Can jump start 12V cars, SUVs, trucks or vans up to 30 times on a full charge
Compact power bank with 18000mAh capacity
Has the capability to charges your phone with dual USB ports (one is a 5v/9v Quick Charge) and power your other car accessories using a 12V 10A DC port
Manually turn the Tacklife T8 ‘OFF’ to slow down the battery’s self-discharge to hold its charge for up to 12 months while not in use
Note: Please remember to turn ‘ON’ before charging or it will not charge
Comes equipped with super bright LEDs functioning as an emergency flashlight
Specially designed indicator notifies you of incorrect use with an audible buzz and flashing lights
Bold, unique design that’s easy to handle with the following features:
I literally just ordered this two days ago for $40. Damn it. Lol. I have the T6 already which is pretty much the same thing and it works great for my 4 and 6 cylinder gas vehicles.
@ColeSloth Sounds like you got a pretty good deal elsewhere. And if you’re not a “Mehmber” and got free shipping at the other place, it’s a wash. But I’m sure you realize all that. J/s, even if you overspent by $5… others have paid a lot more and gave it to Walmart!
Despite their small size, these things (not this brand particularly, as I have no experience with them) really can start your car when your battery is dead. You do not have to wait an hour for AAA or find a willing and available friend (or stranger). You can also be a hero and start someone else who is stuck. I carry one in each car.
@andyw I agree! They are great!
The Tacklife one I got here was able to easily start my husband’s Shelby GT500 from completely dead (it had been sitting a while) and it started the car with no problem! He didn’t think it would have enough power to start it, so he was impressed, lol!
I need 2 more, so I think I’ll grab them tonight in case they sell out.
@k4evryng Pretty much the same except for the lack of the digital charge level readout. I’d have no qualms about them. (I bought four of the previous version.)
@k4evryng they’re almost the exact same but with one main difference. The t8 here has an analog shut off switch that is supposed to allow it to hold a charge for months longer (one year) than the t6. Otherwise, almost same dimensions, accessories, ports, cranking amps, and mah battery size. Just the t8 gets you the power switch and a tiny useless compass.
@k4evryng@yakkoTDI Size and output is no difference. The only pertinent difference is that the t8 has an analog shut off switch that allows it to stay charged while stored not in use for up to a year, and the t6 does not, which causes the t6 to very slowly drain power over swveral months.
@ColeSloth@k4evryng Do you have cranking amp info? I can’t find it in the product description here or any other store site. I just bought a weego 44s with 440 cranking amps and it barely turns over my 6.1 litre.
@ColeSloth@k4evryng “Otherwise, almost same dimensions, accessories, ports, cranking amps, and mah battery size.” And that is definitely better than a meh battery size.
@LilSatan I wish I could answer your question but I know nothing about cars.
However, the T6 started my husband’s 8 cylinder engine from completely dead with absolutely no trouble (using the boost setting), if that helps you at all, lol!
@ColeSloth@k4evryng@werehatrack I thought I saw on Side Deal that the power output was different. Must have been different models. As for this one here is a page with specs comparing it to the T6.
I have four of a different model from this brand, and they work well. This is a good price for such a unit. Just a couple of weeks ago, I used one to jump start a car that had resisted being cranked with jumper cables. The Tacklife jumper box spun it over easily.
I recently went outside after a snowstorm and found that my car battery was dead. “Cool”, I thought, “Time to test my portable jump starter.” Which was in the back of the car. Which has an electric lock, and no obvious backup key hole.
@danN58 I haven’t seen one yet that didn’t have an emergency key for the driver’s door hidden inside the fob. Usually, the slot for the key is in or just below the door handle, and not particularly prominent. In snow weather, it might be hidden by ice.
@danN58 WE just had that problem. The jump starter was in the underfloor compartment of our Subaru Ascent. I could not open the rear lid after getting the car open with the key from the fob. If I had gotten to the trunk area, I doubt the cover of the compartment would open. I got the jumper from the other car and it started the Ascent (it was a littlel reluctant to start since it had not been used in a month).
Now I keep the Ascent’s jumper under the driver’s seat from the 2nd row.
@danN58 Could be worse. Some late-70s Peugeots had electrically-operated door locks, latches, and windows, with the result that if the main fuse popped disconnecting all power, you couldn’t easily open the doors or windows from inside the car because the manual release was well hidden. The problem has now been recreated in a certain other line…
@Sdevarona@Kyeh I got an orange one (that didn’t work) the last time these were offered. Maybe I could get a green one (that doesn’t work) for my other car!
@Kyeh@macromeh@Sdevarona I got an orange one that didn’t work either. I ordered a green and then cancelled, now I’ve re-ordered. I’m really hesitant about this.
Also, I think MorningSave still has other colors. A few bucks more than here, but cheaper than Walmart.
@barnabee@Kyeh@macromeh@Sdevarona When I ordered my T6 units here, they didn’t give me a choice of which color I got. It was strictly a matter of “there will be a color, and it might be any of these.”
