Whether you’re working, playing or shopping, you count on your car to get you from point a to point b. when something goes wrong, it can put a significant damper on your day. a flat tire, for example, is a huge headache. at the very least, you need to put in your spare. this could mean going out in the rain or kneeling in slush on the side of a busy road. not only that, but it can make you late wherever you go. the time factor is particularly significant when you have a dead battery. even if you’re prepared with a set of jumper cables, you should expect a friendly stranger to help you out. depending on where you’re parked, you might end up waiting a while.
With a portable jump starter, you don’t have to wait for someone to jump on you. you have the necessary tools ready to go in your trunk or center console. but you don’t want to choose just any old starter. you want to find one that has the features you need. First of all, this means finding one with enough power. Different jump starters provide more or less amperage, which means they can start larger or smaller motors. If you drive a subcompact, almost any jump starter will have plenty of power. but if you drive an SUV or a diesel truck, you’ll have to be much more demanding.
Reading: Imazing portable car jump starter reviews
Today we are going to review the amazing im27 portable starter. This is a high power jump starter that can start all but the largest displacement engines. it doubles as an emergency power bank and even has a built-in flashlight. but how well does it actually work in practice? How big is a motor that it can start and how much capacity does the power bank have? We’ll cover all the important features, starting with the physical build. We’ll talk about battery performance, safety features, charging, and everything else you need to know. after that, we will have enough information to render a fair verdict. let’s get started!
design and construction design
The amazing im27 portable jump starter has a rectangular housing constructed of matte black plastic. The edges are curved for comfort and grooved to help provide a secure grip. Overall size is 7.5 inches long, 3.5 inches wide, and 1.4 inches thick. that’s perfect for holding in one hand and small enough to fit in your glove box. And at just 18 ounces, it’s lightweight and easy to transport.
The top surface has a gray power button in the center, to turn the jump starter on and off. By keeping it off when in storage, you can significantly extend battery life. it’s smart to recharge the battery once a year just to be safe. but even after a year of storage, you will have more than half of the total charge left. When the im27 is powered on, the top display will light up. This is a small black display with red led numbers and letters. shows the percentage of battery charge remaining and whether power is coming in or going out.
The left edge of the case has a USB Type-C port towards the front. this can be used as part of the power bank function, but is primarily for charging the battery. A USB Type-C charging cable is included in the kit, along with a car adapter. if you prefer not to charge it in your car, you can charge it at home with any usb power adapter.
Also on the left edge of the case is a barrel-style DC power port. the rest of the notable physical features are found on the gray front panel. there, towards the right side of the casing, is a black rubber stopper. this plug can be removed to reveal the plug for connecting the jumper cables. In the center, there are a pair of USB Type-A ports. to the left, there is a round flashlight lens. we’ll talk more about these features in a moment.
Jumper wire leads are separate from the main housing and can be plugged in as needed. this is a y-cable, with a single plug and red and black wires with clamps on the ends. the cables are less than a foot long, which would be disappointing if they were jumper cables. But you don’t need to have a lot of reach – the im27 is designed to be used under your hood.
we found that the braces are designed with large plastic guards in front of the teeth. this makes it more difficult for you to accidentally shock yourself while connecting the wires. on the plug, where the two cables meet, there is a small red led display. this displays the current voltage of the starter and will also display security alerts if necessary.
The charger and cables come in a semi-rigid, zippered carrying case. this helps prevent scratches and dents while you’re on the road. everything is covered by a two-year manufacturer’s warranty. if something is faulty or fails prematurely, you are fully protected.
If you’re looking for the most reliable performance possible, you want a capacitor-based starter. the autowit supercap 2 uses capacitors instead of a battery, so it can work even in the most extreme conditions. it also holds its charge for years, but there are no additional features. it cannot work as a power bank, flashlight or anything other than a jump starter.
fast boot performance
The incredible im27 delivers 2000 amps of peak current, which is a significant electrical shock. this is enough to start a gasoline engine with a capacity of up to 10 liters. That’s an incredibly large engine, larger than any passenger vehicle on the road. As for diesel engines, it can start up to an 8-liter engine. That’s the same size as smaller dump trucks, so most heavy-duty vehicles will be covered. If you are operating a local delivery van, you will have no worries at all. And since it’s still standard 12 volt power, it can start smaller motors too. the im27 can start motorcycles, ATVs, and even lawn mowers.
It boasts amazing that this jump starter can run up to 30 times on a full charge. that’s technically accurate, but it depends a lot on what you’re trying to jump. a small lawn mower battery won’t draw as much current as a diesel work truck, for example. That being said, the 18,000mAh battery has enough power to jump start even a very large vehicle multiple times. Of course, we recommend charging it after each use just to be safe. but if you forget it, you’ll still have a reliable backup.
one drawback of the im27 is the loading time. Even when plugged into an AC wall block, it can take up to six hours to fully charge. to be fair, that’s only if you’ve completely drained your battery, which should rarely be the case. But if you plan to use the power bank or flashlight features a lot, charging time may be a concern. in that case, consider the tacklife t8. charges in just 4 ½ hours from a completely dead state and lasts 12 months on standby. That said, it’s less powerful, so it won’t be a good choice for larger vehicles.
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the internal battery management system (bms) has several safety features. For starters, there’s reverse polarity and reverse connection protection. if the clamps are connected to the wrong battery cables, the jump starter will shut down automatically. There’s short circuit protection, keeping you safe from damaged wires or bad car batteries. Overcharge and overvoltage protection keep your car battery safe from harm. And when you use the power bank feature, they also protect your devices. Overcurrent and overload protection keep your devices safe from sudden power spikes. and over-discharge protection prevents the jump starter’s battery from being depleted to the point of damage.
additional features
So, we’ve established that the imazing im27 is a reliable portable jump starter. But how well do the additional features hold up to scrutiny? For starters, the flashlight is very bright. it casts a relatively wide beam, which somewhat limits its range. however, it’s perfect for changing tires or even connecting charger cables in the dark. By pressing the button several times, you can switch between three different light modes. In addition to the standard flashlight mode, it can be set to SOS mode to call for help. Meanwhile, the strobe mode can be used for road safety at night.
As we mentioned, the im27 doubles as a power bank. in this sense, it is a bit of a mixed bag. The DC port is ideal for charging drones and cameras. Meanwhile, Type-C, Type-A and Type-A QC ports are perfect for smartphones. That being said, they all offer 12 watts of power, including the QC port. this was a bit disappointing. Type C ports can deliver up to 100 watts with PD technology, and even QC ports can deliver up to 36. You’ll still be able to charge all your devices, but it won’t be as fast as many dedicated power banks.
If you want even more carrying capacity, there are plenty of options. take the fanttik t8 vertex for example. It has many similar features to the im27, but with a larger 20,000mah battery capacity. on the other hand, it also has a slightly lower starting power, making it less suitable for very large engines.
final verdict
As you can see, the amazing im27 portable jump starter is a powerful emergency jump starter. it can jump even very large vehicles and is designed with many safety features. the flashlight function works very well. and while the power bank feature is less than perfect, it still works as advertised.
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