anker ultra compact battery jump starter

The Anker compact car jump starter wasn’t one of the first things I bought as a new car owner. The possibility of having a dead car battery and getting stranded on the road wasn’t something that I worried about. To me, those were things of the 20th century. Today’s cars didn’t need that much maintenance, right?

Well, I was completely wrong.

I found myself parked at a local gas station to fill up the tank with gas. Upon returning to the car after paying for petrol, the car wouldn’t start. My car battery simply died on me.

So here I was in a helpless situation. Thankfully, my local car mechanic came to the rescue and jump-started the battery. Although he got it to work, it took a while for him to get to the area I was at. This event cost me half a day’s work. Plus some money to buy a new battery. He used a large heavy jump pack which also included an air compressor it looked complicated but started my car up easily.

To avoid situations like this happen again in the future, I looked for a portable car jump starter. Is it possible to have a small portable micro jump starter so it could be stored in the glove box due to the limited car space I have? Is it even possible?

However, after hours of scouring the internet for a mini car jump starter, I found one made by Anker. It claimed to do the same job as those large ones used by my mechanic—while still taking up less space and being very portable. In fact, I have some very good Anker phone battery high capacity power banks, and a foldable solar phone charger, so I know they make some quality gear.

 I have been bringing the Anker Roav Compact Jump Starter it with me ever since. It has saved me from similar situations. I’m more secure driving on the road, knowing that this portable jump starter is stashed in a compact toolbox with me at all times.

Anker Compact Car Jump Starter

 
Color Black
Battery Capacity 12800mAh
Current Peak 1000A
No. of USB Charging Ports 2
Charging Technology PowerIQ
Max Charging Speed 4.2A
LED Flashlight Yes Ultra Bright
Size 7.3 × 3.3 × 1.7 in
Weight 12.4 oz
Where to Buy buy from amazon

Anker Boost Starter Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Conveniently portable

The Anker multi-functional Jump Starter looks no bigger than the usual power-bank for mobile phones. It fits into most glove-boxes, under car seats and only weighs two pounds.

  • Multi-functional

The device isn’t only used for jump starting cars; smartphones and tablets can be charged too.

  • Easy to use

Using the Anker battery booster doesn’t have any special instructions to jump your car battery. All you need is the starter and the clips that come along with it to get your car started.

  • Ergonomic design

The Anker Compact Car Jump Starter comes with a flashlight on one end and a battery indicator. The product also includes two USB charging ports. It is also designed with safety in mind. The starter is covered in rubber material, ensuring that no shocks due to holding the product occurs!

  • Large battery capacity

This boost pack can jump-start a number of large vehicles on a single charge. Vehicle batteries that I have jump-started with the ultra-compact are a pickup truck, a Ford Explorer, and a Jeep! With a 12800mAh internal battery is large and powerful enough to jump-start a 3L gas or 2.5L diesel engines.

It can also charge phones and tablets fast with PowerIQ technology. This dynamically detects and adapts to your device’s unique charging protocol enabling it to charge at full speed. Together with Anker’s industry-leading power output, charge faster, and save time.

  • A warranty to beat!

One of the reasons why this starter is a cult favorite is due to Anker’s 18-month warranty. The warranty covers the shipping and any replacements or refunds. Customers are also offered a 30-Day money-back guarantee if they wish to return the product for any reason. This guarantee is a full refund, but the customer must provide the shipping costs.

Cons

  • Poorly designed instruction manual

The manual for the starter is small. It crams all seven versions of the manual in the single sheet of paper, resulting in text being hard to see. This has been a problem for users like me in the older age bracket and the visually impaired.

The Anker Compact Jump Starter Instruction manual can be downloaded here for more information.

Product Features and Specifications

When you buy the product, it comes with the following items:

  • The ultra-compact Anker compact car jump starter and portable charger power bank
  • Jumper cables
  • USB-C
  • Welcome guide
  • 6.0L gas engine or 4.0L diesel engine.
  • Hard Mesh Case

The Anker compact car jump starter has the following specifications

  • The starter can be either Gray or Yellow.
  • Its battery capacity is 12800mah milliamperes per hour (mAh).
  • The starter’s current peak is 1000 A.
  • Three fast USB charging ports are available. Perfect for charging your tablet and phone at the same time when they’re both out of juice.
  • The Anker compact car jump starter uses PowerIQ charging technology/
  • Able to stat 6.0L gas engine or 4.0L diesel engine.
  • It comes with an LED flashlight—handy for situations when you’re stuck at a dim area.
  • Truly compact; the starter has the following dimensions 7.3 x 3.3 x 1.7 in.
  • A lightweight item, the starter weighs only 12.4 oz.

