Review: Anker Compact Car Jump Starter and Portable Power Pack. I mentioned this item before, as part of a ‘prepared car’. Since I’ve had reason to use it lately, perhaps you might like to hear how it actually works.
The idea is beautiful. The Anker Compact Car Jump Starter power pack is supposed to jump start a car battery. It has a built in LED flashlight. It has a USB port to plug in charge cords from phones and such, and comes with a standard USB to phone cable (the same one Android phones and many other devices use).
The Anker Compact Car Jump Starter has got a cable so you can recharge the power pack from your car’s 12V outlet as you drive, and another that uses a standard household wall outlet. The instructions say to recharge it every three months.
Here’s the kit, left in the seat of the car for a size reference.
So how well does the Anker Compact Car Jump Starter work?
First, does it hold a charge so it’s ready when you need it? I’ve been carrying one in my car for a year. I’ve gotten it out every three months to top it off as directed (calendar reminders are beautiful things) and never found it less than 3/4 full, despite passing through the -20F to 120F (in the car) temperatures of Missouri; and as it claims that it can start a car when only 1/4 full there’s a nice safety margin there.
Second, does it jump a car successfully? Sooooo easy! The instructions are so ridiculously simple it wouldn’t cause extra grief even at night during a blizzard. Plug in jumper cables (included in the kit), attach red to positive and black to negative, wait for green indicator light (nearly instantaneous), start car.
One crank, zero hesitation. Unit beeps after a few seconds to remind you to take the unit off the battery. It took so little juice that the power pack didn’t even register as less than full afterward.
Step one. Plug jumper cables from kit into power pack.
Step two, attach cables to battery posts. Step three, turn key and car starts. Done. Ok, I did use a plastic fork to knock some corrosion off of the battery post first, but that’s the battery’s fault.
Third, how are the auxiliary functions? The flashlight works fine, although not Hugely bright. It’s got a flash mode so you could set it on top of a car as a ‘don’t hit me’ warning at roadside. iPhone users take note: The USB port seems to be a 1V outlet, and iPhones require 2V outlets. This unit failed to charge my iPhone.
Summary:
Two thumbs up on the core function: a quick, simple, and reliable way to jump start. If I drive a car without one of these again, it will be because of my own forgetfulness.
The kit’s small enough to pack under many seats, and has a handy yellow stripe to make it easy to find in a dark car. And now the kit’s packed up, just like this review.
Only real downside, wouldn’t charge an iPhone even when I supplied my own cable.
Updated to add:
This Anker Compact Car Jump Starter unit lasted about 2 years before a critical fault occurred. Fortunately, the car battery went flat at home (battery went bad in extreme cold) and we were able to jump it with Salty’s car starter (same idea, different brand).
I have a couple smaller Anker batteries that I use to recharge phones. I was disappointed in one unit as I was expecting a USB In port, which the other units had, but that one didn’t. They all have USB Out. Otherwise they all work fine and just vary in size and capacity. I’m not sure why you would have a problem with an iPhone, but I am a Blackberry fan myself so I haven’t had an issue. I’ll have to check out this car unit. Sounds handy.
iPhones require 2 A chargers. Many other devices, including my old Android, use 1 A. I found that many of the accessories that would power the Android would not power the iPhone. I strongly suspect the Anker has a 1A USB out. (Mine has a USB in as well.)