Need recommendation for a lithium battery jump starter....

[John E Davies]

... preferably lithium iron phosphate chemistry like the Viking one sold by Harbor Freight

 

https://t.harborfreight.com/lithium-ion-jump-starter-and-power-pack-62749.html

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery

 

So far I haven't been able to find a single other brand that uses this safe and stable technology. I will not store a large lithium ion battery pack long term in either Mouse or my Cruiser. The fire and explosion risk bothers me too much.

 

I may get the HF one and pay for an extended warranty, since the factory one is just 90 days. I need to be able to jump the 5.7 V8 in my truck. There is so much conflicting info, wild and absurd claims, and so many carbon copy clones of these jumpers, that I am just getting confused.

 

Comments?

 

Thanks,

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[SeaDawg]

John, thanks for the post. I don't have any advice to offer. However, just tonight our neighbors called us with a dead battery. We knew our two jump boxes were old and marginal, though Paul had just charged one. Neither worked. Had to use the jumper cables to get their car started.

So, we'll take a close look at the HF Viking. I, too, started researching the many li jump starts, and the variety makes my head spin. HF many reviews are mostly very positive. Biggest complaint is tiny clamps.

Anyone used one??

Sherry

[John E Davies]

Sherry, the clamps are weak, but they could be replaced easily. What cannot easily be replaced are the 10 AWG wires... those are slightly marginal in size for high current, and the better units have 8 AWG. Not a huge deal... I will probably just go by HF tomorrow and buy one.

 

I do have jumper cables, but my concern is being alone, no trailer, thirty miles back on some ranch or forest road and not being able to restart the engine if the battery should decide to fail. I usually have a generator in the back in the hot weather, but that is not a given, and it would take hours to recharge the battery with it, enough for a start. If it had a shorted cell, that might not even work.

 

If I didn't get the HF one, this is my next choice, but it has regular temperature sensitive lithium ion cells.

 

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01JFSYUWG/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1WYJL5KUIEMKC&colid=26R5Z0L5VZEWU

 

Edit: one of the perils of buying a product made in China that has no USA website.... I asked the seller of the above unit, "Has anyone found a wall mount bracket that fits?"

 

The shape is long and skinny like a flashlight, 2x2x8, it has a very nice built in 100 lumen light, so maybe I would like to mount it like a flashlight, to use at night when leaving Mouse. They answered "What do you mean by wall mount bracket?" Amazon deleted their comment.

 

At least HF has stores every where so I could walk in and return a bad one or buy another. And sometimes English is the native language.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[John E Davies]

So I bought one of the Harbor Freight ones today for $80. I declined both the 12 and 24 month extended warranty for $15 and $30. I figure if it is going to fail it will probably be in the first few months, so I am gambling on the 90 day warranty. I will try to find some poor soul with a dead battery so I can try out the jump start mode. All the other functions work well and the quality looks good, but not great. The soft rubber cladding is a great feature. The flashlight is pretty average, but will be fine for emergency illumination under the hood. EDIT: the specs say 250 lumens, no way, it is dim.

 

It feels pretty much like a soft brick - a little clumsy and awkward to hold. The shape of that Car Rover A9 would feel much better in the hand, but I am not sure you should buy one of these for how it looks or feels.... I am REALLY pleased that the HF one has the lithium iron phosphate cells. They are a better technology for this sort of tool.

 

I mis-spoke before, this has 8AWG cables, not 10.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[SeaDawg]

Thanks, John . Im Probably heading to HF tomorrow.

Glad to know about the 8 guage cables.

Sherry

 

[Overland]

Coincidentally, just this past weekend I grabbed my wife's jump pack out of her trunk to make sure it was fully charged and I opened the case to find the battery bulging.  This was the Antigravity XP-10 which was so highly recommended over at ExPo when I bought it, and was less than 2 years old.

[John E Davies]

Coincidentally, just this past weekend I grabbed my wife’s jump pack out of her trunk to make sure it was fully charged and I opened the case to find the battery bulging. This was the Antigravity XP-10 which was so highly recommended over at ExPo when I bought it, and was less than 2 years old.

