If you are storing the unit in the car, choose a location out of direct sunlight, such as the glovebox or the trunk. During the hot summer months, consider storing the unit in a cool location and only taking it with you on long trips. The takeaway: Read the instructions carefully and check the fine print. Complicating matters, it’s the fact that most of the units list their temperature ranges (operating or storage) in the instructions, but not on the product packaging. Unfortunately, the device manufacturers were guarded on the potential consequences of storing these units at high temperatures. In hot desert areas, the inside temperature can rise even higher. That’s a major concern: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the temperature inside of a car parked in direct sunlight can reach between 131 and 172 degrees Fahrenheit when the temperature outside is between 80 and 100 degrees. While some manufacturers cautioned only against operation at high temperatures (with reduced performance as a consequence), others specifically warned not to store the units at high temperatures-and that included the Pilot InstaBoost with its 120-degree rating.
Jump starters autozone portable#
Of the 10 units we tested, we awarded Recommended status to five: The Antigravity Batteries XP-10, Spirit A8 Car Jump Starter, Bolt Power D28, New Brights Compact 12000mAH Mini Portable Car Jump Starter, and PowerAll PBJS12000R. And the second-priciest model (Noco Genius Boost GB30, $105) came in second-to-last place in our ratings. While the best-performing jumper pack (Antigravity Batteries XP-10, $125) was the most expensive, the weakest performer (Pilot InstaBoost) was not the least expensive-we paid $100 for it. Incidentally, price turned out to be little indication of performance. (Interestingly, the Revo did almost as well as the Antigravity unit in our jump-start tests.) We consider this the power-source performance to be a notable factor, as these units can keep vital devices, such as mobile phones, charged up during a power outage. It provided power for three times as long as the poorest performers, which came from Revo and Noco. The best-performing unit was the Antigravity Batteries XP-10. Where we did see lots of variance was in the units’ abilities to charge devices, such as tablets and laptops. When the battery packs were at room temperature, most were able to successfully jump start a frozen car battery. With both the car battery and the jump starter at zero degrees, none of the units were able to jump start even the weak car batteries, let alone a dead battery.
Then the Pilot InstaBoost struggled, dropping below its competitors in the ratings. It was when the temps dropped below freezing that the differences appeared. Most battery packs could start a car battery at room temperature.When it came to jump-starting vehicles, performance between the units was nearly identical.
We also tested the units to see how long they could provide power to smaller devices such as tablets and mobile phones. The fourth test had the batteries cooled to 0 degrees with the jump starters at room temperature. For the third test, we chilled both the weak batteries and the booster packs down to 0-degrees Fahrenheit. In the first and second test, both the battery and the jumper packs were at room temperature. We purchased 10 mini jump starters, ranging in price from $70 to $125, and ran four separate tests on the car batteries, using different states of charge, working down to completely dead.
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