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Car booster battery pack recommendations, svp?

someidiot

someidiot

Well-Known Dismemberer
We're doing a later-than-last-minute birthday present thing for our girls, and it appears a couple of these boosters would be useful.

But when I look at the (endless) listings on amazon, all I can think of is "you're claiming 8000 amps... and those appear-to-be-about-AWG14 wires to the battery clips are going to last how long?" So can anyone relate their experience(s) with these things? I hear they work, but which ones, for how long, and for how much? Most seem to be in the $50-$200 range.
 
I've got a couple of NOGOs that are at least a couple of years old. No issues with either other than different charge ports for each one.
Project Farm on Youtube rates them and he is, I think, the most honest reviewer on the web.
 
Much appreciated. I'm assuming you mean NOCOs. I like the look of them already - they're more expensive and less boasty about current rating.
 
someidiot said:
all I can think of is "you're claiming 8000 amps... and those appear-to-be-about-AWG14 wires to the battery clips are going to last how long?"
Click to expand...

My BIL wanted me to get one too. He swears by them. But like you, I can't get my head around the high amps, the dinky connectors, and the energy density. My spidey senses don't trust them.

However, the tow trucks all use them, people swear by them, and they sell like hot cakes. There must be something there. No idea what but they are waaay too popular to be phoney.

I wish I was still working. In my old job we would have tested the snot out of them. Maybe the company did, but it was after my time.

So I'm looking forward to hearing all the CHMW clan wisdom on this. It will be a fun discussion.
 
I've had a Dewalt one from P Auto https://www.princessauto.com/en/product/PA0009143462 for a few years now. Started my Fit, the wifes Sienna, and my Sierra a more than a few times, although with a super dead battery it struggles with the truck if it doesn't fire right away. Also the Sxs, atv, lawnmower etc.....If you notice a trend here, it's that I have a lot of stuff with old/junk batteries.....Been replacing them as $$ allows, but for some stuff it's just as easy (and cheaper) to boost it whenever I need it. And the small one is easy to carry.

We used the little one so much that I bought the wife one of these bigger ones for her van last year and it works great too. https://www.costco.ca/p/-/dewalt-2000-amp-lithium-jump-starter-with-compressor/4000433694

The costco one has a bit more jam, starts the truck much easier (have new battery now though) and the compressor has come in handy for her once also when she got a slow leaking flat on the way to work to get her home. I think one is a great gift, and they can also be used to charge phones/tablets etc during power outages too.
 
I got NOCO chargers and discontinued lithium booster from Costco like 10-years ago. Recently got a Gooloo charger after lots of positive feedbacks online about them and they work well, but don't have much to compare to. I read about mechanic shops that are happy with theirs boosting cars all day long. I got the GT4000S. I believe the non-s has a pre-heating function for below 0 starts.

us.gooloo.com

GOOLOO GT4000S 4000A Supersafe Jump Starter

4000A portable car jump starter for 12L gas/10L diesel. 100W fast charge, laptop-compatible, 3.2" LED, 400-lumen light, 10 protections. Durable & compact!
us.gooloo.com us.gooloo.com
 
someidiot said:
nd those appear-to-be-about-AWG14 wires to the battery clips are going to last how long?
Click to expand...
Cant speak for units you were looking at but I had much the same question about a NOCO I bought. It has 8 awg wire. Supposedly 8 AWG can safely handle instantaneous peak bursts of 1-2 KAmps for 1 to 3 seconds without melting the wire or damaging the silicone insulation. By comparison a 1-foot length of 8 AWG copper wire has roughly the same total resistance as a 16-foot length of heavy 2 AWG booster cables. I assume collectively this is deemed sufficiently safe by CSA (Chinese Standard Approximations). In all honesty I only used it once as a test to see if the magic smoke stayed in & recharge time. But I am quite impressed with the NOCO brand float chargers, especially the newer temperature compensation models. Its now permanently mounte under the hood I I plug in if teh vehicle is standing more than a week, especially in winter. IMO its a combination of parasitic power draw weith modern cars (well... 2016) and crappy modern batteries that might be eco freindly but dont last for sh*t compard to old school cells.

