Customer Reviews

Black & Decker VEC010BD Start It 300 Amp Jump Starter

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

This is a nice unit for starting cars, as noted below. But it may be too small for some other 12-volt applications. The lighter-socket outlet will shut off if you exceed 5 amps of continuous draw. At 12 volts, that would be 60 watts, and as luck would have it, my laptop PC requires 90 watts (7.5 amps) when plugged directly into a 12 volt source.

Also, in terms of total amp/hours, it would not be able to power something like a CPAP machine for a full night's use, which some people might like to do on a camping trip or the like. The description touts the unit's non-automotive power uses, but they are really somewhat modest. Charging a cell phone is not much of a challenge!

It works fine for starting cars, though. This appears to be identical to the Vector VEC010S, which is the unit I have. ("BD" at the end of this product ID is obviously just for Black and Decker's labeling on the front).

My car battery went dead in mid-winter, and I thought it was shot. A neighbor had this same unit, and in the spring I borrowed it twice to start the car, which went fine, even though his unit wasn't even fully charged when I borrowed it.

Finally I bought my own, charged it overnight as per the instructions, three hours past the blinking green. When I went to jump the car, for some reason it would not start right up as it had the other times. On the first attempt, the car turned over and over, but wouldn't kick in, and the effort drew down the jump starter's cranking power to zilch. Everything stopped.

The car had not cranked long enough to become flooded, so that was not the problem. I suspected that I might not have set the clamps correctly to get a "clean" grip, and that this reduced the power available for cranking.

The instructions tell you to wait a little after long cranking, so I did. I also reset the clamps (which are perfectly strong and fine, by the way!)After a few minutes, the unit had regained some of its cranking power, and it got the car going easily.

Back inside, I plugged the starter back in to charge up, and it took several hours to get back to full (blinking green light). Apparently, getting the car going had used quite a bit of juice.

The next time I needed to jump the car, it was instantaneous, and I performed multiple jumps without needing a new charge. So, unless there is something unusual about the first usage, I suspect that my placement of the clamps was to blame. The well-written instructions are clear about the need for a good connection, after all.

If you do want it mostly for jump starts, and do not expect to need it as an "emergency power" source for long hours, or to run any kind of serious appliance, it is a fine choice.

Unit appears to be solidly constructed. Maybe I lucked out and got an upgraded version, but there have been a couple of reviewers that said the the plastic clamps snapped. The unit I have (manufactured 11/06) has ALL METAL clamps, very much nicer than many regular standard jumper cables.



This unit will hold a charge but needs to be maintained (recharged) at least every 60 days or so.



NEVER charge via the cigarette lighter adapter in your vehicle longer than 3-4 hours. It may be left on AC charge indefinately. It is better to keep it fully charged, discharging this unit will result in shorted cells.



All in all, a very small price to pay for peace of mind, at home and on the road. With a power inverter (less than $20.00) you can have silent power source for lights, cell phones, small tv's, laptops, flourescent lights, etc.

Several people here have mentioned that the clips are made of cheap plastic. I'm happy to report that mine received march 2 2007 has all-metal clips that seem to be quite sturdy! They have definately updated the design.

I have a Honda, which I love, but since I do not drive her on a daily basis now, the battery is tempermental. I bought this product and have had to use it several times. I've found it easy to use and, even when the car battery has been completely dead, this jumpstarter has had more than enough power to get her started. I comparison shopped and the price of this Black & Decker was the best bargain, too. Recommend it highly.

T. Dorau -- when properly stored, what you complain about will never happen. A battery should -never- be stored in sub-zero or near-freezing temperatures. Don't leave it in the garage!

This unit offers "quick" recharging (4 to 5 hours) from a 12V source or gradual recharging (12 to 24 hours) from an AC source.

The AC source may be left connected indefinitely (true "float" charging) which is a plus for a standby power source. The inclusion of the LED light source is very thoughtful on the part of the designer(s).

In addition to jump starting a car, this is a good choice for small household items (TV, Radio, Weather Alert Radio) or emergency communications equipment (CB, Ham Radio).

This product also appears in some stores under the "Husky" and "Vector" brand-names.

I've had it for about a month now and I finally got to use it yesterday. I was so impressed by how easy it was to use and how fast it worked. To be honest, I hate dealing with anything under the hood of my car but even in my incapable hands, this thing could not have been any easier to use. Best of all, it started my car instantly. I was so proud of myself! I highly recommend it to anyone. And as others have mentioned, it has sturdy metal clamps that look like they would very difficult to break. The whole thing looks solidly built.

Bought one of these Black & Decker 300 Amp jump starters last month--and had to use it the other day when my '81 Subaru's battery finally died. Followed the instructions for a positive terminal battery hook-up, attached the ground clamp to car frame (must be bare metal!!!), turned on the jumper and hopped in the car to turn the ignition. Voila! Immediate start from a cold engine.

Very modest size and easy to stash in a vehicle. Nice that the metal clamps are stored efficiently right on the unit. Instructions note that units are already partially charged before shipping and to charge for some additional time once the green light starts to flicker during wall charging.

It's reasonably priced, easy to use, works exactly as advertised and saved me time, inconvenience and money the first week I had it.

I wish I could say that about everything I bought.

I'll just note that most of the smaller jump starters are booster batteries which require that the car's battery have at least a little charge left in them in order to start a car. I bought this one (a rebranded Vector 010) for someone who had a habit of forgetting to turn the lights off on a Honda Civic without an auto-off or warning chime. I saw it at a Wal-Mart at a good price and it seemed a good value with it's current/amps rating and an included 12V cable to charge off a lighter port (others charge for it). It has occasionally started the Civic when the lights were left on for less than an hour, but hasn't started when left longer than that; a Civic should be a fairly easy car to start. It doesn't work all that well especially when the safety instructions (to clamp negative away from the battery on grounded metal) are followed, but may work better if clamped directly to negative, then switched on so the connection is completed (may spark) away from the battery. There are notices about possible hydrogen fires, so take that as a warning. It doesn't seem to hold a charge very long, but it does come with a recommendation to recharge it every few months and after each use. It's actually rather lightweight, and probably doesn't have a terribly large internal battery. I also have a Schumacher Mity-Mite (bought from Amazon) which is slightly heavier and seems to work better. Sometimes I've given up on the VEC010 and pulled out the Schumacher which always worked. The VEC010 just seems to be a bit underpowered. There are larger jump starters in this series, and maybe they'll work better. One possibility is to leave the battery clamped for several minutes, at which point the car's battery gets somewhat slowly recharged by the jump starter, then try and start the engine. This is more or less how some of the lighter plug jump starters work. Think of it like trying to flush a toilet with a cup of water; probably doesn't work well. Now fill the tank slowly using that cup of water, and you can flush the toilet.

I think this is actually a Vector jump starter, but either way it works very well. I have a riding lawnmower that for some reason will never crank on it's own, but if I run a dropcord and hook up a battery charger to it, it starts. Which is a pain.

Now I just leave this jump starter in my storage shed with the mower and hook it up each time to start the mower. I've started the mower probably 6 times so far without needing to recharge the jump starter. I'll take it inside and plug it in to recharge it every month or so.

Also has a work light for night time, decently bright.

If you have weak hands you might have trouble squeezing the clamps, they're very solid and the springs are strong.

Note that the Off/On switch is difficult to turn On, this is probably a safety feature to make sure you *really* want to turn on the juice to the clamps. Just turn it hard and it will click On.

I've been very pleased with my last 3 or 4 Black and Decker products, good prices and good quality.