The AG units are very nicely packaged junk if you are looking for something to keep in a vehicle. Like all the others they cannot tolerate high temperatures. Early on, the company was claiming that they could be stored at high temps (60C) but the latest specs have been lowered to 45 degrees C, if I remember correctly, which is 113 degrees F. Their warranty is a joke and their customer service painful. The XP10 is great when it works, but these are made to keep in your garage, not the car.

 

The HF unit is truly an exception. It is not a store brand, but actually is made by Viking and sold elsewhere for lots more $$. Don't buy one off eBay for $125! HF gets a very bad rap but my local store has treated me well, and I do research their stuff well before buying, which is not very often. Usually it's in an emergency when I really need a left handed orbital franistan and all I can find in my tool box is the right handed one .... LOL. I am actually a little embarrassed to own an electronic tool from HF, most of mine come from HD (Home Depot), and I am a huge fan of DeWalt.

 

Finally, I added a big nylon tie at the two big wires coming off the jump start plug, for strain relief.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane

 

 

[Overland]

John, did you look at these when you were researching?  Pricey, but they look like they're high quality.

[John E Davies]

John, did you look at these when you were researching? Pricey, but they look like they’re high quality.

I had not seen those.

 

That is a lot of neat features and they look well made. It looks as if they specialize in emrgency/ rescue equipment, so I suspect they are top quality.

 

Warranty?

 

Prices? If the smallest one is over $250 I would rather just keep buying replacemen Viking units every few years....

 

Thanks.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[Overland]

The best price that I can find for their smallest one, the 400 peak/200 CCA model, is about $110.  That would be fine for my wife car, but I'm not sure about the truck.  The middle one, which is 600 peak/400 CCA is about $150, and the biggest one, which is 1600 peak, 800 CCA is $250.

 

1 year warranty.

 

I like that they spec the CCA as well as peak amps - that number is impossible to find on other jump packs.

[rideadeuce]

https://www.centurytool.net/604301_QuickCable_LIFEPO4_Li_Ion_800_Amp_Jump_Star_p/604301-001.htm

 

 

 

I have been impressed with this one.

[John E Davies]

https://www.centurytool.net/604301_QuickCable_LIFEPO4_Li_Ion_800_Amp_Jump_Star_p/604301-001.html

 

I have been impressed with this one.

It is full featured, I especially like the super sized 4AWG cables and heavy duty clamps, but I am not sure why you would want to also use it as a trickle charger..... Do you own one of these? How long have you had it? It seems like a great choice for a shop or used car dealer, where it would get used a dozen times a day.....

 

My Viking (Harbor Freight) unit is going strong. I have used it three times to jump other cars. I set up reminders in my Calendar to tell me to when to charge it, every three months, as recommended. My daughter has been using one for several years and I strongly recommend it. You can buy three for the price of that one.... and it has the same safe chemistry and is significantly smaller and lighter.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rideadeuce]

The Viking has respectable specs for its size but the couple I tried in the same category were not sufficient when I needed them (large v-8 truck). I have not needed the charger aspect but it is a nice option to have IMO and the jumper is rated for 800 CCA. It was a great find at the time (about a year ago) when I came across it and I still haven’t seen anything else with the same specs that actuallly seem to match in real world use. But I guess that since you have used the one you have a few times and it performed well, I would stick with it. I do agree, it is a bit pricy.

[rideadeuce]

I got to use this after carrying it around in my truck for over a year in May of this year. Still had a full charge and was able to jump the Tundra two mornings in a row due to my daughter playing with the interior lights without my knowledge. Also, I used the trickle charge at the campground overnight the 2nd day. Worked great in both instances. Very well made and powerful. LiFEPO4 much safer as well.

 

 

 

[hobo]

[postquote quote=70441][/postquote]

John,  I too am a little embarrassed to have anything HF branded in my tool inventory but as you inferred, any-port-in- a -storm.

