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Motown
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Project Farm just released a video on Youtube on a comparison of these jumpstarter boxes.
OP
I haven't seen it... How did the Noco do?
I have six Nocos of various sizes now and have had many for years. From their trickle chargers to their jump boxes, I've never had a single problem with them. Given all the ******** I do with cars, that's a pretty rare track record.
All that being said, I have no ties to the company. They've never sponsored me. I've never been given one for review, etc... I'm just a regular *** customer.
OP
I don't have any big diesels or anything, but the 40 easily jumps both my flathead Ford and my 2.7 liter boxer motor...
Motown
Well-known member
The Noco was one of the higher rated boxes., with the caveat, higher price compared to others.
2manytools
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I read that the USB-C charging units aren't as reliable as the older micro-B charging ones, which has kept me from upgrading, though I'd much prefer C.
anyone with experience regarding this?
anyone with experience regarding this?
OP
My latest is usb-c… no problems yet, but I’ve only had it a year or so.
zeekh
Well-known member
My GB40 wouldn't start my 4 cylinder fork lift.
zeekh
Well-known member
$80 isn't fire sale price IMO. Maybe I'm wrong but seems to be the regular "sale" price
Tim in Indiana
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I have several Noco jump boxes, smallest is a GB40 that I carry in my sled bag, the largest is a GB150 which is supposed to be 4000 amps. Any of them have been capable of starting anything I threw at them. I've used the smallest on the largest diesels I have with good success.
I also have around 20 of the 1 amp Genius maintainers that I keep on anything not driven daily. Tractors, backhoes, skid steers, vehicles, etc. I have never had a problem with any of them. They just work.
The 1 amp Genius is $2.00 less than it was a couple months ago when I last bought some. So around a 10% discount.
I also have around 20 of the 1 amp Genius maintainers that I keep on anything not driven daily. Tractors, backhoes, skid steers, vehicles, etc. I have never had a problem with any of them. They just work.
The 1 amp Genius is $2.00 less than it was a couple months ago when I last bought some. So around a 10% discount.
Miss the Pontiacs
Well-known member
I believe I have the GB40 but unsure from not requiring it for some time. And you know what I’m fine with that.
It has done what is required and my neighbour likes it as well.
It has done what is required and my neighbour likes it as well.
Issue I ran into was engines that need cranking.
Like my dump truck, ill need to crank for a good 30+ seconds.
The jnc770 i have handles that ok. The lightweight jump packs like the Noco seem to expect maybe 3-5 seconds of cranking.
Like my dump truck, ill need to crank for a good 30+ seconds.
The jnc770 i have handles that ok. The lightweight jump packs like the Noco seem to expect maybe 3-5 seconds of cranking.
I have had a GB40 for 5 years, bought it as I had my car with a storage company for that time and needed it just in case,
LOL, never needed it, just use it as a expensive flashlight now, but at least I have it-good quality and you never know.
LOL, never needed it, just use it as a expensive flashlight now, but at least I have it-good quality and you never know.
I've used several NOCO jump starters over the years, mostly without any issues (I end up jumping dozens of cars annually at my office). However, like all lithium jump starters, they can fail at the most inconvenient times, certainly not a NOCO-specific issue. For example, I had a fully charged jump starter, stored in an air-conditioned office, balloon its lithium cells when I tried to jump-start a newer Subaru.
In contrast, traditional VRLA jump starters typically give you some warning before they fail, as they gradually lose their ability to hold a charge. If weight isn't a concern, I'd still recommend a JNC660 for reliability. But if you need a lighter and more portable option, a lithium jump starter is the way to go for sure.
In contrast, traditional VRLA jump starters typically give you some warning before they fail, as they gradually lose their ability to hold a charge. If weight isn't a concern, I'd still recommend a JNC660 for reliability. But if you need a lighter and more portable option, a lithium jump starter is the way to go for sure.
Farmall450
Well-known member
Yeah, I actually checked on Black Friday for a GBX155 upgrade...no great deals to be found on any of them that I saw. Walmart had the Genius 1 charger for ~$24, cheapest I've seen that.
Jeepster04
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Ive had the GB40 for a year and used it once to start a 5.7 hemi, no issues.
Just ordered the GBX45 for someone for Christmas. Hopefully it doesn't ****.
