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Jump starter recommendations?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by NewHybridOwner, Nov 18, 2019.

  1. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    I have two jump-start packs that are now many years old (I think they are by Schumacher, but without the name, and I'm pretty sure I bought them as a half-price deal at Radio Shark). They use a 12V 12AH battery.

    One is now charging only to 11.8V, but the other still seems OK. I'm trying to decide whether to replace the dying/dead battery and put that one in the Prius and put the other one in our other car, or whether something with newer technology would be more appropriate for the Prius; then I would simply recycle the other one.
     
  2. spiralhelix

    spiralhelix Active Member

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    I've been in the same boat as you. Bought one when they first came out and it is definitely showing it's age. Tarylfixesall raves about the NOCO starter so I tracked it on Amazon and nabbed one during a lightening deal. But last week Project Farm did a vid of testing different ones (
    ). I was shocked and disappointed about the NOCO performance. Check Amazon for the one that showed to be the best and that sucker was 1/2 the cost of the NOCO and is labeled as their best seller. So needless to say, I bought a few of them as Christmas gifts. I'll probably just keep the NOCO in the garage for small engine stuff (lawn tractor, moped, etc) as it did start my Ruckus easily.
     
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    My two cents, look into a replacement battery for the ailing one. Might be around $50~60, good for another decade. Recharge them about every 3 months.

    The new, light-weight lithiums might be the bee's knees, not sure. For now I'm still with JNC660, have one, and have given them as gifts.

    Funny thing, at least for ours, it's pretty much pure cargo-cult, have needed it, and with our kids having their own now. And I'm armed to the teeth with chargers, testers, lol. Once in a blue-moon there's good samaritan opportunity in a parking lot, that's about it.
     
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  4. spiralhelix

    spiralhelix Active Member

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    haha, my mind went straight to the Li-ion packs, not the bigger ones like the JNC660. What would be the benefit of the big one over the small lightweight Li-Ion ones? Looks like maybe just a bit more "powerful"? The drawback is that they are bigger and heavier.

    Strangely enough, I've started more boat engines over car engines with our jump pack. People think they need to run their stereos at the sandbar without having a second battery ;)
     
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  5. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    I opted for the (now no longer available) smallest DBpower on Amazon li-ion

    It was $30 (i think cheapest now is around 45-50)

    It is small enough to keep in my "c" center console.
    I think the cord takes up more space then the unit itself lol

    I have jumped a pathfinder batt, and also a small atv batt for shits and giggles and testing it out.
     
  6. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    Now that I'm looking, I can't even find the correct replacement battery -- with the right terminals (lugs for a bolt and nut). Interstate shows them in their online catalog, but it doesn't show up on their nearest (50 miles away) store's site.
    Costco shows an EcoJump for $70, but there are no reviews anywhere by anyone who's actually used one: a handful of people rave about its features, but they haven't had to use it so far.
     
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I've not followed through, but googling (something like JNC660 replacement battery") I get results like this:



    (If you've got an Ad-Block running you probably won't see the above (amazon) link, will need to turn it off.)

    Then, straight from Clore, a little more expensive. It might have better specs though, should compare:

    Clore PROFORMER Replacement Battery for JNC4000/JNC660/JNC770/JNCAIR/JNCXF - Clore Automotive

    Then here's another Amazon link, selling the same battery, best of both worlds?



    Considering what's riding on it, and if you get 8~9 years out of it, maybe the OEM Clore is the better deal.

    Appreciate this is my case, guess I'm just trying to explain what I'd do.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Nov 18, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2019
  8. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    Those batteries are too big: they won't fit in that original jumpstarter. And the Clore has a one-star review.
     
    #8 NewHybridOwner, Nov 18, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2019
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  9. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I have the jncair, built in air compressor. It’s bigger and better because you can jump start vehicles many many times before you even need to top them off again. I can jump start vehicles just using this battery while the car 12v bat is completely unhooked from the car. It last for many years and can jump diesel trucks and it won’t cry mercy. You can replace the brake internal battery and or interchange to keep and fresh one in case you need to swap it. Great when pge turns off your electricity, you can use it with a 12Vdc to 120vac converter.

    And it’s a real man’s jumper, not a wussy one.
     
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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Yeah. If you're not wearing safety boots, and you drop it you'll break your foot. (y)
     
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  11. spiralhelix

    spiralhelix Active Member

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    so your take away is that those that use the more compact and convenient Li-po packs aren't men? Meh. Guess I'll be a wussy not real man then. Seems like a weird statement coming from an owner of a vehicle that isn't really at the forefront of being a "manly" car. /shrug

    btw, you can jump start a car without a battery using these little packs too, if thats what you want...so that argument isn't that valid. I'd say the one good point you made is about diesel trucks. Even though they claim they can do it, the little packs do struggle more. But if you watched the video i linked, you would have seen that they will in fact a couple of them put a good crank to those engines.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Seriously, I just get the sense the old-school jump-n-carry's have more "legs". I could be wrong though. Mainly it's what I've got, the devil I know, lol. They are very flat, fit in the underfloor tray in the hatch. That side of the car maybe rides a little lower though, they're almost 20 pounds...

    C'mon, us over-the-hill guys aren't that manly any more, just big kids again. The whiskers never quite though... And you get hair growing in all sorts... Rambling.
     
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  13. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    It was my post bait to gather prospective signature quotes.
     
  14. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    I tend to jump on the wussy stuff, not the manly thingys

    But they do have the cheapest one back on Amazon here
     
  15. RMB

    RMB Senior Member

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    I bought DBPower jump starter with lightning deal couple months back without knowing such comparison video exists. But this DB brand is not too bad, tied for 3rd place :p

    Come to think about it, one I bought is not as high amperage as the 20000A being tested, but it's all good, I don't have big V8 or diesel truck, for jump starting my Prius and Sienna van 600A or 1000A (I forgot what rating bought:confused:) is sufficient enough.
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    'if i'm going to wear a jumper, it had better be small and lightweight'
     
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  17. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    May not get delivered until January 8.
     
  18. NewHybridOwner

    NewHybridOwner Active Member

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    Right at the front of the Costco warehouse today they had a display of "Type S" Lithium jump-starters for $59.99 (down from $79.99 for a few more days), but only 8,000mAH and 350A peak current, so I left them where they were. On line Costco has a better model for the same price: 10,000mAH and 400A peak current, but that's not so great either; not going to buy one of them.
     
  19. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    Here is a yellow one

    It was $33 but up to 36 on my side, i suppose due to the other seller being out of stock
    still same one

    The low amps is fine for a prius as they dont need much.
    can also start most cars, but maybe not that 7 liter etc
     
  20. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    What are you going to be jumping? If it's for a Prius, you don't need much.
    They should say on the box or in the description on what size limit for the engine.