I was out with a few friends and their families for a BBQ in a local forest over the weekend.

 

When it came to set off home my mates Mazda 6 wouldn't start, the battery was flat.

 

Rather embarrassingly non of us had a set of jump leads. Luckily a passing couple in their VW camper van had one to lend us.

 

As a result I want two sets, one for each car to keep in the boot.

 

Looking online there is lots of choice. I don't want cheap, cheap but then I'd rather not pay for top money too.

 

Any suggestions on what to look for?

 

Choices seem to involve length and the amp rating...

Alot of them seem to be cheap and nasty now. 

 

We've got a set from years ago, proper thick cable and really well made. Often wondered what they are but theres no names or anythin :( 

Higher the amp rating the better.

Think these are the ones I have

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductMobileDisplay?catalogId=10151&langId=-1&categoryId=255204&productId=777075&storeId=10001 and they have never failed in the task.

Had some thin cheap ones once and you had to leave them for 5min before attempting to start, whereas the ones above you can connect and start.

Alot of them look decently thick, but be careful.. auld lad had a set that looked right good, until one cracked one day, near the clamp and when i cut through to shorten it back the cable was tiny, wrapped in really thick insulation..

made a new set with a few meters of high amp cable that was lying around the shed, just painted the insulation to match the clamp colours..

As with a lot of things these days its a minefield trying to get a quality product, as mentioned above, some try and look beefy by having a massive amount of insulation on the cables.

 

I have a set of these: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cjl30d-professional-jump-leads/ but they do a higher rated set as well but probably overkill for most cars

Thanks guys, there does appear to be lots of cheap tat out there, probably better staying away from eBay!

 

Looks like £20 seems to get you a decent set.

Like everything really... i have a set i picked up in lidl/aldi and they work fine , just could do with being about 2ft longer for extra bit of leeway from time to time.. also they get a bit hot if you need to leave them on a few mins..

Thanks guys, there does appear to be lots of cheap tat out there, probably better staying away from eBay!

Looks like £20 seems to get you a decent set.

Should do. When you think what they actually are... .

Copper prices probably arent helping mind. Cable is silly money.

I'd avoid ebay and amazon and get some from a more reputable place. There are shocking (badum-tish) amounts of cables that say they are suitable for high amperages but are clearly not.

As an Electrical Engineer I'd recommend either the 41mm leads from Machine Mart as linked above or the 54mm professional set they do for a bit more money.

 

Don't buy cheap leads from ebay etc as they are poor quality thin copper covered with a thick layer of cheap plastic to make you think they are heavy duty.

 

Lee

Got mine from halfords, they were the second biggest set they did and were on offer at the time. Big csa cables with decent insulation and a decent carry case.

I spent ages looking for a new set to replace my old ones, even found a company that makes the ones for RAC/AA patrol..

 

Walked into Halfords one day & they had one the shelf a very good, set similar to the high end ones, for much less, good cable CSA etc....

 

these I think..

 

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/jump-leads/halfords-35mm-booster-cables

I spent ages looking for a new set to replace my old ones, even found a company that makes the ones for RAC/AA patrol..

Walked into Halfords one day & they had one the shelf a very good, set similar to the high end ones, for much less, good cable CSA etc....

these I think..

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-equipment/jump-leads/halfords-35mm-booster-cables

The ones I have

The Halfords Jump Leads are expensive for what they are, ie £25 for 25mm CSA @ 3.5M long or £35 for 35mm CSA @ 4.5M long.

 

The Clarke Branded Machine Mart cables are £24 for 41mm CSA @3.5M long or £36 for 54mm CSA @ 4.5M long.

 

Lee

As with a lot of things these days its a minefield trying to get a quality product, as mentioned above, some try and look beefy by having a massive amount of insulation on the cables.

 

I have a set of these: https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cjl30d-professional-jump-leads/ but they do a higher rated set as well but probably overkill for most cars

 

They look exactly like a set of Halfords ones I got a few years back in a green plastic carrycase. Good cable, long length. used a few times. But the plastic handle split on one grip last week and totally unuseable now.

Thanks guys, I've just bought two sets of the Clarke ones from Machine Mart, one for each car.

 

£50 but hopefully they'll never be needed and will outlive me!

 

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/clarke-cjl30d-professional-jump-leads/

 

I'm going to get a set for our other car too, as they look decent for the money.

The Halfords Jump Leads are expensive for what they are, ie £25 for 25mm CSA @ 3.5M long or £35 for 35mm CSA @ 4.5M long.

The Clarke Branded Machine Mart cables are £24 for 41mm CSA @3.5M long or £36 for 54mm CSA @ 4.5M long.

Lee

Thats why you buy them when they are on offer

let's look at what a set of jump leads needs to do ,and how it does it. Most folks think jump leads magically transfer ALL the capacity from the donor battery to the recipient with no loss of power. First fall at hurdles. The cables might be capable of handling the current, BUT the connection at each battery never is. Not unless you are trying to start a motorbike from a DERV .

All that is needed for a jump start is a pair of leads capable of handling about 30A and a decent set of croc clips, and let the donor charging system fast charge the recipient's battery. The cable will carry the charge current, but will the croc clips ?

What if the connections happen to be good enough to allow 100A though? Your thin 30A cable is going to get hot, fast.

 

I made a set of leads about 25 years ago out of some 16mm² high quality cable (coincidentally used by my work at the time for running up superconducting magnets...), with random clips from I can't remember where. Must've successfully started a dozen vehicles or more with these, never failed.

I wonder about the copper purity levels (and so the effective conductivity) of these massive-yet-cheap offerings discussed above.

The idea( which most folks don't realise is)that Jump leads are never heavy enough ,or provide a good enough contact to provide enough current to start a car. The idea is to get a decent charge from the donor vehicle to the recipient to bring the recipient battery up to charge. TBH- jump leads capable of instant start would possibly be capable of providing a lot more than 100A, and you'd need  lot better connection than  croc clips given the current / the volt drop and the resistance .

Jump leads are like penises, longer and thicker ones give you a better jump but avoid getting them out in public because it's quite embarrassing.

Edited 8 May, 201610 yr by Outofthi5world

pah! Jump leads. I nicked one of those defibrilators you see on the wall in shopping centres. No need for a donor car and free (sort of)  Proper job

I use these things for my jetskis and cars much easier and safer than leads....£37

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12V-50800mAh-Portable-Car-Jump-Starter-Pack-Booster-Charger-Battery-Power-Bank/331822877786?_trksid=p2045573.c100507.m3226&_trkparms=aid%3D555014%26algo%3DPL.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20151016114640%26meid%3D01f8b6e1a2f64ffb8fb392dbf6505d4b%26pid%3D100507%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26