Are you frustrated with car jumpstarters? (Page 1/2)
Kitskaboodle APR 02, 04:50 PM
I’ve been through several car jumpstarters now and they always fail for the same reason. (charging issue) Every single one I’ve bought (3 different brands now) start out ok, you get a few jumps out of them, and then they start to misbehave during charging. (i.e. they will not fully charge to 100% or they will not take a charge at all or they will begin to take a charge and then simply shut off) 🙁 I’ve never had one that even lasted past three months. I’ve even returned/exchanged them but the replacement does the same thing.

Here’s the thing: In theory and concept and promises they’re great! 😊 But on reality they come up short and are a disappointing product. I will not but these anymore until the battery charging issue is resolved.

That being said, am I the only one who has major issues with this product? These jumpstarters are a huge letdown. 🙁
Lastly, is there an easy way to somehow modify it so that it will take a full charge? What is the issue, the battery itself or the electronics?
Kit
P.S. Here’s my older jumpstarter (it’s about 2 years old now) It has a 5 bar graph charging meter/ indicator. It will charge only to a bar and a half.

Patrick APR 02, 06:18 PM

quote
Originally posted by Kitskaboodle:

I’ve been through several car jumpstarters now and they always fail for the same reason. (charging issue) Every single one I’ve bought (3 different brands now) start out ok, you get a few jumps out of them, and then they start to misbehave during charging.



You've been through three of 'em? My question would be... why such a dire need for a jump-starter? Seriously! We've all killed a car battery at one time or another by accidently leaving parking lights or something on... but it's usually a pretty rare occurrence.

I also don't like the idea of my car's alternator feverishly trying to recharge a dead battery after the engine's been jumped to start.

Having said that, I do make use of my battery chargers if/when I haven't driven one of my cars for awhile... but I've never felt the need to have a jump-starter on hand.

A friend of mine had a jump-starter that no longer worked, so I offered to take a look at it for her to see if I could resurrect it. No chance. Even when I connected its battery to my own charger, it was deader than a doornail.
Jake_Dragon APR 02, 06:19 PM
I got one based on feedback. It was not a small unit and had substantial battery life. When I first got it I could jump the car 3 times from a dead battery. That didn't last long.
I wish there was a system you could install in your car that would have an extra battery that would charge up during driving but disconnect when you shut the car off.
Then if you try to start the car and it senses the voltage is low it kicks in a boost. Something away from the parasitic drain of the main battery.

Edit
Heck even a "smart" battery
Na they wont do that because you wont be buying batteries every 3 years.

I remember my first car, the battery was 10 years old when I got it and was still good 5 years later when I sold the car.

[This message has been edited by Jake_Dragon (edited 04-02-2025).]

Kitskaboodle APR 02, 06:41 PM
I knew the question would be brought up about why do I rely on jumpstarters so much? Well, for one my cars sit a lot (I really only have 1 daily driver) and two, it’s more convenient to pull out the jumpstarter (that you typically store right in your car anyways) and use it for a quick jump rather than to pull out my Schumaker home charger and having to run an extension cord into the garage to my workbench. Also, they are handy for emergencies like leaving your interior light on in your car overnight, etc. (peace of mind) and lastly most of them are part “power bank”, so you can use it on the road if you phone battery is low/ dead. Kit

[This message has been edited by Kitskaboodle (edited 04-02-2025).]

IMSA GT APR 02, 06:46 PM
I would go with one that has a larger battery capacity. That way you have some wiggle room if a cell goes bad. With the smaller compact units, when a cell dies, half of your voltage is gone.
https://www.amazon.com/Clor...DKIKX0DER&gQT=1&th=1

At least with this one, I believe it uses a 12volt 22ah lead acid battery that you can replace instead of buying a new booster pack.

[This message has been edited by IMSA GT (edited 04-02-2025).]

Kitskaboodle APR 02, 07:42 PM
Imsa, the one in your link is the old school lead acid battery type. They’re ok but they have their negatives also. (bulky size, heavy weight abs they too eventually die) And, most people keep those around the house, garage, farm, etc and NOT so much in the car for backup. They’re also more expensive.
Like I mentioned earlier, on paper the small “brick” shaped jumpstarters are far more appealing (price, convenience, compact size, etc) but buying them is like going down a rabbit hole.
They can send a man to the moon. Why can’t they figure out how to make a jumpstarter that will charge properly? Inquiring minds want to know…
Kit
Jake_Dragon APR 02, 07:51 PM
The issue is always the battery.
makita battery car jump starter has caught my eye because I have several battery tools laying around and several portable batteries.

For me I got my first one because my car would sit all winter and the apartment didn't have power outlets for a trickle charger.
Now I work from home and I get so busy I forget to go drive the car around

[This message has been edited by Jake_Dragon (edited 04-02-2025).]

Patrick APR 02, 07:51 PM

quote
Originally posted by IMSA GT:

At least with this one, I believe it uses a 12volt 22ah lead acid battery that you can replace instead of buying a new booster pack.



That's the type of jump-starter my friend had that I tried to resurrect. When I discovered that its battery was toast, I priced a replacement battery... and subsequently informed my friend that her jump-starter wasn't worth fixing.
Raydar APR 03, 03:47 PM
I bought one of the $89 Harbor Freight jobs, back in the fall. I've used it several times to start cars - one of which was a Fiero with a completely dead battery. (Battery tender wouldn't even bring it back, after the jump start.) But we use it around the farm to jump start mowers and SxSs that don't get driven much.

I've had good luck with it. Even bought one for a relative.
https://www.harborfreight.c...ower-bank-59527.html

[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-07-2025).]

CoolBlue87GT APR 04, 12:13 AM
I had the same problem you had, lots of junk out there.

A few months ago I picked up from Walmart a GOOLOO GE1500 jumpstarter , I didn't expect much, it really works great.
Time will tell how long it will last.

I have 5 battery tenders hooked up to vehicles in my garage, picked up the jumpstarter to keep in the daily driver, have used it a few times to help coworkers with jumping their cars.

This images is larger than 153600 bytes. Click to view.

[This message has been edited by CoolBlue87GT (edited 04-04-2025).]