ECOMMERCE 360
Menu

Power tools and 12 V gear

NOCO 12 V lithium jump starter pack

A battery pack that starts a car with a flat battery without needing a second vehicle.

A jump starter pack and clamps on a garage bench

Photograph illustrates the category, not this exact model.

What it is good at

  • Starting a car with a flat battery where no second vehicle is available
  • Holding charge through a season in the trunk, unlike a lead-acid booster box
  • Running a phone or a work light from its USB output when the car is dead

Check before you buy

  • The engine sizes the pack is rated for, and whether your engine falls inside that range
  • The clamps and the protection the pack claims, including warnings for reversed connection
  • Storage temperature range, because a pack kept in a freezing or baking trunk behaves differently

Who it is not for

A battery that keeps going flat, or a car with a charging fault — the pack only moves the problem to the next morning.

Lithium jump packs replaced the heavy booster box because they hold charge for months and fit in a glovebox. The specification that matters is the range of engine sizes the pack is rated for; a pack at the bottom of that range will struggle in cold weather.

Connect it as the maker instructs and only that way, because reversed clamps can damage the pack and the electronics on the car. After a rescue, recharge the pack and have the battery tested, since a flat battery that starts again on a boost is usually telling you something.

Also in Power tools and 12 V gear

A cordless impact wrench on a garage workbench

Power tools and 12 V gear

Milwaukee 1/2-inch cordless impact wrench, 18 V

A battery-powered wrench for loosening the fasteners a hand ratchet will not move.

Best for
Wheel nuts, suspension bolts and underbody work, especially on a car that sees road salt.
Watch out for
An impact wrench can overtighten or strip a fastener in seconds. Use it for loosening, and finish wheel nuts by hand with a torque wrench at the figure from the manual.
Check price and availability
A portable air pump and hose next to a car wheel

Power tools and 12 V gear

Viair portable 12 V tire inflator

A pump that runs from the car socket and tops up tyres without a trip to an air line.

Best for
Keeping four tyres and a spare at the right pressure at home, and slow punctures on the road.
Watch out for
Small inflators run hot and slowly. Read the duty cycle, check pressures on cold tyres against the sticker in the door jamb, and let the pump cool as the maker instructs.
Check price and availability