I have a similar one, and once you get it out of the case, you’ll never get it back in. I wonder if there is a pic of this one in its carrying case. Very frustrating!
@katbyter I solved it by cutting out the netting, and closing the pack over the widgets instead of the other way around. It also helps to leave out the lighter adapter.
/giphy mindless-primo-flamingo
Fine I’m in for 2. We had someone save our butts with something like this a few years back. Went to IKEA, the boy wanted to stay in the car, when we got back to the car, he had turned on the ignition with the fan running and radio on and we were stuck. A rando saw us and got us started with something like this. Better than waiting 2+ hours for roadside assistance.
My first Meh purchase. Just got one to replace one I can’t find. I like to keep one in my m/c saddle bag for emergencies and to start my tractor during the winter. For $40 with shipping, I hope it’s more than just a phone charger. BTW Meh, no free shipping for Prime customers?
@gadgetlam I was under the impression Meh was a subsidiary of woot, that they created to try to bring back the magic of the original (pre- Amazon) woot of days long past. No? My username came from my woot profile.
@gadgetlam@Limarick No, it’s the founders of Woot after they took an Amazon payday, back around with another deal-a-day site. Spiritual successor, not corporate brother.
@Limarick I bought this last time. I started my truck with it 3 times and it was still at 96% charge. I would say its legit or the charge gauge is wrong lol!
Amazon takes no siblings… just hostages.
From Amazon the Barbarian: Crush your enemies
See them driven before you
And hear the lamentation
Of their women
@gadgetlam@kyouteki@Limarick@pmarin
They also like to kill their hostages. I will never forget how they bought and killed Shoefitr, a tool used across competitors that 3D scanned shoes and compared how the shoe you currently wear differs with the shoe you are looking at. The next best thing to actually trying on the shoe. FU jeffy b
I bought one of these from Meh previously. It is legit. The only think I kinda don’t like about it is the friggin barrel charger. 15v at 1 amp. Really? that 15 watts could have been delivered via a standard USB port. Even if you have an old charger, I would rather do 5-10 watts than have to keep the proprietary Tacklife charger around.
@ohhwell Easier to charge the higher voltage pack with a higher voltage source. That said, you can find a USB-C PD 15v cable on AliE that would allow you to charge this from a PD-capable charger that can do 15V.
@ohhwell@werehatrack The cables I’m speaking about have PD trigger circuits in the USB-C plug itself, so downstream from the plug is just 15VDC (or whatever voltage trigger board you buy). I’ve used several of these (9V and 12V mostly) to create PD power cables for classic game consoles, like my Sega Genesis and Nintendo Wii. (For the Wii, I had to lop off the barrel plug and add the proprietary Wii DC plug, but that’s available on AliE, too.)
@kyouteki@ohhwell@werehatrack
I’ve bought them from Ali before but only with buck converters in them – none with boost. You can get them to work with regular 5V non-PD capable chargers and have the buck converter to do the voltage reduction or a boost converter to increase the voltage. PD versions of them exist too so you would be using a PD compatible charger to regulate the voltages.
Anybody tested the self-discharge after letting it sit during winter/summer? I’m assuming this uses some kind of LiPo battery, and I’m not terribly familiar with how they handle extreme temperatures.
@AySz88 “Up to” is the biggest lie in marketing. Ten minutes is within the range of “up to 12 months”, since no lower value is specified. I’ve taken to decoding “up to” as meaning “no way in hell will it get close to”.
@werehatrack Sure, without reviews to verify, every claim is fishy these days. Even strong claims like “guaranteed to” or longer warranty can rely on the idea that most people won’t bother to claim it, with a jacked up price to cover the few returns and pocketing the difference. On the other side of the spectrum, CYA-culture likes to water down claims everywhere, regardless of fact. Definitely a “Market for Lemons”-type situation.
@AySz88 And to be fair, none of the four Tacklife packs here has shown any significant reduction in charge either sitting in the house or in a vehicle for 4 months. I’d call that pretty good, actually. Particularly since my three old-style heavy jumper boxes generally have to be charged at least once every 60 days in order to be useful at all.
I bought one previously. Did not work. Had to call AAA. They said car manufacturers build cars now in a way that requires a stronger jump than these little things can provide.
@bla5t0ff Lol they lied to you and if it didn’t work you were using it wrong (or had a defective one)! I started my 2016 Ram with a 6.4 L in it 3 times and it still says it is at 96% charge!!!
@bla5t0ff given that mine jumped a 2021 Silverado yesterday, I think that AAA dude was Selling Something. (OTGH, I’ve seen some really crap jumper boxes that couldn’t start a '67 Beetle, too.)
One thing, though; if memory serves, the instruction booklet is printed in a font so tiny that only a tardigrade can read it without glasses, did you know that you’ve got to push the square yellow button on the side of the black plug just before you crank the car? And some of them won’t function without hitting the main “on” switch on the side, though mine don’t seem to care about that so much.
@bla5t0ff Was it a situation that needed “boost mode”? When battery level is extremely low, you must use that to bypass some protections because the unit can’t check whether you’ve connected the jumpers the right way around.
