Design

The Anker PowerCore Jump Starter Mini comes in a hard carrying case that houses the main power bank, the jump cables, a DC car charger and an AC wall charger.  While the entire kit might be too large to fit in your glovebox, it should work fine in the trunk of your car.

The power bank itself has a hard plastic shell that can withstand some bumps and small drops.  The recessed power button is large and sits on the top of the unit beside 4 blue LED indicators that indicates the charge level of the unit.  The charging ports and the jumper cable connections are all protected by rubber flaps which help keep out dust and debris when not in use, but please note that this unit is not waterproof.

Performance

Important! This jump starter only supports engine up to 2.8L.  Make sure you check the vehicle you are jump starting to make sure that the engine is not larger than 2.8L.  I made this mistake jump starting a friend’s Mustang with a similar unit from another manufacturer and it ended up damaging the jump starter.

Obviously, the biggest feature is the fact that this portable power bank can start your car!  One of Anker’s previous generation of portable jump starters saved my hide after a concert when I ran the car’s radio too long (waiting for the exit lines to die down) and my car then would not start.  My friends were upset as they wanted to get home, but once I pulled the jump starter out of my trunk, we were on the road in no time.

Shortly after receiving the new Anker PowerCore Jump Starter Mini from Anker to review, I noticed a co-worker in the parking lot and that familiar “clicking sound of failure” as she tried to start her car.  I walked over and offered to test out this unit and she happily agreed.  I simply pulled out the PowerCore, connected the jumper cables to her car’s battery, connected them to the PowerCore and she was able to start her car up quickly.  She was so thankful and she even made me a batch of cookies the next day!  Not bad for the minimal effort on my part!

Again, I must stress that this unit is intended for smaller cars with a 2.8L or smaller engine.  Many larger vehicles, such as trucks, may exceed this and you will not be able to jump them (and you risk damaging the unit).

Features

In addition to jump starting your car, the Anker PowerCore Jump Starter Mini feature two Power IQ USB ports so you can charge your smartphones and tablets.  The 9000mAh capacity of this unit would provide about 3 full charges to most smartphones and almost 1 full charge to most tablets.  With the two ports, you can split the 5V 3A output to charge a tablet and a smartphone at the same time (two tablets would likely require 5V 4A, so they would charge a little slower).

There is also a flashlight located on the back of the unit. To activate it, hold down the power button until it powers up.  You can then press the power button to toggle between steady light and flashing mode.  This is handy for looking under the hood of you car at night or for alerting other drivers that you’re stranded on the side of the road.

The unit comes with two proprietary chargers (one for the car and one for home), so make sure not to lose them as it may be difficult to find replacements.

Other Notes

• Don’t leave this in your trunk and forget about it.  Anker recommends using the power bank  and recharging it at least once every 4 months to keep the electrons moving.
• Anker also recommends avoiding extreme temperatures, but the manual doesn’t state what exactly qualifies as “extreme”.  If your local forecast calls for a heat wave or an abnormal cold spell, you may want to consider bringing the PowerCore inside with you instead of leaving it in the car.
• Specifications
  • Size: 6.1 x 3.3 x 1.2 in
  • Input: 15V 1A
  • USB Output: 5V 3A
  • Starting Current: 200 A
  • Peak Current: 400 A

Anker PowerCore Jump Starter mini, Jump Starts Cars with up to 2.8L Engines, Portable Charger...

Anker PowerCore Jump Starter mini, Jump Starts Cars with up to 2.8L Engines, Portable Charger...

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Last updated on October 6, 2023 1:04 am

The post Anker PowerCore Jump Starter Mini Review appeared first on Technically Well.

Mount Your Phone

First up, you’ll need to conveniently mount your phone so that Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze can navigate you to your fall foliage destination.  This phone mount from 1ByOne features a strong magnet that you can easily slip in your phone’s case.  This makes your phone easy to unmount whenever you need to pull over to grab a quick snapshot.  Then you can simply place your phone back on the vent mount and the magnet will hold it in place while you navigate to your next destination.

Keep Your Phone Charged

Of course, running a navigation app and your GPS chip will drain your phone in no time.  Keep it charged and ready to go with the 1ByOne dual port car charger.  It features two high-powered charging ports so you can keep both your phone and your passenger’s phone at 100%.  It can also charge an iPad at full speed in case there are little ones in the backseat that need their movies and games.

Be Ready for a Dead Car Battery

After a long day of hiking and checking out the changing leaves, you come back to your car only to find that the door didn’t shut the whole way.  You put the key in the ignition and sadly discover that your car’s battery has met its death by dome light.  Don’t let this situation put a damper on an otherwise awesome day.  You can simply grab the 1ByOne Portable Car Jump Starter out of the trunk, connect it to your car’s battery, and be back on the road in no time. As an added bonus, this unit also serves as a portable power bank that can charge your phone while you’re checking out the autumn colors.

Hit The Road With 1ByOne

Before you embark your weekend journey to check out the leaves, prepare your car with these great gadgets from 1ByOne.  You’ll be able to navigate, keep your phone charged, and jump start your car if needed without breaking a sweat.  And you won’t miss a minute of the great fall weather and colors.

This sponsored post is brought to you by my friends at 1ByOne, an online retailer that strives to help people realize the power of technology to make our lives easier and more fulfilling.

The post Prepare For Your Fall Road Trips with 1ByOne appeared first on Technically Well.

PROs

• Jump your car by yourself: If your car battery is dead and you don’t want to ask a stranger for a jump, you can simply pull this power bank out of your trunk, power it up, connect it to the battery terminals according to the instructions, connect the jumper cables to the power bank itself and then try to start your car. If the car starts up, you can remove this power bank from your car’s battery. This is very convenient! I had a chance to try this on a buddy’s car and it started right up.
• 15,000mAh of power: Anker states you can jump your car up to 20 times before you need to recharge the unit itself. Or, you could use this to recharge an iPhone about 6 or 7 times. You may be tempted to just leave this in your trunk and forget about it, but to help maintain this power bank, you should pull it out of your trunk and use it (to charge your phone, for example) and then recharge it to keep the electrons in the battery moving.
• LCD screen: You can check the charge level of the unit by using the numerical LCD display.
• Built-in flash light: This also has a small LED bulb that can be used as a flashlight. This is useful for when I need to look under the hood of my car.
• Charges USB devices: This power bank also has 2 USB ports which can be used to charge your smartphone and tablet. The ports are also “smart” and can adapt to your different devices. For example, I tested out the amperage in my video and found that it can fast charge an iPad at 2 amps.
• Fast recharge: Using the included wall charger, you can recharge this unit in under 6 hours (by comparison, if this unit used a 1 amp Micro USB port to recharge, it would probably take almost a full day).

CONs

• Hot temperatures: This isn’t really an issue with the unit, but just remember that the hot summer sun can heat up the interior of your car to very high temperatures. And batteries such as this unit can be degraded when exposed to high temperatures. You may want to consider removing this from your car during very hot summer days. Anker notes that the maximum storage temperature is 130 degrees Fahrenheit.

Overall, this is a very handy gadget to keep in your car so you can save yourself the hassle of asking a stranger for a jump or waiting for AAA to show up. The two USB ports also come in handy for charging your gadgets while you’re on the move.

Anker PowerCore Jump Starter 600

— Sample provided for review

The post Anker PowerCore Jump Starter 600 Review appeared first on Technically Well.