Originally Posted By: George7941
Dunno about Schumacher quality. I once bought a Schumacher handheld battery load tester (cheese grater type) because it was low priced and when I tested it, found it only put a 50 amp load on the battery when most of the handheld units put a 100 amp load. Took it back to the store and got my money back. What was disappointing was that nowhere did Schumacher mention that it only puts out a 50 amp load. They made the usual claims about being able to test batteries up to 1000 CCA. Heck, I could put a 10 ohm power resistor in a case and claim that it tests batteries up to 1000 CCA. I have never looked at Schumacher since that bad experience.
Was it this one? If it is, the specs are clearly stated on their own sales page.
http://store.schumachermart.com/bt-100.html
Quote:
BT-100 - 100 amp Battery Load Tester
For everyday do-it-yourself use. Easy to operate. Test load, battery condition, starter motor draw and complete charging system diagnosis. Works on 6 and 12 volt batteries.
• 100 amp load test – for 6 volt batteries.
• 50 amp load test – for 12 volt batteries.
• Tests 6 and 12 volt batteries – up to 1000 CCA.
Perhaps you had some disappointment with some of their basic products. They also have a wide range of more professional-line stuff. However, what was getting at is that they've got a real business with real engineers, technicians, and customer support staff. Their customer support phone number is right on the labels of their products. Their products are designed in-house. They own their own factories in Mexico/China and supervise them directly. I've read reviews of their products where the customer thought there was a defect, and they sent out a replacement product promptly. They're not like the brand that the OP has (Chicago Electric Power Tools) which seems to just order from a generic manufacturer in China and where you can't seem to find any information about the company selling the product.
I would unequivocally recommend any version of the Mighty-Mite jump starter.
I also couldn't figure out the whole thing about different Vector Manufacturing jump starters - especially the difference between the black/orange Black & Decker relabeled versions and the ones only carrying the Vector name. I looked it up and apparently Vector was bought out by B&D three years ago.
http://www.vectormfg.com