@AySz88 Maybe that was it, he did have to do something extra but I don’t remember, something about connecting my car directly to his truck that had extra energy
@bla5t0ff I wonder if the thing they were selling was to look useful so AAA keeps calling an “actual” mechanic, vs just hiring a joe schmoe to deliver one of these to you. The “tried their own” bit really smells like a performance.
@AySz88 Waiting over 2 hrs for someone to show up isn’t really a “useful” act for anyone. Calling AAA is the last thing I ever want to do. I mostly enjoy the steep discounts on hotels and rental cars
@AySz88@ohhwell I don’t know what everyone has against AAA but neither of you were there or know exactly what happened so if anyone is talking out of their rear…
@AySz88 I don’t know who they were. Some random guy driving a roadside rescue truck. Like one that can tow your car, equipped with a separate car jumping mechanism on the side, etc. I have no idea if he was a mechanic, was with AAA directly, or subcontracted, they never mentioned. He just got my car running and left.
Dubious about the 2-year warranty from Tacklife, considering the link is dead. Another seller (Groupon) of Tacklife chargers has used a third-party (cpscentral.com) for warranty fulfillment.
@brakeforbeer Good point; Tacklife has essentially dried up and blown away at this point, which is why all of their stuff is being sold by closeout sites. Basically, there is no manufacturer warranty to rely on here. However, the experience of quite a few people on this particular site has been that this is a good product, so if it works when you get it, it’s probably good enough. And if it doesn’t work when you get it, then the seller will cover it. You’ll probably only get a refund, though.
@werehatrack Correct. I already own two (the T8 Pro via Groupon), and I just purchased a T8 800 today. Based on my experience, it’s been a good unit - as have my Aukey devices.
Don’t waste you’re money a this will only work if your battery has been dead for less than 10 minutes, It WILL not jump start a car that sat overnight with the lights left on.
If you really want to be safe invest in an actual portable jump box but it!ll run you $150 or more but if you live in a cold part of the country it’s a good investment
@ThyProphet Given that yesterday I used one of the Tacklife T6 packs to start a PT Cruiser whose battery would not even light up the dash panel after sitting for 2 weeks, and the Tacklife worked just fine, I think you’re incorrect about that. Many of these packs have a different problem, in that they will cut out of circuit as soon as the alternator kicks in, and if the battery in the car is so dead that it appears to be out of circuit, the engine will die again when the booster pack switches off. But that’s not the same problem.
@ejames@ThyProphet@werehatrack Yup…I can confirm that these work. The T6 was able to start a Shelby GT500 that had been dead and sitting for @ 2 months (my husband doesn’t drive it during the winter, and something in it drains the battery, even though he disconnects what he can).
Anyway…it didn’t work the first 2 times he tried it, but he didn’t know about the boost setting. When he used that, it started immediately. It’s a big engine and he was sure it wouldn’t work, so he was surprised and impressed that it did.
I bought the T6 back in November. I’ve had to use it a bunch. It works great. Was able to jump my Ford Expedition 6 times before having to recharge it.
Hopefully this one is just as reliable. Now i’ll have one in each vehicle.
The T6 gets a perfect 5/7 stars.
Behold the solution to the infuriating “How The Fuck Do I Make All This Crap Fit Back In Here???” issue…
Cut away that zippered netting, and you can actually see what you’re doing. Just make sure to open and close the whole thing with the brand imprint on the bottom, or swap the shaped foam insert to the other half of the clamshell so that the battery pack is in the “top”, and you can open it the expected “I forgot” way without spilling everything.
@uslam One of mine was hooked to the charger for about twenty minutes before it woke up and started showing me anything. It is the one I use most often now, so it was actually OK.
@briley64 I got a DOA unit the last time a similar product was offered. I contacted support and received a quick refund (and no need to return the defective unit).
OBTW, here’s one of the new batch in its modded case with the battery pack moved to the top shell and the accessories in the bottom. No @carl669 vocab needed when repacking! (Using some anyway is optional. Personally, I gave it a “fuck, yeah!”)
When I get time and ambition, I plan to add a velcro tab to keep that flap in place over the accessories, but still allow it to be fully opened out of the way.
Does anybody know what the polarity out of the barrel connector is? I just got mine and didn’t even realize it had 12v out, happy bonus! I’d like to make a barrel to Anderson connector, but I don’t really want to fry anything, or re-pin my connector if I don’t have to. I guess I could get out the Fluke, but do I have to?
Mine is DOA… Left charging overnight, with the switch set to “on” but no sign of life. When I first plug-in it says “low” on the screen, but never gets past that point.
@louisdi It’s possible that the charging brick is the problem; try using the lighter-plug cord to charge it in the car. But in any event, your next stop is meh.com/support. One bad thing makes whole thing bad, from a warranty perspective.
@louisdi I had the same issue. Meh refunded mine. I figured it fell victim to the voltage falling below the cutoff level where it won’t pass any charge in.
