Photo credit: Jason Siu / FlatSixes
When a global pandemic upended our lives in 2020, portable jump starters suddenly became one of the most popular accessories in the world. Since many of us were no longer driving our cars every day, or, in some cases, for weeks, we were in for a surprise when it was time to get back behind the wheel. You see, a car’s battery tends to die after it’s been sitting a while, and unless it’s on a charger, chances are you’re going to need to jump-start it to get going again.
As a result, the options for portable jump starters have continued to expand, and even though we’re no longer in the midst of a lockdown, many people have learned the value of owning one. Even if you’re not letting your car sit in the garage, owning a portable jump starter means never having to rely on another vehicle or jumper cables if you ever find yourself stuck with a dead battery.
In today’s market, there are dozens of portable jump starters to choose from, covering a wide range of peak power. Picking the right one is mainly determined by the size of your vehicle’s engine, but this also isn’t a situation where less is more. It doesn’t hurt to have a “too powerful” jump starter, because its amp rating is the maximum it can deliver, with the car only drawing what it needs. Even if you own an EV, you still want to keep one of these handy, because your 12-volt auxiliary battery can die.
Photo credit: Jason Siu / FlatSixes
Since 2020, I’ve kept a portable jump starter in my vehicle’s glove box. To me, they’re worth it even if you only use one once in your lifetime, but chances are that won’t be the case. Recently, GooLoo reached out to see if I would be interested in testing the powerful GT6000 portable jump starter, which offers 6000A peak power. Honestly, that’s overkill for the vast majority of vehicle owners, but GooLoo claims it can start vehicles up to a 12.0-liter diesel or any gasoline engine in seconds. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to such a massive powerplant to test its full capabilities.
Before we get into how the unit works, let’s take a look at some of its other features. The GooLoo GT6000 boasts a powerful 100W fast-charging system, which is more important than you think. Some of the jump starters I’ve owned would passively lose charge, and waiting for them to charge enough for a jump could be a frustrating experience. With 100W charging, the GT6000 can go from zero to 100 percent in just 1.4 hours, but it only takes around seven minutes of charging to get your vehicle running.
Like other portable jump starters, you can also use this as a power bank if you want. Granted, the GT6000 is a pretty hefty unit, so it’s not something you’d actually want to carry around. Still, if you’re sitting in your car and realize your laptop is dying, you can reach over and grab this out of your glove box and use it as a charger. The use case might be rare, but it does offer value. The unit’s size is justified by the fact that it has a 27,000 mAh (99.9 Wh) capacity.
Photo credit: Jason Siu / FlatSixes
Along with a trio of USB ports, the GT6000 also comes with an accessory to power 15V or 12V DC devices, like tire inflators, inverters, and more. Again, it might not be something you use often, but it’s nice to know your bases are covered if you ever need it. On the top of the charger is a 3.2-inch LED display that clearly shows the device’s status and charge in large letters. The display can be a bit difficult to see in direct sunlight, but you’ll generally be using this under the hood, so there’s likely shade. At one end is a rather large LED flashlight rated at 400 lumens. It has three modes you can toggle: flashlight, SOS, and strobe.
According to GooLoo, the charger is capable of providing over 70 starts on a full charge, although I won’t be the first in line to put that to the test. The good news is that it’s rated for a 24-month standby time, meaning you won’t have to constantly check whether the battery is holding a charge for a jump-start when it’s sitting in your glove box. I would still recommend checking its capacity every three months or so, just to make sure it hasn’t drained. Based on my experience with the unit, there hasn’t been any noticeable loss in charge over two weeks.
If you’ve never used a portable jump starter before, it is extremely user-friendly. The GooLoo GT6000 comes with a cable that needs to be inserted into the booster, and from there you attach the clamps to the battery. I especially like the included clamps, and to me they’re just the right size. The length of the cable is comparable to other units I’ve tested, and while it is short, it’s typically a non-issue for most users.
Photo credit: Jason Siu / FlatSixes
The truth is, testing a portable jump starter is pretty binary: did it work or not? Unsurprisingly, given GooLoo’s expertise in the space, the GT6000 worked flawlessly when I did a test jump-start on my vehicle. What I really liked about it is how simple everything is. There isn’t a mess of buttons you have to push to get it working. Simply turn it on, plug in the connector, connect the clamps, and start your car. The display on the jump starter will let you know if it’s ready to go. Does the average vehicle owner need the GT6000? Probably not, but that’s also why GooLoo has an entire lineup of different offerings, so you can get what you need.
Just keep in mind that if you plan to use the GT6000 as a portable battery bank, say for camping or a road trip, the larger battery capacity comes in handy. For example, the GT4000 might save you $20, but it’s a smaller 24,000 mAh (88.8 Wh) battery. The larger battery in the GT6000 also means more jump-starts on a single charge. Another benefit of the more powerful unit is that it works better in freezing temperatures thanks to the extra headroom. It’s something to consider, depending on where you live.
Overall, the GT6000 might be more than I’ll ever need, but it feels great to have one in my glove box. If you’re in the market for a portable jump starter and don’t necessarily see the value in a larger battery capacity, consider some of GooLoo’s other options. Most of them have the same feature set, just with less power and a smaller battery.
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Disclaimer: GooLoo provided the GT6000 seen in this review for evaluation. GooLoo, however, was not allowed to view this article prior to publishing and had no influence on the review.
