Battery Booster Packs?

[CobyRupert]

Who can recommend a good battery booster pack for daughter’s college car? Her car sits for weeks.
How about the Craftsman 1000 amp peak with built in air compressor?

 

[deserteagle71]

I've packed a Microstart XP-10 with me for 3 years now and used it several times. It's tiny, and works great for jumping vehicles or charging phones or whatever. There is a version of this with a small compressor.
https://www.amazon.com/Antigravity-...d=1543199060&sr=8-4&keywords=micro+start+xp10

 

[prichard]

Make sure its lithium. SLA or AGM will be dead when she needs it. I've abused a couple cheap ones and they work great. Check ratings for engine size in her car.

 

[GaryM]

I've packed a Microstart XP-10 with me for 3 years now and used it several times. It's tiny, and works great for jumping vehicles or charging phones or whatever. There is a version of this with a small compressor.
https://www.amazon.com/Antigravity-...d=1543199060&sr=8-4&keywords=micro+start+xp10

I've got the same unit and it's a good one. I've started Hemi V8s and others a few times. Never had to jump my own, but it's ready if I need it.

 

[Garandman]

I've packed a Microstart XP-10 with me for 3 years now and used it several times. It's tiny, and works great for jumping vehicles or charging phones or whatever. There is a version of this with a small compressor.
https://www.amazon.com/Antigravity-...d=1543199060&sr=8-4&keywords=micro+start+xp10

Those are great and ditto. Can also recharge phones and other devices.

But if you are going to keep it in the car in extreme cold weather, we use an AGM-based Clore JNC660. We recharge it every few months. Much bigger and heavier: 18 lbs! Also it does not have reverse polarity protection. Owned it since 2012 and it will start anything.

1700 Peak Amp 12 Volt Jump Starter | Clore Automotive

When I checked reviews Clore was hands-down best.

Had good luck with NOCO Genius chargers so this may be a good choice as well: https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-UltraSafe-Lithium-Starter/dp/B015TKUPIC

Make sure its lithium. SLA or AGM will be dead when she needs it. I've abused a couple cheap ones and they work great. Check ratings for engine size in her car.

Maybe in Georgia but in extreme cold AGM is much more reliable. If you call AAA for a jump 9 times out of ten they are using a Clore, who makes their own AGM’s.

The MicroStart is small enough that you can carry it with you or warm it up under your coat. We carry it next to our body when snowmobiling. Washington County NY can be very cold.

We also have a MicroStart XP1 which is tiny. Used with motorcycles.

 

[CobyRupert]

Does anybody know how these boost packs really work?

Say a car's battery is run down (~11.0 Volts) and you hook up the boost pack (Guessing it's ~ 12.6Volts).

Does the pack immediately start "charging" the low battery? It must right? Or is there some electronics (an a heavy duty contactor or SCR that can switch ~1000amps?) that detects car is trying to start? (i.e. if the voltage drops even lower (~<10 volts, etc..). -This seems unlikely.

Is there a danger with these packs of them bouncing around in the trunk and the red clamp touching the black clamp, or the clamps touching the car body at the same time?

 

[GaryM]

On the Anti-Gravity unit the jump leads plug into the battery case. So if they are unplugged there's no danger. Additionally the whole thing comes in a nice soft case that holds the battery pack and all the cables as well as the wall charger.

 

[Garandman]

And the Anti-Gravity has reversed polarity protection.