KoraPlaya wrote:How fast do they charge compared to a home charger?

It really depends on the quality of the charger. I have a 450 Amp one (claims 750 peak) and it takes 5-10 minutes on a dead battery. It you're willing to spend more money you can get ones that will deliver enough charge immediately (just by starting the car). Those are the type AAA uses.

FrankSchwab wrote:Probably safety as much as anything. Jumper cables (especially the 35 year old, 2 ga monsters that I have in my trunk) can generate tremendous current and voltage surges in either the jumper or jumpee vehicle depending on precisely how they're wielded, and can cause significant damage (including blowing up a battery) if wielded incorrectly, just based on the amount of current they can carry. Have it slip off the battery post when it's carrying 200 amps over to the other vehicle, and you can get a voltage surge from the alternator of up to 50 or more volts; running the risk of frying anything sensitive (Google "Alternator Load dump").

You realize that there are dozens to hundreds of different microprocessors in the average new car, right? You realize that a replacement ECU can be $1000-$2000 if you fry it, right? I took out the ECU and PATS modules (combined total: $1500) on my Ford Explorer just from a bad battery cable; the arcing and sparking it caused when I wiggled it trying to see what was wrong caused a spike that the electronics couldn't take.

Anyway, with the lower amperage possible here, the magnitude of voltage spike you could cause is almost insignificant. Limiting to 15 amps also means that you can easily put a fuse inline to solve any incorrect hookup problems.

Yes, You'd have to be patient. But, you're more likely to make it home with all your original hair than you are with bad-ass jumper cables.

And yet, you use 2AWG jumper cables.

But can I light a cig and start my car at the same time?

All kidding aside, I was told by my mechanic that these can work, but you have to wait a good half hour to get your battery charged. But he said with all the cpu stuff on newer cars, you have to be carefull of shorting things out. The other issue is the amount of power coming throught the thin wires. When you use a real set of jumper cables, they are usually insulated with a heavy type of rubber or rubber coated covering. Unless you are charging a car in your driveway, I can't see any other reason to use these. Regular jumper cables or the portable battery pack charger just seem to be a better option.

plim809 wrote:lot of outlets need the key to be switched on in order to electrically connect the the outlet to the battery. turning key on also turns on a lot of electric components in the "dead' car adding additional unnecessary drain on the dead battery. looks like this would take forever to work

Good thought but the outlet doesn't need to be "on" for it to accept a charge...

fluffhead67 wrote:i'm not claiming to have read about this thing but judging by the wire gage it should jump start a car in about 3 days


"30 minutes in most cases"? come on people......think before you buy.

You're better off calling AAA. It will cost you less in the long run.

and they might show up in 30 minutes too

Guys, check out the ads that are being shown. AAA and battery charger ads.

Google is an impressive beast. Ads changed within 30 minutes of the page.

works nicely for me living in an apt complex (i.e. no plug in option for a normal charger) I can use my daily driver to basically trickle charge the battery on my seldom driven 4x4. Yes I know there are other options to avoid this but I often forget to disconnect the cables or start/run the beast regularly.

That being said I carry normal jumper cables in both vehicles because I would not imagine using this little guy for an actual jump. But for sitting in the parking lot providing a trickle charge in 'bout 30 - 35 minutes it works great!

Spiky wrote:And yet, you use 2AWG jumper cables.

I bought them when I was in high school, and had to jump start the beater 1964 Oldsmobile I owned. Large displacement, high compression V8 with the anemic starter motors they used back then. I needed as much current as I could get. I just haven't found a reason to throw them away yet.

Hey buddy, my car battery is dead, do you think you can give me a hand? You aren't in a hurry are you, because this will (hopefully) take about a half an hour.


Asking somebody for a jump start is already asking for enough, but asking them stick around 20, 30, even 40 minutes is really pushing it. They're probably not going to be very happy, if, after 40 minutes, they find out they wasted all that time, because you car still won't start. It's a much better idea to just get one of those portable jump starters, because they actually work (I've got one). If you really want to do the cigarette lighter thing, they actually have portable jump starter thingies that have a cigarette plug on them (and are attached to a sealed lead acid battery).

braymeck wrote:Good thought but the outlet doesn't need to be "on" for it to accept a charge...

