Portable Jump Starter Recommendations

[theksmith]

If you ever take apart the jnc, its the same battery. Its guts seem a little more robust though. Just check the AHR of the battery to give you an idea of what your getting. Some are dismally small.

batteries can be constructed to optimize the peak/CCA, amp-hours, or a balance of both (the construction also affects the reserve capacity, another important rating). the average battery in a vehicle has a balanced approach. marine/rv battery banks typically are optimized for amp-hours and to withstand repeated substantial discharge.

amp-hour and reserve-capacity ratings for a jump-starter are irrelevant unless you also plan to use it as a portable power source. instead peak & CCA ratings are the important factor for these devices.

i have never seen the internals of a harbor freight unit compared to a similar sized JNC unit, but the same shape/size of a battery does not mean it's the same. Clore Automotive says that they use batteries specifically designed to deliver high peak/CCA. certainly that could be simply a marketing claim but either-way, i've had good luck with the JNC series.

 

[madmax718]

I'll try to snag a pic of the battery that I took out. There certainly isn't a value on the battery itself, but since the replacement batteries are actually the same (size) as motor cycle batteries, I don't know if there is much difference in the SLA construction.

Would be an interesting test.

However, deep cycle batteries are generally characterized by thicker plates... whereas high CCA numbers come from thinner yet more plates. I don't know how these mini batteries are though.