Does anyone have any recommendations for one? The smaller ones that you can almost put in your pocket. Amazon has a bunch but it is hard to choose.

Thanks.

Ed

 

I have a Juno Jumper I use that good for up to 3.5L V6 vehicles (though I have jumped a 4.6L V8 once with it), flashlight, micro usb charge, USB, +/- cables. Nifty little jumper.

Looks like this

 

I've got a larger Schumacher unit I keep in the trunk. Built in compressor and a small LED light too.

 

I noticed someone getting jumped today in a parking lot and now this thread... I decided to buy this powerhouse. Great ratings and one of the ratings is from a AAA road side assistance guy that said he jumped 9 cars in one day with a single charge. The LCD is important to me.

 

I have this and had similar ones like this over the years but they eventually stop taking charge. It also takes up too much space.

 

I got jumped by one of those tiny little ones in Deadwood SD last summer. Made me want one for my car as I hated being unprepared.

 

As a supplemental question, how long do these devices hold a charge, and still be capable of jump starting a vehicle? Days, weeks, months??

 

I have this one:


It's the biggest one they make (for my line of work) but you don't have to go that big. They have other sizes, choose to suit your needs.

Never met a car this wouldn't start. Thousands of great reviews.

Powers laptops, charges phones, USB ports, led light, the works.

 

If you're looking at lithium-ion jump starters, get the largest one you can afford as most of them have over-inflated specs. They're good for cars that won't start due to lights being left on overnight. I've used many of these jump starters and they'll do great most of the time until you encounter an aging battery with a severe voltage drop. I usually have to bring out the larger lead acid jump starters since they're more capable in terms of delivering heavy current. There is a limitation to how much current those little lithium packs can safely deliver without severely degrading the cells.

With that being said, I used to have the NOCO GB40 until water got into my trunk and destroyed it. It was a decent unit but there were times it just didn't have enough power to jump start a car unless it was fully charged. I replaced it with the Schumacher SL1. The selling point was the use of LiFePO4 battery chemistry. Longer life span, MUCH better thermal stability...important if your trunk gets HOT, and typically higher current discharge rate (more amps the better!).

If it wasn't for my small trunk space, I would have gone back to the Jump-N-Carry JNC660. But of course it doesn't fit in my pocket.

 

Lithium cells can hold charges for over a year, but there are too many variables. Don't think anyone can give you an exact answer.

 

I've had this one for 2 years and used it twice without any problem.
I have one in each vehicle.

 

About 2-3 months on mine. It's pretty compact, but that's ok.

 

I charge my units every 6 months.

 

Got an "Everstart" at Walmart for only about $40. It's about the size and heft of a red brick and seems to be built relatively well.

These portable boosters are important to carry along if you have a hybrid, because if the 12v battery is just a bit low it's not that the engine will "crank" more slowly--nope, instead, the system won't boot at all. And you will have no warning beforehand.

Haven't had to charge it up since I bought it in October, but I would think every six months or so sounds about right.

 

I've had the Stanley fat max for over a year now. It's helped out a few times. I carry it in my daily and make sure to bring it on long road trips