You'r joking right? To accept a charge the socket must have a connection to the battery, which requires the socket to be "on".

I have a 2010 Prius. Does it work with Hybrid car?

It really is about the time. If you have ever been stuck in a parking lot in the dead of winter and you're asking for a jump, 40 minutes is gonna make it pretty tough.

That's asking an awful lot from a good samaritan.

junk, and dangerous junk at that. jumpers is the only time tested way to do this.

You could buy 6 of these and you still wouldn't have enough juice to equal a good set of jumper cables. Your tiny little 15amp fuse on your cigarette lighter just can't supply the necessary amperage to properly charge your dead battery. If you want to trickle charge your seldom used vehicle, then buy a trickle charger for the job. Use the right tool for the right job. The right job for this tool is to sucker people out of a few bucks.

FrankSchwab wrote:...snip... You realize that there are dozens to hundreds of different microprocessors in the average new car, right? You realize that a replacement ECU can be $1000-$2000 if you fry it, right? I took out the ECU and PATS modules (combined total: $1500) on my Ford Explorer just from a bad battery cable; the arcing and sparking it caused when I wiggled it trying to see what was wrong caused a spike that the electronics couldn't take. ...snip...

Before using my good car to jump a dead battery, I will always disconnect the negative cable on my car to protect the electronics and keep my engine off.

Granted, now only my good battery is providing the juice to start the dead car (no alternator supplement), but it is usually enough to get them going. The main thing is that my car (and electronics) are now isolated from any surges during the jump procedure.

The one time it wasn't enough, I explained to them why I didn't want the whole car hooked up and they understood and were still thankful for the attempt.

What stranger is going to sit there for a half hour to let your car charge!

These things have got to be useless for most jumps. I've had my car jumped by strangers 2-3 times in my life and I can guarantee when you need it most someone will say "sorry, I just can't sit here with you for half an hour"

Good Price. Thanks

I got a similar one and it's never done its job of jump starting a car with a dead battery. It can slowly charge a battery that is not too far gone. It'll take 30-60 min to get the battery up to charge. But most of the time a battery in that condition is still able to start the car. So this thing is pretty much useless.

braymeck wrote:Good thought but the outlet doesn't need to be "on" for it to accept a charge...

by the outlet being "on" you mean that their is a complete curcuit for the electrons to travel meaning that there is no open in the curcuit, some outlets are wired around the switch, and some are wired through the switch, you can tell the difference on most models because the fuse will be under the hood for the outlet that always has 12v and the fuse will be in the passenger capartment if the outlet is wired through the switch.

Long story short if you are trying to charge a battery through the outlet that is wired to the switch it will not work unless the key is turned to either the run or acc position (depending on how that outlet is wired, some may have 12v in just run some in run and acc.)since the circuit is broken when the switch is off there is no complete circuit for the amperage (electrons) to make a path to the dead battery.

not trying to hurt woots business ,love the site, but I am saying this, as being a mechanic all my life, just invest yourself in some good jumper cables, you will never regret having some 1 or 2 gauge jumper cables

I'm sorry woot, but this is a virtually useless product.
Jumper cables are a much better idea, in all cases. You don't even have to know anything about your cars battery to jump it properly anymore since the jumper cables usually have a tag with instructions on it now.
A nifty product, but totally useless.

This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best blogger I ever saw. Thanks for posting this informative article. Big thanks for the useful info

Nobody has yet to mention that these might be good to use in inclement weather such as snow or heavy rain.

I, for one, do not look forward to standing in the pouring rain or driving snow to "jump" off a vehicle when I could stay nice and dry/warm in my vehicle while it charges!

mattageddon wrote:I'm not sure how well these would work to replace jumper cables. Jumper cables seem to be a sure fire way to get your car moving again while this a hit or miss.

i'm sure if you leave these plugged in for a week it will start the other car.

maybe

braymeck wrote:Good thought but the outlet doesn't need to be "on" for it to accept a charge...

