Why do you need a car battery booster or jump starter? After all, your auto insurance probably includes roadside assistance. However, it takes time for the truck to come with the booster cables, but if you have a portable car battery charger, you could be on your way in minutes — without missing that important meeting.
It’s a fact of life — an automobile battery only goes dead at the moment when you need your car the most. In the past, charging a battery required the assistance of a knowledgeable friend with some booster cables. Now, you simply take your little car battery booster out to your dead auto, and either plug it into the cigarette lighter (for small cars) or attach the battery charger cables to your dead battery. Many of these devices cost much less than one emergency road service from a local garage, and some of them are small enough to store in the glove compartment of your car.
Portable Car Battery Charger
The price of a portable car battery charger
that can start up the battery in a larger car or pickup runs between $27.00 to a bit over $100.00. The most popular models are made by Schumacher and Black & Decker. Some models come equipped with a built-in air compressor. All of these units will instantly jump-start your car without the need of a second vehicle. They often have a built-in flashlight or LED light, so you can work in the dark, and may include a reverse hook-up warning alarm to keep you from putting the jump cables on the wrong battery terminals.
Since many of these car battery boosters can also run portable lights, radios, cell phones, laptop computers and small tools, they’re handy to have around for camping trips, during temporary power outages, and anytime a wall outlet isn’t handy.
If your unit includes a built-in air compressor, you can use it to pump up the tires on your vehicle, and to inflate bicycle tires, sports equipment, air mattresses and pool toys. Most portable car jump starters can be recharged from a household AC outlet or DC automobile cigarette-plug style outlet.
In-Car Auto Jump Starters
If you own a smaller car, you’ll appreciate one of the new emergency glove box chargers that will jump-start your vehicle through the cigarette plug inside your car. No need to even open the hood on cold, dark mornings. Remember to purchase a unit that’s big enough for the car you own – customer satisfaction with these mini-jumpstarters seems to be directly related to the size of the car battery itself. Many in-car battery boosters just aren’t strong enough for today’s larger vehicles. But if you own a compact car, one of these units may be a perfect choice.
Recent Comments