SCA Jumpstart - 1200 Amp, Heavy Duty $99 at Supercheap Auto

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  outlander on 26/03/2015 - 12:49

  If your going to invest in a jumpstarter I'd get something like the Power all. Its lithum battery based, which means its light and the battery lasts for years on a charge. This is lead based, and its going to go flat in a matter of months.

  • 

    Russ on 26/03/2015 - 14:13

    Horses for courses. For some people, Lithium-ion is a better choice; for others, lead-acid is a cheaper choice.

    Lithium-based rechargeable batteries have a lifetime of 5 years maximum from the date of manufacture, and many fail at the 2-3 year mark. Source: http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/is_lithium_ion_th…

    Lead-acid batteries, provided you remember to charge them every 3 months, should give you a much longer life. Set a repeating calendar on your smartphone, set for Saturday every 13 weeks, to remind you to charge the unit. Set another repeating alarm for Sunday every 13 weeks, to take the unit off charge.

    Secondly, replacing the battery is usually considerably cheaper than replacing the whole jump starter. You can almost certainly buy a suitable replacement lead-acid battery when it does eventually die; good luck finding a large replacement lithium-ion battery when it dies.

    Either way, don't try to replace either type of battery unless you know what you are doing. Fire, explosion, and getting nasty chemicals on you (acid or alkali) are possible outcomes for the inexperienced.

  • 

    chewbot on 26/03/2015 - 14:18

    Hey outlander, have you used one?

    Looks pretty cool. But there seem to be a few negative reviews on amazon that involve things catching fire because there is no reverse polarity protection. As well as those that suggest it won't work for more than a few months before it will no longer take or hold charge.

    They are currently on special in the repco catalogue for $120 which seems pretty good for the added portablility.

    Also, if anyone doesn't have a Repco nearby I found them online for $142 delivered here:
    http://www.diytradetech.com.au/portable-charger-powerall-you…

    Any one else used one or have any thoughts?

    • 

      Russ on 27/03/2015 - 09:38

      From the pictures and the description on the page you linked to, I don't think the Powerall is what it is assumed to be. The thinness of the wires, one wire seems to have an in-line fuse, and the device looks like it holds four 18650 batteries plus the electronics for the torch and USB sockets.

      The claimed "built 12000mAh lithium battery" would also be about right for four 18650 batteries.

      The "equivelant of 400CA jump starting capacity" description sounds like it doesn't have the ability to jump-start your car by itself, it just re-charges your car's battery to the point where your car's battery will start the car. That's fine if your car battery is merely flat because you left the lights turned on, but pretty useless if your battery has failed by going high-impedance or has a failed cell. But an alkaline battery "jump-starter" will do that too, at a much lower cost, and while alkaline batteries aren't rechargeable, how many times will you use this thing before its battery fails?

    • 

      outlander on 29/03/2015 - 20:09

      @chewbot
      No, I haven't used either, the internet just seems like a good place to voice my uninformed opinions :>
      When I said those things I was basing it purely on the battery chemistry involved.

      The powerall has at least a chance of fulfilling your needs, whereas unless the find a way to solve the self-discharge issue of lead acid, its a dead end. If your like Russ above and organized, yes you work around it, but then if your that on the ball you generally wouldn't be getting flat batteries that often now would you?
      I do have my doubts about the powerall. When I was looking at lithium cells with nano particles that are used to generate the huge currents needed to start a car motor (120 amps for me and most others), the prices where about $8 a cell. At the bare minimum of 4 cells, thats $32. $32 for just the power source on a $120 product doesn't leave a big margin for other stuff. And theres some important stuff you need when it has to deliver that much power. One thing I've heard is that it doesn't have a way to cut off the power after the car is started, so if you leave it on too long the alternator overcharges it and it fries.

      Really both products are unsuitable, the powerall is just less so in my opinion. You'd be better off spending the money on something to stop the battery draining so low in the first place.

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  chewbot on 26/03/2015 - 14:38

  I am looking for a similiar thing but with the air compressor also like this:

  http://www.supercheapauto.com.au/online-store/products/JUMPS…

  Of course it's twice the price and not quite as powerful. And I'm not really sure if it's good enough for regularly topping up tyre pressure or not.

  • 

    Russ on 26/03/2015 - 15:24

    Any reason why you don't want to buy a separate compressor? Separate jump-starter and compressor would be cheaper.

    • 

      chewbot on 26/03/2015 - 15:31

      +1

      I'm just coming to realise that.

      Having them all in one adds to the convenience of just having one emergency device in the boot that i get out for battery or tyre dramas. I also figured that by having them together I would be more likely to remember to top up the tyre pressure and then remember to plug the battery pack in to charge rather than just forgetting about doing either. Also, means that i wouldn't have to plug the compressor in if say i was using it at the beach or somewhere (that's assuming the compressor runs of the battery but perhaps it needs to be plugged in at the time of use).

      • 

        Russ on 26/03/2015 - 19:08

        +1

        Velcro is cheap, or just tie them together with a piece of cord?

        While it's not as convenient as an all-in-one, think of how much money you'll save!

        When purchasing, I often ask myself how much is convenience worth. Usually price wins over convenience, but not always.