Just ordered the GBX45 for someone for Christmas. Hopefully it doesn't ****.
aggie113
Well-known member
Paid $120 for this unit back in Sept. Has been very helpful jumping cars and riding mowers that don't move often 
I bought two GB50's a few years ago from Woot At 99.00 ea. One was DOA but the other still works like a champ. My son borrowed it and told me last week he's keeping it so i just ordered a GB70 this afternoon through Amazons deal. Hopefully it will hold up as well for a few years anyway.
You've never had to jump a battery?
Some days I have to jump multiple. Cold doesn't play nice to getting stuff started.
That's something too, the lithium battery boosters don't handle cold well. Not sure the min temp, but the Noco won't boost below maybe -10ish...
Would have loved it and used it daily when I had a Valiant wreckers for 10 years, but no think it is the new cadium (?) batterys are good, put a new one in the car when it went into storage, disconnected. Started it up once or twice a year to give it a run, never needed a jump.
Northern Victoria, Australia, rarely get below 0 Celsius ( 32 Fahrenheit) for a few months over winter.
Gotcha. October to April is "winter" here and it gets fairly cold. I've seen weeks straight where it never got above 0*... -18* C
cbracer
Well-known member
Just had my first *bad* experience with the usb-c GBX newer version. Arrived to the airport after a 4 day trip and my back trunk light was on the whole time. Battery dead. In fact it was under 7 volts initially because the NOCO gave me an error code which I read was from the main battery being too low. I shut all the doors to turn off the cabin lights and waited a few minutes. Then reconnected the NOCO and the error went away. I assumed the battery came back up above 7v without any light loads on it. Then after a few seconds the alarm horn beeped because I had opened the door with the FOB emergency key, but that was too much load and the voltage dropped again. The NOCO showed 3 bars out of 4, so I thought it would be enough. But surely was not! Moral of the story, keep it charged and check it every month.
The new GBX usb-c doesn't appear to hold a charge as long as the older micro-usb GB version. I have one newer version and two older ones and the older ones hold their charge longer. The other strange thing I noticed is when turning it on, it showed 3 bars (2 red 1 orange) lit up and it couldn't even power on my car. But when connecting to a charger, it started charging and blinking only 2 red bars - so it surely wasn't charged up to 3 bars. Pulled out the older style version from my wife's car when I got home and it was still green with 4 bars. Both were topped up on the charger at the same time. I would only have thought the versions used the same battery and they only changed the charger plug style. That would make sense, but maybe not, there may be other differences.
The new GBX usb-c doesn't appear to hold a charge as long as the older micro-usb GB version. I have one newer version and two older ones and the older ones hold their charge longer. The other strange thing I noticed is when turning it on, it showed 3 bars (2 red 1 orange) lit up and it couldn't even power on my car. But when connecting to a charger, it started charging and blinking only 2 red bars - so it surely wasn't charged up to 3 bars. Pulled out the older style version from my wife's car when I got home and it was still green with 4 bars. Both were topped up on the charger at the same time. I would only have thought the versions used the same battery and they only changed the charger plug style. That would make sense, but maybe not, there may be other differences.
Tim in Indiana
Well-known member
Not sure if this will help, but it may. I have one of the Noco lithium motorcycle batteries in one of my sleds. I bought it a couple years ago on a Black Friday sale at a very reduced price.
I did a little research before buying and talked with Noco about how it would perform in cold weather, at minus F temps. The person I spoke with said in cold weather I should put a very small draw on the battery 3-4 times before hitting the starter. The battery has a cold and hot cutout and doing this will actually cause the battery to warm itself a bit.
I normally keep the sleds in a heated garage so I left it out overnight on a -20 evening. I tried to crank it without doing what he suggested and it did nothing. I then bumped the the start button which wakes up the display and turns on the headlight for a few seconds. Did this four times. Then I hit the starter and it cranked right up.
It has never failed to crank the sled up and it is a 900 turbo so not a small engine. Also it weighs nothing, maybe 3 pounds.
Thirdyfivepickup
Well-known member
I sell a LOT of NOCO and I can confirm their prices are giveaway. I had a walk-in customer ask to match a Genius1 and it was dead nuts at our cost. I told him to order it on Amazon.
Another? I bought one from the recommended from his shootout a few yrs ago. It's been, not great sadly
Worthless video IMO. With a lithium jump starter you should probably be more concerned about construction quality and UL/ETL listings. Starting a vehicle is great but having a big lithium bomb sitting around is a bigger problem.