I checked the power brick and it is putting out the expected voltage so it appears to me that it’s just been sitting on the shelf too long and lipo ran down past the point where the protection circuitry will let it charge. Bummer. This was something I actually needed, unlike most of my meh purchases.
Mine arrived today, and also appears dead-ish. Only displays Lo if turned on when connected to the charger. If no charger, no display. The wall charger is putting out just over 15v unloaded.
I’ll leave it on the charger overnight, but I’m not optimistic.
My track record with meh stuff is dropping rapidly.
I was apprehensive about getting these figuring they’d be DOA, but surprisingly the two I ordered arrived with 85% charge. Topping it off took a while (via AC) but did get to 100%. Haven’t had a chance to test them out otherwise but this was a good sign.
Mine was DOA. Meh refunded me quickly. Always great support. I figured before chucking it in the recycle bin I’d see if the lipo could be revived. Turns out it can!
Typical caveats here: You CAN burn down your house if you do this wrong, so don’t be silly about it. Also you do need a lipo charger that most people aren’t going to have lying around unless you’re into hobbies that need big batteries.
I opened it up and disconnected the balance lead to the circuit board inside and connected the battery leads up to my R/C battery charger as a NIMH battery and put a very low current (0.1 amps) into it until it read 10.5 volts. Took it off the R/C battery charger and reconnected the balance lead to the circuit board and tried the included AC charger again. It showed 1% and charged itself up to 100% after a couple of hours.
Specs
Product: Tacklife T8 800 Amp 18000mAh Portable Jump Starter
Model: USAKKOCN1010434
Condition: New
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$84.50 at Walmart
Warranty
2-Year Warranty
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Mar 20 - Tuesday, Mar 21
These sex toys are getting expensive.
@yakkoTDI Have you priced a Rabbit lately? This is a bargain, if it does what you’re into.
I’ll keep using mine to start cars, though; just sayin’.
@werehatrack I bought my Rabbit in 2009. I am just waiting for a donor car so I can do an engine upgrade.
Can these be used for interrogations during Congressional hearings?
(Asking for a friend.)
@phendrick If you have an ignition coil from a Ford Model T, sure. Otherwise, the voltage is a bit low.
I literally just ordered this two days ago for $40. Damn it. Lol. I have the T6 already which is pretty much the same thing and it works great for my 4 and 6 cylinder gas vehicles.
@ColeSloth Sounds like you got a pretty good deal elsewhere. And if you’re not a “Mehmber” and got free shipping at the other place, it’s a wash. But I’m sure you realize all that. J/s, even if you overspent by $5… others have paid a lot more and gave it to Walmart!
Despite their small size, these things (not this brand particularly, as I have no experience with them) really can start your car when your battery is dead. You do not have to wait an hour for AAA or find a willing and available friend (or stranger). You can also be a hero and start someone else who is stuck. I carry one in each car.
@andyw I agree! They are great!
The Tacklife one I got here was able to easily start my husband’s Shelby GT500 from completely dead (it had been sitting a while) and it started the car with no problem! He didn’t think it would have enough power to start it, so he was impressed, lol!
I need 2 more, so I think I’ll grab them tonight in case they sell out.
I got 3 of the T6 800’s here a few months ago…does anyone know if the T8 is any different (better, worse or essentially the same?).
I need one or two more, but if this one isn’t as good I’ll get one somewhere else.
@k4evryng The difference is just the battery size/output.
@k4evryng Remembering my own purchases, I think the difference is in the ports and the T8 has a display whereas the T6 has LEDs only.
@k4evryng Pretty much the same except for the lack of the digital charge level readout. I’d have no qualms about them. (I bought four of the previous version.)
Thanks all! I got 3, lol!
They really are handy to have in a vehicle!
@k4evryng they’re almost the exact same but with one main difference. The t8 here has an analog shut off switch that is supposed to allow it to hold a charge for months longer (one year) than the t6. Otherwise, almost same dimensions, accessories, ports, cranking amps, and mah battery size. Just the t8 gets you the power switch and a tiny useless compass.
@k4evryng @yakkoTDI Size and output is no difference. The only pertinent difference is that the t8 has an analog shut off switch that allows it to stay charged while stored not in use for up to a year, and the t6 does not, which causes the t6 to very slowly drain power over swveral months.
@ColeSloth @k4evryng They both have the tiny useless compass. But knowing that this one has the switch, I guess I’m in for at least one, dammit.
@ColeSloth @k4evryng Do you have cranking amp info? I can’t find it in the product description here or any other store site. I just bought a weego 44s with 440 cranking amps and it barely turns over my 6.1 litre.
@ColeSloth @k4evryng “Otherwise, almost same dimensions, accessories, ports, cranking amps, and mah battery size.” And that is definitely better than a meh battery size.
@LilSatan I wish I could answer your question but I know nothing about cars.
However, the T6 started my husband’s 8 cylinder engine from completely dead with absolutely no trouble (using the boost setting), if that helps you at all, lol!
@k4evryng @LilSatan I bought a couple last time, and they had no problem cranking the 3L van or the 6.2L car.
