As painful as it can be for those of us in cold climates to venture outside our homes in the winter, it’s by far the most maintenance-intensive season for car ownership. It also requires a plethora of accessories to keep in your cargo. Aside from an air pump, I’d say the most essential is a pair of jumper cables, ideally attached to a portable jump starter like the Hulkman Alpha85 2000A smart jump starter . For a limited time, that specific model is half off its full price of $200, bagging you a 12V battery booster with a built-in power bank for merely $90.
Hulkman Alpha85 Smart Jump Starter $99 (was $200) at Amazon
Compared to a barebones set of cables and clamps, a portable jump starter doesn’t need to draw power from a second battery. Instead, the cables are linked to an insulated enclosure containing a lithium battery similar to that found in a laptop or smartphone, only much bigger. As a result, it’s entirely self-sufficient. That means you can jump-start just about any passenger car, truck, SUV, oreven some commercial vehicles — anytime, anywhere.
The Hulkman Alpha85 in particular is appealing for its massive 20,000-mAh battery, far exceeding that required to jump-start a car, which consumes an approximate 1-2% of the total capacity. That leaves a whole lot of juice for your other devices, namely the aforementioned laptop or smartphone, through a bidirectional USB-C port and a USB-A output connection with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0.
When equipped with a 65W charging brick, the Hulkman Alpha85 itself recharges from 0 to 80% in about an hour, and it can jump-start a car after just five minutes on the plug. Although you’ll have to purchase the block separately, Anker’s compact and retractable Nano II USB-C charger is excellent and often sold at a discount. At the time of this writing, it’s marked down 20% to $26. In addition to jump-starting cars and charging gadgets, the lithium battery powers a 3.3-inch display featuring real-time operational info and a five-mode LED flashlight.
“Must-have item!” exclaimed one shopper. “This got me out of a jam when my defective car battery (I didn’t know it was defective at the moment) rendered my vehicle inop … I love the convenience, the ease of use, and the fact that I’m not reliant on others.”
The USB-C cable is included in the box, alongside the Hulkan Alpha85 jump starter, rubberized booster clamps, and a 12V DC socket (cigarette lighter) adapter. Sadly, it doesn’t come with Hulkman’s rugged leather carrying case, but it is also on sale at a small discount . However, unless you’re concerned about minor scuffs and scratches, you don’t really need the case since the Hulkman Alpha85 is IP65-rated to sustain internal damage from outside impacts and exposure to the elements.
As an alternative to the Hulkman Alpha85 2,000-amp jump starter , the lower-cost Alpha65 1200A is also on sale , albeit at a less significant discount. Normally $150, it’s 47% off right now, making it $80 for a limited time. Keep in mind that the Alpha65’s 1,200-amp peak current is lower than the 2,000 amps of the Hulkman Alpha85, so it’s limited to jump-starting smaller (but still pretty big) engines. For most people, the choice will come down to charging capacity, as the 12,000mAh battery in the Alpha65 is 40% smaller than the Alpha85’s.