Why I like it

There are many more reasons why I like the Anker power core jump starter than that of why I dislike it. I don’t use it often as my car battery is in a usually good state. But I have helped people out from time to time and it always works flawlessly.

Can be used for multiple start-ups… at large intervals of time!

I once had another dead car battery incident. I didn’t charge the starter since the last incident, which was three months ago. Although I was feeling skeptical, I tried to start my battery with the item anyway. Upon hearing the familiar revving sound of my engine, I knew that the starter did its job successfully.

Dummy-proof!

Most starters, prior to this one, always intimidated me. They were very large and almost always required another car battery to operate.

This was simple and only required 4 steps to jump start your vehicle.

anker ultra jump starter instructions

The Anker compact car jump starter isn’t like the big heavy older type boost packs. Using it to start your car is literally just plugging in the jump cable into the respective slot. I don’t have to worry about any additional safety precautions.

The starter is insulated on the outside as well as protecting you and your devices against surges, short circuits, and inverse currents. There is also the appropriate paraphernalia to get the job done safely.  Those who aren’t so technically inclined will definitely call this a lifesaver—I know I did!

More than just a starter

Here’s a little secret: I’ve stopped using my smart phone power banks ever since I got the Anker compact car starter. The two USB ports make it the more accessible option to charge my smartphone and tablet. I don’t have to bring an extra power bank and charge it later at night when I’ve got one that stores so much energy and only needs to be charged every once in a while.

What I dislike about it

The learning curve

A lot of items have a learning curve. Although the one I experienced with this product was quite short, it was still a bit frustrating to get to it. Part of the blame goes to the poorly designed welcome guide. It was difficult to read as all the translations of the manual were printed in a single piece of paper. It would have been better if Anker printed different sheets of paper for each translation.

So here is a quick video on how to use the Anker jump starter

Limitations due to temperature

The Anker battery starter is great for most countries. However, it’s not so useful in countries with colder climates. The starter doesn’t work so well at 40°F or 0°C. This means if your place has really bad winters, don’t depend solely on this starter to get you through a rough battery incident. But most batteries will have issues at lower temperatures. It’s just physics. A warm battery will perform better than a cold one.

This means interested customers from Estonia and Russia may have to look for an alternative for their freezing climate. Brrrrrr

How to Use an Anker Jump Starter

To jump-start your car

  • Ensure that the Anker compact car starter’s battery is a least three bars full. This is the minimum amount that will ensure a successful startup.
  • Insert the jumper cables into the 12 volts jumping port.
  • Connect the red clamp to the battery’s positive (+) terminal and the black clamp to the battery’s negative (-) terminal.
  • Check if the jumper cable indicator light turns green. If the light remains red, repeat steps 2-3. If the light still fails to turn green, charge the starter.
  • Once the cable indicator light is green, start the car. You should hear the car engine rev up and start.
lithium jump starter procedure

To charge your smartphone or tablet

  • Plug your smartphone or tablet cable to one of the USB ports.
  • Connect your smartphone to the micro USB part of the cable.
  • Waite an hour or so for a full charge, it’s a very fast charger.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How often should I charge my Anker portable car jump starter?

Although it can hold power for a long period of time, charge your item every four months. This helps prolong its internal battery lifespan.

  • What kind of battery is in the Anker car jump starter and how do I care for it?

The Anker compact car jump starter is Lithium-Ion battery. Some basic tips to care for your starter: do not drain the starter of power completely, and remove the charger once it is completely charged.

  • What are the conditions covered by the 18-month warranty?

There aren’t a lot of conditions for you to avail the warranty. As long as your product comes from an authorized retailer like Amazon, have a proof of purchase (such as a receipt or Amazon order number), and is an issue related to the quality of the product. Amazon returns are just the best.

If you want to return the product for issues not related to its quality, you must do so within thirty days. The warranty begins on the day you place your order.

Conclusion:

I absolutely love the Anker car battery booster and the fact that its made by the same company that makes the best heavy-duty micro USB cables. I have many of them. With thousands of positive reviews online of Anker products you know you are buying quality at an affordable price. Alternatively if you would like a digital display on your booster to check out our review on the new DBpower digital display jump starter. It’s our new king of all.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. I love Anker gear. Been a fan for a while now. Mostly their powerbanks. Didn’t know about them getting into car jump starters.
    Least they show correct information for internal batterys etc. Cheers

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