DBPower 1600A Peak 18000mAh Review Powerful Lithium Ion Jump Starter

The DBpower 1600A peak 18000mAh Lithium Ion Jumpstarter ended up being one of the best portable jump packs that we tested. We did a review on 8 top jump starters last month, and this little beauty came out on top with the most features, at the best price, so it’s time to do a 1-month usage write-up.

DBPower 1600A Pros

• Large internal 18000mAh lithium-ion battery.
• 63.4 watt-hours of capacity.
• 1600 peak amps with 800A starting current.
• 2x smart 3A USB output ports.
• 12/16/19v output port for laptop charging.
• Large LCD screen.
• Cigarette and wall charger. Both are approximately 3 feet in length.
• Micro USB cable included for Android phones.
• Great mesh folding protection case.
• Choice of 2 colors red and yellow.
• Cheaper than most other comparable Lithium Ion Jump Starters
• Separate On/Off switch with automatic shutoff after a period of inactivity.
• Over 10 million DB power jump starters sold over the last 7 years.
• Outstanding 3-year Warranty.

DBPower 1600A Cons

• Short Jump Cable leads. The negative cable is shorter than the positive.
• The user manual is very basic, and not detailed enough.
• No iPhone connection cable included only USB-C

With great power comes great responsibility, but not so with the DBPower 1600A. As newer lithium jump starters technology evolved to make boosters safer than ever before.  Most now come with spark-proof cable clamps.

The use of integrated circuits means you now have protection from reverse polarity, short circuits, open circuits, overcharging, over-current, overload, and over-voltage.  In other words, you don’t have to be a genius to start your car. It’s now much easier. 

DBPower 1600A Peak 18000mah Review

The DBpower 1600A 18000mAh DJS50 is a recent upgrade to the most successful, and older DB600A 16500mAh model. This older model is now discontinued but is still being sold in a few places.

The new DBPower 1600A comes with many extra features and upgrades, it really is the best booster pack around at the moment.

The major upgrades are:

• Larger internal battery 16500mAh to 18000aAh
• Included LCD screen to show battery level, mode, and status warnings.
• Extra high power 3A Smart USB port so 2 now in total.  (include 8 in 1 laptop adaptors in the package), smartphones, tablets, and other devices at super-fast speed.
• Silicone flap for protection of jump cable connection points.
• Compass for when you are very lost. Well, it’s a small button compass. Something to amuse the kids. I don’t know of any other mini jump starter that has a compass.
• Extra Accessories such as Jump cables, 12V wall charger, 12V car charger, Micro USB phone cable, user guide, 3-year Warranty, and apparently great customer service.
• New stronger copper terminal clamps, for less voltage drop and added power transfer to the battery.

Do I need a Lithium-Ion Jump Starter?

Hell Yes!  Every car should come standard with one in the glove box. I have given up the number of times someone has left their lights on at the shops, or a flat battery at the drive-in after the movie. Now, I don’t carry any other jump leads or the older Lead Acid huge jump pack.

What I do now is to whip out the DBpower 1600A, connect it up to their battery, and Bobs your uncle, they are on the road again. There is also a smaller model called the DB Power 500A which has a 12000mAh internal battery. We use it in our other car which is a Toyota Corolla and it starts that fine. It’s a little cheaper and you can read our full review on the DJS60 here.

18000mAh is quite a bit larger than its smaller brother the DBpower 500A, so it is able to support and jumpstart all types of vehicles up to 6.5L gas or 5.2L diesel engines.

How many times will the DBPower Jump start cars?

Well on up to 20 times with 1600 amps of peak current. Small and compact enough to store in your glove box. Depending on the size of the engine of course. Smaller engines like 4 cylinders will give you more jump-starts.

A must-have for every car, jet-ski, ATV, and large capacity motorcycles like Harley Davidson, Ducati, Triumph, Scooters, and Victories.

Recommended Sizes for Lithium Jump Starters

• 5400 mAh or less – It will turn over smaller capacity engines and motorcycles
• 8000 mAh –  Can jump-start a 4-cylinder engine battery and nothing larger
• 12000 mAh – Easily jump-start up to 6-cylinder engines (less than 4200 cc)
• 15000 mAh – Capable up to an 8-cylinder (less than 6000cc)
• 18000 mAh – Can jump-start all 8-cylinder engines and 6-cylinder Diesel trucks.

We have done or more detailed post on what sized jump starter do I need for my car. If you like technical details then that post is for you.

Special Features Review

Super Bright LED Light & Emergency Light
Besides a super bright LED light with 3 modes (bright, strobe, and SOS), you can use the red emergency light as a hazard warning light to notify oncoming traffic of an accident or breakdown.

Button Compass & Blue LCD Screen
The button compass on the top surface helps you find your way home when you get lost in the outback. (least when you’re walking home you will have power for your phones.) The blue LCD screen shows exactly the remaining power and output voltage.

This lets you know when it’s time for a top-up charge or if you have enough power for an emergency jump start. I would go less than 30% power reserve. As you may not get a successful jump-start and Lithium-ion batteries don’t like being drained too low.

Faster USB & Smarter Battery Charger
The DBPower 1600A is equipped with a 2.1A USB Output and smart 3A USB port, with an internal 18000mAh capacity, you can charge multiple cell phones, tablets, iPods, etc, at the fastest possible speed.

• USB1 SMART
• USB2 5V/2.1A;
• TYPE-C 5V/3A;

3 in 1 Package & Ultra Compact

This Lithium Ion Jump Starter is supplied in a fabulous quality semi-hard mesh. Unlike some other bulky jump starter packs, it’s small enough to be stored in the glove-box and light enough to pack in your bag.

