Choosing the Best Battery Jump Starter
Graham Reynolds | 27th May 2022 | 5 minutes to read
Never be late again for work, school drop off or that early Sunday morning car meet when tackling a flat battery with a quality jump starter from Repco. Available in a multitude of configurations, sizes and capacities means choosing the right battery jumpstarter from Repco ensures quick and reliable starting in any conditions.
Listed below are some of the details and specifications to know in order to make your battery jumpstarter purchase as straightforward as possible. The key points to cover are:
Size & type of engine - 4, 6 or 8 cylinders? Petrol or diesel?
To ensure you get back on the road it is crucial you know what size and type of engine your vehicle runs. With so many jump starters on the market you want to purchase a jumpstarter that has the required amps to sufficiently crank your engine back to life. Naturally larger vehicles have larger capacity engines and in turn run larger, more heavy duty batteries to enable easy starting.
This is also the case with diesel engines running larger batteries than their petrol based counterparts. When using a smaller capacity battery jumpstarter these will inevitably not have the required amps to start large vehicles so it makes sense to always purchase a battery jumpstarter that has more than enough capacity to start your vehicle.
The table below summarizes the minimum power needed based on engine size and type:
Petrol Engine 150 - 350amps
Diesel Engine 300 - 650 amps
Petrol Engine 250 - 450 amps
Diesel Engine 450 - 800 amps
Petrol Engine 500 - 700 amps
Diesel Engine 650 - 1000 amps
Bear in mind that this table is a rough guide and misses the important distinction of how flat your battery is or the depth of discharge it has registered. If you have left your interior light on overnight and the battery has discharged to a point that provides insufficient power to start this will still require less amperage than if your battery has sat for months and has little to no charge left.
The in built technology of modern jumpstarters ensures no damage is done to the battery receiving the charge, so with this in mind it pays to always get a jumpstarter more powerful than you think you may need. Not only does this enable you easily crank your vehicle back to life, the increased battery power can help charge USB devices longer and power accessories if charging sockets exist.
The NOCO GB20 jumpstarter is a compact and powerful jumpstarter and powerpack
Battery Size and Voltage
Finding the right jumpstarter for your vehicle also requires considering the voltage required. Jumpstarters are available in 6v, 12v and 24 volt configurations and this is another determining factor in finding the right battery jumpstarter suited to your requirements. The vast majority of cars, 4wds and SUVs use 12 volt batteries and smaller capacity engines used on ride on mowers, motorcycles and personal watercraft will use 6v batteries. Larger capacity trucks, buses and industrial equipment use 24volt batteries and these batteries require a jumpstarter with greater stored energy capacity suited particularly to these. Many jumpstarter models come equipped with switchable modes to work on both 6 and 12 volt settings and these are particularly handy if you have a number of vehicles utilising either voltage configuration.
Both 12v and 6v batteries make up the bulk of batteries you may need to jumpstart
Types of Jump Starters available
With the current advent of new and more effective ways of storing power, the vast majority of jump starters these days contain lithium or AGM (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries to provide maximum starting power in a compact format. Traditional Lead Acid batteries are bulky, heavy and can leak acid if tipped or damaged, making them unsuitable for jump starters. AGM and Lithium batteries are spillproof, withstand shaking and vibration and pack more power into a smaller package making them highly portable and effective in starting. Lithium batteries have a low discharge rate when not in use, making them great to keep in the boot of the car or the garage shelf to be ready to jump-start your car without thinking about the battery pack being charged. Lithium batteries will generally lose around 5% of charge per month, whereas traditional lead-acid batteries are closer to 20%.
Projecta's IS1500 jumpstarter is a standout performer for any workshop or garage application
Useful and important features of jumpstarters
Now that you have determined what size and type of jumpstarter you need you should also consider some of the features and the construction of these units. First and foremost will be the build quality of both the jumpstarter and the clamps. Higher end units will be housed in hardwearing sealed plastic cases and come with large insulated and weatherproof terminal clips. These ensure solid contact with battery posts to transfer the power and the weatherproofing ensures reliability in the harshest of environments. Purchasing any of the jumpstarters from the Noco or Projecta range means these units are a durable and long-lasting investment to your workshop inventory.
Secondly it also pays to consider features such as LED power monitors, additional USB and anderson plug connectors and inbuilt lighting as useful additions to your new jumpstarter. Not only are these features fantastic for recharging mobile devices on the go, the inbuilt lighting provides illumination for roadside repairs, or at the campsite.
By now you should have the details and knowledge to purchase a jumpstarter capable of handling your jump starting requirements. With the many feature packed and compact units available you can travel in confidence knowing safe and reliable jumpstarting is within easy reach. Browse and shop online or come in to your local Repco store for friendly advice, service and knowledge on not just jumpstarters but all things automotive.
