Wagan Tech Cigarette Lighter Auto Jumper Overview
Tim Esterdahl | Jan 13, 2012 | Comments 4
What it Is and What it Does: The Wagan Tech Cigarette Lighter Jump Starter is a self-charging emergency 12V battery back-up / jump starter. If jumper cables aren’t available, this little device has a shot at getting your car or truck started (note: it only has a shot – more on that below). In addition to an emergency battery, it’s also a very convenient 12V battery source that will fit in your jacket pocket (15″ by 4″ by 4″ – about the size of a large flashlight).
The Wagan Tech Cigarette Lighter Jump Starter will get your truck moving when it has a dead battery.
Who It’s For: The “auto jumper” can be used by a motorist who has an emergency battery situation, but there’s a catch: the auto jumper only has a 1.5 amp hour battery capacity, which isn’t going to do much if your car battery is stone-cold-dead. However, if it needs a little boost, this just might help.
However, it’s also very useful as a portable 12V power supply. It plugs into a standard cigarette lighter, but it also contains a standard cigarette lighter plugin. SO, if you have a device that needs a 12V power source with a plugin, and you’d like to use it away from your car, this might be for you.
Key Features:
- 10-minute dead battery recovery
- Great for cars that have electric hood latches – if nothing else, this little baby has enough juice to trigger the hood latch actuator
- Compact solution stows easily in glove box
- Solid portable 12V power source
What Owners Say: Owners who have tried to use this device to jump-start a dead battery usually aren’t happy. Considering that Wagan bills this as an emergency jump starter, their unhappiness is understandable. However, owners who have used this to help a weak battery start are satisfied, and for what that’s worth often times batteries are only weakened rather than dead. Still, the average review isn’t too hot for this device.
Who Makes It?: Wagan Tech, a 27 year old company that makes a wide variety of electric accessories for cars – from much larger jump boxes to DC inverters to gimmicky interior gadgets like heated coffee cups, seat massagers, etc.
How Much? AutoAnything.com sells the Wagan Tech Cigarette Lighter Jump Starter for about $40.
Bottom Line: If you’re looking for a real battery back-up, this $40 device probably isn’t going to make you nearly as happy as a $120+ jump box that contains a real lead-acid battery. However, for what it is, it’s not a bad deal.
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Filed Under: Toyota Tundra Accessories
This thing won’t do any good with a Tundra. Save your $40.
The ACC relay is off until you turn the key on so the power outlets are not connected and the ACC_CUT relay disconnects the outlets during a start.
mendonsy – Good point, but the official directions on this device say to connect the jumper to the cigarette lighter, wait 10 minutes, and then try to start your car again.
Frankly, I think this is cooler as a portable 12V source than anything else…
Good point Admin.
your car could be started in 10 minutes.recharge it from your car battery through the cigarette lighter socket while driving or with available AC adapter;and use it when your car’s battery is not functioning properly.
Amazing …Easy to use, no hassle and you’ll never need jumper cables again. Simply plug this auto jumper into the cigarette lighter socket and in 10 minutes you’re ready to go. Includes a powerful sealed alkaline battery that has 5 amps and 14.5 volts of power.