i wold not recommend getting a jumper cable this good unless you have frequent problems with your car.
i play a lot with different stereo components (amplifiers etc) in my car and i end up running the battery down dead quite often.
for me hauling around a 15-pound set of booster cables in the trunk is worth it because, for example, i used it twice within just the first week after receiving it for most other people it may not be worth it.
the jaws grip super tight. actually its very hard to work them with just one hand because they are so strong sometimes i end up using both hands to compress the spring seriously i imagine many guys will HAVE to use both hands but this makes for a stronger contact. there are copper inserts in both jaws (so in 4 jaws in total) and some people prefer that although (of course) only 2 of the 4 jaws actually are connected to the cable directly.
the cable itself really looks like 2nd gauge its almost all copper with only very thin (about 1 millimeter) insulation on top of it. this is unlike 10 dollar jumper cables which have almost the same thickness on the outside but are almost all rubber with a thin copper wire in the middle.
i ran into a bit of a problem with the insulation on the jaws themselves though. the red and black rubbery plastic on the handles is thin and not durable. when i gripped one of the jaws onto the handle of another it bit right through this plastic and started to spark. this is also a testament to how strongly the jaws grip they bite right through insulation (so dont do that).
i never thought i would need so much length but actually its quite handy. we even managed to jump the car in-line parked with a third car in between our cars (but one of our cars had to be parked reversed for that).
for those of you who are not electrical engineers like me your engine needs a certain cranking current and to get it out of jumper cable the cable must have low enough resistance. resistance increases with cable length so if you have a big engine to start (bigger engines need more cranking current) and a long booster cable it better be thick, because thickness of copper is what lowers resistance.
for my engine which is only 3.5 liters this cable is overkill but the only thing wrong with overkill is that you have to haul around a 15 pound booster cable in your trunk ... perhaps in extra cold weather when the engine is extra difficult to start the overkill might come in handy.
five stars this cable is no joke
So these aren't the best cables you can buy. For that you'll have to go to an electrical or welding supply company and you will PAY! Probably between 3 and 5 times what these cost! So unless you plan to start a towing service and need cables that will see daily use, I'd say these are gonna work for you.
(Update: After compairing them to the 4ga cables I bought a month or so back for my car, they don't really seem that much thicker... That's said they are MUCH heavier! The individual stranding is of a thicker gauge than the other model so I'm guessing that's why the thickness isn't much more...)
What I like:
--Length I bought these for a half-ton pickup. Why? Because it never fails that your battery will fail to start your engine when your parked in a packed lot with cars on all sides. Rather than pushing a 3 ton vehicle out you pull the booster vehicle in as close as you can and let the length work for you.
--Heft these cables are no joke. It's a workhorse grade cable that lets plenty of energy flow. When trying to start a 5.7L V8, that's kinda important.
--Solid Clamps Unlike some of the other reviews, I don't have a problem opening my parrot clamps with one hand. But their hardly weak, they'll clamp solid and stay put!
(Update: If you really need 2ga booster cables and your skeptical of these, Deka makes a set of 2ga cables for around $150. I have no personal experence with them but I have a little with the Deka name and they seem pretty good.)
What I don't like:
--Stiffness They're not as flexible as I was hoping. But about as flexible as I expected. True welding cable in 2ga is about $3 per foot and per cable. That's why the best jumper cables cost $200+. Still I was hoping for a little thinner stranding to promote flexibilty.
--Cable to Clamp Like other reviews have mentioned the cable doesn't go all the way to a copper contact connected to the jaws. Instead. It's screwed to the body of the clamp then the copper jaws are also screwed to the body. Still fine I'm sure.
So why buy these cables aren't they overkill? I've had this argument with people before: "My 6ga cheapies start my truck fine." Well I will attempt to addess this. As the number in terms of gauge decreases the ammount of conductor increases. In other words 2ga has more (perhaps 50-100% more) conductor than 4ga. This doesn't automatically equate to twice as much power but it does certainly allow more power to flow safely. For those that aren't aware (and I'm not an electrical engineer here), resistance is the enemy of all electrical circuts. Resistance translates to heat in the same way that friction does when two physical surfaces rub together. Five basic factors contribute to resistance in a give curcuit and determine the appropriate line size. Ambient temperature, conductor, line distance, voltage, and amperage. Ambient temp we have no control over. Hot is bad so just assume the worst. This means bigger cable to overcome the additon resistance heat is producing. Conductor of these is copper so that's good. You want pure or at least a high purity mix of copper in this type of conductor. Distance and voltage. One of these cable's strengths also happens to be a weakness. Total run length for this circut is 50'. Pretty long for a low voltage system like 12VDC. The higher the voltage, the longer it can run on a given gauge wire without encountering too much voltage drop. 12VDC drops voltage on a circuit in a realatively short distance. So heaiver gauge lines are needed to prevent this. Amperage is also a big consideration. The more amps a load pulls the more resistance the circut will generate. Basically on a small wire, a large load will generate a lot of heat and one of two things will happen. 1) the wire will melt and/or catch on fire. 2) The load your trying to power won't work. And make no mistake, starting even a small engine takes a LOT of energy! So bringing it all together. Large load, low voltage (that we don't want to make in lower), and a long distance run means that you wan the heaviest cables you can find. Addressing the orignal question and statment. 6' 6ga cables might start your small-block fine. But if you want or need the extra length, you need to consider heavy gauge cables. That said I've personally seen light duty cables melt and smoke from starting an engine too big for them.
