The ever-shrinking world of battery chargers now means that a dead battery can be coaxed back into life with something as small as a notebook that can sit holding a charge for months. The AsperX Jump Starter is one such example that sits at the lower end of the price spectrum. From a relatively unknown brand, the AsperX is a top seller on Amazon, shifting north of 500 of these jump starters a month.
Promising features often seen in more premium examples, including a power bank function, LED screen and intelligent monitoring to ensure safety, this jump starter could represent excellent value for money and a smart way to ensure a flat battery doesn’t leave you stranded. But at such a low price, there surely has to be compromise somewhere.
The AsperX proved to be a perfectly serviceable jump starter and even offered more than the absolute basics. During testing, it did everything asked of it with ease. It’s just a shame that more premium offerings (like the NOCO GBX45) really show it up for the bargain-basement plastic quality and subpar extra features.
Score: 3.5/5
Verdict: Works fine as a budget jump starter, but don’t expect quality fit and finish.
Pros
- Effective jump starter
- Top value for money
- Excellent safety features
Cons
- Cheap-feeling plastics
- Average LED flashlight
What’s good?
As a jump starter, it really does everything you’d expect of it. Suitable for petrol engines up to 8.0-litres in size, and diesels up to 6.5-litres, it’ll quite happily jump-start almost any car you can get your hands on in the UK. It’s also a very simple jump starter to use. Connect the cables to the correct terminal and press the button and it’ll effortlessly breathe new life into a flat battery.
The safety features present in the AsperX are another highlight. Unsurprisingly, a jump starter handles a dangerous amount of electricity, and the AsperX uses 10 protections to ensure that the jump starter is always safe to use. It makes use of temperature protection, voltage monitoring, reverse polarity and short-circuit protection.
The LED screen is a handy addition. It shows the charge percentage and both any electrical input and output. The screen was also excellent for showing just how well the AsperX held its charge. Even sitting in the boot of a street-parked car over winter wasn’t enough to cut down the battery life. Very reassuring, considering it’ll spend the majority of its life laying dormant and forgotten, only needed on the fly.
What’s okay?
The plastic exterior is cheap to the touch. It doesn’t affect performance by any means, but it does certainly explain the feather-like 407g weight. My first impression of the plastic housing was to compare it to a toy you’d get free in a box of cereal.
The button to start the jump-starting is the most jarring. Again, the quality of the plastic delivers immediate comparisons to cheap toys. Where other jump starters we’ve tested have all felt tactile to use, the AsperX felt hollow. Considering it retails for a lot less than our favourite jump starter, this is all forgivable, but it still isn’t the nicest to use.
It also doubles as a flashlight and power bank, like the majority of modern portable jump starters. The power bank feature is perfectly fine, offering a USB output. The flashlight, on the other hand, was a little meek compared to other examples we’ve tested. It’s better than a phone light, but no replacement for a proper flashlight for winter emergencies.
Any negatives?
Like a lot of these pocket-sized jump starters, the included cables are incredibly short, which limits where you can place it when jump starting a battery. This wasn’t too much of an issue on the cars we connected the AsperX to, but it could become a nuisance in a car with an awkwardly placed battery.
Other items to consider
Pros
- Value for money
- Excellent safety features
Cons
- Slightly cheaper plastics
Pros
- Almost unbreakable build
- Incredibly capable
Cons
- Slightly short jump leads
Pros
- Small but useful
- Excellent value for money
Cons
- Not suitable for diesels
Who tested it?
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Commercial Content Editor for Parkers, and has spent the last three years testing as many car accessories as he can get his hands on. With a NOCO GBX45 jump starter practically living in the boot of his car, he used it as a comparison point for testing the AsperX.
How the product was tested
The AsperX Jump Starter replaced the NOCO Jump Starter in my car. It was kept in the boot of a car over winter to test the durability of the battery and used as both a torch and power bank. Jump starting was performed on a flat 1.6-litre petrol engine. Testing the versatility, it was applied to several cars even though it didn’t jump start them.
Ryan Gilmore is the Deputy Autos and Tools Editor for Parkers, specialising in car cleaning and hand tools. A veteran car cleaner; if it details, waxes or washes he’ll be on hand to make sure it’s worth your money.
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