Porta-Jump $20 - the ultimate battery booster/starter. Any opinions?
It claims to use 30volt and is less than 25% the size of a standard battery. Is this some sort of new technology???
I would not waste my money. Because the Porta-Jump works through the vehicle's lighter socket, it can only deliver a trickle charge so it would probably take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to charge the vehicle enough to start. The wires to the lighter socket are pretty thin gauge compared to even cheap jumper cables, so their ability to carry current to the battery is limited.
You would be better off with the type of portable battery jumper with cables that attach directly to the vehicle's battery to jump. While they are bulkier and require you to open the hood or wherever the battery is mounted to attach the cables, they are much more effective and will start the vehicle much more quickly.
If it is something you want to keep in the car and it is a small lead acid battery you must keep it charged maybe every few weeks. If its voltage drops to low the battery will be worthless from sulfation in 1 yr. Its not something you put in the trunk and forget about. It also cant do much through a lighter socket. Jumper cables last forever.
10 minutes sounds very optimistic to me. With the engine running, my cell phone wouldn't get charged enough to make a phone call, much less have enough juice to turn an engine over. 10 minutes may be long enough to put a surface charge on a battery that is just barely weak enough to not start the car, but if the battery is in a lower state of charge, it will take a lot longer to charge it up.
MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.