@ColeSloth @k4evryng @werehatrack I thought I saw on Side Deal that the power output was different. Must have been different models. As for this one here is a page with specs comparing it to the T6.
https://comparejumpstarters.com/tacklife-t8-vs-t6/
Bought this previously. No issues even starting my van with no battery at all.
I have four of a different model from this brand, and they work well. This is a good price for such a unit. Just a couple of weeks ago, I used one to jump start a car that had resisted being cranked with jumper cables. The Tacklife jumper box spun it over easily.
Already used one from a couple months ago to start the car. Started right away and minimal drop in charge. Definitely worth the investment.
@ExtraMedium
ITYM 2.1A there
8lbs??? Tf?
@thechinglish At least it weighs a lot less than another car!
@PooltoyWolf @thechinglish And a lot less than a lower-rated conventional pack that uses a sealed lead-acid AGM battery.
@thechinglish it is not 8lbs. Id say its 2lbs.
@ColeSloth @thechinglish 8 lbs is probably an overestimate; the ones I got last time are just under three pounds per kit.
@ColeSloth @thechinglish I have this. I just weighed it and it’s 2 3/4 pounds in its case with all the parts.
@ColeSloth @thechinglish @werehatrack Hah - what she said - posted while I was typing my answer!
/showme me burning through a bunch of favors from my friends
/showme a guy using proper technique to jumpstart a modest women’s car
@medz …at least it tried!
I recently went outside after a snowstorm and found that my car battery was dead. “Cool”, I thought, “Time to test my portable jump starter.” Which was in the back of the car. Which has an electric lock, and no obvious backup key hole.
@danN58 Oh … I wouldn’t have thought of that either!
@danN58 I haven’t seen one yet that didn’t have an emergency key for the driver’s door hidden inside the fob. Usually, the slot for the key is in or just below the door handle, and not particularly prominent. In snow weather, it might be hidden by ice.
@danN58 this has happened to me a few times. I have to crawl through from the back seats.
@danN58 what car do you have?
@danN58 WE just had that problem. The jump starter was in the underfloor compartment of our Subaru Ascent. I could not open the rear lid after getting the car open with the key from the fob. If I had gotten to the trunk area, I doubt the cover of the compartment would open. I got the jumper from the other car and it started the Ascent (it was a littlel reluctant to start since it had not been used in a month).
Now I keep the Ascent’s jumper under the driver’s seat from the 2nd row.
@danN58 Could be worse. Some late-70s Peugeots had electrically-operated door locks, latches, and windows, with the result that if the main fuse popped disconnecting all power, you couldn’t easily open the doors or windows from inside the car because the manual release was well hidden. The problem has now been recreated in a certain other line…
https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/how-to-escape-your-car-if-the-electronic-door-release-fails-a8152892189/
@danN58 @werehatrack Tesla Model 3’s only have manual door releases for the front doors. For those planning to ride in the backseat, practice crawling into the front seat. Ideally, practice this while the car rests on its side to simulate a worst case scenario.
@andyw @danN58 Good point. I have a keyhole only in the driver door. The trunk is electrical release only.
Unless you’re willing to crawl over (dead) electric seats into a micro sized back seat, pull the latches on the rear seat, and crawl into the trunk.
That’s why I’ve been meaning to mount a fire extinguisher in front of the seat, racer style. It could be locked away in the trunk when needed.
/giphy dopey-terrified-face
The /showme command is a member feature. Join membership to try it out.
Ahhhhh I should have guessed.
Green…ugh
/giphy alert-unvarying-boar
/showme dopey-terrified-face
@notrobocop There ya go.
@werehatrack That’s… both dopey and terrifying. Thanks.
You can get an orange one instead of a green one at Walmart for $54. Still a good deal at $34. I grabbed one for me. One for my wife.
@Sdevarona $35 (minus one cent.)
@Sdevarona @Kyeh I got an orange one (that didn’t work) the last time these were offered. Maybe I could get a green one (that doesn’t work) for my other car!
@Kyeh @macromeh @Sdevarona I got an orange one that didn’t work either. I ordered a green and then cancelled, now I’ve re-ordered. I’m really hesitant about this.
Also, I think MorningSave still has other colors. A few bucks more than here, but cheaper than Walmart.
@barnabee @Kyeh @macromeh @Sdevarona When I ordered my T6 units here, they didn’t give me a choice of which color I got. It was strictly a matter of “there will be a color, and it might be any of these.”
@Kyeh @Sdevarona The scam does work.
@blaineg @Sdevarona (
) 99%!
I have a similar one, and once you get it out of the case, you’ll never get it back in. I wonder if there is a pic of this one in its carrying case. Very frustrating!
@katbyter Here’s a picture I took of mine in its case.
It’s pretty tight which is why I left that little sheet of white plastic under it; makes it easier to slide up and out.
@katbyter I solved it by cutting out the netting, and closing the pack over the widgets instead of the other way around. It also helps to leave out the lighter adapter.