It does need to be "on" for it to accept a charge. If no power is coming through it to power anything, no power is going to go to the battery. A switch works both ways. Either the circuit is complete, or it is not.

mizzou0 wrote:I have a 2010 Prius. Does it work with Hybrid car?

It won't release the Toyota accelerator, if that's what you mean.

now that's funny

ckeilah wrote:So if you use BOTH of them together can you get going in 5-20min instead of 10-40min?

Was there not a deal just like this a couple months ago? Everyone bags on these things so why bring them back? These are good for people who have no knowledge of their car. Kind of like settling with a $3000 Mac instead of researching an equally good PC for much lower price?

Probably the best investment I ever made was buying these this past winter. They literally saved my life when I was stranded!

mizzou0 wrote:I have a 2010 Prius. Does it work with Hybrid car?

If all the batteries on your hybrid are dead, in the words of the internet, "UR DOIN IT RONG".

mkentosh wrote:and they might show up in 30 minutes too

And AAA might never show up. They are very slow to respond in my area. That's why I dumped them. And on the cold morning when your marginal battery won't start your car they are swamped with calls.

mizzou0 wrote:I have a 2010 Prius. Does it work with Hybrid car?

The Prius has a 12 volt battery system for running the electronics, starting etc. These cables will allow you to charge that battery in the event that it's run down. It won't help you with the main battery, of course.

Anorion wrote:If all the batteries on your hybrid are dead, in the words of the internet, "UR DOIN IT RONG".

Actually, hybrids do have a 12 volt battery for starting the gas engine.

j021294 wrote:Why do you only disconnect the negative cable on your car? If I am understanding correctly, wouldn't the positive cable still be connected to your vehicle's electronics? Couldn't a surge or spike still travel down the positive line? Not saying you're wrong, just saying I'm clueless. ;-)

With only one cable connected there is no closed circuit for to smite your electronics.

The best strategy is to replace your battery before it gets too weak. If it is over 48 months old you ought to think about replacing it. Batteries get weaker as they age. Do you wait for a blowout before replacing your tires? Oh wait, I forgot who I'm talking to.

A little math:

Cig lighter = 12V @ 15A = 180W

500 CCA @ 12V = 6000W

6000/180 = 33X

Roughly speaking then, for every 1 second you want to crank the engine, you need to let this charge for 33 seconds. So, letting it sit for 30 minutes, should give you about a minute of cranking, which is more than enough to start the engine.



And to those of you who say that jump starting the battery can damage the ECU (the computer), I say 'bah'. Cars have had computers in them since the 1980's and manufacturers know how to protect them. Consider this - a new laptop has one of the most sensitive and delicate computer chips on the planet in it, but you can plug it into a 115V @ 15A wall socket with no worries. Why? Because engineers know how to design things not to break.

Furthermore, the only real risk to your electrical system from a jump is by reversing the polarity of the cables, which is impossible with a cig-to-cig charger*.

*Unless you happen to have a positive ground vehicle, but as far as I'm aware, no one has made one of those in over fifty years.



EDIT: For those of you complaining that you tried these and they didn't work, it is possible that your battery was dead because it was no longer holding a charge. In that case, you need a new battery, not a different set of cables.

And so I don't sound like a shill for the jumper cable company, I personally use a set of low gauge (thick) cables.

thesamurai wrote:Zero to 14 amps??? 14amps you'll fry the wire no problemo.

12 volts at 14 amps is not much !

SpkrBox850 wrote:Does it takes half an hour to jump start a car with a dead battery? OR does it just take half an hour to charge a cars dead battery?

It's going to take a lot longer to do either. This thing is a gimmick. It's trash. It's junk. Jumper cables are cheap, easy to use, and they fit easily in the trunk of a car or behind the seat of a truck. Every vehicle should have a set. There is no need for this product.

save the money and put it towards an auto club membership. this gadget is not reliable. by the time you spent 40 minutes charging your dead battery, you will have to leave the car run at your destination to insure it will restart.