Battery Booster - I Want One

[Thorin]

http://video.canadiantire.ca/v/11033/battery-boosting-booster-pack-cables-nascar-motomaster/

Hilarious video showing how to use a battery booster pack.  I love how the lady with the dead battery actually puts on goggles to boost her car.

Anyway, I had both cars parked in my driveway today, and the neighbour had both their cars parked in their driveway (our driveways are side by side).  Of course the 5,800lb Suburban was closer to the road, and of course it's battery was dead.  Luckily the driveway's sloped.  I had to get the behemoth moving (it was pretty much frozen to the ground).  I got it about halfway onto the road, which was just barely enough to get the Volvo sideways over the neighbour's driveway.

Oh, but the Volvo doesn't like cold weather and has a broken block heater plug, so that took several minutes to start up.

So now it's been 25 minutes out in the cold and I've got a running Volvo parked in my neighbour's driveway next to a non-starting Suburban on my driveway (well, sticking out onto the road a fair bit).  I can't get the Volvo's hood open - the pull handle inside the car that releases it just doesn't want to "pop".  Turn on the heat to the floor so warm air gets near that release handle and keep trying.  Finally, it "pops" and I can go open the hood.  Hook up the wires, hope I used the right battery posts on the Volvo because it's dark and that battery's covered in five years of grime, climb in the Suburban and start it up.  Yay!  40 minutes of freezing my ass off.

With one of these Battery Boosters, I would have just popped open the Suburban's hood, hooked up the clamps, climbed in the Suburban, and started it.  Two minutes, tops.  Yeah, I want one.  Now to find the money to buy it...

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/4/Auto/3/Batteries/BatteryBoosting/PRDOVR~0111593P/Stanley+Jumpstarter%2BMobile+Power+Pack.jsp?locale=en

[Lazybones]

I have a combo Booster/Tire Pump.... Very handy to have since it makes the Tire Pump completely portable as well... However the whole unit is a bit on the large side. Have to take it in a charge it up every few moths to keep it in good condition.

[Thorin]

Yeah, this one's a booster / air compressor / flashlight, it's bigger than a soccer ball, and it also needs to be charged every few months - they just have lead-acid batteries inside them, just like a 12V car battery, which slowly drain themselves over time.

[Lazybones]

I have an older version of the Eliminator Powerbox, one key feature it also has is a built in AC inverter... So when camping you can use it to power AC devices directly if needed.

I got mine on sale a few years ago... Has come in handy a few times.... Particularly nice for inflating portable mattresses inside a tent, or charging other portable devices you don't have a car adapter for.