Customer Reviews

Century J900 Rechargeable 12-Volt Portable Power Supply

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought mine April 2001. It is no longer able to charge back up to power. It did work the first few months but now it is gone. It is interesting to see that I am not alone.

More compact that other models out there. Keep it in my truck for emergencies. Had a short somewhere in the truck. 20 jumps later and it's still not empty! A must have for any road warrior, traveler, or just for emergencies.

Followup: One year later and it's DOA. Batteries won't charge and warranty is up. Purchased a $35 generic one at Menards.

I hardly used it at all. Kept it charged & stored as instructed.
Used it as backup battery on pop-up camper if main battery died.
AC Adaptor died I think, no replacement available for 15VDC AC Adaptor.

Try another model, not Century!!!

I had one of these (j900) in my trunk which apparently bounced against the sidewall, knocked the leads loose, they arced together and started my trunk carpet on fire. The century mfg. co. won't return my calls, so I am trying to alert people to the potential disaster these products are.

Most of the reviews on this item are positive; however, the ones that relate how the booster died after a relatively short time make up a significant portion of the reviews. I have a J900 booster, used for emergency power as well as ham radio portable power, and I recommend that the instructions be followed to the letter for proper recharging, especially where it says "Do Not Overcharge!" on page 3. The factory 120 volt AC wall charger cannot be left connected 24-hours a day. To do so will essentially "cook" the battery and kill it in short time - you have to follow the user's manual very very carefully to prolong battery life (unfortunately it is very easy to forget to disconnect the battery after a 4-hour charging period). As a suggestion, you can charge the battery about once a month for about 4 hours to keep it charged - if you remember to do so. Fortunately, there are regulated "smart" chargers for sealed lead-acid batteries that can be left hooked up all the time (you may have to change to a cigarette lighter plug) as they sense the current draw of the battery and adjust to the charging requirements at that moment - the result is that your battery is kept at a state of full charge and can last many years. I bought my "smart charger" from allelectronics.com as well as replacement sealed lead-acid batteries. In any event, do NOT use an automotive (wet-cell) lead-acid battery charger to charge these sealed (gel-cell) batteries unless you are sure of the charging characteristics of this kind of battery and the charger and know what to do.
Hope this info sheds some light on why this and other similar boosters seem to fail earlier that expected, and what you can do about it.

Century J900 Battery Booster has help me with recharging my car battery every time. I have used it about 10 times in the two years that I have owned it. My car battery does not turn over sometimes if the cd or dvd player was on or if a light was left on, so I was getting stuck in my garage or a parking lot trying to figure things out. Since the J900 is so compact, I can easily boost the battery in tight places and on my own. It is color coded (+/-) and the cables clamp into the black holders after use very well. I recharge after each use and have the J900 in my car ready for the next time.

Had two others and the Century J900 is the greatest. Easy to use, compact, light weight so that anyone can use it. I think every women that drives should have one.

Excellant, needed it tonight to back-up a dying battery in a truck I don't drive to often, also use it with a portable air compressor from the Radio Shack does a great job charge is simple top it off every 3 month when not in use.

My husband bought this jump charger over two years ago and it has worked flaulessly. We carry it in our camper and have use it to jump start the Ford 460 ci motor on one occassion, but mostly we use it to run our 12 volt electric boat motor on our small West Marine dingy inflatable. It will run the motor for about one and one half hours for great little trips on lakes and harbors. We are very pleased with the Century J900 and are considering buying a second unit.

Had two others and the Century J900 is the greatest. Easy to use, compact, light weight so that anyone can use it. I think every women that drives should have one.