/giphy snarky-weepy-hole
/giphy mindless-primo-flamingo
Fine I’m in for 2. We had someone save our butts with something like this a few years back. Went to IKEA, the boy wanted to stay in the car, when we got back to the car, he had turned on the ignition with the fan running and radio on and we were stuck. A rando saw us and got us started with something like this. Better than waiting 2+ hours for roadside assistance.
My first Meh purchase. Just got one to replace one I can’t find. I like to keep one in my m/c saddle bag for emergencies and to start my tractor during the winter. For $40 with shipping, I hope it’s more than just a phone charger. BTW Meh, no free shipping for Prime customers?
@Limarick Prime is an Amazon “feature.” Meh is not an Amazon company.
@Limarick you’re thinking of woot!
@gadgetlam I was under the impression Meh was a subsidiary of woot, that they created to try to bring back the magic of the original (pre- Amazon) woot of days long past. No? My username came from my woot profile.
@gadgetlam @Limarick No, it’s the founders of Woot after they took an Amazon payday, back around with another deal-a-day site. Spiritual successor, not corporate brother.
@Limarick I bought this last time. I started my truck with it 3 times and it was still at 96% charge. I would say its legit or the charge gauge is wrong lol!
@gadgetlam @kyouteki @Limarick
Amazon takes no siblings… just hostages.
From Amazon the Barbarian:
Crush your enemies
See them driven before you
And hear the lamentation
Of their women
@pmarin Recently updated to add “… and then post the video on YouTube.”
I actually ended up ordering another one.
@gadgetlam @kyouteki @Limarick @pmarin
They also like to kill their hostages. I will never forget how they bought and killed Shoefitr, a tool used across competitors that 3D scanned shoes and compared how the shoe you currently wear differs with the shoe you are looking at. The next best thing to actually trying on the shoe. FU jeffy b
i need a 3500 amp for my diesel. gooloo is best bang for buck
@commodog I use two for my 85 suburban 6.5, one on each battery
Yes it has a 6.5 which replaced the 6.2
@commodog great, we will make a note of that in the spreadsheet.
@commodog No way you should need 3,500 amps unless you are starting a bulldozer!!!
@commodog @zacks dude, a bulldozer takes a 4D battery, and that’s only rated at 1050CCA.
/giphy memorable-bogus-sulphur
/showme memorable-bogus-sulphur
I bought one of these from Meh previously. It is legit. The only think I kinda don’t like about it is the friggin barrel charger. 15v at 1 amp. Really? that 15 watts could have been delivered via a standard USB port. Even if you have an old charger, I would rather do 5-10 watts than have to keep the proprietary Tacklife charger around.
Pretty minor gripe though.
@ohhwell Easier to charge the higher voltage pack with a higher voltage source. That said, you can find a USB-C PD 15v cable on AliE that would allow you to charge this from a PD-capable charger that can do 15V.
@kyouteki @ohhwell
That only works if the battery pack also speaks PD and can signal to send the higher voltage than the 5V specified by the USB standard.
@ohhwell @werehatrack The cables I’m speaking about have PD trigger circuits in the USB-C plug itself, so downstream from the plug is just 15VDC (or whatever voltage trigger board you buy). I’ve used several of these (9V and 12V mostly) to create PD power cables for classic game consoles, like my Sega Genesis and Nintendo Wii. (For the Wii, I had to lop off the barrel plug and add the proprietary Wii DC plug, but that’s available on AliE, too.)
@kyouteki Good to know; thanks.
@kyouteki @werehatrack Awsome. I had absolutely no clue a cable that would trigger a certain PD mode existed.
@kyouteki @ohhwell @werehatrack
I’ve bought them from Ali before but only with buck converters in them – none with boost. You can get them to work with regular 5V non-PD capable chargers and have the buck converter to do the voltage reduction or a boost converter to increase the voltage. PD versions of them exist too so you would be using a PD compatible charger to regulate the voltages.
Anybody tested the self-discharge after letting it sit during winter/summer? I’m assuming this uses some kind of LiPo battery, and I’m not terribly familiar with how they handle extreme temperatures.
For reference, their claim is:
I know that’s not the same as actual testing though.
@AySz88 “Up to” is the biggest lie in marketing. Ten minutes is within the range of “up to 12 months”, since no lower value is specified. I’ve taken to decoding “up to” as meaning “no way in hell will it get close to”.
@werehatrack Sure, without reviews to verify, every claim is fishy these days. Even strong claims like “guaranteed to” or longer warranty can rely on the idea that most people won’t bother to claim it, with a jacked up price to cover the few returns and pocketing the difference. On the other side of the spectrum, CYA-culture likes to water down claims everywhere, regardless of fact. Definitely a “Market for Lemons”-type situation.
@AySz88 And to be fair, none of the four Tacklife packs here has shown any significant reduction in charge either sitting in the house or in a vehicle for 4 months. I’d call that pretty good, actually. Particularly since my three old-style heavy jumper boxes generally have to be charged at least once every 60 days in order to be useful at all.
/giphy microscopic-impartial-marble
I bought one previously. Did not work. Had to call AAA. They said car manufacturers build cars now in a way that requires a stronger jump than these little things can provide.
