Need a jump? Fifteen years ago, a pair of jumper cables and a willing motorist with a running car were all you needed to get your car started. Worst scenario, you would have to call for roadside assistance if you couldn’t find someone that would let you boost your battery with their car. Fortunately, portable battery jump starter packs are all you need to jolt your car back to life. If you’ve been searching for the right portable battery jump starter, this Noco Boost Plus GB40 review can be helpful.
From micro-sized battery packs that can fit in your glovebox to large booster packs that can be used to revive a commercial truck, there are a plethora of jump start battery packs on the market. The Noo Boost Plus is very popular. Should you invest in this battery pack for your emergency kit?
Why You Should Consider Purchasing A Portable Jump Starter?
When you travel frequently, having a portable car jump starter in your trunk is essential. Car trouble is inevitable and there’s nothing scarier than being stranded at night or during bad weather conditions. Since you can’t predict when your car battery will fail it’s good to always be prepared.
The great thing about portable jump start battery packs is that you give your car battery the boost it needs without having to enlist the help of a friend or another fellow motorist. All you have to do is attach the clamps to the positive and negative terminals on your battery. When you have a portable jump starter you will save money on a tow and you won’t have to worry about having to pay expensive roadside assistance programs
What Is The Noco Boost Plus GB40?
The Noco Boost Plus GB40 is a portable jump starter battery pack that runs on a lithium-ion battery. At 6.6 inches by 3.2 inches, this device is the size of a standard iPhone which means it can conveniently fit in your glove box, the trunk, or even in the center console.
Don’t let the size fool you. Weighing nearly three pounds. The Noco Boost Plus packs a powerful punch. This lithium-ion battery delivers up to 1,000 Amps which means when fully charged it can provide up to twenty jumpstarts.
This ultra-light and compact jump starter was designed to boost 12-volt batteries. It’s capable of jump starting gas engines up to six liters and diesel engines that are up to three liters.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Why Lithium-ion Batteries Are So Efficient
Traditional lead acid battery boosters are no match for the Lithium-ion powered Noco Boost. The first portable battery packs to hit the market were manufactured with lead acid batteries. Nowadays, mostly large heavy-duty packs use lead acid batteries. While both are capable of boosting a car battery, lithium-ion powered battery packs are the future because they are able to deliver more power in a much smaller and lighter design.
Lithium-ion is taking over the technology world. Just think, our cellphones and laptops have become a lot smaller, lighter, and are able to last for several hours on a single charge thanks to lithium batteries. It was only a matter of time before this revolutionary technology usher out lead acid boosters which are considered the “grandfather” of portable battery packs.
When it comes to the energy density in volume, most standard lithium battery packs are able to deliver four times more power than a lead acid battery pack in just a fraction of the space. The self-discharge rate of lithium-powered packs is also noteworthy.
All batteries leak during their shelf life, but the rated discharge matters when you are searching for a reliable battery pack. Lithium-ion booster packs have a discharge rate of 3%-5% of it’s charge each month while a lead acid battery pack can discharge up to 15% each month.
Lead acid batteries are high-maintenance which isn’t ideal for the driver that’s always on the go. Battery packs that use this type of battery lose charge rather quickly and have to be regularly charged if they are going to be useful. The Noco Boost Plus can hold a charge for over 12 months with minimal power loss.
You can expect to pay a bit more money for a portable battery pack that uses a lithium-ion battery. Most automotive experts will agree that it’s definitely worth the cost.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Jump Starting Your Car With the Noco Boost Battery Pack
Jump starting your car or SUV with the Noco Boost Plus is an easy process. All you have to do is attach the boost red and black clamps to the corresponding terminals on your vehicle’s battery. Remember, the red clamp should be attached to the positive terminal and the black clamp should be applied to the negative terminal. The positive and negative terminals are typically labeled.
Perhaps one of the best features of the Noco Boost Plus is its patented safety technology. When you use the Noco Boost Plus you don’t have to be afraid of connecting the clamps to the wrong terminal because it offers spark-proof protection and reverse polarity protection which means you won’t have to worry about sparks flying or getting shocked while jumping your car.
Noco Boost Plus uses status indicators to alert someone that they’ve connected the clamps to the wrong terminals. If you are an inexperienced user and you’ve never really jumped a car on your own you can still easily use this portable battery pack.
