Portable car battery smart jump starters have become very popular in recent years.
Portable jump starters are a great item in an emergency when a battery has lost its charge.
Modern-day devices, from smartphones to laptops, can drain a battery leaving a user in need of a jump which makes emergency jump kits a good item to have while camping or traveling.
Many kits are also power banks and come with ports to charge other devices via USB or other ports.
There are many units available, with some of our favorite picks below.
As always, be sure to read the reviews on Amazon, here, or elsewhere to be sure a unit is a good fit for you.
Our Picks for Best Portable Jump Starters of
- TOPVISION LIFE 2200A
- Jump-N-Carry JNC660 1700
- Stanley J5C09
- Schumacher SC1280
- Kinverch JS87-K
The TOPVISION LIFE 2200A is an Emergency Power Bank with a vehicle Battery Jump Starter that is easy to store away until needed.
This makes it a good unit in many scenarios, from camping to simply storing away in the trunk for an emergency battery boost.
It can charge almost any device, from a smartphone to a laptop, along with jumper cables for a car or truck battery.
The TOPVISION LIFE 2200A is a good all-around unit that will be nice to have when power is needed.
The Jump-N-Carry JNC660 has been available for a while and is still a popular option.
It has no power ports to charge other devices and is only an emergency jump starter unit.
While it lacks features, other models have; it does do what it was built to do well, which is jump a vehicle.
The built-in battery is capable of 1700 Peak Amps.
The Stanley J5C09 has been available for a few years and is a popular unit.
Differently sized units are available from 600 Amps to 1000 Amps
There are also different configurations; for example, some units have an air compressor built-in.
The Schumacher is a nice and simple to use unit with a digital display.
It automatically detects if a battery is 6 volts or 12 volts, with most all car and truck batteries at 12 volts.
It also has reverse hookup detection, which is a nice feature to have.
The Kinverch JS87-K is a 1000 Peak Amp jump starter that also has a built-in air compressor.
It also has a battery tester feature along with a USB charging port.
Are Portable Jump Starters Any Good?
Yes, portable jump starters work great and are very nice to have in an emergency.
How Do Portable Jump Starters Work?
Portable jump starters have an internal battery that can be charged up at home and stored away in a vehicle.
When a jump start is needed, cables are hooked to the vehicle’s battery, and the jump starter’s internal battery will give it a boost for the car or truck start.
What Size Portable Jump Starter Do I Need?
The average-sized portable jump starter is 600-1000 Peak Amps.
Peak amps are how much power a unit can put out when in use.
The larger the battery, the better, with good units having 10000mAh-30000mAh.
How Many Amps Do I Need to Jump Start My Car?
400-500 amps are enough to start most small cars and trucks with four cylinder engines.
One thousand amps are usually needed for full-sized pickup and larger vehicles with 6-8 cylinder engines.
Most car and truck batteries will have a cold-cranking amps number labeled on it that will give an idea of how many amps are needed.
Summary
When picking a portable battery jump starter, be sure to read about its features since they can differ.
Having such a quick way to jump a car is useful, especially in an emergency is nice to have.
Also, when it comes to new cars trying to jump another with cables can, at times, be harmful to the car giving the jump.
The old way of using cables can damage modern car computers if the vehicle giving the charge is too high.
Many car and truck alternators can also send out a high voltage surge when they first start, which can possibly damage the vehicle trying to help.
A common way to control this is to immediately pull jumper cables when a vehicle starts.
Of course, using a jump starter kit can go a long way in not having this problem, helping to keep your vehicle safe from damage when someone else needs a jump start.