Are these right for you? So these will run you close to $100 shipped...do you actaully need them? I own both these and the Coleman 4ga 25' booster cables. Having no offical training and with no real sizing charts on the packaging I would say this. The 4ga will do you fine at the 25' length for engines up to 5-liters or so (and honestly probably up to about 6L as well.) Anything bigger than that and you should be considering these or something even better.
Also protect your investment. Buy a cable bag for them to keep them neat and protected. Also keep the twist ties that came with them to keep them organized inside your bag. I have the Arsenal #5888 cable organizer and it works great for this. Remember too to clean and inspect your cables after each use to prolong their life and keep you safe.
Buy Coleman Cable 08860 20-Foot Ultra-Heavy-Duty Truck and Auto Battery Booster Cables, 2-Gauge Now
All other jumper cables are not real jumper cables. THESE are jumper cables. Let me explain.
When you're in a bind on some dark night in some parking lot somewhere and your battery is dead, you need to get out of there pronto.
In times like that, it's much easier to get a jump if YOU own a set of jumper cables. It's double good if those jumper cables are long so that they can easily reach the battery of a good samaritan. Now, according to electrical theory in order for DC current to flow across long distances, you need thicker cable.
That's where these cables come in, they're long at 25' and thick at 2gauge.
That's what these cables provide, maximum length at near maximum gauge cable. And yes, your jumper cables SHOULD cost close to as much as your spare tire because that's what you need --just look up the cost of copper on the market (that stuff is expensive).
Yes, you can buy a $17 set of 10 foot, 18 gauge cables out there but if they can't reach between cars or if they can't carry enough power to start your car, you might as well have been lugging a brick in your trunk all those years and you might as well have enjoyed a good lunch with the $17 for all the false confidence it gave you. I'm serious, buy an extension cord for $5 and you get as much jumping potential as many of the so called 'jumper' cables on the market --there should be laws against marketing products that cannot jump start a car. Worse, having no cables or less-than-worthless cables means that a criminal might reach you before you can get a jump and make your getaway.
At the end of the day, you want a 25' or 20' cable, so you better be looking at 2gauge or 4 gauge cable no compromises there. You can go to 6gauge if you're working your way down to 16' cables. But, the reality is that you always need a few extra feet when trying to jump start someone's car parked in some tight parking space --so you're back to the 25' and 2 gauge.
Pros
I know I can jump start a Semi with these (more importantly, I can get a jump from a Semi Truck drivers are the good guys btw)
Extra long at 25'
Parrot clamp are strong, but an average guy can open them with one hand
Copper inserts in the parrot clamps is nice
Clamps are rated at 500amps
they're friggin heavy at near 14lbs, yes that's a pro! that means there's 14 POUNDS of Copper in there and that's what allows the current to flow as freely as the Amazon river (no pun intended). It's huge.
Cons
I do have an issue that the copper cable is not attached to the copper inserts in the clamps, it screws into the metal clamp rather than into the copper insert. I don't know if that's a mistake or not. I'm thinking about doing a bit of retrofitting. I'm sure it's more than enough the way it is.
Overall, these are as close an approximation to the kind of jumper cables that my dad had when I was growing up. He custom made his -he's old school.
Anyway, if you're going to carry jumper cables, and you should --don't muck around -spend the dough, get these --they'll last a lifetime and will not let you down.
Advice, after you get a jump don't waste time rolling these things up in some dark parking lot -just toss the heavy mangled mess into your trunk and get home. There's always time the next day to roll these monsters back up and get them ready for the next wild adventure you might have.
Read Best Reviews of Coleman Cable 08860 20-Foot Ultra-Heavy-Duty Truck and Auto Battery Booster Cables, 2-Gauge Here
The quality of workmanship and materials is outstanding on these cables. If you own a crew cab pickup especially a diesel pickup these are the cables you need.
Want Coleman Cable 08860 20-Foot Ultra-Heavy-Duty Truck and Auto Battery Booster Cables, 2-Gauge Discount?
I wanted a super heavy duty set of booster cables and these certainly fill the bill. I have not had the need to try them out yet but the heavy duty construction leaves me no doubt that I would be able to jump start the space shuttle if needed. You may be able to get by with a set of 4ga or even 6ga, but if you have full size trucks or an RV, these are definitely worth considering.
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