@bla5t0ff Lol they lied to you and if it didn’t work you were using it wrong (or had a defective one)! I started my 2016 Ram with a 6.4 L in it 3 times and it still says it is at 96% charge!!!
@bla5t0ff given that mine jumped a 2021 Silverado yesterday, I think that AAA dude was Selling Something. (OTGH, I’ve seen some really crap jumper boxes that couldn’t start a '67 Beetle, too.)
One thing, though; if memory serves, the instruction booklet is printed in a font so tiny that only a tardigrade can read it without glasses, did you know that you’ve got to push the square yellow button on the side of the black plug just before you crank the car? And some of them won’t function without hitting the main “on” switch on the side, though mine don’t seem to care about that so much.
@bla5t0ff Was it a situation that needed “boost mode”? When battery level is extremely low, you must use that to bypass some protections because the unit can’t check whether you’ve connected the jumpers the right way around.
@werehatrack There was nothing to sell, I already had a membership. He even tried using his own and that didn’t work either
@AySz88 Maybe that was it, he did have to do something extra but I don’t remember, something about connecting my car directly to his truck that had extra energy
@zacks I don’t think he was lying. Sounds like I had an unusual case. Maybe mine is defective
@bla5t0ff I wonder if the thing they were selling was to look useful so AAA keeps calling an “actual” mechanic, vs just hiring a joe schmoe to deliver one of these to you. The “tried their own” bit really smells like a performance.
@AySz88 @bla5t0ff it does sound like your battery was too low to work without “boost mode” and the AAA driver was talking out his rear.
@AySz88 Waiting over 2 hrs for someone to show up isn’t really a “useful” act for anyone. Calling AAA is the last thing I ever want to do. I mostly enjoy the steep discounts on hotels and rental cars
@AySz88 @ohhwell I don’t know what everyone has against AAA but neither of you were there or know exactly what happened so if anyone is talking out of their rear…
@bla5t0ff Huh? I meant the person who did the roadside assistance (I suppose that already might not be a mechanic these days?)
@AySz88 I don’t know who they were. Some random guy driving a roadside rescue truck. Like one that can tow your car, equipped with a separate car jumping mechanism on the side, etc. I have no idea if he was a mechanic, was with AAA directly, or subcontracted, they never mentioned. He just got my car running and left.
I don’t care about Georgia Red, will it make a margarita???
@jhinra Do you have a 12V blender?
@jhinra @werehatrack And it might give you naturally curly red hair while it is hooked up and charged.
/showme motionless-uneven-fig
/showme ugly-choosy-chili
The /showme command is a member feature. Join membership to try it out.
/giphy ugly-choosy-chili
@gageaa75 Stealing that.
/giphy waiting-unbecoming-acoustic
@MrDumass Cancel and get your money back please these do not work on batteries that have been dead for more than 5 minutes
/giphy shocked-blushing-chipmunk
@dbevensjr Cancel and get your money back please these do not work on batteries that have been dead for more than 5 minutes
It might even start my Harley!!
@bud49 it wouldn’t even start a Tonka truck let alone an actual car battery
@bud49 @ThyProphet It’s really hard to start the engine in a Tonka since it’s just a tiny bit nonexistent.
@bud49 It would if it can start my 1999 F150 V8.
Hope you all have a terrific Weekend & time change
Dubious about the 2-year warranty from Tacklife, considering the link is dead. Another seller (Groupon) of Tacklife chargers has used a third-party (cpscentral.com) for warranty fulfillment.
@brakeforbeer Good point; Tacklife has essentially dried up and blown away at this point, which is why all of their stuff is being sold by closeout sites. Basically, there is no manufacturer warranty to rely on here. However, the experience of quite a few people on this particular site has been that this is a good product, so if it works when you get it, it’s probably good enough. And if it doesn’t work when you get it, then the seller will cover it. You’ll probably only get a refund, though.
@werehatrack Correct. I already own two (the T8 Pro via Groupon), and I just purchased a T8 800 today. Based on my experience, it’s been a good unit - as have my Aukey devices.
Don’t waste you’re money a this will only work if your battery has been dead for less than 10 minutes, It WILL not jump start a car that sat overnight with the lights left on.
If you really want to be safe invest in an actual portable jump box but it!ll run you $150 or more but if you live in a cold part of the country it’s a good investment
@ThyProphet Given that yesterday I used one of the Tacklife T6 packs to start a PT Cruiser whose battery would not even light up the dash panel after sitting for 2 weeks, and the Tacklife worked just fine, I think you’re incorrect about that. Many of these packs have a different problem, in that they will cut out of circuit as soon as the alternator kicks in, and if the battery in the car is so dead that it appears to be out of circuit, the engine will die again when the booster pack switches off. But that’s not the same problem.
@ThyProphet @werehatrack +1 to werehatrack said. the T6 I have can start a dead battery fine. And have plenty of juice left to do it again.
@ejames @ThyProphet @werehatrack I was able to use this one to start my second car that had been dead for months, and it only used 1% of the battery.
