Mark Gibson Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I would like to buy a portable power pack for jump starting the 7 (140bhp 1.8K series) and 2.0 litre petrol Mondeo tow car (when we run the battery down by using the coolbox too much in the summer). I have seen that Halfords are selling a decent looking one which has a number of features (pump, light, power socket) for £99 but the user comments have made them sound quite flimsy here Has anyone got any recommendations for ones they own? Thanks in advance for your help, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leadership Team Garry7 Posted February 7, 2012 Leadership Team Share Posted February 7, 2012 We have one of these for starting infrequently used Landrover / Range Rover engines - thoroughly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Support Team Shaun_E Posted February 7, 2012 Support Team Share Posted February 7, 2012 Hi Mark - The Halfords one only has a 20Ah battery whereas this one from Machine Mart has a 38Ah battery and is the one I was thinking of getting or the coming season. Costs a bit more than the Halfords one but seems to get good reviews. The JS900 linked to above doesn't have the Ah listed but at the weight compared with the JS1000 is likely to be around 17Ah. This matters if you have to jump start several times over a race weekend. Shaun Edited by - Shaun_E on 7 Feb 2012 14:10:15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I've had one of the Halfords ones for several years and I find it very useful. It's great having a built-in 240v inverter for when you need small amounts of mains power. However, I generally find it won't start a car with a completely flat battery. The other negative is that the leads are separate, it would be better if they were built-in in some fashion. The MM one is probably a lot better if all you want to do is start cars, but doesn't have a compressor, 240v outlet or even a 12v outlet as far as I can see. yes it does. Edited by - Roger Ford on 7 Feb 2012 13:44:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robmar Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 i have one like this but yellow bought on ebay seems to have done the job ok enough, used almost every weekend by the elwells last year , and started bmy 2.5 legacy no problem when on a flat battery they did do a version with a 240 converter and wish i had got that now rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterg Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Clarke 5 in 1 version here does everything the Halfords one does plus if you get Machine Mart on a 'VAT free weekend' it would only cost £89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 And it's got captive leads, and USB outlets as well (though strangely it appears you can't use USB and the inverter at the same time). I'd certainly be tempted by that if I was looking to replace my Halfords one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BYKer Will Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I've had that Halfords one for a few years and it is OK but not really ideal for big engines or hard use with say a big flat battery in very cold conditions. I have also have had this powervamp one for a year here and it is very good indeed. This winter it has started a piling rig, a dumper and today a big loader thing. It has also happily started a 8.1 v8 boat in the midst of winter. I think it has the same battery as the powervamp one in my caterham and can be changed if and when it dies. I think I paid 150 for it it but it may have been a special show price at autosport. Will Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Reeves Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 My Halfords one has worked okay but the ' Crank type' rod that creates the compression for the air pump disintegrated last week after what can only be termes sparse usage. For a top line cost this is bad as that is the function I tend to use mosts. not my choice and some of the others here seem better value Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Gibson Posted February 7, 2012 Author Share Posted February 7, 2012 Thank you all for your helpful comments. It looks like the Clarke ones suit my needs best so I will take a closer look at their specs and prices and get on and order one. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ford Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Alan - call Halfords - they may be able to get you spares. The transformer packed up on my and they supplied a new one at a quite reasonable price. I called them, they gave me a code, and I went into my local branch and ordered it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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