Heavy-Duty 7-in-1 Jump Starter - 240v generator

Spotted this on sale for £60 at maplin

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=257043&source=1&C=email-newsletter&U=09P08-2-A14JJ&T=551204


This fully portable power station does more than simply start your car''s flat battery. With this 7-in-1 feature packed unit you can inflate tyres quickly, power small mains items up to 140W, use the DC 12V outlet for items that use a car cigarette plug, charge ancillary devices via USB and be visible using the powerful light to see in the dark. The addition of a pull cranking cord provides an extra emergency jump starter charging option for when you are away from home or your vehicle has a flat battery.

"Maplin" and "Heavy Duty"

"Built-in 12V 8Ah rechargeable sealed lead acid battery" only in the maplin world could a burglar alarm battery be considered Heavy Duty when you're talking about starting a car engine.

I hope you haven't bought one!

Have to agree. This one is reasonably priced and it does seem a lot more substantial than the Maplins jobbie. Am I right Andybloke?
http://www.tantronics.co.uk/acatalog/Heavy_Duty_12V_Portable_Power_Pack_900A_Jump_Starter_and_260_PSI_Compressor.html

Now if you have the dosh …
http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/12v-1600a-Heavy-Duty-Power-Pack-45016-Draper-PP12-PRO

Tom Mc wrote:

Am I right Andybloke?

Yes...

A few years ago I got one of the Argos units with an 18Ah battery (like the top one Tom mentioned) for £40 (Argos code 740/2144). I bought it mainly because my battery died while I was parked outside Argos. Worked fine for a year or so for starting a 1.4L petrol engine and various bikes, and on a couple of occasions a Td5.
It got a lot of use, and it died young as sealed gel batteries aren't ideal for starting engines!

You can get them with compressors and inverters in, but generally the compressors are crap, you can't easily power the inverter from the car, and the inverter is no good for powertools.

If you want one for emergency use, remember to take it out and recharge it once a month, that you'll be lugging an extra 5 to 10 kilo's of weight about all the time, they take up a lot of space and you'll need to test it every 3 months to check it can still actually start your engine (this involves disconnecting your main battery).

Better option: Look after your main battery, replace it when it gets tired, don't leave things turned on over night.
Keep a set of thick, heavy, jump leads and a foot pump under the seat, as they never ever need recharging, and don't struggle to turn over a cold Tdi300.