Once you successfully jump start your car battery with the Noco Boost Plus GB40 you’ll need to run the vehicle for at least fifteen to twenty minutes with the clamps still attached to the terminals. This will ensure that your battery is fully juiced up so you can make it safely to your destination without having to worry about your car cutting off.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Properly Charging Your Noco Boost Battery Pack
Of course, if your Noco Boost Plus is going to be any good to you it needs to be sufficiently charged. As a lithium-ion powered device there are two main ways you can charge the Noco Boost battery pack. You can connect it to a USB cable and charge it in a wall outlet just like you would do with your laptop or cellphone.
The other option is to charge it using a 12volt car charger. The Noco Boost comes with a car charger that allows you to juice it up right through your vehicle’s cigarette lighter. Charging your battery pack through your cigarette lighter is good for when you need to give the pack a little more juice. However, if it’s completely dead and there isn’t a lot of life left in the device, it’s best to charge it at a wall outlet.
Yes, regularly charging your Noco Boost portable jump starter will boost its life expectancy. Although it can last on a single charge for over a year, as previously mentioned batteries do begin to discharge after a while. So if you have to use your Noco Boost battery pack five months after it was charged, the battery won’t be completely full.
When you charge it through a wall outlet it can take up to three hours to fully charge. However, if you use your car cigarette lighter it will take up to twelve hours to gain a full charge.
You will be able to see just how much juice the battery has left right on the device. Noco Boost uses light indications to let users know when it’s time to charge the device. As a general rule of thumb, you should bring your Noco Boost battery pack into the house to charge at least once a month. This will ensure that it’s full of power and ready to go when you need it the most.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Additional Uses
Besides jump starting your car, the Noco Boost GB40 comes in handy for a wide variety of situations. Did you know that you can use this battery pack to jump start any gas or diesel engine? This means if the battery is dead on your ATV, lawnmower, motorcycle, or boat you can use the Noco Boost Plus to jolt it back to life. This handy dandy battery pack is relatively safe to use on engines of all sizes.
The Noco Boost Plus GB40 is also equipped with a USB power port. Therefore, you can charge important personal devices in an emergency like your smartphone, tablet, or any type of device that can be charged through USB. The Noco Boost can fully charge up your smartphones and tablets up to four times on a single charge.
This is great for those emergency situations in which a jumpstart doesn’t get your car started because of an underlying issue. When you have the Noco Boost in your car you’ll never have to worry about your phone dying.
The Noco Boost battery pack also has a powerful LED flashlight. This 100-lumen flashlight is ultra-bright. This wash light will give you the illumination you need to see your engine at night while jumpstarting the battery or help you see while changing a tire on the side of the road. The flashlight features are also useful when you need to signal roadside assistance at night.
Noco Boost’s flashlight features seven different modes including emergency strobe and SOS. This makes it easier for other motorists to see you and easier to signal for help. The flashlight can be used for any situation when visibility is decreased and you need an extra source of illumination.
Noco Boost GB40 Plus Review – Maintaining Your Noco Boost Battery Pack
Maintaining a Noco Boost portable jump starter is simple. When you first purchase your Noco Boost battery pack, you should hook it up to the charger. After all, you don’t know how long the battery pack has been sitting on the shelf waiting to be purchased. It’s likely that the battery has had time to discharge some.
Constant exposure to extreme temperatures can impact your battery pack’s efficiency. Try your best to store it in a moderate temperature environment that’s between fifty degrees and seventy degrees Fahrenheit. If you live in areas that tend to get extremely cold or hot you should make sure you are bringing your Noco Boost in the house often instead of letting it sit on the backseat of your car.
Also, you should always keep the red and black clean. If your battery is in poor condition and it may have acid on the posts that will rub off on the clamps when you jumpstart the car. The clamps can easily become corroded and jumpstarting your car with them will be a hit or miss. A mixture of baking soda and water can thoroughly clean off any acid residue.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Disadvantages
While the Noco Boost Plus GB40 is a great option when it comes to portable battery packs it does have its limitations. This jump starter doesn’t have different voltage ports like other battery packs in its category. Users are limited to the 5volt ports. If you have USB cords with other voltage parameters it may not work with this device.
In addition, the Noco Boost is only restricted to 12volt batteries. So if your vehicle uses a bigger engine such as a V8 engine it won’t be powerful enough to bring your car back to life. If you have a car with a gas engine that’s bigger than 6 liters or a diesel engine that’s more than 3 liters this isn’t the battery pack for you.
Noco Boost Plus GB40 Review – Is It A Good Buy?
The average price of the Noco Boost Plus GB40 is approximate $100-$130. Noco Boost is proof that small things can sometimes come in small packages. This small portable battery pack packs a lot of punch for a device its size. So if you’re looking for a reliable, portable jump starter that can be used on a variety of equipment then this is definitely a good buy.