RP-PB048 RAVPower Car Jump Starter
A highly portable jump starter designed to be robust and safe to use. The RAVPower RP-PB048 features a bright display and LED status indicator light that ensures the clamps are connected correctly.
It comes complete with a canvas case, wall adapter, car charger and two USB cables for charging mobile devices.
Highlights
- Up to 20 Jump starts from fully charged
- 550A peak can start engines up to 5L
- 14000mAh battery (5 phone charges)
- 2 iSmart USB charging ports
- Multiple safety features
- Built in LED torch with emergency strobe
Intro
Testing a portable jump starter requires a car with a flat battery. It would be easy to skip that part, but I like to be thorough. My poor beat up old Honda Accord is currently looking so sorry for herself. Her fading full beams and filthy bodywork make me feel a little ashamed. I’ll give her a wash after I’ve jumped her back to life – that’s a promise.
Design and Build
The RAVPower portable jump starter and accessories are neatly contained inside a heavy duty canvas case. Each item is conveniently retained in its own sleeve or elasticated strap.
These items include a set of jumper cables, a 15V wall charger, an in-car charger, two USB cables and a user guide. All the accessories are well made and of a high quality.
The USB charging cables are branded and feature flat anti-tangle leads. It’s always good to see non-generic components included with a charging device.
The jump starter measures 17cm x 8cm x 3cm and weighs 460 grams. Its matte black body has chamfered corners and a ribbed design that’s very easy to hold.
All of the controls and ports are positioned on the front edge. There’s a power button, two USB iSmart charging ports, DC in, an on/off switch and a protected output for the jumper cables.
On the top surface is a small LED display to show the remaining power and its current charging mode. When a device is initially connected it will glow bright blue and fade to grey after a few seconds.
It came out of its box with 100% charge – A positive sign that the standby time on this device is going to be good.
The red and black jumper cables are easily identifiable and there’s good tension on the clamps. The teeth open to about 40mm, which should accommodate most battery terminals.
As with most portable jump starters, the RAVPower RP-PB048 has a bright LED flashlight. It’s activated by holding down the power button for 3 seconds. You can then cycle through the solid beam, S.O.S or Strobe modes with further presses of the button.
Features and Spec
The RAVpower portable jump starter puts out an impressive 550A of peak current. This is said to be enough to start a 5L engine. The instruction guide suggests that you make sure the unit has a minimum charge of 60% when jumping a vehicle. With a 14000mAh storage capacity, it should provide you with a substantially long standby time. This is an important consideration when choosing a jump starter. From previous experience with RAVPower external batteries, they have always performed exceptionally well. I’ll update this review with standby results in the coming months
Safety Features
The safety features present on the RAVPower RP-PB048 are as good as you’re likely to find on a portable car starter. These include short circuit, low voltage, reverse charging, reverse polarity and temperature protection. Each state is identified by the LED indicator on the jumper cables.
Specs
- Battery capacity:14000mAh
- Max USB output: 4.2A (2x 2.1A)
- Starting Current: 280A
- Peak Current: 550A
- Recharge time: 4 hours
- Operating temp. : -20C to 60C (-4F – 140F)
This information is conveniently printed on the back of the unit and is also well detailed in the user guide.
The USB ports on the RAVPower portable jump starter are both 2.1A with iSmart technology. With a combined max output of 4.2A, it will simultaneously charge two devices at the maximum speed possible.
The 1400mAh capacity rechargeable battery will provide approximately 5 phone charges or fully charge an iPad.
Testing
With the old girl’s battery fully depleted, it was time to give it a test. I could have been lazy and told you guys how flawlessly it worked, but instead, I decided to film it:
Verdict
Hopefully, the video demo speaks for itself. The RAVPower RP-PB048 is a top quality portable jump starter. Its build quality is solid and it worked perfectly. I can’t think of a more useful device to keep in the glove box of your car.
I just wanted to let your readers know that in my experience this ‘Jump Starter’ will NOT start a 2.2l turbo diesel (Vauxhall/Opel/GM). I bought mine through amazon.co.uk in May ’17. I contacted the company direct – Sunvalleytek-UK and they were very helpful. They agreed to send me FOC an upgrade replacement, the RAVPower 14000mAh Car Jumper Starter 1000A Peak Current. This has worked faultlessly. I used it on about half a dozen occasions (before I managed to fix the fault with my car). Ravpower_Support_UK were excellent.
Thanks for the comment, RAVPower are a great company especially for support, I’m glad they sorted out the issue for you, have a great day!
I have used my Ravpower Model RP-PB048 on three occasions.
i went to use it today on my motorcycle and the reset light is showing red, is this correct ?
If not how do i reset it, I have tried the reset button and it comes back on as soon as i release it.
Hi Terrance,
Sorry for the late reply, I haven’t experienced the problem, so I’m unsure of the solution. RAVPower are a great bunch of guys, I’m sure they’ll assist you if you fire an email off to [email protected]. They also have an 18-month warranty on most of their devices, so they might replace the unit for you if it’s a fault.