It can fit the DBPower 1600A jump starter as well as all the cables and accessories

Warnings

1.  Don’t jump-start an engine that exceeds the maximum displacement the unit can bear, or it will cause serious damage to the unit. Failure can occur.
2. Your mini jump starter will perform at its best when its battery is fully charged. If less than 25% charged, it may not be able to start your engine.
3. Please don’t connect the positive and negative cables together when it’s power on. (it won’t spark due to protection circuits but better not test that feature)
4. Don’t crank the engine for more than 4 seconds. Allow the mini jump starter to cool down for at least 30 seconds after each jump-start.
5. Read the instructions carefully before using. (its basic nothing really detailed)
6. Don’t drop your mini jump starter it can damage the internal battery or electronics.

Check out the DBPower 1600A with this video.

Laptop Charging with a Lithium Jump Starter

There are times when you wish you had more power for your laptop. The older DBPower 600A booster pack gives you the option to output 12V, 16V or 19V. This is great if you are on the road and need a quick post of power. Just make sure to select the correct output voltage. You can find out what output voltage your laptop supports by looking at the back of the notebook and it will tell you the input voltage.

Select the proper charger plug, select the output voltage and you are good to go.

To change the output power for charging laptops, first, switch the on/off switch to “On” then press the power button. 12V will be illuminated, press the power button a 2nd time and 16V will be illuminated. To get to 19V press the power button a 3rd time.

The newer DBpower 1600A only lets you charge laptops via USB-C.

You cannot change the output voltage once you are plugged into a laptop. this is a safety feature.

Be aware as mentioned earlier, that some manufacturers don’t allow charging from a non-approved device. If you plug this unit into your laptop and it won’t take a charge, it’s not a problem of the mini jump starter booster pack. Just some laptop makers like to make life difficult.

LED Digital display screen on the DBPower

The blue digital display screen is large enough to be seen from 1m away. The blue LED backlight is bright enough to be seen during the day and night.

The DBPower back-lit display will auto turn off after about 30 seconds but the mini jump starter will continue to operate.

The LED screen will show you information about how much power is remaining in percent. It will also show you what output voltage is selected for laptop charging.

Jump-Starting Cars, Boats and Motorcycles

This Lithium-ion mini jump starter was given a workout in the workshop. It has started everything from a Toyota Corolla 1997 to a Mercedes Benz V6 3.2L.

We also tried this portable jumps starter on a Yamaha MT-09 with a flat battery and it cranked over the MT09 fast.

If you are unsure how to jump-start a vehicle, you should first connect the Positive jump cable lead to the car (+) positive battery. Then connect the negative jump lead to either the car battery negative terminal (-) or a metal part of the car. Keep in mind these leads are not very long.

Turn on the Lithium-Ion jump starter and crank over the car. Don’t crank for longer than 4 seconds. It will be the same procedure for a motorcycle. If your car or motorcycle won’t start, wait 10 minutes and then try using the lithium jump starter again.

I personally carry this jumpstarter in my Sea-Doo 130GTI, it’s stored in the front compartment wrapped in plastic.  Thankfully I haven’t had to use it on my machine but It has saved a few dead flat boat batteries on the river. I like to replace my Sea-Doo JetSki battery every 3 years just to make sure it’s in top condition.

Charging Samsung Phones with DBPower 18000mah

We were able to get 8 complete charges onto a Samsung Galaxy S5 out of the DBpower boost pack jump starter. There are many variables here but I drained the S5 to about 15% then charged it back to 100%. We did this over a few days without charging the lithium jump starter.

So you can go out bush and have ready-made power for your phones and tablets.

How often does the mini jump starter need recharging?

It is recommended to top up your Lithium Ion Jump Starter every 3 months. You will lose a little amount of charge over the 3 months although it shouldn’t take too long to top it up back to 100%.

To charge your Lithium Ion jump starter either use the included wall charger or use the 12v car charger. It can take up to 5 hours to fully charge the internal lithium battery.

Remember to also charge your car battery. If you have to use the lithium jump starter there is an issue with your battery. Charge it up or replace it as soon as possible. We did a detailed review of the best car motorcycle battery multi-step tender and the Noco Genius G3500 was the best charger. Check it out.

The included user instructions are not great. They have also catered for multiple languages, for those speaking non-English. It’s confusing to read through, as the languages are all in one place.

I have noticed a lot of user manuals do this. The English instructions seem to be a translation of another language (maybe Chinese) and it’s a little average so not much detail.

Remember to try to store your boost pack somewhere cool. The car is the worst place as it will easily get over 70 Deg C in the summertime.

Keep the jump pack in its case and down low in your vehicle. Either under the passenger’s chair or in the glove box underneath everything else. Lithium-Ion batteries can fail when exposed to extreme temperatures.

Conclusion

This is an amazing portable jump starter for the price. With so many extra features that other manufacturers skimp on, we gave this portable jump starter our top award. The DBPower 1600A 18000mAh is quality made, feature-rich, 3-year warranty, and real customer support if you do need it. We consider it the best portable jump starter for the money.

The only real complaint is the short jump cable length, which can make it awkward to find a place for the mini jump starter to sit, while it’s being used. This isn’t a game-changer as just about all the other lithium-ion jump starters we reviewed had short or even shorter jump cables.

Be aware that there are a lot of fake jump starters on the market, especially on eBay. If it looks too cheap with crazy high power ratings it probably is a fake. The last thing you need is a Lithium-Ion battery exploding in your car due to a dodgy product.

I recommend buying from Amazon as they often have good prices, genuine products, and sometimes special sales, like Black Friday deals. Shipping is super fast with constant tracking.

Check out all the DBpower Peak 18000mAh 5-star reviews below. I have one myself and won’t go anywhere without it.