@ejames @ThyProphet @werehatrack Yup…I can confirm that these work. The T6 was able to start a Shelby GT500 that had been dead and sitting for @ 2 months (my husband doesn’t drive it during the winter, and something in it drains the battery, even though he disconnects what he can).
Anyway…it didn’t work the first 2 times he tried it, but he didn’t know about the boost setting. When he used that, it started immediately. It’s a big engine and he was sure it wouldn’t work, so he was surprised and impressed that it did.
@ThyProphet one of these started my 1999 F-150 (a classic!) after it sat all winter.
/giphy found-bubbly-pepper
Sell these!
I bought the T6 back in November. I’ve had to use it a bunch. It works great. Was able to jump my Ford Expedition 6 times before having to recharge it.
Hopefully this one is just as reliable. Now i’ll have one in each vehicle.
The T6 gets a perfect 5/7 stars.
/giphy frankly-precocious-barnacle
FYI, the compass is crap. I would not expect to use it on an expedition of any type. Ok, maybe the Ford type…
Remember to wet their nipples first or you will never get a good confession out of them. That is my tip of the day.
@bugger
/giphy cozy-violet-saturn
Ordered two of these last time and one didn’t work at all straight out of the box…
/buy
@uvassassin It worked! Your order number is: fortunate-hardy-ear
/image fortunate hardy ear
Behold the solution to the infuriating “How The Fuck Do I Make All This Crap Fit Back In Here???” issue…
Cut away that zippered netting, and you can actually see what you’re doing. Just make sure to open and close the whole thing with the brand imprint on the bottom, or swap the shaped foam insert to the other half of the clamshell so that the battery pack is in the “top”, and you can open it the expected “I forgot” way without spilling everything.
OBTW, these are apparently getting dropshipped out of California.
Yes, mine arrived ups today in socal, shipped from ont. Need to open!
Arrived DOA.
@uslam
And just checking, it is turned on, right? As noted in the specs:
@uslam One of mine was hooked to the charger for about twenty minutes before it woke up and started showing me anything. It is the one I use most often now, so it was actually OK.
got one and it does not work it wont charge even when the switch is on. waist of money
@briley64 I got a DOA unit the last time a similar product was offered. I contacted support and received a quick refund (and no need to return the defective unit).
OBTW, here’s one of the new batch in its modded case with the battery pack moved to the top shell and the accessories in the bottom. No @carl669 vocab needed when repacking! (Using some anyway is optional. Personally, I gave it a “fuck, yeah!”)
When I get time and ambition, I plan to add a velcro tab to keep that flap in place over the accessories, but still allow it to be fully opened out of the way.
Does anybody know what the polarity out of the barrel connector is? I just got mine and didn’t even realize it had 12v out, happy bonus! I’d like to make a barrel to Anderson connector, but I don’t really want to fry anything, or re-pin my connector if I don’t have to. I guess I could get out the Fluke, but do I have to?
Mine is DOA… Left charging overnight, with the switch set to “on” but no sign of life. When I first plug-in it says “low” on the screen, but never gets past that point.
@louisdi It’s possible that the charging brick is the problem; try using the lighter-plug cord to charge it in the car. But in any event, your next stop is meh.com/support. One bad thing makes whole thing bad, from a warranty perspective.
@louisdi I had the same issue. Meh refunded mine. I figured it fell victim to the voltage falling below the cutoff level where it won’t pass any charge in.
I checked the power brick and it is putting out the expected voltage so it appears to me that it’s just been sitting on the shelf too long and lipo ran down past the point where the protection circuitry will let it charge. Bummer. This was something I actually needed, unlike most of my meh purchases.
Mine arrived today, and also appears dead-ish. Only displays Lo if turned on when connected to the charger. If no charger, no display. The wall charger is putting out just over 15v unloaded.
I’ll leave it on the charger overnight, but I’m not optimistic.
My track record with meh stuff is dropping rapidly.
@D_a_v_e
After half an hour of being connected to the charger, no change.
@D_a_v_e
So after being on the charger all night, it still doesn’t have enough power to display Lo on its own. Only does when connected to charger.
@D_a_v_e That looks dead, yup
I was apprehensive about getting these figuring they’d be DOA, but surprisingly the two I ordered arrived with 85% charge. Topping it off took a while (via AC) but did get to 100%. Haven’t had a chance to test them out otherwise but this was a good sign.
Mine was DOA. Meh refunded me quickly. Always great support. I figured before chucking it in the recycle bin I’d see if the lipo could be revived. Turns out it can!
Typical caveats here: You CAN burn down your house if you do this wrong, so don’t be silly about it. Also you do need a lipo charger that most people aren’t going to have lying around unless you’re into hobbies that need big batteries.
I opened it up and disconnected the balance lead to the circuit board inside and connected the battery leads up to my R/C battery charger as a NIMH battery and put a very low current (0.1 amps) into it until it read 10.5 volts. Took it off the R/C battery charger and reconnected the balance lead to the circuit board and tried the included AC charger again. It showed 1% and charged itself up to 100% after a couple of hours.