I like Rugged Geek products:

https://ruggedgeek.com/

still another GB 40 owner here (2). Very happy with them

I gave myself one of these for Christmas. (Audew)

https://www.amazon.com/Audew-U...b3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl


During the ice storm when we lost power, I used it to keep the electronic devices charged.

I looked at a bunch of reviews, decided on the NoCo brand. Reviews indicated that it is as good as, or better than, most of its competitors, and it is Made In The U.S.A.! The brand name misled me initially, sounded like a Chinese brand, but I found out that it is No<something_or_other> Company.

The 20 would have done the job, but I found the 40 on sale, so I grabbed two of those, one each for my vehicle(s) and my wife's car.

quote:

Originally posted by maxwayne:

I gave myself one of these for Christmas. (Audew)

https://www.amazon.com/Audew-U...b3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I looked at these. Made in China. I got the U.S. brand, NoCo.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I looked at a bunch of reviews, decided on the NoCo brand. Reviews indicated that it is as good as, or better than, most of its competitors, and it is Made In The U.S.A.!

Sorry, no. Older Noco jump starters are made in China. Newer ones are made in Malaysia.

"Designed in USA" =/= "Made in USA". I have yet to come across a Lithium-Ion jump starter that's actually made in the US. There are a couple companies, like Noco and RuggedGeek, that try to obfuscate it with statements like "Designed in USA" or "Made to USA standards", but they're still made in China (or Malaysia).

You run into the same thing with battery-powered electric power tools, or pretty much anything else with lithium ion batteries.

Back when I was doing all the research on these lithium jumper things, one of the first videos I saw was the one Jelly posted ...



The NOCO didn't do so well in that guy's real world tests and I've always wondered how so many could recommend NOCO. That is until I saw Pickle Rick's post ... "The jump is quick (instant) no cranking". Dang, you don't even have to turn the ignition with the NOCO !!!

So it was after seeing that guy's video, I strongly considered the Audew, but the Top Vision also did well in the guy's tests (except extreme cold which I will never see) and the Top Vision is rated higher for amps. So the first one I got was a Top Vision. THEN ... I found the most powerful was a Sanrock and purchased it. Wish the guy had also tested Sanrock, but it may not have even been out when he did his tests. Dunno.

Even so, doubt the Sanrock can do as amazing as a NOCO and not even require cranking BUT I did read one Sanrock review that said it could jump start a diesel freight train locomotive stuck on a Hudson River trestle in -5 degree weather ... no key even required. So there's that.

... saw one video of a guy who used a 20V, 5amp Dewalt lithium battery he'd rigged up cables for, to jump start a small 4 cylinder car. Took a couple of tries but it worked.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
I looked at a bunch of reviews, decided on the NoCo brand. Reviews indicated that it is as good as, or better than, most of its competitors, and it is Made In The U.S.A.!

Sorry, no. Older Noco jump starters are made in China. Newer ones are made in Malaysia.

Damn! I got bamboozled.

I stand corrected.

quote:

Originally posted by Hobbs:
... saw one video of a guy who used a 20V, 5amp Dewalt lithium battery he'd rigged up cables for, to jump start a small 4 cylinder car. Took a couple of tries but it worked.

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuLWFnEdB_k" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

I definitely wouldn't do that. These lithium chargers that are the way to go only allow a certain amount of power go to the battery so you don't fry anything. Didn't watch the video though so he might have did something to replicate that.

With that said 5 AMPS would be safe but probably not enough juice to start a fully dead battery on a big engine.

These new lithium chargers are awesome mostly because of the power they posses in a small package and because of the battery type holds a charge for a long time. I charge mine in the spring and fall and that's it.

The guy said he's done it a bunch of times with the Dewalt but I agree with you. The Dewalt battery wasn't designed for that kind of abuse and there's a right tool for everything ... that isn't it.

EDIT: Apparently Dewalt DOES make at least a couple of jump starters though kind of pricey. Typical for Dewalt I guess ... https://www.homedepot.com/b/Au...ALT/N-5yc1vZc8mzZ4j2

Thing is, most all of these lithium jump starters likely work just fine in routine situations where someone has left lights on or an accessory had drained the battery.

Last year, there was a lady stranded on the side of the road who'd run her battery down trying to crank her car. Lithium jump starter didn't work. Jumper cables wouldn't have worked. She was out of gas. A brunette, so not sure how that happened.

Before I bought the GB70 I watched a youtube video where a guy started a bunch of cars with no batteries in them off one charge on the Noco. That's what sold me on one.

Might have been this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKVH0CcWeMo

quote:

Originally posted by Minnow:
Another NOCO GB40 fan here. They go on sale occasionally on Amazon. The accessory case for another $16 is worth it to me. Keeps it together in a sturdy package.

Definitely worth the $ 16.00.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pickle Rick,

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by Hobbs:
... saw one video of a guy who used a 20V, 5amp Dewalt lithium battery he'd rigged up cables for, to jump start a small 4 cylinder car. Took a couple of tries but it worked.

[FLASH_VIDEO]<iframe frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuLWFnEdB_k" width="560"></iframe>[/FLASH_VIDEO]

I definitely wouldn't do that. These lithium chargers that are the way to go only allow a certain amount of power go to the battery so you don't fry anything. Didn't watch the video though so he might have did something to replicate that.

With that said 5 AMPS would be safe but probably not enough juice to start a fully dead battery on a big engine.

These new lithium chargers are awesome mostly because of the power they posses in a small package and because of the battery type holds a charge for a long time. I charge mine in the spring and fall and that's it.

While it's nowhere near ideal, and possible to break something, it's really not that dangerous. 20V is obviously more than 12V, but most cars charge at ~14.4V and that '20V' is more like 18V. 12V electronics are usually rated for more than 20V, but you might find an odd one, expensively. I wouldn't hesitate to do it in a pinch - but I also have an Audew, 2x floor charges & heavy duty jumper cables to grab before a drill battery.
The 'only allow a certain amount of power' is nothing more than a circuit breaker, so the thin wires they use don't melt. All fusing is designed for Amps x Time - you can shove a lot of amps through a small wire, but only for a very short time.

This thread reminded me to go and check the charge level on my NOCO........100%!!