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Old 01-31-2015, 06:18 AM   #1
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12 volt Booster Packs

Does any have or have bought one of these 12 volt booster packs?
I am not referring to any particular brand. I had two, now down to one and they seem defective by design.

We never know when we'll have a dead battery or when we'll need that boost. Most of us here will make sure all our equipment, tow vehicle and TT is pretty much in prime condition, serviced and in peak condition. Right?

As a car booster I didn't need my unit as a booster until that one particular day. Out of the blue my Explorer's battery just happened to die on me. The battery died of old age and owed me nothing. No worries I have my booster pack and I kept it charged every 120 days for peak performance. That one day I needed it, it would not work. I always used my VOM to check to see a decent output voltage at the clamps. Plus, I had used it as a power source for a small air compressor for our air mattresses when camping. My first unit measured up fine. Then I needed it for that boost. Nothing. That's when it went dead.

Of course it was out of warranty because like I said, we never know when it's required for a boost. Being out of warranty I opened it up and found out that the main circuit board had fried, basically broke down after one initial use. However I still kept it for those air mattresses.

Because I like the concept of having one of these units in my vehicle I decided to go buy unit number two, same make and model. A few months later I needed to give our neighbor a boost on her car. That second unit did the same thing. Lost of voltage at the power ports and USB port but nothing at the clamps. Trouble shooting this unit directed me right to its main circuit board as being the culprit.

Being out of warranty I even went back to the retailer to ask for a replacement board (replacement parts) . They don't have any replacement parts for any of these items. My questions is how do we know if it's going to be defective until we use it? The retailer was not too supportive for either unit that I spent good money on.

Because I like the concept of having a booster pack as a back up unit I was tempted to buy another 3rd unit but chickened out, for obvious reason.
Customer service at the store can only do so much, no disrespect to them. Customer service from the retailer online can only do so much unless we press on without being rude and even then the customer-service-person has limited information.
In MY opinion the fact remains that these things are cheaply built and not dependable when needed.

As far as brand is concerned, there are many, but only one or two major manufactures that make all the brands


I'm wondering how many people here have had them, used them and have had good or bad experiences with them?






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Old 01-31-2015, 02:13 PM   #2
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I have the Stanley. As for power Ive not had it go bad at the clamps but that said I could not start a car with a dead battery. I did give s boost to a low battery. I just use it for a 12v source for small motors.
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Old 01-31-2015, 03:59 PM   #3
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My suggestion pick them up before you buy one. Buy the one that weights the most it will have the larger battery. Don't buy one with trinkets, bells, whistles, and lights just cables no usb plugs etc. Usually they are 15-18 amp gel cell batteries they do have a lot of short term amps but don't expect they to power much long term. An auto parts store unit for shop use would be a good bet.
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