This is a nice unit for starting cars, as noted below. But it may be too small for some other 12-volt applications. The lighter-socket outlet will shut off if you exceed 5 amps of continuous draw, and the unit can only store a few "amp/hours" of power. If you need something for overnight use or to do much more than charging a cell phone, you might need a larger unit.
It works fine for starting cars, though. This appears to be identical to the Vector VEC010BD, which sells under the Black and Decker label. B&D has more recognition, I've seen this one (the Vector brand) at some auto supply shops, as well as here on Amazon. So you get the same product, no matter what the label or where you get it.
My neighbor had one of these, and I borrowed it several times to start my car, which was otherwise totally dead. It worked perfectly, even when the unit wasn't fully charged. So I bought my own, charged it overnight as per the instructions, three hours past the blinking green. (Note: the brief manual is very well written, and should be easy to follow.)
For some reason my car would not start right up, as it had the other times with my neighbor's jump starter. The car turned over and over, but wouldn't kick in, and the effort drew down the jump starter's cranking power completely.
The instructions tell you to wait a little when this happens, so I did. After a few minutes, I turned it back on, tried again, and the car started. I don't think it was a matter of a flooded engine, which one might suspect. Just a curious sort of process.
I recharged the Vector unit completely again, and the next time I needed to jump the car, it was instantaneous. I performed multiple jumps without needing a new charge. So, I don't know whether there is anything special about the first time, because every other time I've used it, it has been great.
If you do want it mostly for jump starts, and do not expect to need it as an "emergency power" source for long hours, or to run any kind of serious appliance, it is a fine choice.
I bought a Vector vec013 and after a couple months it doesn't hold the charge.All leds show full charge but with it you can NOT start a car.May be is ok for small motorcycles or lawnmowers...but definately is NOT good for a car or truck.BEWARE..It's a waste of money!
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This thing rides around in the back of the SUV and does a lot of bouncing around. Very tough. I originally bought it for the boat. Yes it worked for that, that was like 4 years ago. I have only charged it up like twice in all these years. It has always worked. Generally the battery level will show 2 lights. I used it like 8 mos ago for some nice old guy in a parking lot at middle school. I am happy to not have been embarrassed. I had to use it the other day for myself. Worked like a charm, and no, I never charged it up after helping the guy at middle school. Still has 2 lights on.
If you are looking to keep your celly charged up while camping I recommend finding a camping spot out of cell range. Otherwise, charge your celly off of your car. If your car dies you can use this to get car going again.
By the way, I have the older, orange version of this, with the 12vDC output/input.
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Easy to use. Effective. I ordered it to replace exact same model/item that I had bought elsewhere several years ago. Lasted a long time. Provides a feeling of security to have it in the trunk everywhere I drive. Fine for the price. Didn't have to use it often, of course; but also didn't have to take it into the house to recharge more than twice a year. Highly recommend for the price.
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Had one of these units for a few years, but didn't experience a battery problem until recently. When I attempted to connect the unit to my battery, the positive jumper clamp (plastic) snapped in half, rendering the unit useless for its intended purpose. An examination of the negative clamp revealed that it was heavily cracked also, and would have given way in short order as well. Given that I'd never even used the jump starting capability of the unit before, I'm going to chalk this up to the use of cheap materials. As such, it's hard to recommend.
The compressor and power output functions seemed to work as intended however.
