Review on Schumacher DSR108 450A Batteryless Starter by Jair Baltrusch

This is a very good product. Supercapacitors are used instead of a battery. I like mine a lot and have used them several times. My car has a very small battery (think the size of a lawn mower or motorcycle battery) so it tends to discharge suddenly without much warning (thanks automotive engineers!). The backpack goes with me in the trunk all the time and has saved me from waiting for AAA late at night or a few times in the rain. Before that I was always stuck begging for help from strangers (which doesn't work so well in 2018) or maybe waiting an hour for AAA in better circumstances. With this backpack I can get started on my own in 5-7 minutes max. Pros: 1) You can usually get to work unaided even if the battery is completely dead and YOUR CAR BATTERY is almost dead. in less than 7 minutes. Serious. Think about it. It's like super cool jump starter magic with super cool sauce! 2) Supercapacitors can store the charge of a nearly empty car battery (at least 2.5-3 volts I think) in a short time (say 2-3 minutes max) and then discharge all the absorbed energy in a few seconds at once to jump you. 3) The backpack is light (compared to a lead-acid setup). does not "wear out" like a battery, and charge and discharge cycles do not affect supercapacitors (more than 10 years or more than 10,000 uses is a realistic lifespan for a device of this type and probably much longer). 5) Battery charge time and discharge current output are temperature independent (thing charges fast and delivers high inrush currents on cold cranking in sub-zero temperatures or in very hot desert conditions) 6) The battery form factor is relatively small, its size is about the size of a hardcover dictionary (remember those? ). It's easy to throw it in the trunk and forget about it until you need it. 7) They printed a summary of the instructions for use on the back of the box so you don't have to try to remember the small steps. 8) This is the revolutionary Jump Start Pack technology and it really is amazing! Cons: 1) The price is a bit high. Given the theoretical lifespan, this is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime hit (how do they say buy once cry once?). 2) Slightly different than using jumper cables or a lead-acid jump pack - you have to charge first and then let it charge. Recharge between starts (if the car didn't overturn on the first try). Once you get used to it, it's not really a problem. 3) I think only 12v systems 4) The battery drains relatively quickly - from minutes to hours, maybe days. Because it recharges so quickly from a low battery, it's not a huge problem. 4) It would be nice if it came with a matching case or bag. "separated" from the body of the backpack. They're kind of odd, hanging down like they usually do, interfering with storage and what not, and not long enough to wrap a box around and around that length of cord. I could make the clip cords a bit longer so the backpack can be placed on the car windshield so you can see the charge gauges while in the car (you know - while it's raining outside the car). For me, the shortcomings were not worth deducting a star. In terms of purchasing, Revain has been great as always!