Your car won’t start, and you are already late. We have all been there. We’ve all found ourselves frantically searching for someone with jumper cables willing to lend a hand. If nothing else, starting a car with a dead battery using jumper cables and a rescue vehicle is terribly inconvenient. Yet there is a solution that offers both consumers and DIY mechanics independence: the jump starter.
A jump starter is a portable device that is easily connected to a car with a dead battery. With the flip of a switch, you can crank your car a time or two and listen gleefully as it starts. Disconnect the unit and you are on your way. It is simple, fast, and you don’t need help.
Jump Starting the Old Way
The old way of jump-starting a dead vehicle is to connect it to a running vehicle with a set of jumper cables. Here’s the thing: jumper cables have been around for decades. They are also pretty cheap. Jumper cables require very little maintenance and have no moving parts. They are simple and straightforward.
How do they work? By transferring power from a running vehicle to a dead battery. That power is enough to get the dead car’s starter motor going. Jumping with a set of jumper cables has lasted so long because the process is extremely reliable. So why choose a jump starter instead?
There is a downside to the old way of doing things, and it is big: you need access to a running vehicle. You might have plenty of cars to choose from if you are in a busy public parking lot, but will you find a car owner willing to help you out?
Things are not so easy if you are stranded alone in the middle of nowhere. And if your car is stuck in the garage, nose-in, you may have difficulty connecting it to another vehicle if each car’s batteries are not optimally located.
Jump Starters Are Game Changers
Although jumper cable starting is still reliable and quite safe (as long as you do things the right way) a jump starter is still a game changer. Think of it this way: a portable jump starter is essentially a compact battery pack; it takes the place of your car battery long enough for you to get the car started.
Modern jump starters, like those made and sold by Clore Automotive, are surprisingly compact. They are pretty lightweight, too. It’s not like you’re lugging around a 50-pound box that is as unwieldy as it is difficult to use. Some of the smallest units are no bigger than a large flashlight. The largest units still tend to be no bigger than your typical desktop computer.
As for the cost, it varies. The least expensive units run about $50 or so. You could invest in one with all the bells and whistles to the tune of $300 or more. It’s really a matter of deciding which features are most important to you.
Safety Doesn’t Change
Of course, safety does not change when you’re using a jump starter. You still need to be cognizant that you are working with electricity. You still need to make connections correctly. Yet one of the benefits of using a jump starter is built-in safety technology that prevents reverse polarity and overheating.
Jump-starting with a rescue vehicle and jumper cables still works. And if that’s the way you prefer to roll, that’s fine. But portable jump starters are a true game changer. Once you have used one, it’s really hard to go back to jumper cables.