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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Real-world storage proved the jump starter still worked months later.
- The JS3000 delivered a strong start after long-term neglect.
- Reliable emergency gear matters more than short-term test results.
I always say that talk is cheap, and there’s nothing like a solid test to sort the tech wheat from the chaff. And while a review of a few weeks is good, nothing beats real-world usage. This is the ultimate test for any product.
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I recently came back from Spain after having left my car parked up for over six weeks. I didn’t leave it connected to a battery maintainer (that was on another vehicle at the time), so it was guaranteed that the battery would be flat when I came back to the car.
Then, an unexpected snowstorm dropped a few inches of the white stuff on my car the day before I was going to pick it up.
The good news was that I had a jump starter in the trunk of the car. The unit was a Topdon JS3000 and is a 3,000A unit that’s built to start engines ranging from small and huge — gas engines up to 9 liters, and diesel engines up to 7 liters. Fully charged, this unit should be capable of up to 45 jump starts. There’s a light built into the front.
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The downside is that I’d last looked at this when I reviewed it back in the summer, so it had languished in the trunk for close to six months, through the baking summer and freezing winter.
Would it even work?
I wondered if the battery would be flat, but this is exactly how people will use their jump starters. They unbox them, look at them all at once and shine, charge them up, press a few buttons, then throw it into the trunk and forget about it until it’s needed.
Well, this is the situation I found myself in the other day.
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It was late, so I hurriedly cleared the snow off my car, found the jump starter, popped the hood, connected the jump starter, pressed boost, and not only did it turn on, it was at 75 percent charge.
I quickly jumped into the car, turned the ignition, and the car came to life.
Why I recommend this product
This is the absolute perfect test for the product.
Yes, I tested the Topdon JS3000 extensively for the review, but it was just out of the box, and fully charged. A good test, but it’s not how a device like this is going to be used by the end user. The end user is going to find themselves needing to use the jump starter, and digging it out of the glovebox or trunk after forgetting about it for weeks or months.
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This is exactly how I used it, and it passed with flying colors. It definitely earned a top-up charge and a bit of TLC, and I promise that I will do my best to do that every few months.