I have significant experience with the Noco jump packs in a commercial fleet setting. I had a couple dozen of the GB40 and GBX55 units in construction vehicles. If the packs didn’t start the vehicle it was typically user error because they were not hooking up correctly, not hitting the override button when the battery was under 7v, or the pack had been in the back of their truck for 1+ years and wasn’t charged. Every time someone reported that the pack didn’t work and was charged I was able to use it to start the vehicle when I arrived. Most of the trucks were 5.3L or 6.0L chevys, but the guys used the packs on all kinds of equipment too.
The newer GBX packs were the only ones that failed, they have little tolerance for being run completely dead and typically don’t recover. I have read elsewhere this is caused by a charge circuit issue related to USB-C providing too much amperage to trickle charge the cells when they are really low. I personally own 4 GB40, 1 GBX45, and a GBX55 that all serve me well. I also have two dead GBX55 on my bench from work that other people completely discharged that I need to dispose of. I charge all mine spring and fall. The ones that go on the boats are lightly vacuum sealed to prevent them from getting wet.
The newer GBX packs were the only ones that failed, they have little tolerance for being run completely dead and typically don’t recover. I have read elsewhere this is caused by a charge circuit issue related to USB-C providing too much amperage to trickle charge the cells when they are really low. I personally own 4 GB40, 1 GBX45, and a GBX55 that all serve me well. I also have two dead GBX55 on my bench from work that other people completely discharged that I need to dispose of. I charge all mine spring and fall. The ones that go on the boats are lightly vacuum sealed to prevent them from getting wet.
Did you hit the override button on the unit?
Steel_Rain
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THIS.
A hugely under-reported issue with any of these "compact jump starters".
If we ever get actual solid state battery technology, that will change my mind, but right now, give me old school battery tech (sealed lead acid) when it comes to these. I'll admit to owning three of compact units, but I keep a watchful eye both in storage, while charging and in my rigs. I do not trust them.
If you have every experienced a LIPO fire, you will understand.
Jeepster04
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My GB40 makes no mention of where this 'override' button is. I had to search the interwebs to figure out what it was when I first got the GB40, so how would common everyday folk have a clue what thats for?
They decided to label the button on the GBX.
Starting to see a handful of lithium iron phosphate battery jump starters on the market. Michelin sells one. Worked the few times I've used it and I'm told the chemistry is far less explosive.
I thought they were mostly lithium iron phosphate for safety reasons?
CATL/China's producing sodium ion en-masse now. May not be as power dense but they should work nicely in cold weather if implemented.
Nope. So the downside of lithium iron phosphate is its actually quite poor in comparison to lithium polymer for dumping large amounts of current into something very quickly. I think the end goal is to use the lithium iron phosphate cells in conjunction with something like a supercapacitor to have the best of both worlds.
You want lithium polymer for a jump starter until the batteries go ka-put!
Steel_Rain
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Correct. High draws with aged, LIPO cells = big problem.
Yeah it was a little scary when the unit I had puffed.
Exactly right. I think people buy way too many modern battery-powered things with problematical lineage. Some might be fine, some might be made of the scariest Chinesium. I figure that most e-bikes are sketchy as all get-out. Really big 'solar generators' are just bigger and badder opportunities for mayhem.
You know, I wonder if Makita could make a jump pack that uses something like their 18v batteries. I assume that those might be somewhat trustable. edit: Hang on, I think that changing DC voltage is non trivial.
BombShelter
Well-known member
I think I have the GB70, it's in the car so I can't look at it but I bought larger just in case and it's been foolproof. I have a Halo Bolt that was gifted to me and it looks brand new, maybe used three times but it's dead, it charges but won't turn on. I used to have a Prestone from Home Depot, another big turd that lasted a few weeks but it also died.
The problem is they die in the summer when you don't need them and then the warranty is gone.
We get pretty cold here in the winter, usually under 15 degrees F, never had a cold weather issue but I keep them in the warm car or house before heading out.
These are great for BMW's which like to get right below 50% battery capacity (and not turn over), they just need a little nudge to start and you can push out getting a new battery for a few months.
The problem is they die in the summer when you don't need them and then the warranty is gone.
We get pretty cold here in the winter, usually under 15 degrees F, never had a cold weather issue but I keep them in the warm car or house before heading out.
These are great for BMW's which like to get right below 50% battery capacity (and not turn over), they just need a little nudge to start and you can push out getting a new battery for a few months.