My Most Trusted Jumpstarter Is Nearly Half Off Today

Compact and portable jump starters are among the most civilized automotive inventions of the last decade, spurred by the rise of the lithium-ion battery over an earlier generation of lead-acid devices. Suddenly, leaving your headlights on no longer means waiting two hours for a tow truck driver or begging strangers to connect cables. Just take out one of those little boxes and go on your way.

This little Gooloo 3,000 amp A3 jump starter, small enough to fit in a glove box, is the least expensive jump starter that I can personally vouch for as reliable. I’ve carried mine in several cars over the past couple of years, and it hasn’t failed me. This A3 was able to jump a dead battery twice in a row on my hulking ’95 Land Cruiser, without running out of juice. The Gooloo A3 is currently half price for Amazon Prime Big Deal Days, available for the eminently reasonable price of $70 ($60 off).

If what you really want is a power bank to power all kinds of things, check out WIRED’s guide to the best Power Bank Prime Day deals, or check out many categories of useful (and cheap!) things in our Absolute Best Prime Big Deal Days picks and our live blog of bargains and lightning deals.

Gooloo

A3 3000A portable jump starter

This little A3 portable jump starter, which in many models also includes a tire inflator, is the model that has served me since the day I found myself stranded on a remote part of Delaware, seemingly impervious to cell phone signals. I was saved by a lone truck passing by, whose driver had a little Gooloo portable jump starter. A marvel!

I went straight to an auto shop, bought this little A3 and never looked back. Its peak amperage of 3,000 amps is quite high for its price and more than enough to power most personal vehicles. It is designed for gasoline engines up to 9 liters and diesel engines up to 6 liters, with standard 12 volt batteries.

Higher peak amps don’t always mean better performance or durability, and so I’ll soon be testing several additional models from Gooloo and other manufacturers, including Gooloo’s popular GT6000 6,000-amp jump starter, which is also on sale for $136 ($34 off).

If I had a large diesel engine or lived in very cold climates, I would probably opt for higher amperage units out of an abundance of caution. Also note that for completely discharged batteries, you will need to use the device’s “boost” function to get a charge, and that the clamps may be a little short and stubby for some battery or car designs.

Photography: Amazon

Noco

Boost Plus GB40 Starter

Former WIRED reviewer Eric Ravenscraft has also had good luck with the 1,000-amp Boost Plus jump starter from the popular Noco brand, which should also be powerful enough for most commuter cars. This Noco is also on sale, for less than $100.

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