 

Having said that, I am SERIOUSLY considering purchasing the Harbor Freight Predator 3500 generator.  It appears to be a quality product and runs about 1/3 the cost of the Honda EU3000i.  Even when you pay the extra $150 for the extended warranty.  I think Harbor Freight is starting to make a name for itself in a few select lines of items they carry.

[rideadeuce]

@hobo, I feel the same and I believe John and I both have the Yamaha EF2400 ISCH  BUT I looked and compared for a long time. And although I am very happy ( especially after the blisters on my hand healed from forgetting about the low oil cutoff safety) with my choice. I sometime feels I should have bought the Predator (saved a little money), done the propane conversion, had more watts and possibly the ability to add remote start, direct 30 amp plug, etc. The dimensions are good as well but its only drawback to me is the weight... 100 vs 75 lbs

[John E Davies]

hobo, I would not buy that HF unit except as a gift. I can tell just by studying the pics that the engineering is not as good as Honda or Yamaha, in spite of the pretty “Honda” covers, which will soon fade to pink... In addition to suspect build quality and the 90 day basic warranty (Honda and Yamaha are three years), little things like....

 

 

That dinky pot metal wheel lock arm and bracket will not survive the first bump, the plastic wheels are 100%  garbage. The better brands have stout rubber vibration isolation standoffs.

 

Who makes the engine, will HF sell you any repair parts (this is a huge problem - parts shown in the illustrated parts diagram are “unavailable” when you try to order), will there be any support in five years when something insignificant breaks and cripples the unit? What gauge is the internal wiring, the Chinese stuff is normally VERY marginal in terms of conductor size and thickness of electrical contacts.

 

If you have a Honda.....

 

https://www.ereplacementparts.com/honda-eu2000i-ac2-generator-jpn-vin-eaaj1170001-parts-c-37657_206860_206875.html

 

I did browse this thread, Post 6 is enlightening about the HF snake oil extended “warranty”......   https://www.powerequipmentforum.com/forum/9-generator-forum/18618-harborfreight-predator-3500-inverter-generatore.html

 

I think this would be satisfactory as a garage unit for rare power outages but I wouldn’t carry it around for regular RV use. Just saying..... I haven’t read any reviews or seen inside one... Caveat emptor on this one. I paid $600 for my pristine used Yamaha 2400 with only 5 hrs use. You don’t always have to pay full price.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

 

 

[rideadeuce]

The engine is a Honda clone. Good reviews and at $750, worth a look. My interest is in the electric start (connecting to hybrid inverter  for remote start). But saying all that I have the same reservations as John.

[Overland]

Unless you want the generator for home, I just don't see why you'd want to lug something that big around with you.  With your extra solar, you're hardly ever going to crank that thing.  We could have used a generator literally once in two years, and didn't truly need it then.

[rideadeuce]

I can’t run my AC going down the road without it.... yet! Maybe I should just focus on the Hybrid inverter and Lithiums.

[SeaDawg]

Just an fyi. The Viking lithium jump pack that John bought is in Harbor Freight's Black Friday ad for $59, page 8.  Nov. 29, 30, Dec 1.

 On the same page, their chunky rubber chocks (which I really like) are $5.99. 

Sherry

[SeaDawg]

I've been watching for another sale on the Viking jump pack. 

It's $69, ($15 off )through 12/3/20. Back in stock in my store next week. Hf is taking pre-orders.

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by SeaDawg

[SeaDawg]

This is a great little jump box.

We've used it four times this month, for the framing crew's trucks.

Thanks again for the recommendation,  John E Davies.

[Ralph Mawyer]

I've been running these for years. Awesome and very common amongst the overloading community.

 

Just be sure and buy direct or from known Amazon source.  They are so well thought of, clones have been a problem.

 

https://antigravitybatteries.com/productline/micro-starts/

[SeaDawg]

If I  were going to look at a jump box above the $150 mark, I'd probably look at this new offering from Viking. Combination jump and compressor. 

Paul already got his father's day present, (Yet another) saw.

So, maybe Christmas?

Roughly $180. Probably a coupon or sale between now and Christmas 🎄.