wife's new Acadia has the battery in a compartment inside of the vehicle where it isn't subjected to the hot temperatures under the hood. That battery should last longer than 36 months but how much longer I don't know.

What do you all think of this thing?

http://www.costco.com/Peak%C2%AE-450-Amp-Jump-Starter.product.11612553.html

Are you more likely to need to be able to jump your own car with a thing like that than you would be able to find somebody else to hook up to the other end of a traditional jumper cable set?

Is it just a matter of how charming you are?

After a long sailboat ride down the shore of Lake Ontario, we were tied up at the Wellend Canal docks waiting for clearance to go through the docks. They were going to call us on the VHF. While preparing dinner I heard a sort of a gowning sound sound coming from the VHF. Heard it a couple of times again. The noise sounded familiar. I kept trying to remember where I heard that noise before. Suddenly I remembered. I asked the skipper to check his batteries. Yes they were going dead! So dead he could not turn over the engine. Luckily someone had one of these boxes. We were able to get the engine started. We contacted the canal operator and they told use they were trying to get in touch with us for at least a half an hour. All those groaning sounds were someone transmitted but the battery was too weak to operate the VHF correctly.

Don't ask how I know about the sound. :)

Where do you find these? Google leads me to a bunch of sites to connect me up to manufacturers in China willing to sell me 1000!You can buy individual cells on eBay. Four needed for 13v; goes for about $30-40 if you want to build your own like the guys on those YouTube videos. I prefer to just buy them assembled. Ballistic and Shorai are the main players in the motorcycle-battery market. You can pick up them up on Amazon - Ballistic EVO2 4 Cell Dry LiFePO4 Motorcycle Battery 135CCA 400grams (http://www.amazon.com/Ballistic-LiFePO4-Motorcycle-Battery-400grams/dp/B005LFXMYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348815576&sr=8-1)
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41TwT8e1E-L._SL500_AA300_.jpg (http://www.amazon.com/Ballistic-LiFePO4-Motorcycle-Battery-400grams/dp/B005LFXMYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348815576&sr=8-1)

Don't let the small size deceive you, these things can put out serious power. Be sure to use regular sized battery cables and make sure they're bolted on tight.

While we still have AAA, the wait can be over an hour sometimes for them to come out and jump your car, even more if you're in a remote location. For that kind of time and money, I could've walked to an auto-parts store, bought a new battery, walk back, installed it and be on my way before AAA shows up! :(

I've had to use the little jumper battery just last month when I left the blinker on after I parked my car at the warehouse (German cars turn the left/right turn-signal light full on when you leave the blinker on when getting out of the car). When I came back the next weekend, it was dead. Rather than pulling out a charger and waiting, or pushing cars around to use jumper-cables, I just pulled out the little battery from the glovebox, hooked it up and VRrroomm! It started on the 1st crank. :)

With maintenance free batteries of today, a battery lasts 4 years or so. Just test them periodically (every year or so after a couple years) and you won't need a jump or this device as long as the car is driven regularly"Maintenance free" doesn't really mean the batteries are any better, they just don't have user-serviceable ports to check fluid-level and for topping off. The basic technology isn't any different than they were over 100-years ago. In fact, lead-acid battery powered-cars preceeded the internal-combustion car. Porsche built one of the earliest autos back in 1900. It was powered by batteries driving motors built into the hubs. Internal-combustion gained popularity later because they were able to generate more power with less weight. That has been the bane of electric cars for the entire time, until recently, with the introduction of lithium-based batteries.


Battery life is very dependent on where you live, hot climates kill batteries very fast. Battery life is also dependent on how much you drive and maybe even what size your car is. Here in the south where it is hot or hotter for much of the year, a good battery in a big car will last about 3 years. You might get more, but I've also had them fail in less than 36 months too. In my own cars I got the the point of putting in new batteries after 3 years so I didn't have to worry about it. In rare occasions I would have a short warning that there was a problem but most of the time the battery works fine, until the time that it doesn't work, with no in-between. I have also bought new batteries that failed in less than a year. There is warning if you have a volt-meter on your dash. When in good full-charged condition, a battery will register around 13-13.5v when you turn the key to on just before cranking. With the engine running, the alternator's regulator puts out anywhere between 13.5-14.4v in order to overcome the battery's internal-resistance and push enough amps to charge it fully. The gauge will read around 13.5v when the engine's running.

When the battery starts to fail, its internal-resistance goes up, the alternator won't be pushing as many amps, and the voltage-drop will be lower. So the gauge will actually be reading higher than normal, around 14v when the engine's running. However, the battery will only be registering 11.5-12.5v with key on before cranking. This lower-than-optimum voltage is a sign that the battery is starting to fail. Typically when it shows 12v before cranking, you've got a couple of months of life left.

And there are slight variations in different manufacturers' design that makes a difference in longevity. Exide is one of the best with anti-sulfation chemistry. Well-known in the motorcycle market, but not quite so popular in automobiles. It's not uncommon for Exide batteries to last twice as long as the home-brew private-label stuff you find in auto-parts and department stores. The one in my car is 8-years old now and still going on strong. Sure it costs twice as much as a Sears Diehard, but it'll also last at least 2x as long, maybe even 3x. When it does die, I'm going to replace it with a LiFePO4 battery; saves 40-lbs, will get me a little better performance, gas-mileage and I'll be able to carry 40-lbs more groceries! :)

So I bought the thing in the OP for $70 from costco but returned it 'cause really I know I'm not going to recharge it every month. So yesterday morning my wife's car (not the one I was going to put the charger/pump thingy in the trunk of) had a flat. A battery pump might have gotten her to a shop to get it fixed. But she was sick yesterday and not going anywhere so we just left it sitting. Last night I went to change it and came up against a combination of my shoulder injury and some moron at the last scheduled service using an air-wrench and could not get the wheel off. So I called AAA and they came and put the spare on. And today the car is at a tire place getting new tires all around.