 
TorontoBuilder said:
I call my two NOGOs. They almost never work for me, but it may be that I am hard starting diesel in winter
Click to expand...
If you leave them in the car, like I do, they are subject to cold weather power loss the same as your lead acid car battery. They may help, but they won't be full power like in the summer.
 
I realize it is not always convenient (or maybe even possible) to get a boost from another vehicle, but so far I only carry booster cables and haven't found I need a battery pack.
 
I have the Noco GB40:

Screenshot_2026-11-03-20-05-26-88_b5f6883d2c20a96c53babc0b4ac88108.jpg

5 different vehicles in the family, all V6 engines. I have used it on several occasions. If a boost is all that is needed it gets the job done.

I bought a protective case on sale from PA to house/transport it and the charging cord. I leave it in the garage.
 
I know there is some risk with more modern vehicles and poorly executed jumper cables (improperly placed connection points and the possibility of sensitive electronics getting damaged).

Anyone know firsthand of someone getting a boost from another vehicle only to do more harm than good?
 
Elektrishun said:
I know there is some risk with more modern vehicles and poorly executed jumper cables (improperly placed connection points and the possibility of sensitive electronics getting damaged).

Anyone know firsthand of someone getting a boost from another vehicle only to do more harm than good?
Click to expand...
That would be me.
Tried boosting the dog van with the Subaru and got the connection backwards on the van.
Eventually figured out the problem and got the van started but both headlights were burnt out on the van.
No other damage than headlights and ego.
 
I worked with a guy who came to work one day and asked me, "If I tried boosting my car and had the cables connected backwards, do you think..."😀

I haven't done it on a vehicle but I did let the smoke out of a $1500.00 circuit board at work once by accidentally reversing the polarity. Yes, the ego takes a big hit on days like that.
 
I remain unconvinced that these things are anything more than a gimmick. Do lots of people buy them? Sure. 'Cause it's cheaper & appears easier than purchasing & using a 120v battery charger.

If it's -30 & you have a completely dead battery vehicles don't just fire up, even w/ a 200 (or more) amp booster. It's worse if the vehicle is flooded. No way these pocket batteries are gonna help there.
 
I use to carry around cables and boosted other people with my car too. Got dedicated booster 10 years ago and never looked back with the cables in garage since.

I boosted my Subaru this past winter in -30 with a crappy old battery that I've since replaced. I also boosted my friend's car that had a basically dead battery that's been sitting for a year. Battery wouldn't hold a charge but got her started. We didn't want to call a tow so I just kept boosting and driving, boosting and driving ever minute or two until I got their car to a nearby shop lol
 
JustaDB said:
I remain unconvinced that these things are anything more than a gimmick. Do lots of people buy them? Sure. 'Cause it's cheaper & appears easier than purchasing & using a 120v battery charger.

If it's -30 & you have a completely dead battery vehicles don't just fire up, even w/ a 200 (or more) amp booster. It's worse if the vehicle is flooded. No way these pocket batteries are gonna help there.
Click to expand...

Under extreme conditions I agree that the booster device might not get you going. When you can get a vehicle started by using one it proves it's not a gimmick. I have done it several times in other than extreme conditions. Another benefit of these devices is easy application. The car can be wedged into a parking space and no worries about getting hooked up.
 
I have a NOCO GBX45....keep it in one of the vehicles (thanks for the reminder to check on it before winter). Helped a neighbour where they were having battery troubles with their car, they used it 5 times without recharging over the course of an afternoon and it kept getting them started. Haven't needed it myself, but I wasn't doing too good at keeping the Porsche charged (not driving it enough in the winter) so it would sometimes have a slow crank, so I figured keeping one on hand would be good.

If you ever watch the project farm videos on them, the noco's are pretty much the best.
 
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