SIGforum
Car battery compact jump box - best choice?
January 07, 2026, 02:23 PM
architectCar battery compact jump box - best choice?
I get constant e-mails from Battery Tender touting their products. I have used a BT trickle charger for years, and they now advertise they have a combination charger/jump starter unit. It isn't cheap, but a trusted brand, and one thing to buy instead of two.
January 07, 2026, 02:56 PM
BigSwedeBTW, that Wolfbox comes with a 65w fast charger, it is very fast
January 07, 2026, 04:02 PM
slyguyThe reality is that most of these are pretty good these days.
I've got the Wolf and used it a half dozen times only draining the battery to 80%.
It charges fast and has worked well.
Cheers~
January 07, 2026, 04:12 PM
229DAKAre the NOCOs Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries?
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“A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.”
-- Mark Twain, 1902
January 07, 2026, 09:25 PM
808Another vote for Noco here.
All of our Patrol units have them on hand for assistance with jump starts.
Ive even jumped started a diesel bus with no problems.
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NRA Life Member
January 10, 2026, 09:05 AM
Warhorsequote:
Originally posted by 229DAK:
Are the NOCOs Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries?
No, my GB70 which I just bought is charging right now for the first time. It's a Lithium Ion battery.
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NRA Life Member, MGO Annual Member
January 10, 2026, 09:31 AM
Butch 2340I've never had to use mine, it's a Noco they are a popular brand.
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Never shoot a large caliber man with a small caliber bullet . . .
January 10, 2026, 01:48 PM
WarhorseI just started my motorhome that has a Ford V10 gas engine. Started right up , and it still shows a full charge on it.

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NRA Life Member, MGO Annual Member
January 10, 2026, 03:20 PM
P250UA5Just checked & mine is an Avapow.
Got it through a promo at work. Have only used it a few times, but it does a great job & takes a surprisingly small deduction to the charge.
The Enemy's gate is down. January 11, 2026, 01:55 PM
wrightdI have an Ampeak brand smart charger, for prob 5+ yrs or so, it's been good. I purchased a new battery today that had been sitting on the retailer's shelf for 3 mos, and I put the Ampeak on it to bring it up to full change, and it's still counting down with fewer and fewer amps. Unlike other brands, I like the LED screen that shows you what it's doing.
Lover of the US Constitution
Wile E. Coyote School of DIY Disaster January 11, 2026, 05:10 PM
John SteedI have a NOCO GBX155. I've owned it several years, no complaints. I haven't had to use it on any of my vehicles, but did jump start BIL's truck, and it worked perfectly.
We lose power around here a lot so I bought it to charge up the cell phones, computers, and other rechargeable batteries.
... stirred anti-clockwise. January 12, 2026, 07:05 AM
Marc in FLI have the GooLoo GT4000 and it's been nothing but outstanding. Jumped several vehicles without a problem. It can preheat itself in freezing temperatures and has an override to jump a completely dead battery. My next choice but a bit more expensive is the NOCO line.
January 12, 2026, 07:19 AM
egregorequote:
I have the GooLoo GT4000 and it's been nothing but outstanding. Jumped several vehicles without a problem.
This is reassuring, because I bought a 3000 in May '25 but haven't needed it - the last battery I jumped off was someone else's - so don't know if it works.
"The Almighty, He put some livin' things on this earth so a man can eat." - Festus Haggen, Gunsmoke January 12, 2026, 06:24 PM
wrightdI don't understand how those skinny wires can deliver that much power before burning up.
I'm sure I'm missing something.
Lover of the US Constitution
Wile E. Coyote School of DIY Disaster January 12, 2026, 06:44 PM
SIG4EVANOCO has been rock solid for me when every other brand has failed.
SIG556 Classic
P220 Carry SAS Gen 2 SAO
SP2022 9mm German Triple Serial
P938 SAS
P365 FDE
P322 FDE
Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it"
January 12, 2026, 08:55 PM
sig77I have the gooloo 3000 in each of my cars. Reasonable price and I bought it based on project farm review. Used it once on a neighbor car and it worked perfect jumping a dead Honda accord. Worked so well my neighbor wanted the Amazon link I used to buy it so he could buy one.
There are 3 kinds of people, those that understand numbers and those that don't. January 13, 2026, 05:53 AM
reluctantpaladinUPDATE As I posted earlier, I got one of the NOCO GB40 on the 6th as the farm truck has a problem somewhere causing a dead battery, Mechanic hasn't been able to schedule us in yet, so I bought one just in case and threw it in the truck without even opening the box. Sure enough yesterday truck wouldn't go. Took the GB40 out of the box, hooked it up and cranked it. Afterwards I read the directions and discovered you were supposed to charge the NOCO before using it. Oops. Regardless of operator error, the box worked.
January 13, 2026, 09:20 AM
BigSwedeI just used my Wolfbox 4000a to jump a completely dead 6.6 V8 in a van. It cranked right up but wouldn't stay running without the jump box connected. Probably a dead cell on the battery, will get it replaced. BTW, I loathe the side post batteries on those vans
January 13, 2026, 09:23 AM
229DAKquote:
Originally posted by wrightd:
I don't understand how those skinny wires can deliver that much power before burning up.
I've had the same thoughts.
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“A man’s treatment of a dog is no indication of the man’s nature, but his treatment of a cat is. It is the crucial test. None but the humane treat a cat well.”
-- Mark Twain, 1902
January 13, 2026, 09:34 AM
pbslingerI've got a Hulkman Alpha 85 that has worked well every time I've used it. The most impressive start was a 3208 Cat diesel V8 that uses two high capacity 27 group batteries. I thought the batteries were fully charged because I thought the trickle charger was plugged in, but it wasn't. They had sat for several months and their discharge state was unknown, I could tell by the slow cranking speed even with the jump box installed, they were not fully charged. The engine started fairly quickly with the jump box.
Nice to also have some ability to charge phones with it and a flashlight that would probably go for a long time.