Micro-Start XP-1
- Thread starter Jonathan Hanson
- Start date
DaveM
Explorer
What seems to be the verdict on the Microstart jump packs? Looking at the two threads here on the forum and the comments on the Amazon sales pages these seem to get great reviews from a majority of users but with significant reports of failed units fresh out of the box, or poor quality components (mostly the power leads, and some of the soldering). Also seems like as a company they are not really standing behind this product unless purchased directly from them.
I really need a small unit like this but the bad reviews seem consistent enough to warrant hesitation. Are there any newer alternatives that have surfaced with better reviews and better support?
I really need a small unit like this but the bad reviews seem consistent enough to warrant hesitation. Are there any newer alternatives that have surfaced with better reviews and better support?
PIC4GOD
Adventurer
Personally I believe that most of the failures come from not following the directions. It is not exactly intuitive the way you need to hook up the cables to the vehicle battery first then the Microstart. If you do it the other way you can blow out the diode rendering the Microstart inactive. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/124985-Micro-Start-XP-1?p=1771410#post1771410
DaveM
Explorer
I'd read that before and was hopeful that was a common source of the issues, but I still see a number of people complaining they had units straight out of the box that would't take a charge. I'm also curious about the hook up sequence, I don't quite understand how it can matter what gets hooked up first? Either way the current hits the unit at all at once through the same cables right?
waterboy222
Adventurer
Ive had mine about 18 months now and no longer use it as a jump pack for the jeep. I do keep it in my tank bag on the KTM as a secondary power source for my auxillary lights mounted on my helmet, my iphone and anything else that I need to power up.
DaveM
Explorer
Why did you stop using it as a jump pack?
DaveM
Explorer
I asked Antigravity Batteries a few questions regarding some of the warranty issues I've been reading about and got a quick reply that I thought was helpful.
According to AB the Amazon and Ebay stores are not official resellers of their products and some of what's being sold may be knock offs or rebuilt units. So that's why they don't warranty those products and I Can understand that. I suggested they make that information prominently available on their website.
In the mean time I noticed that AB now sells "smart" cables for their Microstart batts. They help prevent accidentally frying the unit due to incorrect hookups and shorts. Not sure why they are a separate purchase. Seems like something that all new unit shoudl come with. Still not convinced they have the customers best interest in mind.
According to AB the Amazon and Ebay stores are not official resellers of their products and some of what's being sold may be knock offs or rebuilt units. So that's why they don't warranty those products and I Can understand that. I suggested they make that information prominently available on their website.
In the mean time I noticed that AB now sells "smart" cables for their Microstart batts. They help prevent accidentally frying the unit due to incorrect hookups and shorts. Not sure why they are a separate purchase. Seems like something that all new unit shoudl come with. Still not convinced they have the customers best interest in mind.
doug720
Expedition Leader
I can't see Amazon selling knock-offs, at least not for any length of time. Maybe true, but sounds like a good way to get out of a bunch of bad reviews and press? I know Amazon will take anything back if it does not work, and they get credit from the manufacturer, so how long would this go on before Amazon stopped selling them?
Mine came from Amazon and seems to work fine, though I have not used it jump anything.
Mine came from Amazon and seems to work fine, though I have not used it jump anything.
DaveM
Explorer
They claim that none of the sellers on Amazon and Ebay are authorized resellers of Microstart products and he was implying that poor quality units may have been either knock offs or refurbished units. They also claim to be in discussions with Amazon and Ebay looking into how the sellers are getting their batts. Who knows. It's a slightly fishy response given they don't have any info to that effect on their site. I suggested they put it there (assuming its true).
Most reviews are like you guys, great, but their's a good number of other reviews with the same issues, brand new units not holding a charge and a company that won't pick up the warranty if purchased from Amazon. So far it's keeping from dropping the cash.
My problem is my '04 Taco seems to have a small drain that I can't track down but is killing my batts on around town driving. I'd like to have some back up and these small units seem like a good alternative to full size jump batts.
Most reviews are like you guys, great, but their's a good number of other reviews with the same issues, brand new units not holding a charge and a company that won't pick up the warranty if purchased from Amazon. So far it's keeping from dropping the cash.
My problem is my '04 Taco seems to have a small drain that I can't track down but is killing my batts on around town driving. I'd like to have some back up and these small units seem like a good alternative to full size jump batts.
Ducky's Dad
Explorer
I called AntiGravity yesterday and they told me that they will not honor the warranty unless the product is purchased through one of their authorized sellers. I don't remember that much about the Uniform Commercial Code, but I think they they have to honor the warranty if it is a legitimate product, purchased new, whether the seller is approved or not. Any lawyers who can comment on that? Their authorized sellers are not allowed to sell the products below a set minimum price (about $140 for the XP-1), so any price below that would indicate an unauthorized seller (per AntiGravity Customer Service). This is fishy, because Snap-On is not listed as authorized, but Snap-On trucks were selling these a couple of years ago (my first one came from a Snap-On truck). AntiGravity told me that Snap-On is still authorized, even though they are not listed on the website. Sounds to me like they are trying to support the prices and their preferred dealers, at the expense of the customers. That does not sit well with me. The market says these are $105 units, not $140 units, and there are lots of alternatives because they have no patent protection. AntiGravity claims that their cells are of higher quality than the competition's. I call bull**** on that (mostly). These have become a commodity item.