This is where a reliable, portable car jumper kit can really come in handy. It’s a large external battery that comes with jumper cables and is able to jump start your car in minutes. The best part is that it can start vehicles with complete flat batteries or with no batteries at all. This jump starter by Anypro features a 15000mAh battery and can jump start most vehicles (12V/5L gas, 3.5L diesel) twenty times. It also has two 5V/2.1A USB ports (for charging mobile devices), a 19V/3/5A output jack (for charging laptops), and an LED flashlight with three light modes. Here’s more about this jump starter and what else it has to offer.

What’s in the Case

This jump starter comes in an attractive black and green case that is great for storage and makes the kit extremely portable. It has a side pocket where you’ll find a micro-USB charging cable, laptop charging cable, and laptop adapters. The main area has a strap to securely hold the battery in place. You’ll also find charging cables (AC and car cigarette lighter), jumper cables, and a concise user manual.

Setup and Usage

The first thing you’ll want to do before using the jump starter is to fully charge it. You can do this via a wall outlet to your car’s cigarette lighter. The blue LED battery status indicators will blink as it’s charging. Speaking of the blue LED battery status indicators, there are four on the top of the jump starter. Each LED bar represents approximately 25% of the battery. So the top LED bar being illuminated would mean that there’s just a quarter of battery power left and that you really need to charge it up as soon as possible – especially since 25% power or less probably isn’t enough to start an engine. Besides fully charging the battery, there’s no other set up required; it’s ready for use.

Using the Jump Starter

Whether you’ve jump-started a car or not, using the jump starter is fairly easy. The jumper cables plug right into the battery. There’s a little silicone flap that you open and insert the cables into; they have a tight, secure fit. As with regular jump starter cables, the red crocodile clip nips onto the positive terminal of the battery and the black crocodile clip nips onto the negative terminal. You then must long-press the power button on top of the battery for three seconds; a blue LED will come on. You should then be able to start your vehicle. If not, the battery may be completely flat. If that’s the case you’ll need to long-press the power button for five seconds to enter M-Mode (aka compelled output); this mode can even jump start a car without a battery. A yellow LED will come on, and you should be able to start your vehicle successfully.

Using the Power Bank

Using the battery as a power bank is just as easy as jumping a car. You can use the included micro-USB or laptop charging cable to connect your device(s). Then simply press the Power button on the battery to start charging. If the laptop charging cable doesn’t work for your laptop, one of the eight provided adapters should work; just attach it to the opposite end of the provided laptop charging cable.

Using the Flashlight

Finally, there’s a very handy flashlight on one side of the battery. To use it, long-press the Power button (this time without the jumper cables attached) for three seconds. The LED flashlight will turn on; it starts in a continuous glowing mode. Pressing the Power button quickly will switch through the other two modes: strobe (flashing white LED) and SOS (a reddish-orange emergency signal). One last press of the Power button will turn off the LED.

Notable Features

A few other things to note about the jump starter:

It takes about six hours to fully charge the 15000mAh battery.To reiterate, the battery can perform up to twenty continual jump starts without the need to recharge it.The battery automatically turns off and remains in a dormant state to store power when not in use or when charging is complete.It takes about an hour to fully charge a mobile device when using as a power bank – more power hungry devices will take longer.It takes an average of two to three hours to fully charge a laptop when using as a power bank – more power hungry laptops will take longer.The battery can be stored and not in use for six to twelve months. It’s recommended that you recharge it every six months if it’s not in use for that amount of time.

Final Thoughts

As you can see, a gadget like this is not just handy and convenient to have around; it’s just about a necessity for anyone who owns a vehicle. It’s always better to be safe than sorry. The battery itself does have some weight to it, and the case is a little bulky, but it’s worth it considering how powerful it is. This kit is sure to be a lifesaver whether you’re in a bind or if you know someone who is.